Breeding Birds of Late-Rotation Pine Hardwood Stands: Community Characteristics and Similarity to Other Regional Pine Forests

Abstract

The relative abundances of bird species and the ecological characteristics of the overall avian community were quantified within 20 late-rotation pine-hardwood sites in the Ouschitn and Ozark National Forests in Arkansas and Oklahoma during 1992 and 1993. In addition, similarities in species composition and guild representation were compared with those of forest types in other areas of the Southeastern United States to assess the possible extent of generalizations to be made from this Ecosystem Management research. A total of 55 bird speciea was recorded within survey plots during 1992 and 1993, but only 10 species accounted for more than 80 percent of all individuals detected. Pine warblers comprised approximately 40 percent of all individuals. Rank abundances of the 55 species were relatively consistent between years, especially for the most common species. Numbers of species aad individuals detected during point count surveys W~TU different betweea 1992 and 1993, although some of that discrepancy may be due to interobserver variation. No significant differances were detected in bird species richness, abundance, or diversity among the four geographic zones or among future harvesting treatments. Bird communities were dominated by species that nest and forage in the canopy. Similarity was relatively low between bird assemblages characterized on the Ouachita Mountain sites and assemblages in other studies. Representation of nesting and foraging guilds, however, was more closely aligned with guild structure found in other forests. In general, results from Ecosystem Management Research should be most applicable to loblolly-shortleaf pine and oak-hickory forest types in the Southeast.

Citation

Petit, Daniel R.; Petit, Lisa J.; Martin, Thomas E.; others. 1994. Breeding Birds of Late-Rotation Pine Hardwood Stands: Community Characteristics and Similarity to Other Regional Pine Forests. In: Baker, James B., camp. Proceedings of the symposium on ecosystem management research in the Ouachita Mountains: pretreatment conditions and preliminary findings; 1993 October 26-27; Hot Springs, AR. Gen. Tech. Rep. SO-1 12. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.8 Southern Forest Experiment Station 103-l 16.