Influence of Cover and Food Resource Variation on Post-Breeding Bird Use of Timber Harvests With Residual Canopy Trees

• Published in: The Wilson journal of ornithology Vol. 122; no. 3; pp. 545 - 555
• Main Authors: McDermott, Molly E., Wood, Petra Bohall
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Fort Collins The Wilson Ornithological Society 01.09.2010; Wilson Ornithological Society
• Subjects: Abundance; Adult insects; Adults; Age; Animal behavior; Arthropods; Aves; Aviculture; Biomass; Bird breeding; Bird migration; Bird nesting; Birds; Breeding; Canopies; Environmental protection; Food availability; Food quality; Food supply; Foraging behavior; Forest ecology; Forest habitats; Forests; Habitat; Habitat utilization; Habitats; Insectivores; Major s; Molting; Nets; Survival; Timber; Trees; Variables; Wildlife conservation; West Virginia
• ISSN: 1559-4491; 1938-5447
• DOI: 10.1676/09-050.1

We investigated avian use of clearcuts and two-age harvests during the post-breeding period in 2006 in the central Appalachians, West Virginia, USA with an information-theoretic approach to model selection. Cover variables appeared to be most important; e.g., vegetative vertical complexity had a strong positive relation with capture rates of mature forest birds and molting adults, as well as physical condition which supports a predator-avoidance hypothesis for habitat use. Basal area was a poor predictor of captures; residual trees near nets tended to depress capture rates. Food variables best explained capture rates for some species groups (e.g., early-successional insectivores and granivores, mature forest nesting adults, molting birds), but post-breeding habitat quality was based primarily on vegetative cover. Habitat use may depend on the bird's physical condition and molt status, and we found evidence for age-specific differences which may impact survival. Our study suggests important links between post-breeding habitat quality, molt status, physical condition, and bird age, and indicates a variety of response variables (relative abundance, survival, body condition) should be measured to assess avian habitat quality during the post-breeding period.