BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 22 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Red-winged Blackbird In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

All regionsEastern Tallgrass PrairieGeneralists

Red-winged Blackbird in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie has fallen sharply: down 51% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

-51%Since 1968
278Routes In Region
58Years

Notable Signals

long arc declinecomputed index

Red-winged Blackbird has fallen sharply in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: down 51% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Red-winged Blackbird in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie is projected to fall about 11% by 2029 — from 103 in 2024 to a central estimate of 92 (95% range 59–125). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±2.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-11%Change by 2029
92Projected 2029 index
59–12595% range
±2.8%Backtest error
19662029
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
20259865132
20269764130
20279562128
20289461127
20299259125

Routes In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

Routes recording Red-winged Blackbird in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie.
BeaucoupILLINOIS4322024
Cedar ValleyIOWA3611997
Davis CornerIOWA3562024
PontiacILLINOIS3342024
WilliamsburgIOWA3202023
HarveysburgOHIO3031996
WilmingtonOHIO3021996
BrooklynIOWA2962022
StreatorILLINOIS2742024
TiptonIOWA2682024
NewarkILLINOIS2672022
GeneseoILLINOIS2592021
BryantIOWA2552024
West LibertyIOWA2532024
PrairieburgIOWA2502024
Mt HamillIOWA2412024
GreenviewILLINOIS2262024
HarristownILLINOIS2192024
WarrenMISSOURI2161984
College SpgsIOWA2122004
BradburyILLINOIS2102024
HudsonIOWA2102022
WayneILLINOIS2092024
PawneeILLINOIS2002024
Kahoka2MISSOURI2002024

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.