Bird Species Use of Bioenergy Croplands in Illinois, USA—Can Advanced Switchgrass Cultivars Provide Suitable Habitats for Breeding Grassland Birds?

Kirk E. LaGory (), Jules F. Cacho, Colleen R. Zumpf, DoKyoung Lee, Jeremy Feinstein, Dario Dematties, Leroy J. Walston, Nictor Namoi and M. Cristina Negri
Additional contact information
Kirk E. LaGory: Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Jules F. Cacho: Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Colleen R. Zumpf: Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439, USA
DoKyoung Lee: Crop Science Department, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Jeremy Feinstein: Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Dario Dematties: Mathematics and Computer Science, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Leroy J. Walston: Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Nictor Namoi: Crop Science Department, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
M. Cristina Negri: Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Grassland birds have sustained significant population declines in the United States through habitat loss, and replacing lost grasslands with bioenergy production areas could benefit these species and the ecological services they provide. Point count surveys and autonomous acoustic monitoring were used at two field sites in Illinois, USA, to determine if an advanced switchgrass cultivar that is being used for bioenergy feedstock production could provide suitable habitats for grassland and other bird species. At the Brighton site, the bird use of switchgrass plots was compared to that of corn plots during the breeding seasons of 2020–2022. At the Urbana site, the bird use of restored prairie, switchgrass, and Miscanthus × giganteus was studied in the 2022 breeding season. At Brighton, Common Yellowthroat, Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Sedge Wren occurred on switchgrass plots more often than on corn; Common Yellowthroat and Dickcissel increased on experimental plots as the perennial switchgrass increased in height and density over the study period; and the other two species declined over the same period. At Urbana, Dickcissel was most frequent in prairie and switchgrass; Common Yellowthroat was most frequent in miscanthus and switchgrass. These findings suggest that advanced switchgrass cultivars could provide suitable habitats for grassland birds, replace lost habitats, and contribute to the recovery of these vulnerable species.

Keywords: grassland birds; bioenergy croplands; corn; advanced switchgrass cultivars; point count surveys; autonomous acoustic monitoring; BirdNET-Analyzer; high-performance computing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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