Avian use of suburban greenways as stopover habitat |
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Authors: | Salina M Kohut George R Hess Christopher E Moorman |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Box 8008, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA;(2) Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Box 7646, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA;(3) Present address: 107 Paladin Place, Cary, NC 27513, USA; |
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Abstract: | Greenways may provide stopover habitat for migrating birds in otherwise inhospitable suburban landscapes. We examined the
effect of greenway forested corridor width, vegetation composition and structure, and adjacent land cover on the species richness
and abundance of migrating songbirds during spring and fall migration in Raleigh and Cary, North Carolina, USA. Generally,
migrating birds were more abundant in wider forest corridors during spring and fall migration. During the spring, migrants
were detected more commonly in greenways with taller trees and a higher percentage of hardwood trees. In the fall, migrant
richness and abundance was highest in greenways with lower canopy cover, possibly because of the increased vertical complexity
of the vegetation at these sites. Forest-interior migrant richness was not correlated with corridor width in either season,
but these species were more abundant in greenways bordered by less bare earth and pavement cover in the spring. No other bird
groupings were correlated with adjacent land cover measures. Although migrants used greenways of all widths, forested corridors
wider than 150 m should be conserved whenever possible to provide stopover habitat for forest-interior migrants. Shrub cover
should be retained to maintain vegetative complexity. Habitat for the greatest diversity of migrants can be provided by constructing
greenways in areas of lower development intensity and encouraging residents to retain shrubs and trees on properties bordering
greenways. |
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