Kirjahaku

Outlines the natural history of one of the most important surviving wetlands in the United States, describes the variety of wildlife found there, and points to the danger man poses to its survival.

Renowned for its tall grasses, the Konza Prairie in east-central Kansas provides shelter for a variety of birds, from the mourning dove to the wild turkey. Yet many birds come to the prairie for other reasons - the Virginian rail prefers the seasonal marshy swales, the northern rough-winged swallow searches the clay banks of active streams for its nest sites, the common poorwill nests in the sparsely vegetated rocky outcrops and the yellow-rumped warbler favours a broad range of woody habitats, from clumps of dogwood in the upland prairies to the denser interior of the gallery forest. Just passing over in search of wetter spots, the Great Blue Heron occasionally alights on a pond or a creek. Living up to its name, the chimney swift resides only in the chimney of the stone house at Konza Prairie headquarters. Konza Prairie, an 8,600-acre ocean of tallgrass cut by occasional stands of forests along streams and creeks, is a stomping ground or permanent home to more than 200 species of birds. Owned by The Nature Conservancy and administered by the Division of Biology and Kansas State University, Konza is located in the middle of the Flint Hills, which are covered by the last major remnants of virgin tallgrass prairie that once stretched from the eastern Dakotas to Oklahoma and east through Iowa and Illinois to Indiana and Ohio. Featuring a valuable synopsis of the seasonal occurrence, habitat preference, breeding status and abundance for all 208 species that have been recorded on the site, "The Birds of Konza" provides a basis for comparisons to other habitats and geographic areas, as well as the benchmark for continuing studies in the tallgrass prairie.

This is an introduction to Cheyenne Bottoms. Narrating the natural history of the Bottoms from its formation 100,000 years ago, it describes the variety of birds, mammals and reptiles that depend on it and the intricate web of interactions among them that preserves its ecosystem.

Given its central location and favourable habitats, Kansas is blessed with a surprising diversity of birds: 453 species documented within its borders. This book focuses on the 203 species that breed in the state - from the Green-winged Teal to the Great-tailed Grackle - to create an accurate and timely reference based on standardized methods of data collection. The Kansas Breeding Bird Atlas represents the efforts of 180 volunteers who diligently sought out birds over six years, observing their behavior and searching for active nests and fledged young throughout the state, whether in tallgrass prairies, riparian forests, or wetlands. In addition to these volunteers' efforts, Busby and Zimmerman gathered a wealth of information relating the observations to ecological factors affecting the birds' habitat selection. In the book, each species is conveniently presented in a two-page spread containing a line drawing, descriptive account, data summary table, distribution map, and, in most instances, a table of breeding status by physiographic region and BBS (Breeding Bird Survey) map. Breeding codes - possible, probable, or confirmed - are assigned in accordance with recommendations of the North American Ornithology Atlas Committee. The illustrations consist of classic drawings by Orville Rice and Robert Mengel, plus over one hundred new drawings by Dan Kilby. This is the definitive guide for anyone, amateur or professional, concerned with the activities of Kansas's breeding birds, and it provides information essential to environmental and conservation planning as well. The Kansas Breeding Bird Atlas is the one source for complete and authoritative data on the avian species that breed in Kansas.