THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAND-USE AND THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS

The abundance and distribution of the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) was estimated in 32 counties located in south-central Illinois on, or immediately adjacent to the "shrike extirpation line" of Graber et al. (1973). A total of 216 shrikes was observed in 22 of the 32 counties surveyed, of which only 13 (6%) were north of the extirpation line. Shrikes were most common near pastures, hedgerows, cornfields, and residential homes and their lawns. Regression analysis revealed that shrike abundance was positively correlated with the amount of pasture-hay meadows and covercrops, and negatively correlated with the amount of harvested cropland and woodland. Land-use practices appear to have influenced the distribution and abundance of the Loggerhead Shrike in Illinois.