The Baird's Sparrow, Manitoba's native bird, is listed as provincially endangered still.
The grassland bird- which can be found in the southwest and the mixed grass prairie portion of the province- was listed in the June 2016 revision of the Species At Risk Act as "threatened" and a "species of special concern."
Manitoba Program Manager for Bird Studies Canada, Christian Artuso, says their habitat is the reason why there are decreasing.
"All of that prairie that has been converted to other land use types in forms of agriculture. They still occur where there's cattle pastures and grazing, but when the land gets converted into crop or other uses like that, that's no longer suitable habitat."
During their blitz on Sunday July 10th, volunteers from the Manitoba Important Bird Area Program tallied 23 Baird's Sparrow in the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-Grass Prairie Important Bird Area.
Artuso says that is a survey result - the number of birds detected and that he believes there is not likely to be more than 50 - 100 pairs (hence 100 - 200 individuals) as a maximum in Manitoba.
"Like everything, they are part of the system. They have their contribution in the food web in the ecosystem and their a niche whether that be with insect control or seed dispersal. All of these grassland birds that contribute to that ecosystem. So it's very concerning." Artuso says.
The bird was discovered by by Ernest E. Thompson (Seton) in 1891 and
