Celebrating 15 Years of Migratory Bird Conservation with Southern Wings!

(SBA) - The start of fall and cooler temperatures means many migratory birds have begun their journey south or will soon be journeying south for winter. Many of the birds you see during the summer in Iowa spend the winter months in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. With many of these bird species in decline, it is important to do conservation work that supports them year-round (which is called the full annual cycle); both in Iowa and where they spend the winter months.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources contributes annually to the Southern Wings program, organized by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), that organizes conservation work south of the US border. 2024 marks 15 years since the inception of Southern Wings, when it was created by the AFWA Bird Conservation Committee. In fifteen years, 41 states have contributed more than $4.2 million to Southern Wings projects, which focus on bird conservation in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. These projects have aided in the conservation of 81 migratory bird species of greatest conservation need across 26 projects in 12 countries.

Southern Wings coordinates various projects targeted at specific areas and species. For 12 years, the Iowa DNR has joined Oklahoma, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and the Pacific Flyway Council in contributing to a project entitled, Conservation of Migratory Bird Habitat of Desert Grasslands in the El Tokio BirdScape, Mexico. This project focuses on the El Tokio Grassland Priority Conservation Area in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico with one of the main goals of conserving the wintering habitat of many grassland birds. Southern Wings has partnered with the American Bird Conservancy, Pronatura Noreste, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, and Ejidos (local communities with communal land) to improve bird habitat through invasive shrub removal, restoring native grasslands, improving cattle fencing, holding educational workshops, implementing conservation easements, and developing plans for cattle ranching that benefits birds.

The El Tokio Grassland Priority Conservation Area is an important winter home for many bird species that can be found in Iowa during the summer, including Iowa breeding birds such as Loggerhead Shrike, Eastern Meadowlark, Western Meadowlark, Chipping Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Vesper Sparrow as well as birds that spend time in Iowa but don’t breed here like Long-billed Curlew and Sprague’s Pipit. Southern Wings, therefore, plays an important role in maintaining these and many other species that breed and migrate through Iowa and across North, Central, and South America each year. To learn more about Southern Wings click the button below.