scholarly journals Effects of habitat type on bird nesting in the desert grasslands of central Mexico: conservation implications

Oryx ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
César Posadas-Leal ◽  
Leonardo Chapa-Vargas ◽  
José Tulio Arredondo-Moreno ◽  
Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald
Keyword(s):  
Nest Survival ◽  
Grassland Birds ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Passerculus Sandwichensis ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Agricultural Areas

AbstractPopulations of North American grassland birds have suffered drastic declines. The causes of these declines are only partially understood and may vary among regions. During the 2004 and 2005 breeding seasons we recorded survival information from 220 nests of four bird species in nine study sites representing three habitat types of the desert grasslands of central Mexico, where grassland birds had not yet been studied. We predicted that land-use change from shortgrass steppe to heavily grazed savannah-type grasslands and agriculture would negatively affect nesting success, number of fledglings and nest abundance. We also examined temporal effects on reproductive success. We found some evidence that nest survival of savannah sparrows Passerculus sandwichensis, loggerhead shrikes Lanius ludovicianus and white-winged doves Zenaida asiatica varied with date, and that nest survival of the dove was lowest in agricultural sites. However, confidence intervals were large, suggesting that other variables were also important. Whereas white-winged dove nests were notably more abundant in agricultural areas compared to the other habitat types, western meadowlark Sturnella neglecta nests were not found in agricultural areas. Ploughing caused the largest proportion of nest failures in agricultural areas and, on average, all species fledged fewer young per nest in agricultural areas. Therefore, minimizing agriculture and adjusting harvest times could enhance conservation of grassland-nesting birds in central Mexico. Our study also suggests that inter-annual variation in rainfall can change the onset of nesting by at least 2 months.

Nest cameras do not affect nest survival in a meadow-nesting shorebird

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
VOLKER SALEWSKI ◽  
LUIS SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  
Nest Survival ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Survival Models ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Limosa Limosa ◽  
Study Sites

Summary Identifying the fate of birds’ nests and the causes of breeding failure is often crucial for the development of conservation strategies for threatened species. However, collecting these data by repeatedly visiting nests might itself contribute to nest failure or bias. To solve this dilemma, automatic cameras have increasingly been used as a time-efficient means for nest monitoring. Here, we consider whether the use of cameras itself may influence hatching success of nests of the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa at two long-term study sites in northern Germany. Annually between 2013 and 2019, cameras were used to monitor godwit nests. In 2014 and 2019, nests were randomly equipped with cameras or not, and nest survival checked independently of the cameras. Nest-survival models indicated that survival probabilities varied between years, sites and with time of the season, but were unaffected by the presence of cameras. Even though predation is the main cause of hatching failure in our study system, we conclude that predators did not learn to associate cameras with food either when the cameras were initially installed or after they had been used for several years. Cameras were thus an effective and non-deleterious tool to collect data for conservation in this case. As other bird species may react differently to cameras at their nests, and as other sets of predators may differ in their ability to associate cameras with food, the effect of cameras on breeding success should be carefully monitored when they are used in a new study system.

scholarly journals Diet of otters (Lutra lutra) in various habitat types in the Pannonian biogeographical region compared to other regions of Europe

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2266 ◽  
Author(s):  
József Lanszki ◽  
István Lehoczky ◽  
Antoinette Kotze ◽  
Michael J. Somers
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Fish Diet ◽  
Fish Farms ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Mediterranean Regions ◽  
Biogeographical Region ◽  
Study Sites

Knowledge of the effect of habitat type and region on diet and feeding behaviours of a species facilitates a better understanding of factors impacting populations, which contributes to effective conservation management. Using spraint analysis and relative frequency of occurrence data from the literature, we described the dietary patterns of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in 23 study sites within the Pannonian biogeographical region in Hungary. Our results indicated that diet composition varied by habitat type and is therefore context dependant. The differences among habitat types were however lower than expected. We noticed a decline in the fish consumption with a concomitant increase in trophic niche breadth and amphibian consumption in rivers, ponds (fish farms), backwaters, marshes and small watercourses. The main differences in diet were not attributed to the consumption of primary and secondary food types (fish and amphibians), but rather to differences in other, less important food types (mammals, birds). Using hierarchical cluster analysis, rivers and ponds could clearly be separated from other habitat types. We found the main fish diet of otters in most of these areas consisted of small (<100 g), eurytopic, littoral and non-native, mostly invasive species. Dietary studies from 91 sites in six European biogeographical regions showed that fish are consumed most frequently in the Atlantic and Boreal, less in the Continental and Pannonian, and least in the Alpine and Mediterranean regions. Comparative analysis indicated that the Mediterranean region (with frequent crayfish consumption) and Alpine region (frequent amphibian consumption) cluster separate from the other regions.

scholarly journals Bird assemblages on a Mediterranean sandy beach: a yearly study

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Corrado Battisti
Keyword(s):  
Sandy Beach ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Yearly Cycle ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Margalef Index ◽  
Trophic Resources

Around the 2007 yearly cycle, we carried out a transect in a Mediterranean sandy beach (central Italy), a structurally oversimplified ecosystem, elaborating the data in six bimonthly periods and in three longitudinal habitat types. We observed 25 bird species. Assemblages appear heterogeneous at taxonomic-, phenological- and ecological-level. Also normalizing (Margalef index), in winter the beach hosted the richest assemblage, in summer-autumn the lowest. The inner dunal area appears the richest habitat type. Here, the presence of vegetation presumably permits the occurrence of a large availability of different trophic resources for different species. Beaches represent patchy ecosystems with a different availability of resources in space and time that host heterogeneous bird assemblages, different in their ecology and phenology around a yearly cycle.

scholarly journals Bringing the city to the country: relationships between streetscape vegetation type and bird assemblages in a major regional centre

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan S Champness ◽  
Grant C Palmer ◽  
James A Fitzsimons
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Regional Centre ◽  
Remnant Vegetation

Abstract Urbanisation is a leading cause of biodiversity loss and habitat fragmentation internationally, and the conservation of representative native assemblages is a challenge confronting environmental managers in expanding urban landscapes. This study investigates the bird assemblages occurring in a rapidly growing regional centre, Ballarat, southeastern Australia. It aims to examine the relationships between urbanisation and bird communities in a regional city by investigating the differences in bird assemblage composition related to the type of vegetation (native or exotic) in urban streetscapes. Bird surveys were completed across four broad habitat types: remnant vegetation, exotic streetscapes, native streetscapes and newly developed streetscapes. Each habitat type had three 1 ha replicate sites. Results show that remnant vegetation fringing residential areas and native streetscapes supported around 60% more native bird species than exotic and newly developed streetscapes. Avian species composition was significantly different between broad habitat types, with remnant vegetation and native streetscapes maintaining representative native bird assemblages, but exotic streetscapes and newly developed streetscapes were dominated by introduced birds. Our results show that, for representative native bird assemblages to be maintained in urban areas, the maintenance of remnant and native vegetation is essential.

scholarly journals Range Shifts of Overwintering Birds Depend on Habitat Type, Snow Conditions and Habitat Specialization

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Bosco ◽  
Yanjie Xu ◽  
Purabi Deshpande ◽  
Aleksi Lehikoinen
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Habitat Specialization ◽  
Range Shifts ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Climatic Niche ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Distribution Shifts ◽  
Snow Conditions

Abstract Climatic warming is forcing numerous species to shift their ranges poleward, which has been demonstrated for many taxa across the globe. Yet, the influence of habitat types on within- and among-species variations of distribution shifts has rarely been studied, especially so for the non-breeding season. Here, we investigated habitat specific shift distances of northern range margins and directions of the center of gravity based on a long-term dataset of overwintering birds in Finland. Specifically, we explored influences of habitat type, snow cover depths, species’ climatic niche and habitat specialization on range shifts from 1980’s to 2010’s in 81 bird species. Birds overwintering in farmlands shifted significantly more often northwards than birds of the same species in rural and forest habitats, while the northern range margin shift distances did not significantly differ among the habitat types. Snow cover was negatively associated with the eastward shift direction across all habitats, while we found habitat specific relations to snow cover with northward shift directions and northern range margins shift distances. Species with stronger habitat specializations shifted more strongly towards north as compared to generalist species, whereas the climatic niche of bird species only marginally correlated with range shifts, so that cold-dwelling species shifted longer distances and more clearly eastwards. Our study reveals habitat specific patterns linked to snow conditions for overwintering boreal birds and highlights importance of habitat availability and preference in climate driven range shifts.

scholarly journals Area Requirements of Grassland Birds: A Regional Perspective

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Johnson ◽  
Lawrence D. Igl
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Grassland Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Passerculus Sandwichensis ◽  
Zenaida Macroura ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Dolichonyx Oryzivorus ◽  
Area Sensitivity

Abstract Area requirements of grassland birds have not been studied except in tallgrass prairie. We studied the relation between both species-occurrence and density and patch size by conducting 699 fixed-radius point counts of 15 bird species on 303 restored grassland areas in nine counties in four northern Great Plains states. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis), Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Baird's Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), Le Conte's Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii), and Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were shown to favor larger grassland patches in one or more counties. Evidence of area sensitivity was weak or ambivalent for Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), and Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) preferred larger patches in some counties, and smaller patches in others. Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) and Brown- headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) tended to favor smaller grassland patches. Three species showed greater area sensitivity in counties where each species was more common. Five species demonstrated some spatial pattern of area sensitivity, either north to south or east to west. This study demonstrates the importance of replication in space; results from one area may not apply to others because of differences in study design, analytical methods, location relative to range of the species, and surrounding landscapes.

Correlation between the Avian Community and Habitat Type during the Wintering Period in Zhalong National Nature Reserve, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 779-780 ◽  
pp. 1634-1638
Author(s):  
Qing Ming Wu ◽  
Jian Zhang Ma ◽  
Hong Fei Zou
Keyword(s):  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Ecological Group ◽  
Ecological Groups ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
National Nature Reserve ◽  
Open Forest

Zhalong National Nature Reserve (Zhalong) is an important habitat of avian, especial for cranes and waterfowls. For grasping the relation between avian ecological group and habitat types and scientific management for resource, we used line transects to survey bird population and distribution during November-December from 2005-2009 at Zhalong, and used cluster analysis and Chi-Square tests to analyze data. We recorded 23 bird species of 15 families and 7 orders during the wintering period, including Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Falconiformes, Galliformes, Gruiformes, Passeriformes, Strigiformes. Geographic region and dominant vegetation were the main influence factors of wintering avian distribution at Zhalong. Different ecological groups preferred different habitat types (p<0.01). Reed marsh were strong preferred, next were farmland and open forest. Passeres preferred reed marsh, open forest and farmland; Raptatores preferred open forest and reed marsh; Terrestores and Grallatores all preferred reed marsh and farmland. Different avian ecological groups occupied specific habitats types and we recorded some overlaps in bird distribution.

scholarly journals Do ducks and songbirds initiate more nests when the probability of survival is greater?

2015 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd A. Grant ◽  
Terry L. Shaffer
Keyword(s):  
Nest Survival ◽  
Grassland Birds ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Probability Of Survival ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Avian Nest ◽  
Nesting Activity

Nesting chronology in grassland birds can vary by species, locality, and year. The date a nest is initiated can influence the subsequent probability of its survival in some grassland bird species. Because predation is the most significant cause of nest loss in grassland birds, we examined the relation between timing of nesting and nest survival. Periods of high nest survival that correspond with the peak of nesting activity might reflect long-term adaptations to specific predation pressures commonly recurring during certain periods of the nesting cycle. We evaluated this theory by comparing timing of nesting with date-specific nest survival rates for several duck and passerine species breeding in north-central North Dakota during 1998–2003. Nest survival decreased seasonally with date for five of the seven species we studied. We found little evidence to support consistent relations between timing of nesting, the number of nest initiations, and nest survival for any species we studied, suggesting that factors other than nest predation may better explain nesting chronology for these species. The apparent mismatch between date-specific patterns of nest survival and nest initiation underscores uncertainty about the process of avian nest site selection driven mainly by predation. Although timing of nesting differed among species, the general nesting period was fairly predictable across all years of study, suggesting the potential for research activities or management actions to be timed to take advantage of known periods when nests are active (or inactive). However, our results do not support the notion that biologists can take advantage of periods when many nests are active and survival is also high.

scholarly journals ESTIMASI POPULASI DAN KARAKTERISTIK HABITAT LUTUNG JAWA(Trachypithecus auratus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812) DI RESORT BANDEALIT TAMAN NASIONAL MERU BETIRI

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Muhammad Rusdi ◽  
Tatag Muttaqin ◽  
Nirmala Ayu Aryanti
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Trachypithecus Auratus ◽  
Type Population ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Important Value Index

Changes in forest areas into agricultural areas and settlements cause the loss of some natural habitats, thus threatening the sustainability of the Javanese Lutung population. One of the Javanese Lutung habitats, Meru Betiri National Park. The purpose of this study was to determine the estimated population of Javanese Lutung and Javanese Lutung habitat characteristics in the Bandealit Resort of Meru Betiri National Park. Habitat characteristics were obtained through analysis of vegetation data, environmental data, and data on feed types by calculating the Important Value Index (INP) and its relation to environmental conditions in each habitat type. Population differences and habitat characteristics in each habitat type are obtained through Analysis of Variance (Anova) using SPSS (Statictical Program for Social Science) software. The results showed that the estimated population of Javanese Lutung in Meru Betiri National Park was 104 individuals found in 11 groups in all habitat types where each group consisted of 6-18 individuals. Components that have a real influence on each habitat type are temperature and humidity.

scholarly journals A study of composition and diversity variation of avifauna along with different types of agroforestry system in Kibet town, Southern Ethiopia

2022 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussen Yasin ◽  
Wondimagegnehu Tekalign
Keyword(s):  
Diversity Index ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Agroforestry System ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Feeding Guild ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Ploceus Cucullatus

Abstract Background Agroforestry is an integrated land-use system that plays a great role in the conservation of landscape biodiversity. The study aimed to assess the composition and diversity of avian species along with different habitat types of agroforestry in Kibet Town, Southern Ethiopia. Methods Four habitat types of agroforestry system which are home gardens, live fences, parkland, and eucalyptus woodlot were identified. Line transects were used for bird surveys. The Shannon diversity index (H′) and species evenness index (E) were used to compare diversity among habitat types. A similarity percentages (SIMPER) test was carried out to identify the main species and feeding guild that typified each habitat type. The overall significance was assessed with the ANOSIM test using PAST (version 4.03). Results A total of 50 bird species belonging to 28 families and 10 orders were recorded. Order Passeriformes (67.3%) had the highest number of species. Bird community composition differed among habitat types. The dissimilarity was mainly due to White-browed robin-chat (Cossypha heuglini), Streaky seed-eater (Serinus striolatus), Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), African Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis), and Black-Headed Paradise Flycatcher (T. rufiventer). The finding also revealed that insectivore was the dominant feeding guild. Conclusions The present study shows evidence that more insectivore bird species use different types of agroforestry as habitat and foraging sites. So, any concerned bodies who have engaged in avian conservation should give special consideration to this modified landscape.

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