Movement of forest birds across river and clearcut edges of varying riparian buffer strip widths

Abstract

The ability to move across and perhaps exploit resources in adjacent habitats may also allow a species to persist in marginal habitats until a better territory is found. Understanding how animals respond to the distribution of forest remnants may be useful in combining conservation efforts with landscape harvest designs. Studies have examined movements of birds within permanently fragmented habitats, but movement patterns may differ in temporarily fragmented landscapes. I examined the frequency of movements across river and forest-clearcut edges for several habitat and nesting guilds and individual species. Movements were almost four times higher at clearcut edges than river edges and were dominated by forest generalists, open-edge and ubiquitous species across both edges particularly those nesting in deciduous trees. Forest interior species were rarely observed crossing either boundary. Movements were positively related to abundances in buffers and negatively related to buffer width for deciduous tree nesters and those species associated with open-edge habitats. High movements in the narrow buffers suggests that these species incorporate this edge habitat as part of their territories. For forest specialists that are unwilling to cross-habitat boundaries, retaining wide buffers may provide valuable connections between unlogged patches in addition to breeding habitat. Narrow buffers that do not provide suitable habitat to support most forest-dwelling species may function as foraging sites or travel corridors that offer more protection from predators than flying across open spaces.