Medin looked at the effects of sheep grazing on the structure of vegetation in Utah and the resulting habitat selection of the passerines in that area. The only three species found in the study area were the horned lark, loggerhead shrike and the black-throated sparrow. Horned larks were the most common of the three, and Medin feels that is due to the nesting habitat found within the experimental range. Horned larks nest mostly on the ground in open areas, which was the major cover type found in the experiment. Sparrows and shrikes nested exclusively in dry wash areas that contained large shrubs. These washes were only a couple of feet wide and sparsely spread throughout the area. Contrary to Medin's hypothesis, sheep grazing showed no significant effect on the passerines of the community.
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