Northern Bobwhite Population and Habitat Response to Pine-Grassland Restoration

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management Vol. 66; no. 4; pp. 1031 - 1039
• Main Authors: Cram, Douglas S., Masters, Ronald E., Guthery, Fred S., Engle, David M., Montague, Warren G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD The Wildlife Society 01.10.2002; Wildlife Society; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal populations; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Autoecology; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Bobwhites; Coniferous forests; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; Environmental restoration; Evergreen trees; Forest habitats; Forest management; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Grasslands; Growing season; Growing seasons; Habitat conservation; Habitats; National forests; Pine trees; Relative abundance; Spring; Understory; Vertebrata; Whistling; Wildcats; Wildlife management; Woodlands; Woodpeckers; United States; North America; Arkansas; America; pine-grassland restoration; Mixed forest(hardwood softwood); Picoides borealis; prescribed fire; Forest management; Pinus echinata; Colinus virginianus; Vulnerability; red-cockaded woodpecker; Arkansas; northern bobwhite; Controlled burning; Vertebrata; disc of vulnerability; usable space; Softwood forest tree; Gymnospermae; Coniferales; Spermatophyta; Habitat; Ecological recovery; Aves
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.2307/3802935

We compared northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) abundance and habitat characteristics in unmanaged mixed shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata)-hardwood stands and restored pine-grassland stands managed for the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) on the Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas, USA. To determine northern bobwhite (hereafter, bobwhite) population response in untreated control, thinned, and thinned and burned stands either 1, 2, or 3 growing seasons (Mar to mid-Oct) post-burn, we used whistling-male counts and covey-call counts as indices of population abundance. We estimated woody stem density, understory and overstory canopy cover, conifer and hardwood basal area, and the disc of vulnerability to characterize habitat response. Relative abundance of whistling males in the spring was greatest in thinned stands 3 growing seasons post-burn and in thinned but unburned stands. These stands had the smallest disc of vulnerability and the greatest understory shrub cover <2 m in height compared with other treatments. A threshold-like increase in bobwhite abundance was observed as a function of woody structure <2 m. Pine-grassland restoration provided suitable structure for bobwhites in spring, summer, and fall, but may not be adequate in winter. Further, data suggested that bobwhite density within a stand also was related to the amount of suitable habitat surrounding the stand. Bobwhite management efforts in similar shortleaf pine forests should include thinning to reduce midstory and overstory cover and frequent fire to maintain open woodland conditions-i.e., low basal area stands with limited midstory.