Western short grasslands

Western short grasslands
Canyon in the shortgrass prairie of Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Ecology
Biome	Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Bird species	245
Mammal species	107
Geography
Area	435,200 km2
Country	United States
States	South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas
Conservation
Habitat loss	30.5%
Protected	5%

The Western short grasslands is a temperate grassland ecoregion of the United States.

This ecoregion largely corresponds with the geographical region known as the High Plains. It is located in eastern, northern, and central Montana, eastern Wyoming, western Nebraska (the Nebraska Panhandle), eastern Colorado, western Kansas, western Oklahoma (the Oklahoma Panhandle), eastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle and parts of west-central Texas and a very small portion of southwestern South Dakota. The Western short grasslands are characterised by a semi-arid climate, with low precipitation, warm temperatures, and a long growing season relative to other Nearctic prairie ecoregions.

The two dominant grasses of this ecoregion are blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides).

Mammals of this ecoregion include bison (Bison bison bison), mule deer (Odocoileus hemonius) and coyote (Canis latrans). Birds include the Lesser Prairie Chicken, greater prairie chicken, dickcissel and loggerhead shrike. This ecoregion is home to a very diverse assortment of butterflies, birds, and mammals, due in part to its proximity to the subtropics.