Bird Community Monitoring at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, 2020

Cedar Waxwing is a year-round resident at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield and is declining at an alarming rate in the region.

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Why Do We Monitor Birds?

Birds are an important part of the world we live in. They eat pests, disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and feed us, and birdwatching is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Park interpretive programs often feature birds because of the enjoyment they provide. Birds are also great indicators of environmental change. They serve as the canary in the coal mine for an ecosystem—an early warning system for environmental problems.

The landscape in and around Wilson's Creek National Battlefield contains a rich mix of woodlands and grasslands along with other habitat types. About 115 breeding bird species can be found in the area. Widespread habitat loss to agriculture and urban and industrial development threaten bird habitat in the region around the park. Unfortunately, 26% of the birds that breed on the park are in decline in the region and some birds, like the Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Bewick's Wren, Carolina Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Chimney Swift, Eastern Bluebird, Grasshopper Sparrow, House Sparrow, and Northern Bobwhite are declining at alarming rates.

Scientists in the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network measure changes in birds and their habitat to determine the health of bird communities and park ecosystems. During the breeding season, we survey birds at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield and gather information about the structure and composition of the park plant communities that birds live in. We also compare park bird trends to bird trends in the larger region. Together, these data help researchers determine how bird populations are faring and how birds respond to changes in their habitat. Knowing how birds are doing can help the park take effective steps to restore and maintain the park's beautiful landscapes.

Bird Monitoring Highlights (2008_^–2020)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher populations are stable in the region but uncertain on Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Continued monitoring will help us determine how this summer resident is faring on the park.

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Park Bird Community

We started surveying birds at the park in 2008 and have found 119 different bird species in 13 years of surveys. Ninety-eight of these species have the potential to breed within the park; 18 species are classified as transients in the area; and three species are winter residents. Nine of the breeding birds are grassland species, 42 are eastern forest species, and the rest are habitat generalists, wetland species, or edge species favored by the mix of habitats and creeks at the park.

The number of bird species found during surveys and how they were distributed through the landscape did not change over the years. On average, we found 42 bird species in the grasslands and 37 bird species in the woodlands annually. Eight breeding species on the park are considered species of conservation concern for the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region, the region in which the park is located.

Bird Species of Conservation Concern at the Park

Birds at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield that are considered species of conservation concern in the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region. The American Ornithologists' Union Code (AOU Code) and the park residency status of each species are also shown.

Common Name	Scientific Name	AOU Code	Park Resident?
Bell's Vireo	Vireo bellii	BEVI	summer resident
Bewick's Wren	Thryomanes bewickii	BEWR	year-round resident
Blue-winged Warbler	Vermivora cyanoptera	BWWA	summer resident
Henslow's Sparrow	Ammodramus henslowii	HESP	summer resident
Kentucky Warbler	Geothlypis formosa	KEWA	summer resident
Prairie Warbler	Setophaga discolor	PRAW	summer resident
Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	RHWO	year-round resident
Wood Thrush	Hylocichla mustelina	WOTH	summer resident

Bird Habitat

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield in Missouri is located in the western edge of the Ozark Highland section of the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region. This section, commonly referred to as oak savanna, historically consisted of the transition zone between the northern and western tallgrass prairie and southern and eastern pine-hardwood forest.

There are slightly more grassland habitats than woodland habitats on the park, which is typical of Ozark Highlands. The rich mix of woodlands, grasslands, and other habitats are especially important for the species of regional concern because their microhabitat requirements vary. Red-headed Woodpeckers prefer farmlands, open woodlands, orchards, and urban/suburban forest that is not too dense and Kentucky Warblers and Wood Thrush prefer moist deciduous bottomlands and ravines and deciduous woodlands but most of the other species of regional concern require thick shrubby or old field/grassland habitats.

The number of species we found during surveys was similar across the years suggesting that the park habitat is meeting the needs of the birds living there. We will continue to monitor birds and how they respond to changes in their environment to help the park manage habitat for birds. Conserving bird habitat preserves entire ecosystems for the benefit of all species.

The Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region is one of 67 regions identified in the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Wilson's Creek National Battlefield is in the western part of the region in southwestern Missouri.

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Northern Parula is a common summer resident at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Populations of this species are increasing in the region but we are uncertain of its trend on the park.

NPS/Neal Lewis

Trends of Common Bird Species

Twelve breeding species in grassland and 15 in woodland habitats had populations that were large enough for us to measure abundance (how many individuals there were). Knowing how many birds there are helps us examine trends in bird populations over time on the park. We can then compare park bird trends with trends in the larger Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region.

• The Indigo Bunting population in park grassland habitat was stable over time.
• The Eastern Towhee and Eastern Wood-pewee populations in park woodlands declined moderately in the last 13 years.
• We could not determine a trend for American Crow on the park.
• The remainder of the 27 common birds on the park had uncertain trends. This means that we did not see significant increases or decreases in their populations but we are not completely certain that their populations experienced changes of less than 5%. More surveys will help us determine population trends.

Overall, common bird populations in the park are doing about the same as populations in the larger region with a few exceptions. Eastern Wood-pewees are declining on the park but are stable in the region. Indigo Buntings are stable on the park and declining in the region. Eastern Meadowlarks, Carolina Wrens, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Field Sparrows are declining in the region while they are uncertain on the park. Northern Parula, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Tufted Titmouse populations are uncertain on the park but are increasing in the region. The rest of the common species are stable region-wide except for Eastern Towhee, which is declining on the park and in the region.

Indigo Bunting

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Did You Know?

Indigo Buntings use brush and low trees near open areas, and this type of habitat is common on Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. While this species is declining in the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region, it has a stable population in the park grasslands. The park appears to be meeting the habitat requirements of this species.

Indigo Buntings are summer residents on the park. In winter they migrate to Mexico and Central America, though a few winter in Florida and southern Texas. In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists studied this species to better understand how birds find their way during migration. Indigo Buntings helped us discover that birds use the movement of the stars to assist with navigation at night!

For More Information

Read the Full Report.

Check back later for updates. We will update this page each year as we gather more information.

Visit the Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network website.