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USGS · 70227629

Effects of early-successional shrubland management on breeding wood thrush populations

Scott Schlossberg·David I. King·Stephen DeStefano·Mitch Hartley
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Abstract

In forested landscapes, creation of habitat for early-successional shrubland birds is controversial because of perceived conflicts with the conservation of mature-forest birds. Nonetheless, many mature-forest birds, especially fledglings, readily use early-successional stands during the post-breeding period. This suggests that for mature-forest birds, creating habitat for early-successional birds could involve a tradeoff: reduced abundance and nest survival due to the loss of nesting habitat versus enhanced fledgling survival in early-successional stands. Our research addressed the effects of the creation of early-successional habitat for shrubland birds on wood thrushes ( Hylocichla mustelina ) in western Massachusetts, USA. We compared wood thrush abundance, nest success, fecundity, and post-fledging survival in landscapes with high (∼20%) or low (∼1%) cover of early-successional stands suitable for shrubland birds. We found no differences in nest success, fecundity, and post-fledging survival between the 2 types of landscapes. Abundance of breeders, however, was significantly greater on the sites with high cover of early-successional habitat. We conclude that in forested landscapes, creation of early-successional habitat at levels recommended for the conservation of shrubland birds is compatible with viable wood thrush populations. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

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Journal of Wildlife ManagementArticle
90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 42.147114459220994° to 42.56117285531808° latitude; -72.894287109375° to -71.982421875° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Scott Schlossberg, David I. King, Stephen DeStefano, Mitch Hartley. 2018-08-29. Effects of early-successional shrubland management on breeding wood thrush populations. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21559

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