The data set consists of data collected in 1995, 1996, and 1997 in wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and South Dakota. The data were summarized and used in the analysis for a U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report entitled: The influence of local- and landscape-level factors on wetland breeding birds in the Prairie Pothole Region of North and South Dakota. The data consist of two data sets. A species data set includes the common names, scientific names (species and genus), and four-letter alpha codes for 133 bird species observed during the three-year study. The bird abundance data set includes the abundance of wetland birds by wetland class (temporary, seasonal, semipermanent, permanent, alkali), wetland type (natural or restored), and landowner group (private or federal). In conjunction with surveys of wetland birds, the following wetland variables also were recorded: wetland size, date (julian date), ___location (easting and northing), local-level habitat variables (percent coverage of open water, emergent vegetation, wet meadow, and shoreline/mudflat) and landscape-level habitat variables (number of wetlands and percent cover of grass and wetlands within 800 m of a wetland).