Preface

In 1986, the Missouri Department of Conservation commenced an ambitious statewide survey to determine the distribution of Missouri's breeding bird species-the Missouri Breeding Bird Atlas Project. The department's ornithologist, James D. Wilson, initiated the project and about 50 dedicated birders participated in the first year's effort. As word spread among the birding community, more people volunteered to be Atlasers, enough to survey 1207 breeding bird atlas blocks.

During the second year, the Department of Conservation hired Brad Jacobs, a 1986 block surveyor, and Jim and Brad worked together on the many tasks associated with data management, volunteer workshops, special survey weekends, newsletters and block surveys. The Atlas Project took much of the authors' time, including seven years of field work and four years of data analysis and writing. Sharon Hoerner skillfully handled volunteer communications and coordination, and the day-to-day tasks that kept this project on target.

This report would not have been possible without the help of more than 400 dedicated volunteer birders who contributed more than 21,000 hours to advance our understanding of Missouri birds. Their efforts have given us a benchmark set of data from which to compare future bird studies and to monitor changes in bird distribution. Other bird species information that was collected during the Atlas Project, including relative abundance, breeding season phenology and brood parasitism heightened our understanding of Missouri's birds.

The Department of Conservation is pleased to make the Missouri Breeding Bird Atlas available for scientists, land managers, students, birders and interested citizens.

Richard H. Thom, Chief
Natural History Division
Missouri Department of Conservation
December 1996

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