Cover crops offer future bird help

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Cover crops serve as a bed and breakfast in the Upper Midwest for migrating grassland birds. They are also a place to nest, according to University of Illinois wildlife research.

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Birds prefer a cereal-rye cover crop following corn harvest because of more residue and cover for birds on the fields.

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During two planting seasons, birds in corn and soybean fields both with and without cover crops provide research data for the University of Illinois. Fifty-two bird species were observed, with Common Grackle among the most common.

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No-till soybeans drilled into a cover crop provide wildlife habitat. While farmers plant cover crops for agronomic reasons, migratory birds are beneficiaries, according to new University of Illinois research. Cereal rye and annual ryegrass are typically used as grass cover crops before soybeans.

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Red-winged Blackbird familiar feathered friend

The Red-winged Blackbird is a frequent entertainer on Midwest farms with its familiar calls. It's one of the birds that appear to benefit most from farmers' increasing adoption of cover crops, according to the University of Illinois.

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Cassandra Wilcoxen University of Illinois

Farmers plant cover crops after harvesting corn or soybeans for a variety of reasons — to reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff, increase soil organic matter and improve water quality. Now there’s another reason.

Cassandra Wilcoxen is a former graduate research assistant in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences within the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. She recently assumed a new position as watershed specialist for the Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District in Illinois.