Early successional habitat supports unique avian communities dominated by wintering migrants in a premontane tropical forest

Abstract

Abstract Forest succession drives concomitant changes in associated faunal communities. Thus, maintaining landscapes with high successional diversity can be an important consideration in habitat management. We sought to describe avian community characteristics across a successional gradient created by reforestation efforts in a tropical premontane wet forest in Costa Rica. Specifically, we examined the effects of successional stage on overall abundance, species richness, diet niche, migratory status, and community composition. We hypothesised that these metrics of bird abundance, diversity and community composition would differ across successional stages. Using data from transects conducted in 2018, we found that several metrics of avian abundance, diversity and community composition varied as a function of successional stage. Surprisingly, the earliest successional stage exhibited the greatest abundance, species richness and proportion of migrant species. We suggest that an ephemeral vegetation structure present for only a short period (early in succession) creates a unique habitat that results in a distinct avian community. This highlights the potential importance of early successional forests for avian communities, especially neotropical migrants.