Breeding Habitat:Grassland
Nest Type:Open-cup nesting passerine
Migration Status:Neotropical migrant
Nest Location:Ground-low nesting
The Baird's Sparrow is a poorly known summer resident of mixed grass habitats on the northern Great Plains. They are most frequently found in mixed grass prairies that are idle or lightly grazed, but will also occupy areas where grazing is more intense (Stewart 1975). In more arid regions, breeding pairs tend to prefer damp depressions or prairies bordering lakes and streams, but elsewhere they generally equally prefer upland and lowland habitats. In addition to native grasslands, they also inhabit hayfields and fallow fields.
A fairly persistent singer, these sparrows are regularly recorded on BBS routes within the limited breeding range. They tend to be most numerous in portions of North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan, and Alberta (Relative Abundance Map).
Stewart (1975) indicated that the North Dakota population was greatly reduced as a result of the conversion of native prairies to cultivated fields. Similar changes in Baird's Sparrow populations are suspected elsewhere in their range. However, the BBS trend data provide only limited support for extensive population declines since the mid-1960s. The trend map indicates declines are prevalent throughout much of this range, with only localized areas of increases (Trend Map). The 1966-1994 trend estimates are entirely non-significant, although most are in a negative direction (Trend List). During the 1966-1979 and 1980-1994 intervals, small sample sizes preclude detailed analyses of population trends but indicate a general declining tendency during the early interval. Since 1980, the population trends are mixed increases and declines. The survey-wide indices are variable with no consistent temporal patterns (Survey-wide Annual Indices). The indices for most states/provinces and regions are similar. In the Drift Prairie (S37) stratum, populations declined through the early 1980s followed by fairly stable numbers (Drift Prairie Annual Indices). The Glaciated Missouri Plateau (S38) stratum exhibits stable populations through the early 1980s followed by an increase (Glaciated Missouri Plateau Annual Indices).
Away from its breeding range, this species is secretive and its status and distribution are very poorly understood. Wintering Baird's Sparrows apparently prefer relatively lightly grazed grasslands in the southwestern states from west Texas to Arizona and south into adjacent Mexico (AOU 1983). Very few are recorded on CBCs, however, and these limited data do not allow for the estimation of winter population trends.
American Ornithologists Union. 1983. Check-list of North American
birds, 6th ed. Allen Press, Lawrence, KS. 877 pp.
Stewart, R.E. 1975. Breeding birds of North Dakota. Harrison
Smith, Lund Press, Minneapolis, MN. 295 pp.