The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas
“While birds are well known and visible, precise knowledge of distributions necessary to direct conservation efforts, assess environmental health, and increase ecological knowledge has been lacking. The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas establishes baseline data for Iowa's avian population and provides a framework for research and environmental monitoring.”—Neil Bernstein, Mount Mercy College
“Iowa now joins the growing number of states with a breeding bird atlas in print. This publication has been eagerly awaited by Iowa and Midwest birders and researchers since the fieldwork was completed in 1990. Fortunately it includes information through 1995. Resulting from the efforts of over 500 volunteer observers, the production of the atlas was a monumental task.”—Peter C. Peterson, past president, Iowa Ornithologists' Union
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The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas—the first comprehensive statewide survey of Iowa's breeding birds—provides a detailed record of the composition and distribution of the avifauna of the Hawkeye State. The atlas documents the presence of 199 species, 158 of which were confirmed breeding. This landmark volume will alert Iowans to the limited distribution of numerous species and serve as a guide to the management practices—such as forest and wetland management, set-aside programs, reduction in farm chemical use, and crop diversity—which could help insure that many future changes are positive ones. The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas provides a welcome and much-needed baseline for future comparisons of changes in Iowa's birdlife and, by extension, the lives of all animals in the state.