No-till soybean fields give (even some rare) birds a foothold in Illinois

[Staff]

No-till soybean fields give (even some rare) birds a foothold in Illinois
University of Illinois
1/21/2014 | Diana Yates, Life Sciences Editor

No-till soybean fields give (even some rare) birds a foothold in Illinois | News Bureau | University of Illinois
excerpt from above:

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers report in a new study that several bird species – some of them relatively rare – are making extensive use of soybean fields in Illinois. The team found significantly more birds and a greater diversity of bird species nesting, roosting and feeding in no-till soybean fields than in tilled fields.

The team spent about 13 weeks each spring and summer in 2011 and 2012 scouring a total of 24 fields (12 per year) in two counties in Central Illinois. The fields were 18 to 20 hectares (44-49 acres) on average, and the researchers walked roughly 3,200 kilometers (1,988 miles) in the course of the study.

The team found...