Breeding Bird Habitat Associations On The Alaska Breeding Bird Survey PDF Download

Landbirds were censused "in the Tanana River floodplain during the summers of 1995 and 1996. Two 10.5 hectare bird census plots were placed in willow-alder, white spruce, and black spruce forest. We used spot mapping data from these plots to learn about bird habitat associations at two spatial scales. At the scale of habitat type, we investigated the relative influences of structural complexity of vegetation, stage of succession, and primary productivity on the breeding bird community. Bird species richness and territory density in the three habitat types were highly positively correlated with primary productivity. At the spatial scale of an individual territory, detailed vegetation measurements recorded within 42 subplots on each census plot were used to formulate logistic regression models. These models describe habitat characteristics associated with territory presence for 11 bird species that were most common. Vegetation structure and plant species composition were important determinants of territory presence"--Iii.