Southwestern golf courses provide needed riparian habitat for birds

Abstract

The goal of our study was to determine how the development of golf courses in the desert environment impacts the native bird community, and particularly to see whether golf courses have the potential of acting as surrogate riparian habitats for Southwestern birds. We compared the avian communities on five golf courses in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area (four traditional and one "naturalistic") to those of five paired natural areas that served as reference sites. Birds were surveyed using points counts during the breeding season over two years.

Citation

Merola-Zwartjes, Michele; DeLong, John P. 2005. Southwestern golf courses provide needed riparian habitat for birds. USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Online. 4(14): 1-18.