E.J. Finck | Search USGS

USGS2003

Effects of prairie fragmentation on the nest success of breeding birds in the midcontinental United States

Grassland fragmentation and habitat loss are hypothesized to be contributing to widespread grassland bird declines in North America due to the adverse effects of fragmentation on breeding bird abundance and reproductive success. To assess the effects of fragmentation on the reproductive success of grassland birds, we measured rates of nest predation and brood parasitism for four species of birds ( Grasshopper Sparrow [ Ammodramus savannaru ], Henslow's Sparrow[ Ammodramus henslowii ], Eastern Meadowlark [ Sturnella magna ], and Dickcissel [ Spiza Americana ] ) in 39 prairie fragments ranging from 24 to>40,000 ha in size in five states in the mid-continental United States. Throughout the region, nest-predation rates were significantly influenced by habitat fragmentation. Nest predation was highest in small (<100 ha ) and lowest in large ( >1000 ha ) prairie fragments. Rates of brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds ( Molothrus ater ), however, were not consistently related to fragment size and instead were more strongly related to regional cowbird abundance, being significantly higher in regions with high cowbird abundance. Differences in nest-predation rates between large fragments ( 54–68% of all nests lost to predators ) and small fragments ( 78–84% lost to predators ) suggest that fragmentation of prairie habitats may be contributing to regional declines of grassland birds. Maintaining grassland bird populations, therefore, may require protection and restoration of large prairie areas.

Conservation Biology↗

USGS1999

The response of a Kansas winter bird community to weather, photoperiod, and year

We conducted a bird census along the same route nearly each week for 14 winters (194 censuses), and compared the mean number of species per station and the total number of species recorded on the census with the length of photoperiod and weather variables. We found significant differences among winters for both indicators of species richness. This result is consistent with previous studies in which abundance of food was measured in the same general area. Both indicators of species richness were negatively associated with the number of days after 1 November. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that wintering species dependent on nonrenewed food resources lose individuals to mortality or emigration. Further, there was a positive relationship between photoperiod and both indicators of species richness. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that the detection of individuals in the early morning hours increases with the amount of daylight they have available for foraging and social behaviors. Wind speed and temperature had negative and positive relationships, respectively, to species richness. The number of species per station was greatest on days when the ground was covered with dew and least on days when snow depth was more than 15 cm. When the 'winters' were divided into four 30-day 'quarters', most of the 61 species were recorded with equal frequency in each quarter. Eight species were detected less frequently at the end of winter than in the beginning. Four species exhibited the reverse pattern. Two species were recorded more frequently at the beginning and at the end of the winter than during the middle. Temperature, wind, photoperiod, successive winter day, year, and species-specific evolutionary history all affect winter bird species richness.

The Wilson Bulletin↗