Northern Parula Research Articles

Evidence for hybridization between Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) and Cerulean Warbler (S. cerulea)

Hybridization between Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) and Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) has been suggested from field observations at several sites in eastern North America, but without quantitative data to confirm this pairing. Here we present the first mensural and molecular evidence to confirm hybridization of these closely related species. Two suspected hybrids were detected based on atypical songs during the 2014 and 2015 breeding season in Summit County, Ohio, USA. Analysis of tissue samples, morphometric and plumage data showed a combination of Cerulean Warbler and Northern Parula plumage characteristics; the overall appearance resembled a Cerulean Warbler male but with white eye arcs, a weak yellow wash on the breast, and some yellow mantle feathers suggesting Northern Parula parentage. A mitochondrial and 2 nuclear genes were sequenced. Both individuals' mitochondrial sequences were identical to Cerulean Warbler sequences, indicating that both had a Cerulean Warbler dam. Sequences from nuclear genes had a total of 10 heterozygous loci, confirming that they were sired by Northern Parulas. These hybrids, and other reports, come from areas where Northern Parulas are expanding their breeding range into Cerulean Warbler range, suggesting that this hybrid combination may become more common.

Organophosphate pesticide method development and presence of chlorpyrifos in the feet of nearctic-neotropical migratory songbirds from Canada that over-winter in Central America agricultural areas.

Recent modeling analysis suggests that numerous birds may be at risk of acute poisoning in insecticide-treated fields. Although the majority of avian field studies on pesticides have focused on treated seed, granule, insect or vegetation (oral exposure) ingestion, dermal exposure is an important exposure route when birds come into contact with deposited pesticides on foliage and other surfaces. Some nearctic-neotropical migratory songbirds are likely exposed to pesticides on their non-breeding habitats and include treated crops, plantations or farmlands. In the present study, we developed a method for four environmentally-relevant organophosphate (OP) pesticides (fenthion, fenamiphos, chlorpyrifos and diazinon) in the feet of migratory songbirds (i.e. Common yellowthroat, Gray catbird, Indigo bunting, America redstart, Northern waterthrush, Northern parula, and an additional 12 species of warblers). A total of 190 specimens of the 18 species of songbirds were sampled from available window-killed birds (spring of 2007 and 2011) in downtown Toronto, Canada. The species that were available most likely over-wintered in Mexican/Central American crops such as citrus, coffee and cacao. The feet of the dead birds were sampled and where OP foot exposure likely occurred during over-wintering foraging on pesticide-treated crops. Chlorpyrifos was the only measurable OP (pg mg feet weight(-1)) and in the 2011-collected feet of Black throated blue warbler (0.5), Tennessee warbler (1.0), Northern parula (1.2), Northern waterthrush (0.6), Common yellowthroat (1.0) and the Blue winged warbler (0.9). Dermal contact with OP pesticides during over-wintering in agricultural areas resulted in low levels of chlorpyrifos and long time retention on the feet of a subset of songbirds.

Spatially explicit models for inference about density in unmarked or partially marked populations

Recently developed spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models represent a major advance over traditional capture-recapture (CR) models because they yield explicit estimates of animal density instead of population size within an unknown area. Furthermore, unlike nonspatial CR methods, SCR models account for heterogeneity in capture probability arising from the juxtaposition of animal activity centers and sample locations. Although the utility of SCR methods is gaining recognition, the requirement that all individuals can be uniquely identified excludes their use in many contexts. In this paper, we develop models for situations in which individual recognition is not possible, thereby allowing SCR concepts to be applied in studies of unmarked or partially marked populations. The data required for our model are spatially referenced counts made on one or more sample occasions at a collection of closely spaced sample units such that individuals can be encountered at multiple locations. Our approach includes a spatial point process for the animal activity centers and uses the spatial correlation in counts as information about the number and location of the activity centers. Camera-traps, hair snares, track plates, sound recordings, and even point counts can yield spatially correlated count data, and thus our model is widely applicable. A simulation study demonstrated that while the posterior mean exhibits frequentist bias on the order of 5-10% in small samples, the posterior mode is an accurate point estimator as long as adequate spatial correlation is present. Marking a subset of the population substantially increases posterior precision and is recommended whenever possible. We applied our model to avian point count data collected on an unmarked population of the northern parula (Parula americana) and obtained a density estimate (posterior mode) of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.19-1.64) birds/ha. Our paper challenges sampling and analytical conventions in ecology by demonstrating that neither spatial independence nor individual recognition is needed to estimate population density - rather, spatial dependence can be informative about individual distribution and density.

Birds and Land Classes in Young Forested Landscapes

In the Mississippi Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, we explored relationships among bird species and vegetation types and landscape characteristics at four different scales. We modeled abundance of priority avian species from Breeding Bird Surveys using land class metrics at 0.24, 1, 3, and 5-km extents. Our modeling method was logistic regression and model selection was based on Akaike’s Information Criteria and validation with reserved data. Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), northern parula (Parula americana), Swainson’s warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii), prairie warbler (Dendroica discolor), hooded warbler (Wilsonia citrina), and brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) had models containing positive area or core area variables. White-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus) and gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) had models with a combination of area and edge associations at different scales. Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens), red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), and yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens) had positive edge density models. Modeling at different scales produced more complete habitat associations for most species and landscape variables were more influential at larger extents than the smallest extent. Although Mississippi is heavily forested, the landscape is unexpectedly fragmented, with small areal extents of vegetation types. Managers should seek to provide large extents of a variety of habitats, including historically representative vegetation types such as low density pine, to support persistence of a complete suite of avian species.

Breeding Bird Relationships to Landscape Metrics in Coastal Plain Georgia

Some avian species in the southeastern United States are declining, and population decreases may arise from changes in vegetation type area or structural condition. Our objective was to compare abundance of conservation priority bird species with landscape variables. We found, even in the highly forested Coastal Plain of Georgia, that areal extent and core area of cover types were related to abundance for certain bird species. Acadian flycatcher and field sparrow had models that incorporated positive area variables. Downy woodpecker, northern parula, orchard oriole, prairie warbler, and summer tanager had models that included positive area and edge associations with varying scales and vegetation types. Edge appeared in models for red-bellied woodpecker, blue jay, and brown-headed cowbird. More than half of all species did not have models that met prediction thresholds. Systematic assessment of area requirements for declining species provides information for management, conservation, and research.

Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Anthropogenic Development on Priority Bird Species Habitats in Coastal Georgia, USA

We modeled changes in area of five habitats, tidal-freshwater forest, salt marsh, maritime shrub-scrub (shrub), maritime broadleaf forest (oak) and maritime narrowleaf (pine) forest, in coastal Georgia, USA, to evaluate how simultaneous habitat loss due to predicted changes in sea level rise (SLR) and urban development will affect priority bird species of the south Atlantic coastal plain by 2100. Development rates, based on regional growth plans, were modeled at 1% and 2.5% annual urban growth, while SLR rates, based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's A1B mean and maximum scenarios, were modeled at 52cm and 82cm, respectively. SLR most greatly affected the shrub habitat with predicted losses of 35-43%. Salt marsh and tidal forest also were predicted to lose considerable area to SLR (20-45 and 23-35%, respectively), whereas oak and pine forests had lesser impact from SLR, 18-22% and 11-15%, respectively. Urban development resulted in losses of considerable pine (48-49%) and oak (53-55%) habitat with lesser loss of shrub habitat (21-24%). Under maximum SLR and urban growth, shrub habitat may lose up to 59-64% compared to as much as 62-65% pine forest and 74-75% oak forest. Conservation efforts should focus on protection of shrub habitat because of its small area relative to other terrestrial habitats and use by Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris), a Partners In Flight (PIF) extremely high priority species. Tidal forests also deserve protection because they are a likely refuge for forest species, such as Northern Parula and Acadian Flycatcher, with the decline of oak and pine forests due to urban development.

Habitat Use by Coastal Birds Inferred from Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes

Conservationists need to know the degree of habitat fidelity for species of conservation concern. Stable Isotope Analysis in R quantified the contribution of terrestrial vs. saltmarsh primary production sources to terrestrial passerine food webs from four habitats of Sapelo Island, Georgia (USA), saltmarsh, maritime scrub–shrub, maritime broadleaf (oak), and maritime narrowleaf (pine) forests, using δ 13C and δ 15N. Models suggested Northern Parula (Parula americana) in oak forests, White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus) in shrub, and Brown-headed Nuthatches (Sitta pusilla) in pine forests derived most of their food from habitats they occupied (53–100%). Saltmarsh provided 47–94% of Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) food sources, supporting previous findings by Springborn and Meyers (2005). Thus, Painted Bunting conservation in the Southeastern USA should focus on Springborn and Meyers’ suggestion of maritime scrub–shrub habitat and forests with 50% ground cover, and patches of shrubs that are within 700 m of saltmarsh.

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: seventh report

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: seventh report

Avian Community and Microhabitat Associations of Cerulean Warblers in Alabama

Abstract Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea) have experienced one of the highest population declines of any neotropical-Nearctic migratory species in North America. We performed point counts and habitat assessments in areas used and unused by Cerulean Warblers in northern Alabama during the 2005 and 2006 breeding seasons to examine their avian associations and identify microhabitat features that best explained their occurrence. We detected on average ∼50 Cerulean Warbler males (total) in three disjunct populations during each breeding season. Areas used by Cerulean Warblers were characterized by avian communities with significantly higher species richness, diversity, and abundance compared to areas where they were not detected. Correspondence analysis related Cerulean Warblers to inhabitants of riparian, bottomland deciduous forests (e.g., Kentucky Warbler [Oporornis formosus], Acadian Flycatcher [Empidonax virescens], and Northern Parula [Parula americana]) and two edge specialists (Blue-winged Warbler...

Avian Communities of the Altamaha River Estuary in Georgia, USA

Abstract We surveyed male breeding birds in five habitats (bottomland forest, maritime oak [Quercus spp.], pine [Pinus spp.] forest, maritime shrub, saltmarsh) of coastal Georgia, USA using distance-sampling methods to estimate population densities. We examined species-habitat relationships using indicator species analysis (ISA). Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) in bottomland forest, Northern Parula (Parula americana) in maritime oak, Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) in pine forest, Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris) in saltmarsh, and White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) in shrub habitat ranked highest for Partners in Flight (PIF) priority species by densities. The ISA indicated fewer PIF priority species were associated with saltmarsh, but more species (6) were unique to saltmarsh than any other habitat. Indicator species occurred more often in maritime oak than bottomland forest (8 vs. 6), but both habitats had similar numbers of PIF priority species (4). Shrub habitat covered the smallest area...

Poetry Animal

For William Carlos Williams, poetry was a war machine, a “small (or large) machine made of words.” If the war is a human war on other species, do poetry machines become poetry animals? Can we read Christopher Dewdney's “Permugenesis,” Marianne Moore's “An Octopus,” or Francis Ponge's “Notes Toward a Shell” as recombinant textual animals? Attention to intimate form locates structures of feeling in procedures that distribute agency. Jonathan Skinner's warbler poems (“Magnolia,” “Northern Parula,” “Myrtle”) compose with field-based constraints to make poetry an instrument of perception and interspecies research, a “singing with,” not just about or like, the nonhuman animal. The infrahuman sounds of Lila Zemborain's jellyfish (“Mauve Sea Orchids”) or the revolving phonemes of Emily Dickinson's hummingbird (“A route of evanescence”) organize perception and citation along indeterminate somatic pathways, where deep listening operates a reading machine. Faced with an age of extinction, remembering Cecilia Vicuña's and Antonin Artaud's call for a poetics of volatile agency and of bodily change, let us write island preserves of animality into the subject. Poetry animals are “thoughts on things,” like the plumage of Lorine Niedecker's “Mergansers,” that “fold unfold / above the river beds.” In voicing the meandering pitches of Maggie O'Sullivan's “Starlings,” do we undergo kinship with animals? Poetry animals lose sight of teleology and move with periodic, inhuman intensities, allowing foreign organizations into the sphere of the human nervous system. To locate their “animalady,” poets might become reading and writing machines, to deconstruct the singular animal and listen as human animals.

Avian assemblages in the lower Missouri River floodplain

Floodplain habitat provides important migration and breeding habitat for birds in the midwestern United States. However, few studies have examined how the avian assemblage changes with different stages of floodplain forest succession in the midwestern United States. In spring and summer from 2002 to 2004, we conducted 839 point counts in wet prairie/forbs fields, 547 point counts in early successional forests, and 434 point counts in mature forests to describe the migrating and breeding bird assemblage in the lower Missouri River floodplain. We recorded 131, 121, and 141 species in the three respective habitats, a number higher than most locations in the midwestern United States and comprising > 15% of all avian species in North America. Avian species diversity generally increased from west to east along the river, differed among land cover classes, but overlapped between seasons (migration and breeding) and years. Wet prairies were particularly important for conservation as there were 20 species of high conservation concern observed, including Dickcissels (Spiza americana). Important species for monitoring biotic integrity included the Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) and Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) in wet prairie, Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) in early successional forest, and Northern Parula (Parula americana) and Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) in mature forest.

Stopover Habitat use by Spring Migrant Landbirds: The Roles of Habitat Structure, Leaf Development, and Food Availability

AbstractStopover habitat quality may influence the abundance of migrant landbirds, yet little is known about how spatial and temporal changes in stopover habitat quality influence the use of habitats by migrant landbirds. From late April to late May, 1997–1999, we surveyed migrant landbirds within five habitats (early successional shrub-sapling-stage forest, midsuccessional pole-stage forest, mature forest interior, mature forest-agricultural edge, and mature suburban forest) in central Pennsylvania. To assess relative quality of stopover habitats, we measured species abundance, species richness, and foraging behavior of Yellow-rumped Warblers (Dendroica coronata). We measured vegetation structure and phenology to examine proximate cues of potential importance in habitat selection. Of nine transient (nonbreeding) species analyzed, seven-Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla), Northern Parula (Parula americana), Magnolia Warbler (D. magnolia), Black-throated Blue Warbler (D. caerulescens), Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Blackpoll Warbler (D. striata)-were most abundant in mature forests, and especially edge-dominated mature forests (forest-agricultural edge and suburban forest). Habitats used by mature-forest-breeding transients changed between years, but edge-dominated forest types were used most frequently in all three years. Although canopy leaf development at mature forest sites showed little relationship to site use by mature-forest-breeding transients within weekly intervals, year-to-year differences in leaf phenology were consistent with year-to-year changes in habitat use by migrant landbirds. Foraging behavior of Yellow-rumped Warblers suggested higher food availability and quality in forest-agricultural edges, compared with suburban forest and forest interior. Mature-forest-breeding transients were positively associated with sites that had large trees (>38 cm diameter at breast height) and denser understory vegetation (stems 0–2.5 cm in diameter). Extensive use of mature edge-dominated forests by migrating forest birds during spring suggests that these habitats may be important for the conservation of migrant landbirds.Uso de Hábitat durante las Escalas Migratorias por Aves Migratorias Terrestres: el Papel de la Estructura del Hábitat, el Desarrollo de las Hojas y la Disponibilidad de Alimento

Incidence of Nest Material Kleptoparasitism Involving Cerulean Warblers

Abstract We document 21 observations of interspecific stealing of nesting material involving Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea), Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceus), Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (Polioptila caerulea), Northern Parulas (Parula americana), Black-throated Green Warblers (D. virens), American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla), and Orchard Orioles (Icterus spurius) that occurred during studies of Cerulean Warbler breeding biology. These incidents involved a variety of combinations of nest owner and nest material thief suggesting that each of these species is both a perpetrator and recipient of this behavior in our study areas. Kleptoparasitic incidents occurred at all stages of the nesting cycle from nest-building through post-fledging. Two possible motivations for this behavior are related to saving time in finding nest materials and collecting this material for nest construction.

STOPOVER HABITAT USE BY SPRING MIGRANT LANDBIRDS: THE ROLES OF HABITAT STRUCTURE, LEAF DEVELOPMENT, AND FOOD AVAILABILITY

Abstract Stopover habitat quality may influence the abundance of migrant landbirds, yet little is known about how spatial and temporal changes in stopover habitat quality influence the use of habitats by migrant landbirds. From late April to late May, 1997–1999, we surveyed migrant landbirds within five habitats (early successional shrub-sapling-stage forest, midsuccessional pole-stage forest, mature forest interior, mature forest-agricultural edge, and mature suburban forest) in central Pennsylvania. To assess relative quality of stopover habitats, we measured species abundance, species richness, and foraging behavior of Yellow-rumped Warblers (Dendroica coronata). We measured vegetation structure and phenology to examine proximate cues of potential importance in habitat selection. Of nine transient (nonbreeding) species analyzed, seven-Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla), Northern Parula (Parula americana), Magnolia Warbler (D. magnolia), Black-throated Blue W...

Are temperate mixedwood forests perceived by birds as a distinct forest type?

Forestry practices used in mixedwood forests have led to a reduction of the availability of mixedwood stands and to a simplification of the forest mosaic, with unknown consequences on wildlife. We assessed bird occurrences at different spatial scales (50-, 100-, and 1000-m radius) in response to coniferous, deciduous, and mixedwood stands within the Quebec balsam fir – yellow birch domain. Our objective was to evaluate whether birds perceive temperate mixedwood forests as distinct from deciduous and coniferous forests. We quantified bird occurrence at 57 observation points and determined habitat composition from forest maps. At the 50-, 100-, and 1000-m scales, the occurrence of two, four, and four species, respectively, was positively related to mixedwood stands. Among them the Blackburnian Warbler, the Northern Parula, the Black-throated Blue Warbler, and the Ovenbird responded at more than one scale. Some species were also influenced by coniferous and deciduous stands at the three spatial scales. Mixedwood stands were positively associated with the occurrence of many species and moreover were preferred over coniferous or deciduous stands by some species. These results support our hypothesis that mixedwood forests are distinct habitats and provide a new justification for preserving this forest type.

RIPARIAN AND UPLAND BREEDING-BIRD ASSEMBLAGES ALONG HEADWATER STREAMS IN MICHIGAN'S UPPER PENINSULA

Comparative studies of riparian and upland bird communities have focused primarily on larger streams (greater than second order). We examined breeding-bird assemblages in relation to their proximity to small head-water streams in northern hardwood forests of the Otter River watershed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, USA. At 10 study sites, we used fixed-radius point counts to survey bird assemblages and measure forest habitat characteristics along riparian and upland transects. Forest structure and composition differed between riparian and upland areas, with more conifer stems and higher conifer basal area on riparian transects. We detected 46 bird species during 1999 and 2000. During each year, total bird abundance was similar for riparian and upland areas, whereas bird species richness and evenness was higher in riparian areas. When we pooled bird species by foraging guild, we found that foliage-gleaning birds were more abundant in riparian areas. We found 12 bird species exclusively in riparian areas and only 2 species exclusively in the uplands. The northern parula (Parula americana) and Black-burnian warbler (Dendroica fusca) were among 5 species more abundant on riparian transects, whereas the least flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) and red-eyed vireo (Vireo olivaceus) were among 5 species more abundant on upland transects. Although the vegetative gradient between riparian and upland habitat was subtle along these first- and second-order streams, breeding-bird assemblages differed between riparian and upland forests. This suggests that individual bird species respond to vegetative features of even narrow riparian areas. Managers working in northern and mixed-hardwood forests therefore should consider maintaining habitat diversity in the form of native conifers, even on the smallest first-order streams.

EFFECTS OF GROUP-SELECTION OPENING SIZE ON BREEDING BIRD HABITAT USE IN A BOTTOMLAND FOREST

An increase in timber removals from southern bottomland forests of the United States has been predicted, warranting investigations of the effects of silvicultural alternatives on avian breeding habitat. We studied the effects of creating group-selection openings (man-made canopy gaps) of various sizes on breeding bird habitat use in a bottomland hardwood forest in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. We used spot mapping and mist netting to estimate bird abundance at 0.06-, 0.13-, 0.26-, and 0.5-ha gaps and at uncut control areas during the 1996, 1997, and 1998 breeding seasons (1 May–1 August). There were significant increases in the number of species mapped (P = 0.0001) and netted (P = 0.0001) with successive increases in gap size. The greatest number of total spot-map detections (P = 0.0002) and mist net captures (P = 0.0004) also occurred in and around the large gaps. These patterns were the result of increased use of larger gaps by field-edge species, primarily Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), and Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), and some forest-edge species, such as White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) and Northern Parula (Parula americana). Conversely, Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) was less abundant in and adjacent to gaps. Because there were few differences in vegetation among gaps of different sizes, it is likely that birds that were detected more frequently in and adjacent to larger gaps selected those gaps based on other factors correlated with size. Creation of 0.5-ha group-selection openings in southern bottomland forests should provide breeding habitat for some field-edge species in gaps and habitat for forest-interior species and canopy-dwelling forest-edge species between gaps, provided that sufficient mature forest is maintained.

FOREST-DEPENDENT BIRDS OF THE GREAT CYPRESS (NORTH POCOMOKE) SWAMP: SPECIES COMPOSITION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION

The Great Cypress Swamp Conservation Area (GCSCA) comprises the largest contiguous forest on the Delmarva Peninsula (>5000 ha). An avian inventory using a fifty-meter fixed-radius point count method was undertaken during the nesting seasons of 1996 through 1998 to determine species composition, relative abundance, and frequency of breeding forest birds. Seventy-three species were found to comprise the breeding-season avifauna of this natural area including 14 warblers. Seven of the ten most abundant species were neotropical migrants. The Worm-eating Warbler and the Brown-headed Cowbird were the most abundant and most frequently encountered species, respectively. Several birds of local conserva- tion concern were found, including two regionally rare species: Swainson's Warbler and Black-throated Green Warbler. Two warblers previously known to breed here were not found during this survey: American Redstart and Northern Parula. Manage- ment of the GCSCA for forest birds should focus first on protection of extant populations and secondly on restoration. Comprehensive systematic inventories of large areas of contiguous forest should be considered a high priority for biologists concerned with the regional conservation of species of concern.

Effect of Stand Width and Adjacent Habitat on Breeding Bird Communities in Bottomland Hardwoods

Bottomland hardwood forests support an abundant and diverse avifauna, but area of this forest type has been reduced, and current projections indicate continued declines. We compared breeding bird abundance indices and species richness among bottomland hardwood stands ranging in width from 1,000 m and enclosed by forested habitat. We also compared avian abundance indices and richness among stands enclosed by pine (Pinus spp.) forest and stands enclosed by field-scrub habitats. Total species richness and species richness of Neotropical migrants were associated positively (P 1,000 m. Counts of Neotropical migrants differed (P < 0.05) among width classes in 1993 and 1995 and followed the same general trend as total bird count. Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens), blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea), and red-eyed vireo (Vireo olivaceous) were more abundant in smaller width classes (P < 0.05), whereas the opposite was true for white-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus) and northern parula (Parula americana). Probability of occurrence was associated positively (P < 0.05) with stand width for 12 species and negatively with stand width for 1 species. Total bird count and the counts of blue-gray gnatcatcher in 1995 and of northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in both years were higher in field-enclosed stands (FES) than in pine-enclosed stands (PES). No species analyzed was more abundant in PES than in FES. We conclude that even narrow riparian zones can support an abundant and diverse avifauna, but that conservation of wide (≥500 m) riparian zones is necessary to maintain the complete avian community characteristic of bottomland hardwood forests in South Carolina.