Habitats

Shortgrass Prairie

Colorado's native prairie, which once covered nearly half the state, remains now only in patches, many of those on the Pawnee and Comanche National Grasslands. Sometimes the avifauna provides the best indicator of how "native" a particular patch of prairie is. McCown's Longspur and Mountain Plover tend to be associated with the highest-quality patches. Chestnut-collared Longspurs can be found in small areas with slightly longer grass, sometimes called mid-grass prairie, on the Pawnee. Other typical prairie birds include Burrowing Owl, Horned Lark, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Bunting and Western Meadowlark.