Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus Savannarum)

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Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus Savannarum) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) ©Robert Royse 2006 Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) Version 1.0 2015 prepared by Janet M. Ruth U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center USGS Arid Lands Field Station UNM Biology Department MSC03 2020, 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 [email protected] Recommended Citation Ruth, J.M. 2015. Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum). Version 1.0 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lakewood, Colorado. 109 pp. Cover photo provided by Robert Royse Acknowledgements This project was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Migratory Bird Program, Region 6. Thanks to T. Lickfett (USFWS) for his assistance in creating the range map (Figure 1) from BirdLife International and NatureServe data; to B.W. Smith (USFWS), R. Doster (USFWS), R. Russell (USFWS), A. Forbes (USFWS), P. Vickery (Center for Ecological Research), and J. Herkert (Illinois DNR) for reviews of previous versions of this document. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1 I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 4 II. Systematics ............................................................................................................................................... 4 III. Legal Status .............................................................................................................................................. 5 A. Global .................................................................................................................................................... 5 B. Canada (national and regional) ............................................................................................................. 5 C. United States (national, regional, and state level) ............................................................................... 6 D. Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America ................................................................................... 6 IV. Range and Distribution ............................................................................................................................ 6 A. Breeding (Canada, United States, and Mexico) ................................................................................... 6 B. Migration ............................................................................................................................................ 13 C. Wintering (United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America) ...................................... 13 V. Status, Population Estimates, and Trends .............................................................................................. 14 A. Conservation Status ............................................................................................................................ 14 B. Population Estimates .......................................................................................................................... 17 C. Population Trends ............................................................................................................................... 17 D. Population Goals and Objectives ........................................................................................................ 20 VI. Habitat and Landscape Requirements Overview .................................................................................. 22 A. Breeding .............................................................................................................................................. 22 B. Migration ............................................................................................................................................ 28 C. Wintering ............................................................................................................................................ 29 VII. Known or Suspected Limiting Factors and Threats .............................................................................. 30 A. Habitat Loss/Degradation ................................................................................................................... 30 B. Grazing ............................................................................................................................................... 31 C. Fire ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 D. Mowing .............................................................................................................................................. 38 E. Shrub/Woody Vegetation Encroachment .......................................................................................... 41 F. Non-native grasses/forbs ................................................................................................................... 42 G. Predation/Nest Parasitism ................................................................................................................. 43 H. Precipitation/Drought........................................................................................................................ 44 I. Climate Change ................................................................................................................................... 45 J. Energy Development (Renewable and Nonrenewable) ..................................................................... 47 K. Suburban/Exurban Development ...................................................................................................... 49 L. Habitat Fragmentation (Patch Size/Area Sensitivity/Edge Effects) .................................................... 50 M. Pesticides .......................................................................................................................................... 51 N. Agriculture – Crops ............................................................................................................................ 52 VIII. Management Programs and Impacts .................................................................................................. 53 A. Conservation Reserve Program ......................................................................................................... 53 B. Other Grassland Conservation Programs .......................................................................................... 56 C. Surface mine and mountaintop mine reclamation ............................................................................ 57 D. Managing Military Installations ......................................................................................................... 58 E. Habitat Restoration ............................................................................................................................ 59 IX. Recent/Ongoing Conservation Actions .................................................................................................. 59 A. Monitoring ......................................................................................................................................... 59 B. Research .............................................................................................................................................. 60 C. Habitat Planning and Delivery............................................................................................................ 61 D. Education/Outreach/Management Guidelines ................................................................................. 62 X. Conservation Plan ................................................................................................................................... 63 A. Conservation Action Items.................................................................................................................. 63 B. Other Species that will benefit ........................................................................................................... 65 C. Closing ................................................................................................................................................. 65 XI. Literature Cited ...................................................................................................................................... 66 Appendix A …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….91 Appendix B…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..104 Executive Summary The Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) breeds in grassland habitats throughout much of the U.S., southern and southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico. Additional subspecies are resident in Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. It winters primarily in the coastal states of the southeastern U.S., southern portions of the southwestern states, and in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The species prefers relatively open grassland with intermediate grass
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