But when they describe the bird's long tail, we know right away its not an Attwater's. These grasses are critical to the Attwater's because their structure. They are bunch grasses, which grow in clumps along the prairie. These grasses provide sheltered areas that the Attwater's needs to nest and hide. At the same time, this ecosystem is not entirely covered with thick grasses that impede the Attwater's manoeuverability.
Bunch grasses allow the birds to move from one area to another.
Grazing is particularly important in this region because it keeps the biomass from accumulating too greatly. During mating season, the mima mounds give the best vantage points for male Attwater's to see and be seen. When things don't look good for the Attwater's, that is a clear signal that something is wrong with the entire ecosystem. One of the primary problems with the coastal prairie ecosystem is that there is simply not much left. A hundred years ago, almost 6 million acres of coastal prairie stretched along the Texas coast and up into Louisiana.