(Download) "Breeding Bird Communities in Burned and Unburned Sites in a Mature Indiana Oak Forest." by Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Breeding Bird Communities in Burned and Unburned Sites in a Mature Indiana Oak Forest.
- Author : Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science
- Release Date : January 30, 2003
- Genre: Engineering,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 195 KB
Description
ABSTRACT. Prescribed fire is being used increasingly by forest managers throughout the U.S. to attain specific management objectives. However, little is known about the effects of fire management practices on non-game bird communities, particularly in deciduous forests of the Midwest that are important breeding grounds for many Neotropical migrant songbirds. We compared bird species abundance and community composition in a recently burned (1993 and 1995) closed-canopy forest plot with an adjacent unburned plot, using breeding bird surveys conducted in 1996 and 1997. Avian species richness and overall bird abundance (for all species pooled) did not differ between sites. Avian community composition, however, differed between sites in both years. Ground-nesting Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia), Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocappilus) and Eastern Towhees (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) were more abundant in the unburned site. Conversely, cavity-nesting White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) were more abundant in the burned site. Migrant and resident ground- and shrub-nesting guilds were more abundant in unburned forest. Prescribed fires may adversely affect habitat quality for some forest songbirds, particularly species which require dense understory growth. Prescribed fires may benefit other species by creating open understories and snags. Land managers should consider the direct and indirect effects of habitat alteration associated with prescribed fires on all nesting songbirds to conserve local and regional avian biodiversity. Keywords: Neotropical migrant, songbird, fire, community, management
 "Breeding Bird Communities in Burned and Unburned Sites in a Mature Indiana Oak Forest." by Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free){kind=link}