Breeding Bird Atlas Research Articles

Associations between avian functional guild response and regional landscape properties for conservation planning

Abstract This project facilitates a regional approach to conservation planning in Pennsylvania based on avian breeding habitat selection. The objectives were to: (1) determine the sensitivity of spatial pattern in avian diversity to changing thresholds of intra-guild species richness and (2) relate change of spatial pattern in avian diversity with landscape characteristics of bird Atlas blocks. Two state-wide spatial data layers, based on Landsat satellite data were constructed for this study. These regional landscape data were compared to Breeding Bird Atlas data from 1983 to 1989 using a geographic information system. Breeding bird data were recorded from 4928 blocks that form a grid covering Pennsylvania. Correlation analysis reduced landscape variables to 12 originally derived from forest, urban, roads, streams, and topographic data. Avian functional response guilds were used to analyze associations between breeding bird data and landscape variables. Functional response guilds were created by grouping organisms based on shared habitat preferences or behavioral characteristics. Most of the 18 avian guilds identified for this study were based on shared structural resource characteristics of preferred breeding habitat. Preferred structural resources frequently included the amount and type of forest. For this study, guilds separate resource characteristics by: (1) primary habitat (i.e. forest interior, forest edge), (2) area sensitivity (i.e. forest and grassland), (3) migratory status (i.e. resident, temperate, and tropical), and (4) nest placement (i.e. canopy nester, forest ground nester). Wetland obligate species were treated as a separate guild. Breeding Bird Atlas blocks were tabulated with respect to the number of species present from each guild. For a given guild, the number of its species in a block is termed guild-specific species richness. Sample blocks having high species richness for a given guild often occur adjacent or in close proximity forming spatial clusters in the landscape. Spatial coherence (adjacency/proximity) among the blocks forming these islands is shared guild-specific richness. Spatial clustered blocks of each guild represent areas that presumably possess required resources for members of that guild. Blocks having high intra-guild richness were evaluated with a group of block-level continuous variables using multiple logistic regressions. Logistic regression results indicate that a convincing connection exists between landscape properties of Breeding Bird Atlas blocks and habitat selection characteristics of guild members. Percent of forest cover and mean elevation were the most important habitat characteristics influencing intra-guild richness for most of the guilds tested. Concordance values from logistic regression were used to determine the strength of each guild model. Concordance, the proportion that represents the percent of correct guild richness predictions versus incorrect predictions, suggests a relationship between guild-rich clusters and habitat resources required by each guild. The highest concordance was for the exotics guild at 76.3% and the next highest was 74.8% for the grassland area sensitive guild. This signifies a 75% certainty that landscape variables could predict occurrence of a guild-rich block. Eight more guilds had concordance values greater than 65%. By using a guild approach, this study goes beyond total diversity to the more informative structural and functional diversity of guilds. Spatially clustered blocks of high species richness for a particular guild are more indicative of habitat availability and quality than would be the case for overall species richness. Clusters of blocks having high intra-guild species richness become candidate areas for conservation efforts.

Multivariate analysis of a fine‐scale breeding bird atlas using a geographical information system and partial canonical correspondence analysis: environmental and spatial effects

AbstractAim To assess the relative roles of environment and space in driving bird species distribution and to identify relevant drivers of bird assemblage composition, in the case of a fine‐scale bird atlas data set.Location The study was carried out in southern Belgium using grid cells of 1 × 1 km, based on the distribution maps of the Oiseaux nicheurs de Famenne: Atlas de Lesse et Lomme which contains abundance for 103 bird species.Methods Species found in < 10% or > 90% of the atlas cells were omitted from the bird data set for the analysis. Each cell was characterized by 59 landscape metrics, quantifying its composition and spatial patterns, using a Geographical Information System. Partial canonical correspondence analysis was used to partition the variance of bird species matrix into independent components: (a) ‘pure’ environmental variation, (b) spatially‐structured environmental variation, (c) ‘pure’ spatial variation and (d) unexplained, non‐spatial variation.Results The variance partitioning method shows that the selected landscape metrics explain 27.5% of the variation, whilst ‘pure’ spatial and spatially‐structured environmental variables explain only a weak percentage of the variation in the bird species matrix (2.5% and 4%, respectively). Avian community composition is primarily related to the degree of urbanization and the amount and composition of forested and open areas. These variables explain more than half of the variation for three species and over one‐third of the variation for 12 species.Main conclusions The results seem to indicate that the majority of explained variation in species assemblages is attributable to local environmental factors. At such a fine spatial resolution, however, the method does not seem to be appropriated for detecting and extracting the spatial variation of assemblages. Consequently, the large amount of unexplained variation is probably because of missing spatial structures and ‘noise’ in species abundance data. Furthermore, it is possible that other relevant environmental factors, that were not taken into account in this study and which may operate at different spatial scales, can drive bird assemblage structure. As a large proportion of ecological variation can be shared by environment and space, the applied partitioning method was found to be useful when analysing multispecific atlas data, but it needs improvement to factor out all‐scale spatial components of this variation (the source of ‘false correlation’) and to bring out the ‘pure’ environmental variation for ecological interpretation.

Climate and satellite‐derived land cover for predicting breeding bird distribution in the Great Lakes Basin

AbstractAim We examined relationships between breeding bird distribution of 10 forest songbirds in the Great Lakes Basin, large‐scale climate and the distribution of land cover types as estimated by advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and multi‐spectral scanner (MSS) land cover classifications. Our objective was to examine the ability of regional climate, AVHRR (1 km resolution) land cover and MSS (200 m resolution) land cover to predict the distribution of breeding forest birds at the scale of the Great Lakes Basin and at the resolution of Breeding Bird Atlas data (5–10 km2). Specifically we addressed the following questions. (1) How well do AVHRR or MSS classifications capture the variation in distribution of bird species? (2) Is one land cover classification more useful than the other for predicting distribution? (3) How do models based on climate compare with models based on land cover? (4) Can the combination of both climate and land cover improve the predictive ability of these models.Location Modelling was conducted over the area of the Great Lakes Basin including parts of Ontario, Canada and parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania Wisconsin, and Minnesota, USA.Methods We conducted single variable logistic regression with the forest classes of AVHRR and MSS land cover using evidence of breeding as the response variable. We conducted multiple logistic regression with stepwise selection to select models from five sets of explanatory variables (AVHRR, MSS, climate, AVHRR + climate, MSS + climate).Results Generally, species were related to both AVHRR and MSS land cover types in the direction expected based on the known local habitat use of the species. Neither land cover classification appeared to produce consistently more intuitive results. Good models were generated using each of the explanatory data sets examined here. And at least one but usually all five variable sets produced acceptable or excellent models for each species.Main conclusions Both climate and large scale land cover were effective predictors of the distribution of the 10 forest bird species examined here. Models generated from these data had good classification accuracy of independent validation data. Good models were produced from all explanatory data sets or combinations suggesting that the distribution of climate, AVHRR land cover, and MSS land cover all captured similar variance in the distribution of the birds. It is difficult to separate the effects of climate and vegetation on the species’ distributions at this scale.

TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES IN PENNSYLVANIA: STATUS AND CONSERVATION IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Abstract In this paper, I review major historical conservation events, changes in landscape (cover types) patterns, and agency (state and federal) inventory and monitoring programs to help explain trends in terrestrial vertebrate populations in Pennsylvania. I then give recommendations for the long-term conservation of terrestrial vertebrates within the context of a future changing landscape in the Commonwealth. In Pennsylvania, the amount of forest has remained relatively constant since the 1970s, while the extent of early successional, grassland, and wetland/riparian habitats is declining. These trends, combined with direct human disturbance, degradation of water quality, and loss of critical habitat features have contributed to the endangered or threatened status of 31 vertebrate species in the state. Based on two major databases, the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Survey and the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas, bird species occupying early successional, grassland, or wetland/riparian habitats, in particu...

An approach to the assessment of change in the numbers of Canada Geese Branta canadensis and Greylag Geese Anser anser in southern Britain

Capsule Population change in geese was assessed using an approach that requires a relatively small sampling effort. Aims During the 1999 breeding season a survey was carried out to determine if the numbers of introduced Canada and re-established Greylag Geese in southern Britain had changed since 1988–91 and whether any change had occurred in areas with previously high or low Canada Goose densities. Methods A randomized stratified sample of 246 tetrads from the 24 156 tetrads covered between 1988–91 in this area, as part of the New Atlas of Breeding Birds, were resurveyed. Eight habitat categories were used in the stratification and were based on 1-km-square summary data obtained from the CEH Land Cover Map of Great Britain (water cover and urbanization) and LANDCLASS stratification (upland/lowland). The five habitat categories with the highest densities of Canada Geese and the greatest variance in numbers were sampled. Results Between 1989 and 1999, the number of Canada Geese on land with over 5% water cover and on lowland with some water cover increased by on average 156%, an average rate of increase of 9.9% per annum. Southern Britain probably now holds a minimum of 82 000 Canada Geese. Between 1989 and 1999, the number of Greylag Geese on land with over 5% water cover and on lowland with some water cover increased by on average 214%, an average rate of increase of 12% per annum. Southern Britain probably now holds a minimum of 30 000 Greylag Geese. Conclusion Maximum densities of Canada Geese may have been reached in high-density habitats but their numbers are still increasing very rapidly. Greylag Geese are increasing even more rapidly.

The breeding status of the Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus in the UK in 1999

Capsule The first co-ordinated census of breeding Ring Ouzels across the UK reports a minimum of 6157 (95% CI, 3586–9372) and a maximum of 7549 (95% CI, 4459–11197) territories. Aims To set a baseline for the future monitoring of breeding Ring Ouzels and to provide a systematically based estimate of the population size. Methods A random sample of tetrads (2 × 2 km squares) was surveyed from the known breeding range (as defined from the two national breeding bird atlases of 1968–72 and 1988–91). The survey method used tape playback and observation and involved walking four parallel transects in each tetrad. Results Tape playback accounted for one-third of the territories located. Of the tetrads surveyed that were known to be occupied during the 1988–91 breeding bird atlas, 39–43% were unoccupied in 1999. Conclusion The survey highlights a continuing contraction in range.

The Birds of British Columbia. Volume 4: Passerines: Wood‐Warblers through Old World Sparrows. By R Wayne Campbell, Neil K Dawe, Ian McTaggart‐Cowan, John M Cooper, Gary W Kaiser, Andrew C Stewart, and, Michael C E McNall. Published by the UBC Press, Vancouver (Canada), in cooperation with Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service), the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks

Previous articleNext article No AccessAnimal SciencesThe Birds of British Columbia. Volume 4: Passerines: Wood‐Warblers through Old World Sparrows. By R Wayne Campbell, Neil K Dawe, Ian McTaggart‐Cowan, John M Cooper, Gary W Kaiser, Andrew C Stewart, and, Michael C E McNall. Published by the UBC Press, Vancouver (Canada), in cooperation with Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service), the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks Wildlife Branch and Resources Inventory Branch), and the Royal British Columbia Museum. $125.00. ii + 741 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 0–7748–0621–4. 2001. Kansas Breeding Bird Atlas. By William H Busby and, John L Zimmerman; illustrated by Dan Kilby, Robert Mengel, and Orville Rice. Lawrence (Kansas): University Press of Kansas. $35.00. xii + 466 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 0–7006–1055–3. 2001.Roger D ApplegateRoger D ApplegateResearch & Survey Office, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, Emporia, Kansas Search for more articles by this author Research & Survey Office, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, Emporia, KansasPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 77, Number 1March 2002 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/343633 Views: 5Total views on this site PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Regional significance of peatlands for avifaunal diversity in southern Québec

Altough peatlands in southern Québec are facing increasing pressure, neither specific nor substantial protection measures have been implemented, partly due to a lack of information on this ecosystem. We determined the contribution of peatlands to bird regional diversity by measuring the difference between peatland and associated regional avifaunas. We sampled 112 peatlands located along the Saint Lawrence River during one breeding season. We used data on regional nesting bird assemblages from the Québec breeding bird atlas. Peatland bird species contrasted increasingly with regional avifauna from north to south or from undisturbed to managed landscapes. Of the 17 bird species found significantly more often in peatlands than in surroundings, some preferred peatlands in the whole study area and others preferred peatlands only in particular regions. Peatland avifaunas within regions were more similar to each other than to their regional avifauna, and differences between regions probably reflected changes in peatland physiognomy. We conclude that peatlands contribute to enrich local and regional avian diversity, particularly in the lowlands of the Saint Lawrence River, where industrial pressure on peatlands is highest.

Habitat associations of breeding Meadow Pipits Anthus pratensis in the British uplands

Habitat associations of Meadow Pipits breeding in British upland 1 km and 10 km squares were investigated using data from the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Breeding Bird Survey (BBS, 1994–97), The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1988–1991 and habitat data from the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology's (ITE) Land Cover Survey (1994). Meadow Pipit density was highest in 200 m sections of BBS 1 km transects containing unenclosed grass moor, heather and bog, but there was no difference in Meadow Pipit density between these habitat types. Meadow Pipit density (number of individuals per 1 km square) increased with heather cover up to about 7.5 200 m sections (of ten per 1 km square) of heather, but fell thereafter. There was a positive association between Meadow Pipit density and the extent of grass moor cover. The ITE Land Cover data gave results that were consistent with the BBS habitat data at both the 1 km and 10 km square scale. There was a non-linear relationship between hill grass cover and Meadow Pipit abundance, which reached a maximum when hill grass covered between 40%and 60% of a square. Our results suggest that a mosaic of heather, bog and grassland may be the optimum habitat for Meadow Pipits. Recent changes in land management practices may have led to the disappearance or degradation of these mosaics in some areas. Meadow Pipits are widespread and easily counted. We suggest that this species might be a useful bioindicator of changes in heather and grassland ratios that result from land management practices such as grazing and rotational burning, though further research is required.

MODELING THE OCCURRENCE OF BIRD SPECIES: ARE THE ERRORS PREDICTABLE?

Typical assessments of models where many species occurrences are predicted (e.g., from species–habitat matrices or Gap Analyses) report overall omission and commission errors. Yet species’ attributes suggest that we may predict a priori that some species are more likely to be modeled correctly than others. Because the likelihood of modeling species correctly is related to species incidences in surveys, a method was created that ranked the 183 avian species known to be breeding in Maine as to how likely they would be to occur in surveys. Attributes (e.g., population level, niche width, aggregation) were used to model 79% of the variation in incidence within the Maine Breeding Bird Atlas. Likelihood of Occurrence Ranks (LOORs) were assigned to each species based upon the modeled incidences to reflect how likely the species are to be observed in future surveys. The occurrence of birds on areas with species checklists were then modeled and compared to the LOORs. For five of six areas, the number of species correctly modeled using species–habitat associations was highly correlated with LOORs: species judged a priori to be likely to be modeled correctly actually were. For one large area (9172 ha) with a checklist covering 52 years, the number of species correctly modeled was not correlated with LOORs, evidence that the checklist is essentially complete. In general, sites with checklists from many years (e.g., >10 yr) and from large areas (e.g., >1000 ha) yielded the lowest commission error. These results demonstrate that the confidence assigned to results where the occurrences of species are modeled (e.g., Gap Analysis) is highly dependent on the test sets and the species modeled.

INDEPENDENT EFFECTS OF FOREST COVER AND FRAGMENTATION ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST BREEDING BIRDS

The aims of this study were (1) to determine the relative importance of the independent effects of forest cover and fragmentation on the distribution of forest breeding birds, and (2) to test the hypothesis that the negative effect of forest fragmentation on species distribution increases with decreasing forest cover, i.e., the negative interaction effect of forest cover and fragmentation on distribution. The independent effects of forest cover and forest fragmentation on the distribution of forest breeding birds were studied in 94 landscapes, 10 × 10 km each, ranging in forest cover from 2.5% to 55.8%. For each landscape, percent forest cover was measured, and a fragmentation index (independent of forest cover) was generated using PCA from the measures of mean forest patch size, number of forest patches, and total forest edge. Presence of 31 forest breeding bird species in each landscape was determined using Breeding Bird Atlas data. The effects of forest cover and forest fragmentation on species presenc...

Models of large‐scale breeding‐bird distribution as a function of macro‐climate in Ontario, Canada

Summary Aim We modelled the relationship of breeding evidence for five species of forest songbirds (ruby‐crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula) Blackburnian warbler (Dendroica fusca), black‐throated blue warbler (Dendroica caerulescens), bay‐breasted warbler (Dendrioca castanea) and Connecticut warbler (Oporornis agilis)) and a variety of macro‐climate variables to examine the importance of climate as a factor determining distribution of breeding in these species and to assess the usefulness of spatial predictions generated from these models. Location Modelling was conducted over the entire province of Ontario, Canada, an area of ≈900,000 km2. Methods Data on the distribution of breeding in the province was derived from the Breeding Bird Atlas of Ontario. We used logistic regression to model the relationship between the probability of breeding (assessed in 10 km×10 km blocks) and estimates of a variety of climate variables at the same scale. Models were selected that had the least number of explanatory variables while at the same time having close to the best possible classification accuracy. Results The final models for these five species had from one to six explanatory variables and an overall concordance of 70.4% to 86.3% indicating a good classification accuracy. Results from subsampling 50% of the original data ten times indicate that (1) the classification accuracy of the model for data used to generate the model is not very sensitive to the specific observations used to generate the model (2) the classification accuracy of test data is close to the classification accuracy of the model data and (3) the classification accuracy of the test data is not dependent on the specific observations used to generate the model. We generated a spatial prediction of the probability of occurrence of each species for Ontario using the relationships defined by the logistic regression models and using 1 km gridded estimates of the necessary climate variables. These probability maps closely matched the maps of observed evidence of breeding from the Atlas. Main conclusions Although mechanisms controlling breeding distribution cannot be determined using this method, we can conclude that (1) macro‐climate is an important factor directly and/or indirectly determining distribution of breeding in these species and (2) spatial predictions of probability of breeding are accurate enough to be useful in predicting probability of breeding in unsampled areas.

Book Reviews

Journal of Animal EcologyVolume 67, Issue 3 p. 499-499 Free Access Book Reviews Ward J.M. Hagemeijer & Michael J. Blair (Eds) (1997) The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds. Their Distribution and Abundance. Pp. cxli+903. T. & A.D. Poyser, London. £55.00 (hardback), ISBN 0-85661-7. BRYAN SHORROCKS, BRYAN SHORROCKSSearch for more papers by this author BRYAN SHORROCKS, BRYAN SHORROCKSSearch for more papers by this author First published: 05 January 2002 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2656.1998.0214d.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume67, Issue3May 1998Pages 499-499 RelatedInformation

RARE BIRDS IN CENTRAL LITHUANIA

Abstract This article presents data on rare birds in Central Lithuania, their status, distribution and abundance. The data are based on the Atlas of Breeding Birds and material gathered during the studies of biodiversity. It is established that this densely populated region still contains areas suitable for many rare birds species.

The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds, eds. W. J. M. Hagemeijer and M. J. Blair [Review

The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds, eds. W. J. M. Hagemeijer and M. J. Blair [Review

Atlas of the breeding birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia

Atlas of the breeding birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia

A consideration of some of the changes in distribution of “common birds” as revealed by The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland

A consideration of some of the changes in distribution of “common birds” as revealed by <i>The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland</i>

The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1875-1900, by Simon Holloway [Review

The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1875-1900, by Simon Holloway [Review

The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875-1900

The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875-1900

Changes in Species Abundance, Distribution, and Diversity in a Central European Bird Community

We analyzed possible causes of changes in species abundance, range size, and diversity as well as extinctions and colonizations in a central European bird community. Using data from the semiquantitative “Lake Constance” breeding bird atlas, we demonstrated that changes in regional abundances from 1980–1981 to 1990–1992 of 151 coexisting bird species were influenced by breeding habitat and migratory status. Significant declines were found in populations of farmland species and long‐distance migrants. Farmland species lost parts of their ranges but hardly changed in local abundance in sites where they still occurred. In contrast, declines in long‐distance migrants were caused by significant declines in local abundance with only slight loss of occupied range. Regional extinctions and colonizations were predictable from overall population trends. For example, all species that went extinct were either farmland species or long‐distance migrants. Avian community composition was influenced by disproportionate declines of abundant species. This led to declines in the total number of breeding pairs and in community biomass and to increases in community evenness, but to only slight declines in species richness. Future conservation efforts in Europe need to focus more on farmland species and on understanding causes for the declines of long‐distance migrants.