Piedmont Grassland Bird Initiative

A collaboration working to simultaneously stem the tide of grassland bird decline, improve the resiliency of working landscapes and positively impact the livelihoods that depend upon those lands.

The Piedmont Grassland Bird Iniative (PGBI) is a collaboration between The Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia Working Landscapes, American Farmland Trust and Quail Forever focused on promoting the science-based knowledge and resources needed to manage Virginia’s private lands for grassland bird conservation. 

a woman holds a fluffy baby barn owl

Meet the PGBI Staff

PGBI relies on strong local partners and interested landowners working together with knowledgeable PEC and VWL staff -- meet PGBI co-coordinators Justin and October!
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a bobolink eating an insect in a field of purple and yellow wildflowers

Support Grassland Birds on World Migratory Bird Day

On Saturday, October 9, bird enthusiasts around the globe will be celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, an opportunity to raise awareness around the incredible wonders of bird migration. While some of our grassland birds are year-round residents, such as the Bobwhite quail, most of Virginia’s grassland birds are migratory. With this in mind, we want to highlight several things that you can do around your landscape that will have a positive impact on our region’s grassland birds, both migratory and resident, as well as improve biodiversity.
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a small brown bird perches on a leafy tree branch

Grassland Birds

Small changes to farming practices can have a big, positive impact on grassland birds. For example, slightly adjusting the timing of hayfield mowing in the spring can ensure much higher rates of grassland birds fledging their young during the vulnerable nesting season.
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An American Kestrel in flight

What is the Piedmont Grassland Bird Initiative?

Native grasslands have suffered the most intense impact by humans of any of North America’s terrestrial ecosystems, resulting in grassland-associated birds experiencing a steeper, more consistent decline than any other guild of birds. Decades of increasingly intensive agriculture have reshaped the habitats that these grassland birds rely upon.
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