Effects of Vegetation, Corridor Width and Regional Land Use on Early Successional Birds on Powerline Corridors

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031520
• Publication Date: 2012-02-20T22:12:06Z
• Authors: Robert A. Askins; Corrine M. Folsom...; Margaret C. Hardy
• Keywords: Shrubland; Emberizidae

Powerline rights-of-way (ROWs) often provide habitat for early successional bird species that have suffered long-term population declines in eastern North America. To determine how the abundance of shrubland birds varies with within ROW corridors and land use patterns surrounding corridors, we ran Poisson regression models on data from 93 plots ROWs compared coefficients. We also determined nest success rates a 1-km stretch ROW. Seven were common powerline corridors. However, prairie warbler (Dendroica discolor) field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) <21%, which is too low to compensate estimated annual mortality. Some more abundant narrower or at sites lower vegetation particular types vegetation, indicating management could be refined favor high conservation priority. Also, several traversing unfragmented forest than those near residential areas farmland, heavily forested regions may better these species. In area where monitored nests, brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) occurred frequently close area. Although support dense populations birds, developed landscapes constitute sink habitat. extensive forests contribute sustaining thus best targets management.