Policy-driven conservation on private lands, such as the U.S. Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), provides crucial habitat for consistently declining populations of grassland birds. In 2004, new CRP enrollments were required to be managed to floristically diversify old grass-dominated fields and provide early-successional habitat. Obligate and facultative grassland birds of varying conservation importance, along with the entire avian community, has received limited research attention within this applied management context. Moreover, multiple parameters (e.g. nest survival and adult density) – opposed to single parameter studies – need to be investigated simultaneously to better understand drivers of avian population dynamics associated with management. Using a combination of graphical and model selection approaches we addressed these gaps focusing on four main questions: 1) How does abundance and richness of various grassland bird community designations respond to broad (e.g. grass type) and specific (control, disking, herbicidal spray, and spray/interseeding) management treatments?; 2) How do grassland birds of conservation concern and economic importance collectively respond to management?; 3) Are various response parameters, including nesting parameters, consistent or decoupled across facultative and obligate species?; and 4) Is there a best management treatment to recommend? Overall, compared to non-native grass (smooth brome [Bromus inermis]) dominated fields, native fields had a greater number of avian species and number of individuals with higher and lower cumulative management, respectively. Facultative grassland species were mostly driving this trend and likely utilizing native fields that tended to have more vertical vegetation structure and forb diversity compared to brome fields. Grassland obligates with higher Conservation Values, such as bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), however, were most abundant and species-rich on unmanaged brome fields compared to native fields. Response parameter decoupling was not readily apparent from our comprehensive modeling analysis of both adult survey and nesting data; however, nest survival was generally higher on native fields for eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), an obligate, yet adult densities for meadowlarks were greater on unmanaged brome fields. Overall, pinpointing a specific mid-contract management practice for CRP that has benefits for all grassland birds remains challenging due to species-specific habitat requirements. However, it appeared the moderate effects of light strip-disking on vegetation may present a good management option for landowners because this treatment may be beneficial across multiple species of grassland birds and would also limit the impact of management to obligates utilizing unmanaged brome fields while also improving the avian Conservation Value of native fields.

政策驱动的私有土地保护，例如美国农业法案的保护储备计划 (CRP)，为持续减少的草原鸟类提供了重要的栖息地。2004 年，需要管理新的 CRP 注册，以使旧的以草为主的田地植物区系多样化并提供早期继承的栖息地。具有不同保护重要性的专性和兼性草原鸟类，以及整个鸟类群落，在这种应用管理背景下受到的研究关注有限。此外，与单一参数研究相反的多个参数（例如巢穴存活率和成虫密度）需要同时进行调查，以更好地了解与管理相关的鸟类种群动态的驱动因素。使用图形和模型选择方法的组合，我们解决了这些差距，重点是四个主要问题：1) 各种草原鸟类群落名称的丰度和丰富度如何对广泛的（例如草类型）和特定的（控制、分散、除草剂喷洒、和喷雾/播种）管理处理？2) 具有保护意义和经济重要性的草原鸟类如何共同应对管理？3) 各种响应参数，包括筑巢参数，在兼性和专性物种之间是一致的还是不相关的？4) 是否有最好的管理治疗推荐？总体而言，与非本地草（光滑雀麦 [ 草类型）和特定的（控制、播种、除草喷雾和喷雾/播种）管理处理？2) 具有保护意义和经济重要性的草原鸟类如何共同应对管理？3) 各种响应参数，包括筑巢参数，在兼性和专性物种之间是一致的还是不相关的？4) 是否有最好的管理治疗推荐？总体而言，与非本地草（光滑雀麦 [ 草类型）和特定的（控制、播种、除草喷雾和喷雾/播种）管理处理？2) 具有保护意义和经济重要性的草原鸟类如何共同应对管理？3) 各种响应参数，包括筑巢参数，在兼性和专性物种之间是一致的还是不相关的？4) 是否有最好的管理治疗推荐？总体而言，与非本地草（光滑雀麦 [Bromus inermis ]) 占主导地位的田地，本土田地有更多的鸟类物种和个体数量，分别具有较高和较低的累积管理。兼性草原物种主要推动了这一趋势，并且可能利用与雀麦田相比往往具有更多垂直植被结构和杂草多样性的原生田地。然而，与本地田地相比，未管理的雀麦田中具有较高保护价值的草原植物，例如 bobolinks ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ) 最为丰富和物种丰富。从我们对成人调查和筑巢数据的综合建模分析中，响应参数解耦并不明显；然而，东部草地鹨的巢穴存活率普遍较高（Sturnella magna），一种专性的，但在未管理的雀麦田中，草地鹨的成年密度更大。总体而言，由于特定物种的栖息地要求，确定对所有草原鸟类都有好处的 CRP 的特定中期合同管理实践仍然具有挑战性。然而，似乎光条盘对植被的适度影响可能为土地所有者提供了一个很好的管理选择，因为这种处理可能对多种草原鸟类有益，并且还会限制管理对利用未管理的雀麦田的义务的影响，同时也提高本土田地的鸟类保护价值。