BCR 22. 

Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

Henslow's Sparrow. Photo: © Robert Hughes

This region includes what was formerly the most tall and lush grasslands of the Great Plains. Beech-maple forest dominated in the eastern sections, and the prairie and woodland ecotone between the two was marked by a broad and dynamic oak-dominated savannah. The modern landscape of the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie is dominated by agriculture. Threats to the upland and wetland habitats of this region include urbanization, recreational development, and agricultural expansion. High priority grassland birds that persist in some areas include the Greater Prairie-Chicken and Henslow's Sparrow. Cerulean Warblers are in some wooded areas, and Red-headed Woodpecker leads the list of savannah specialists.

Important Bird Areas in this BCR

Banner Marsh and Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Areas

Red-headed Woodpecker. Photo: USFWS

Carlyle Lake Wildlife Management Area and Eldon Hazlet State Park

Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge

Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge

Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge and Army Corps of Engineers Lands

Detroit River/Lake Erie

Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge

Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

Fort Riley

Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area

Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area

John Redmond Reservoir

Konza Prairie Research Natural Area

Lake Shelbyville Fish and Wildlife Management Area

LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

Magee Marsh Wildlife Area

Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex and Army Corps of Engineers Lands

Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area

Maumee Bay

Metzger's Marsh Wildlife Area

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

Pere Marquette State Park (Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area)