Presentation Type
Poster
Department
Biology
Location
Walker Conference Center B
Description
Birds in North America show declining numbers, even for the most common birds breeding at Jack Mountain Wildlife Management Area in south-central Arkansas. Previous studies have shown that forests with >60% pine cover and lower canopy density have greater bird diversity and abundance but that these habitats do not have higher numbers of insects. We sought to further examine this interesting pattern by determining each bird species’ life history characteristics (feeding guild, nest substrate, and nest height) in relation to most preferred habitat. One hundred random points within the Jack Mountain Wildlife Management Area were surveyed in June 2022 (Figure 1) and all the birds seen or heard were recorded. As in previous years’ research, pine-dominated forests had a greater abundance of birds compared to deciduous and mixed forest types (Figure 2, F = 13.3 , P < 0.001 ). Of the 54 species observed at points in summer 2022, most species were found across habitat types, but a few species were more commonly found in pine or deciduous woodlands. Comparisons among habitat types in relation to feeding guild and nest characteristics were analyzed using, “A hierarchical classification of trophic guilds for North American Birds and mammals” (Gonzalez-Salazar, Martinez-Meyer). It was hypothesized that the greater abundance of birds found in the pine habitats was due to more abundant nesting sites at different heights, and more available guilds. However, it was found that there was no significant difference in number of available guilds between pine and hardwood habitats, 5 found in hardwood and 9 found in pine (Figure 3, p = 0.356 ). There was also no significant difference in available nesting heights (Figure 4, P = .705). We have come to the consensus that more data needs to be collected, and a survey needs to be done regarding the available feeding areas in each habitat type.
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Included in
Assessing Patterns of Habitat use by Breeding Birds at Jack Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Walker Conference Center B
Birds in North America show declining numbers, even for the most common birds breeding at Jack Mountain Wildlife Management Area in south-central Arkansas. Previous studies have shown that forests with >60% pine cover and lower canopy density have greater bird diversity and abundance but that these habitats do not have higher numbers of insects. We sought to further examine this interesting pattern by determining each bird species’ life history characteristics (feeding guild, nest substrate, and nest height) in relation to most preferred habitat. One hundred random points within the Jack Mountain Wildlife Management Area were surveyed in June 2022 (Figure 1) and all the birds seen or heard were recorded. As in previous years’ research, pine-dominated forests had a greater abundance of birds compared to deciduous and mixed forest types (Figure 2, F = 13.3 , P < 0.001 ). Of the 54 species observed at points in summer 2022, most species were found across habitat types, but a few species were more commonly found in pine or deciduous woodlands. Comparisons among habitat types in relation to feeding guild and nest characteristics were analyzed using, “A hierarchical classification of trophic guilds for North American Birds and mammals” (Gonzalez-Salazar, Martinez-Meyer). It was hypothesized that the greater abundance of birds found in the pine habitats was due to more abundant nesting sites at different heights, and more available guilds. However, it was found that there was no significant difference in number of available guilds between pine and hardwood habitats, 5 found in hardwood and 9 found in pine (Figure 3, p = 0.356 ). There was also no significant difference in available nesting heights (Figure 4, P = .705). We have come to the consensus that more data needs to be collected, and a survey needs to be done regarding the available feeding areas in each habitat type.