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Gap Crossing Decisions by Forest Songbirds during the Post‐Fledging Period

Gap Crossing Decisions by Forest Songbirds during the Post‐Fledging Period Gaps in forest cover, created by agriculture, forestry, and other anthropogenic activities, are assumed to impede the movements of many forest songbirds. Little is known, however, about the reluctance of different species of birds to cross habitat gaps. We studied this by inducing birds in the post‐fledging period to cross gaps of varying widths and to choose between routes through woodland or across open areas by attracting them to a recording of mobbing calls by Chickadees ( Parus atricapillus). In 278 experiments conducted in boreal forest and agricultural landscapes near Québec city, 157 birds or flocks of birds of five species were attracted. Overall, birds were twice as likely to travel through 50 m of woodland than through 50 m in the open to reach the recording. When given a choice of traveling through woodland or across a gap, the majority of respondents preferred woodland routes, even when they were three times longer than shortcuts in the open. However, species differed greatly in their response to gaps. Our results show that woodland links significantly facilitate movements of birds across fragmented landscapes. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Conservation Biology Wiley

Gap Crossing Decisions by Forest Songbirds during the Post‐Fledging Period

Desrochers, André; Hannon, Susan J.
Conservation Biology , Volume 11 (5) – Oct 16, 1997
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References (24)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Society for Conservation Biology
ISSN
0888-8892
eISSN
1523-1739
DOI
10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.96187.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Gaps in forest cover, created by agriculture, forestry, and other anthropogenic activities, are assumed to impede the movements of many forest songbirds. Little is known, however, about the reluctance of different species of birds to cross habitat gaps. We studied this by inducing birds in the post‐fledging period to cross gaps of varying widths and to choose between routes through woodland or across open areas by attracting them to a recording of mobbing calls by Chickadees ( Parus atricapillus). In 278 experiments conducted in boreal forest and agricultural landscapes near Québec city, 157 birds or flocks of birds of five species were attracted. Overall, birds were twice as likely to travel through 50 m of woodland than through 50 m in the open to reach the recording. When given a choice of traveling through woodland or across a gap, the majority of respondents preferred woodland routes, even when they were three times longer than shortcuts in the open. However, species differed greatly in their response to gaps. Our results show that woodland links significantly facilitate movements of birds across fragmented landscapes.

Journal

Conservation Biology – Wiley

Published: Oct 16, 1997

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