Abstract
Some avian species in the southeastern United States are declining, and population decreases may arise from changes in vegetation type area or structural condition. Our objective was to compare abundance of conservation priority bird species with landscape variables. We found, even in the highly forested Coastal Plain of Georgia, that areal extent and core area of cover types were related to abundance for certain bird species. Acadian flycatcher and field sparrow had models that incorporated positive area variables. Downy woodpecker, northern parula, orchard oriole, prairie warbler, and summer tanager had models that included positive area and edge associations with varying scales and vegetation types. Edge appeared in models for red-bellied woodpecker, blue jay, and brown-headed cowbird. More than half of all species did not have models that met prediction thresholds. Systematic assessment of area requirements for declining species provides information for management, conservation, and research.
Highlights
Even in the highly forested Coastal Plain of Georgia, that areal extent and core area of cover types were related to abundance for certain bird species
Populations of certain bird species in the southeastern United States are declining, disturbance-dependent species associated with grasslands, shrublands, and open forests [1]
Compared to regions with forests fragmented by agriculture and urbanization, Coastal Plain landscape research on breeding birds has been equivocal, perhaps because many patches of one forest type or stage are enclosed within forest of another type or stage [2, 3]
Summary
Populations of certain bird species in the southeastern United States are declining, disturbance-dependent species associated with grasslands, shrublands, and open forests [1]. Compared to regions with forests fragmented by agriculture and urbanization, Coastal Plain landscape research on breeding birds has been equivocal, perhaps because many patches of one forest type or stage are enclosed within forest of another type or stage [2, 3]. Such studies include Krementz and Christie [4], who detected no effect of clearcut size on species richness or juvenile to adult ratios in birds captured in mist nets. In investigations of bottomland hardwood widths, Hodges and Krementz [8] and Kilgo et al [9] found that species richness increased with riparian width
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