Dynamics of Habitat Distribution in Birds Differing in the Level of Site Tenacity

Abstract

The dynamics of habitat distribution in two bird species differing in the level of site tenacity—willow warbler (relatively tenacious) and little bunting (more flexible)—were studied at the boundary of the northern taiga and forest–tundra zones over ten years. The distribution pattern proved to be more uniform in the willow warbler than in the little bunting. Both species occupied their habitats according to a well-known scheme: initially, the birds settled in their favorable floodplain habitats and later; when their abundance increased, in less preferable habitats (terraces above the floodplain, moss bogs, and the tundra). In the case of willow warbler, the process of occupying the floodplain was stepwise: bird density increased sharply, remained at the same level in the next year, then increased again, etc. In the case of little bunting, the degree of floodplain occupation by birds remained high, except for the years when high spring floods interfered with bird settling.