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Abstract
Residentsa nd wintering Nearctic migrantsw ere sampledb y point countsi n 40 smallt o medium-sized(0 .07-8.65 ha) shadec offeep lantationsw ith an overstoryo f Inga vera in the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic. The purpose of the study was to determine the relative importance of plantation area, isolation, and habitat structure to avian distribution and abundance. Variation in abundance was unrelated to plantation area for all migrant species (n = 7), whereas the local abundance of four of ten resident species increased significantlyw ith area. Elevationw ast he only variablet hat significantlyc ontributedt o the total number of species per plantation (fewer species at higher elevation), and no habitat variables significantly contributed to variation in the total number of migrant species. In contrast,s ignificantlyh igher numbers of resident speciesw ere found in larger and older plantations at lower elevations, characterized by numerous stems -•3 cm DBH, little or no pruning of overstory branches, and maximum canopy cover at 12.0-15.0 m. Coffee plantations with high levels of structural and floristic diversity should be encouraged for avian conservation, and even the smallest plantations, if not too isolated by treeless areas, can contribute to avian abundance and diversity in tropical agricultural regions.
Citation
WUNDERLE JR, JOSEPH M . 1999. AVIAN DISTRIBUTION IN DOMINICAN SHADE COFFEE PLANTATIONS: AREA AND HABITAT RELATIONSHIPS. J. Field Ornithol., 70(1):58-70
