Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Breeding Bird Communities On Four Watersheds Under Different Forest Management Scenarios in the Ouachita Mountains Of Arkansas

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Abstract - Concern for many migratory landbird species has led to an increased emphasis on managing ecosystems at scales beyond the stand level. We characterized breeding bird numbers, species richness, diversity, and evenness on four watersheds in the Ouachita Mountains of west-central Arkansas. These four watersheds represented different ownerships and management objectives, and thus differed markedly in many respects, including landcover composition and distribution, mean patch size, and edge density. Point count surveys were conducted by three observers on approximately 525 different 50-m radius plots each spring during 1995-1998, for a total of 2,108 plots. A total of 19,030 birds were encountered representing 97 species. Patterns in numbers of individuals, species richness, and diversity appeared associated with the level of spatial heterogeneity and landscape composition in each watershed. Numbers of individuals per plot, species per plot, and diversity per plot for migrant and resident species were generally all highest in watersheds with high levels of management activity and lowest in watersheds with low levels of management activity. Watersheds were similar in regard to cavity and canopy nesting bird community characteristics. Ground and shrub nesting bird community characteristics were related to amounts of available early successional habitats. Species of special concern were represented in all watersheds.

Parent Publication

Citation

Tappe, Philip A.; Thill, Ronald E.; Melchiors, M. Anthony; Wigley, T. Bently. 2004. Breeding Bird Communities On Four Watersheds Under Different Forest Management Scenarios in the Ouachita Mountains Of Arkansas. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-74. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/6573