Initial Changes in Habitat and Abundance of Cavity-Nesting Birds and the Northern Parula Following Hurricane Andrew

Abstract

We examined the initial effects of Hurricane Andrew on nest site availability and abundances of seven species of cavity-nesting birds and the Northern Parula (Parula americana) in a large bottomland hardwood forest associated with the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana. As hurricane damage increased, so did the density of understory vegetation and the number of snags, however, the abundance of cavities did not change. None of the abundances of the individual cavity-nesting species were related to hurricane damage or the availability of cavities. Northern Parula abundance was negatively correlated with hurricane damage and density of understory vegetation. The low abundance of this species in forests heavily damaged by the hurricane may be due to loss of canopy foraging habitat or of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), one of its principal nesting sites.