Thirty-eight Neotropical migrants are common in the agricultural landcapes of the Midwest. Most of these species depend on herbaceous or wooded habitats, which are declining as the average size of farms in this region increases about 12% per decade. We recommend minimizing cultivation; encouraging moderate grazing; delaying spring mowing of hayfields, grassed waterways, and roadsides; avoiding nighttime mowing; encouraging longer intervals between mowing; avoiding fall mowing and annual mowing of grassed waterways and roadsides; retaining fencelines along roadsides; maintaining idle land that provide nesting cover; and changing the amount and configuration of idle land to enhance species richness and nesting success.

The apparent decline in numbers among many species of migratory songbirds is a timely subject in conservation biology, particularly for ornithologists, ecologists, and wildlife managers. This book is an attempt to discuss the problem in full scope. It presents an ambitious, comprehensive assessment of the current status of neotropical migratory birds in the U.S., and the methods and strategies used to conserve migrant populations. Each chapter is an essay reviewing and assessing the trend from a different viewpoint, all written by leaders in the fields of ornithology, conservation, and population biology.