Effects of early‐successional shrubland management on breeding wood thrush populations

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn forested landscapes, creation of habitat for early‐successional shrubland birds is controversial because of perceived conflicts with the conservation of mature‐forest birds. Nonetheless, many mature‐forest birds, especially fledglings, readily use early‐successional stands during the post‐breeding period. This suggests that for mature‐forest birds, creating habitat for early‐successional birds could involve a tradeoff: reduced abundance and nest survival due to the loss of nesting habitat versus enhanced fledgling survival in early‐successional stands. Our research addressed the effects of the creation of early‐successional habitat for shrubland birds on wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) in western Massachusetts, USA. We compared wood thrush abundance, nest success, fecundity, and post‐fledging survival in landscapes with high (∼20%) or low (∼1%) cover of early‐successional stands suitable for shrubland birds. We found no differences in nest success, fecundity, and post‐fledging survival between the 2 types of landscapes. Abundance of breeders, however, was significantly greater on the sites with high cover of early‐successional habitat. We conclude that in forested landscapes, creation of early‐successional habitat at levels recommended for the conservation of shrubland birds is compatible with viable wood thrush populations. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.