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The Baird's Sparrow breeds in native grasslands in the southern prairie provinces. Because of its nomadic, cross-border nature (Green et al. 2002), changes in the North American population are the most appropriate measure to assess this species' population status in Canada. Its population shows strong fluctuations with an overall large decrease in the North American population since the mid-1960s and in Canada since 1970. In both cases, while the year-to-year variability has continued, there has been no discernible further decrease since about 2000. Baird's Sparrow was re-assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 2012 and its status was revised to Special Concern (from Not At Risk) based on habitat loss and subsequent population decline. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The Baird's Sparrow is found in large tracts of native grassland. Because of large-scale conversion of these habitats to agricultural crops since the beginning of European settlement, populations are undoubtedly much lower than pre-settlement populations (Green et al. 2002). Habitat loss and degradation continue. The species is area sensitive (Davis 2004). Prescribed burning programs may be beneficial in moist portions of the species' range since fire removes dense shrub cover. Haying generally decreases habitat quality; acceptable grazing intensity varies with moisture conditions (Green et al. 2002). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) see the SARA Registry.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.