Nebraska is brimming with a variety of natural areas and wonderful birds. The following 20 sites showcase the state’s best birding opportunities from the tallgrass prairies in the east to the Pine Ridge in the west.
Tallgrass prairie
Nebraska’s tallgrass prairie ecoregion covers the eastern fourth of the state and consists mainly of rolling hills bisected by the stream valleys of the Republican, Platte, Loup, and Niobrara rivers. We recommend visiting these eight spots to experience birding in the tallgrass prairie ecoregion.
Mixed-grass prairie
The Mixed-grass Prairie Ecoregion is a transition zone where tallgrass and shortgrass prairies merge, meaning it takes on characteristics of both landscapes. In the east and along floodplains tallgrass prairie species tend to dominate, while in the western part shortgrass species are in abundance. We recommend visiting these three spots to experience birding in Nebraska’s Mixed-grass Prairie Ecoregion.
Sandhills
The Nebraska Sandhills represents the largest natural ecosystem in the state, covering 19,300 square miles, or almost a quarter of the state. It is also one of the largest remaining intact native grassland ecosystems in the country. We recommend visiting these four spots to experience birding in Nebraska’s Sandhills.
Shortgrass prairie
Though it is referred to as the Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion, much of this region in western Nebraska supports dry mixed-grass prairie, shortgrass prairie, sandsage prairie, pine woodlands, badlands, and other vegetation types. This ecoregion features diverse topography, including several areas of rocky escarpments. We recommend visiting these five spots to experience birding in Nebraska’s Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion.
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