EFFECTS OF URBAN SPRAWL ON SNAGS AND THE ABUNDANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF CAVITY-NESTING BIRDS
- 1 January 2005
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Ornithological Applications
Abstract
We investigated the occurrence of, and relationships among, snags and cavity-nesting birds in the rapidly urbanizing region around Seattle, Washington in 2001 and 2002. We measured the density of snags in 49 sites (1-km2 “suburban landscapes” that included built and forested portions), and determined the diameter, height, decay status, and species of individual snags. We spot-mapped territories and observed nests of cavity-nesting birds at a stratified, random subsample of 13 sites. Snags, especially red alder (Alnus rubra), were abundant in sites' forested portions, but rare in the built portions. Snag density was positively correlated with density of live trees. Snags in built versus forested portions were similar in all attributes except decay, which was more advanced in forested areas. In the oldest suburbs (60–80 years old), snags in forested portions were larger, more decayed, and more likely to have broken tops than those in younger suburbs (2–20 years old). Cavity-nesting bird species ric...Keywords
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Urban Land-Cover Change Analysis in Central Puget SoundPhotogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 2004
- Spatial and temporal activity patterns of the brood parasitic brown-headed cowbird at an urban/wildland interfaceLandscape and Urban Planning, 2003
- Integrating Humans into Ecology: Opportunities and Challenges for Studying Urban EcosystemsBioScience, 2003
- Selection of Nest and Roost Trees by Pileated Woodpeckers in Coastal Forests of WashingtonThe Journal of Wildlife Management, 2002
- Extinction and Colonization of Birds on Habitat IslandsConservation Biology, 2001
- Nest Predation in Black-Capped Chickadees: How Safe Are Cavity Nests?Ornithology, 1997
- Land Use and Avian Species Diversity Along an Urban GradientEcological Applications, 1996
- Use of a New Reproductive Index to Evaluate Relationship between Habitat Quality and Breeding SuccessOrnithology, 1992
- Avian guild structure and habitat associations in suburban bird communitiesUrban Ecology, 1986
- Snag Characteristics and Dynamics in Douglas-Fir Forests, Western OregonThe Journal of Wildlife Management, 1980