Habitat Selection of the Black-faced Bunting in Relation to Vegetation Structure during the Breeding Season in Coastal Japanese Black Pine Forest

AbstractIn boreal forests, food supplies typically have cyclic variations, and many species here fluctuate in numbers from year to year. One group of species showing large variations in population size is birds specialized on seeds from masting trees. Here, I analyze spatial patterns of a mass occurrence and habitat selection of the Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) during the breeding season in southeastern Norway in 2020 after a year with large seed crops from Norway Spruce (Picea abies) and Downy Birch (Betula pubescens). I found that Common Redpoll numbers increased with elevation and towards the northwest. Numbers were also strongly and positively correlated with snow depth in early April when snow was present mainly above 400 m elevation. Sites with snow cover in early April (30% of all sites) held 96.4% of all individuals recorded. Field observations indicated that Common Redpolls foraged extensively for spruce seeds on the snow until the end of May when young were independent. I suggest that the mass occurrence was due to a unique combination of exceptionally large seed crops of two tree species coinciding in the same year. The masting produced large amounts of food both for overwintering (birch seeds) and for breeding (spruce seeds), and during the breeding season snow cover facilitated access to food resources. Dependency of Common Redpolls on snow cover suggests that climate change may negatively impact some seed-eaters in boreal regions. On the other hand, higher temperatures may induce more frequent masting which may be beneficial for seed-eaters. Thus, climate change is likely to lead to complex ecosystem changes in areas where snow cover may disappear.

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Investigating Home Range, Movement Pattern, and Habitat Selection of Bar-headed Geese during Breeding Season at Qinghai Lake, China

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani8100182 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 182 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ruobing Zheng ◽

Lacy Smith ◽

Diann Prosser ◽

John Takekawa ◽

Scott Newman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Movement Ecology ◽

Movement Pattern ◽

Qinghai Lake ◽

Important Species ◽

Central Asian ◽

Anser Indicus ◽

Selection Of

The Bar-headed Goose is the only true goose species or Anserinae to migrate solely within the Central Asian Flyway, and thus, it is an ideal species for observing the effects of both land use and climate change throughout the flyway. In this paper, we investigate the home range, movement pattern, and habitat selection of Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus) during the breeding season at Qinghai Lake, which is one of their largest breeding areas and a major migration staging area in the flyway. We identified several areas used by the geese during the breeding season along the shoreline of Qinghai Lake and found that most geese had more than one core use area and daily movements that provided insight into their breeding activity. We also observed the intensive use of specific wetlands and habitats near Qinghai Lake. These data provide interesting insights into the movement ecology of this important species and also provide critical information for managers seeking to understand and respond to conservation concerns threatening Bar-headed Geese, such as landscape and habitat changes.

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Breeding-Season Survival, Home-Range Size, and Habitat Selection of Female Bachman's Sparrows

Southeastern Naturalist ◽

10.1656/058.020.0112 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Y. Choi ◽

Alexander C. Fish ◽

Christopher E. Moorman ◽

Christopher S. DePerno ◽

Jessica M. Schillaci

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Selection Of

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Breeding Season Movements and Habitat Selection of Male Sage Grouse

Journal of Wildlife Management ◽

10.2307/3800030 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 634 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Richard Wallestad ◽

Philip Schladweiler

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Sage Grouse ◽

Selection Of

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Home Range Attributes and Habitat Selection of Barred Owls and Spotted Owls in an Area of Sympatry

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/109.4.750 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 109 (4) ◽

pp. 750-768 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas E. Hamer ◽

Eric D. Forsman ◽

Elizabeth M. Glenn

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Negative Slope ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Strix Varia ◽

Spotted Owls ◽

Barred Owls ◽

Selection Of

Abstract We compared home range areas and habitat selection of radio-marked Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis) and Barred Owls (Strix varia) in an area of sympatry in the northern Cascade Range of Washington in 1986–1989. On average, home ranges of Spotted Owls were 3–4 times larger than ranges of Barred Owls, and there was little overlap of home ranges during the breeding season. Ranges of both species tended to expand during winter. Home range size of both species was negatively correlated with the amount of old forest, but the negative slope of the regression was much steeper for Spotted Owls than for Barred Owls. For both species, home ranges of individual owls typically had high overlap among seasons and years, indicating high site fidelity. Barred Owls generally occupied home ranges at lower elevations than Spotted Owls (mean = 386 ± 27 m vs. 750 ± 68 m). Both species tended to use old forests more than expected, but Spotted Owls tended to use other cover types less than expected, whereas Barred Owls used most other cover types in proportion to their availability. We suggest that Spotted Owls may use larger ranges than Barred Owls because they prey selectively on a few species of nocturnal mammals, whereas Barred Owls forage more evenly across a broad range of prey types, including diurnal and aquatic species. The low overlap of Barred Owl and Spotted Owl home ranges suggests that territorial Barred Owls exclude Spotted Owls from their territories, at least during the breeding season, thus reducing the amount of habitat available to Spotted Owls.

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Spatial ecology and habitat selection of Little Owl Athene noctua during the breeding season in Central European farmland

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270911000268 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 328-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

MARTIN ŠÁLEK ◽

MATĚJ LÖVY

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Spatial Ecology ◽

Active Management ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

Management Actions ◽

Athene Noctua ◽

Little Owl ◽

Selection Of

SummaryInformation on habitat requirements and spatial ecology is vital in conservation strategies and management of particular species. Little Owl Athene noctua is a highly threatened owl species whose populations have significantly decreased or are locally extinct in many European countries. In this study we report on spatial ecology and habitat selection of Little Owls during their breeding season in an agricultural landscape and discuss key management actions for its conservation. The mean home range size of radio-tracked Little Owls, determined by the kernel method, was 0.94 ha (SD = 0.95, 0.24–2.72 ha) and 4.30 ha (SD = 3.75, 0.88–11.70 ha) for 50% and 95% home range, respectively. The smallest home ranges were recorded in April–June (incubation and nesting period) with a significant increase in July–August (fledging season). The most important foraging habitat during the entire breeding season was grassland (especially pastures) reaching 90% for all locations. Vegetation height and cover were the main factors determining habitat selection: Little Owls significantly preferred sparse and short sward vegetation patches that enabled hunting of ground-dwelling prey. Conservation efforts for Little Owls should focus on the active management of prey-rich grassland habitats in the vicinity of breeding sites.

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Habitat selection of the Blue-Crowned Laughingthrush during the breeding season

Acta Ecologica Sinica ◽

10.5846/stxb201609261942 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

Author(s):

黄慧琴 HUANG Huiqin ◽

刘涛 LIU Tao ◽

石金泽 SHI Jinze ◽

刘鹏 LIU Peng ◽

张微微 ZHANG Weiwei

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Selection Of

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Habitat selection by Common Gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) is affected by vegetation structure but not by location of Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) prey

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v132i3.1955 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 132 (3) ◽

pp. 223-230

Author(s):

William D. Halliday ◽

Gabriel Blouin-Demers

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Leopard Frog ◽

Thamnophis Sirtalis ◽

Lithobates Pipiens ◽

Northern Leopard Frog ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Leopard Frogs ◽

Future Work ◽

Selection Of

Understanding the factors affecting habitat selection of species is important for effective management and for conservation because habitat selection affects fitness. We tested the competing, but not mutually exclusive, hypotheses that habitat selection of Common Gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) at a fine spatial scale is driven by vegetation structure or by Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) prey abundance. We conducted surveys for snakes and frogs in six, 1-ha study grids in eastern Ontario in 2014 and 2015. Common Gartersnakes used areas dominated by forbs more than expected based on availability, and used grassy areas less than expected based on availability. Gartersnakes showed no preference for sites with more frogs. Thus, vegetation structure is important in habitat selection of Common Gartersnakes, but Northern Leopard Frog abundance is not. Common Gartersnakes and Northern Leopard Frogs did have a preference for forbs, but gartersnakes do not appear to be using habitat specifically based on frog abundance at a fine scale. Future work should study habitat use by snakes over a longer period to account for high variability in frog abundance and for temporal changes in habitat structure. Future work should also examine the distribution of other prey items in relation to the distribution of snakes.

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