grazing

References

Images

A herd of bison grazes in golden early morning light on grassy plains beside a winding river in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park, with mountains in the background.

Cattle grazing in a field of blooming bluebonnets with scattered trees and a bright blue sky in the Texas Hill Country.

grazing

feeding

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June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

A herd of bison grazes in golden early morning light on grassy plains beside a winding river in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park, with mountains in the background. — Bison rangeland A herd of bison, or plains buffalo (Bison bison), grazing on rangeland in Crook County, Wyoming.

Grazing is a form of feeding where animals consume grass or herbs. It is a type of herbivory, which is the consumption of plant materials by animals. Grazers move from one plant to another, feeding on parts of each without killing them outright. This strategy is common in plants due to their modular structure, allowing them to lose a part without the whole individual being destroyed.123

Rangelands, which cover about 40-50% of Earth's land area, are defined by native vegetation grazed by domestic or wild herbivores. These areas can include prairies, steppes, shrublands, savannas, and tundras. Overgrazing is a significant threat to rangelands, leading to reduced forage production, soil erosion, and unfavorable changes in vegetation composition. Invasive species also pose a challenge, outcompeting native plants and sometimes harming grazing animals.4

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community ecology
Grazing
The word “grazing” conjures up images of large mammals moving through seas of grass. Grazing, however, is a form of interspecific interaction that has been adopted by a number of other groups as well. A grazer is defined as any…
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The word “grazing” conjures up images of large mammals moving through seas of grass. Grazing, however, is a form of interspecific interaction that has been adopted by a number of other groups as well. A grazer is defined as any…
Read More

grassland
Population and community development and structure
…type of repeated disturbance, usually grazing or fire, that prevents the accumulation of a thick layer of dead litter. Where such a layer is allowed to develop, it retains nutrients in a form not immediately available to roots and acts as a physical barrier for new shoots growing from the…
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…type of repeated disturbance, usually grazing or fire, that prevents the accumulation of a thick layer of dead litter. Where such a layer is allowed to develop, it retains nutrients in a form not immediately available to roots and acts as a physical barrier for new shoots growing from the…
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mountain ecosystem
Biological productivity
…confined to light or seasonal grazing by cattle, goats, and sheep. Where it occurs at moderate intensity, grazing can be very destructive to alpine vegetation, which cannot easily cope with disturbance in its already environmentally stressful state. Similarly, the physical disturbance associated with other human uses of high mountains, such…
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…confined to light or seasonal grazing by cattle, goats, and sheep. Where it occurs at moderate intensity, grazing can be very destructive to alpine vegetation, which cannot easily cope with disturbance in its already environmentally stressful state. Similarly, the physical disturbance associated with other human uses of high mountains, such…
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rangeland
…or shrubby vegetation which is grazed by domestic or wild herbivores. The vegetation of ranges may include tallgrass prairies, steppes (shortgrass prairies), desert shrublands, shrub woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, and tundras. Temperate and tropical forests that are used for grazing as well as timber production can also be considered
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…or shrubby vegetation which is grazed by domestic or wild herbivores. The vegetation of ranges may include tallgrass prairies, steppes (shortgrass prairies), desert shrublands, shrub woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, and tundras. Temperate and tropical forests that are used for grazing as well as timber production can also be considered
Read More

scrubland
Effect of agriculture on the natural development of scrublands
…of Australia, agriculture, including the grazing of domestic animals, has been practiced for less than 200 years. The semiarid tropical scrublands are reasonably intact across large areas, but the more southerly chenopod scrublands have been altered markedly during the past 150 years by intense sheep grazing. Ninety percent of these…
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…of Australia, agriculture, including the grazing of domestic animals, has been practiced for less than 200 years. The semiarid tropical scrublands are reasonably intact across large areas, but the more southerly chenopod scrublands have been altered markedly during the past 150 years by intense sheep grazing. Ninety percent of these…
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anseriform
Behaviour
…in the waterfowl—diving, dabbling, and grazing. Those that dive for food fall into two groups: inland species (pochards and the scaup) that favour relatively shallow lakes up to 6 metres (20 feet) deep and feed predominantly on plants such as pondweeds, and mergansers that feed in deeper marine waters on…
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…in the waterfowl—diving, dabbling, and grazing. Those that dive for food fall into two groups: inland species (pochards and the scaup) that favour relatively shallow lakes up to 6 metres (20 feet) deep and feed predominantly on plants such as pondweeds, and mergansers that feed in deeper marine waters on…
Read More