Disappearance of prairies threatens many birds

Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail Max Allegar, the grassland coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation talks about the species of birds native to the Missouri prairies and those that visit for the winter or on their way to wintering grounds further south, and the threats to their survival at a recent Nevada Rotary Club meeting. Allegar said that some of the more commonly seen grassland birds are the short eared owl, which winters here, red winged black birds, Dickcissel, scissor tailed flycatchers, northern bob white and the great prairie chicken, of which there are less than 100 in Missouri. "Nevada is within 25 to 30 miles of 70 percent of these," he said. Many of the native grassland birds depend on large tracts of relatively undisturbed prairie and that is getting harder to find. "What are left are islands of suitable land," he said. To preserve the remaining prairie owned and managed by the Department of Conservation Allegar said they use fire to keep trees from taking over the land and rotary mowers to mimic the grazing of bison.