Rangelands are important landscapes in California that support a robust cattle industry but also serve as vital grassland habitat for birds. Climate change is projected to impact rangelands, leading to economic and ecological deterioration. In California, the Healthy Soils Program (HSP) has provided climate-smart solutions to increase working land resiliency. While the HSP targets soil and range health for livestock, it may also benefit birds. We surveyed rangeland operators to investigate if the implementation, duration, and specificity of range management practices, such as range seeding, prescribed grazing, and silvopasture, also make rangelands more suitable for birds. Using Point Blue Conservation Science’s Rangeland Monitoring Network’s avian point count data to calculate the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendliness Index (BFI), we evaluated bird community response to these management practices. For birds utilizing oaks and grasslands, we found prescribed grazing and range seeding increased BFI. For grassland-only bird communities, shrub establishment increased BFI. The number of animals per acre and duration of practices had mixed effects on BFI, indicating a trade-off between restoration and disturbance that may impact conservation on working rangelands. More consistent ecological monitoring of climate-smart practices is needed and will help further elucidate the effects of these practices on bird communities.

Ximena grew up in Los Angeles, where she first developed skills as a Naturalist for the National Audubon Society. During her time there, she implemented bilingual programs to build a connections between local Latinx residents and their local natural spaces. Ximena attended and graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt with a degree in Wildlife. During her time at Humboldt, she worked on a variety of wildlife projects, including a season in Kenya studying avian insectivores and their ecosystem services on coffee farms. As a current graduate student she is continuing her interest in agroecology and studying grassland bird response on rangelands.