College of Forestry
Wildlife
Post-breeding habitat selection by songbirds in the headwaters of the Trask River, northwestern Oregon
Sep-17-2010
Little is known on the importance of riparian areas to birds near small headwater streams in mesic forests. Progress towards understanding limiting factors that affect bird populations has been difficult because of lack of information beyond the breeding period. I compared bird assemblages between headwater riparian and upland areas throughout the post-breeding period by capturing birds using mist-nets in six paired riparian and upland locations along six headwater streams of the Trask River in northwestern Oregon. In order to assess whether birds prefer headwater riparian areas, I also examined factors affecting habitat selection by juvenile Swainson's thrushes (n=37) using radio telemetry. While riparian and upland locations had similar coarse wood volume and fruiting and tall (> 1.3 m tall) shrub cover, riparian locations had less shrub cover (< 1.3 m tall) and different shrub composition than upland locations. Total capture rate was double that of upland in riparian locations, while bird species richness was similar. Similar numbers of birds were captured in mist-nets oriented perpendicular and parallel to the stream suggesting that birds were not using riparian areas as movement corridors. Adult capture rate was greater in riparian locations than adjacent uplands while results of juvenile capture rates were ambiguous. Riparian locations supported higher capture rates of Swainson's thrushes and winter wrens than adjacent uplands.
Headwater Riparian Habitat: Prime Real Estate For Birds
Apr-18-2013
Management strategies along headwater streams typically focus on aquatic resources, but riparian forests also are habitat for many terrestrial wildlife species. Increasing the understanding of mechanisms that underlie the riparian associations of these species can help integrate management of aquatic and terrestrial environments in headwater forests. We investigated the diets of and food availability for four bird species associated with riparian habitats in the headwaters of the Trask River, in northwestern Oregon. We tested the hypotheses that 1) emergent aquatic insects were a food source for insectivorous birds in headwater riparian areas, and 2) the abundance of arthropod prey did not differ between streamside and upland areas during the bird breeding season. We found that adult aquatic insects represented a relatively small proportion of available prey abundance and biomass and were present in less than 1% of the diet samples from the four riparian-associated bird species. Nonetheless, arthropod prey, comprised primarily of insects of terrestrial origin, was more abundant in streamside than upland samples. We concluded that food resources for birds in headwater riparian areas are primarily associated with terrestrial vegetation, and that bird distributions along the gradient from streamside to upland may be related to variation in arthropod prey availability.
Arthropod Prey for Riparian Associated Birds in Headwater Forests of the Oregon Coast Range
Aug-19-2012
Streamside habitat is important for many terrestrial wildlife species. However, mechanisms underlying the riparian associations of some terrestrial species have not been well studied, particularly for headwater drainages. We investigated the diets of and food availability for four bird species associated with riparian habitats in montane coastal forests of western Oregon, USA. We examined variation in the availability of arthropod prey as a function of distance from stream. Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that (1) emergent aquatic insects were a food source for insectivorous birds in headwater riparian areas, and (2) the abundances of aquatic and terrestrial arthropod prey did not differ between streamside and upland areas during the bird breeding season. We found that although adult aquatic insects were available for consumption throughout the study period, they represented a relatively small proportion of available prey abundance and biomass and were present in only 1% of the diet samples from only one of the four riparian-associated bird species. Nonetheless, arthropod prey, comprised primarily of insects of terrestrial origin, was more abundant in streamside than upland samples. We conclude that food resources for birds in headwater riparian areas are primarily associated with terrestrial vegetation, and that bird distributions along the gradient from streamside to upland may be related to variation in arthropod prey availability.
