Songbird Relationships to Shrub-Steppe Ecological Site Characteristics

Abstract

Abstract Rangeland managers are often faced with the complex challenge of managing sites for multiple uses and for the diverse interests of stakeholders. Standardized monitoring methods that can be used and understood by different agencies and stakeholders would aid management for long‐term sustainability of rangelands. In the United States, federal land management agencies have recently based their assessments of rangeland health and integrity on state‐and‐transition models to consider management trajectories. Ecological sites provide a foundation for these efforts but have not been used to address wildlife habitat. Habitat preferences are documented for North American shrub‐steppe songbirds but have yet to be related to ecological sites and site characteristics. We characterized ecological sites at Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, using established rangeland monitoring methods to test whether 1) songbird species density and diversity differ among adjacent shrub‐steppe ecological sites and...