Endangered and Threatened Birds of Illinois

1. This threatened species nests low in vegetation or on the ground in forests, orchards and along woodland edges. Loss of nesting habitat is considered the major threat to this species.

2. Once a common nesting species in Illinois’ wet prairies and marshes, critical breeding and feeding habitats have been lost or degraded for this Illinois endangered species. During the 1900s this species was nearly extirpated from the state.

3. The breeding population of this now state-endangered species probably was never large because Illinois is at the northern edge of its breeding range. Numbers were greatly reduced in the late 1800s and early 1900s and it again started nesting in Illinois in the 1960s.

4. An uncommon and widespread summer resident along the major river valleys and in the northeastern Illinois wetlands in the 1800s, this Illinois-endangered species disappeared in the first half of the 1900s. A relocation effort is under way to enhance their presence in Illinois as a breeding species.

5. In the mid- to late-nineteenth century this bird had an extensive statewide distribution and was a common summer resident. The drainage of marshes, loss of prairie habitat and use of pesticides between the 1950s and 1970s caused populations to decline and resulted in its eventual listing as an Illinois endangered species. This bird prefers large grasslands with a variety of cover types.

6. Once a common summer resident in suitable habitat throughout Illinois, the dramatic loss and deterioration of marsh habitats brought about a decline in this species. Only sporadic reports by dedicated observers have occurred in recent years. This bird was listed as a threatened species in 1994 and its status reclassified to endangered in 1999.

7. Never common but considered the most common member of its family in the 1800s, by l998 it was apparently gone from Illinois. The availability of suitable wetland sites is a limiting factor. The presence of people and fast boats that disrupt its floating nests, imperil successful of this Illinois endangered species.

8. “By far the most abundant of the summer-resident members of its family“ in Illinois in the 1800s, by the early 1900s this bird was considered “common in the southern part of the state, but casual or rare in northern Illinois.” Today this Illinois-threatened species is considered rare and has a patchy distribution because of the loss of large, unfragmented, mature forests, especially along streams. Brown-headed cowbird nest parasitism also hinders successful nesting.

9. In the late 1800s this species was “confined to the prairie district of the northern portion of the state” where it bred in open, swampy places. This species has been in Illinois for some time, although it is more common to the west. It is considered an Illinois endangered species because of its limited distribution and the loss and degradation of wetland habitats.

10. During the 1800s this species was a very common summer resident throughout the state. Thousands more birds passed over during migration. Unregulated hunting nearly caused its extinction in the early 1900s, but protective laws allowed the population to recover. The development of monocultures of corn and soybeans resulted in the second decline in numbers, resulting in its status today as an Illinois endangered species.