Landscape features that predict the occurrence of shorebirds in agriculture fields during migration in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska

Some upland shorebird species are undergoing population declines. During their northward migration, these species primarily stop and use agricultural landscapes. This behavior is concerning because these landscapes are typically lower in resources, which could compromise energy demands during migration. There is a lack of information on what landscape features influence where species stop and on how the species use agricultural habitats. To close the gap, I compared landscape features between site where species-present and where were species-absent sites and developed models to predict migratory stopping sites. I focused on three uplands species: American Golden-Plovers, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and Upland Sandpipers. Each species responded to different landscape features. American Golden-Plovers positively responded to the variation of slope values at a site. For Buff-breasted Sandpipers, the probability of occurrence increased at sites that were higher in elevation and flatter. While Uplands Sandpipers positively responded to sites with higher elevations. In addition, I documented behaviors to understand what resources agricultural fields provide in order to understand how changes may affect population trend