Factors Influencing Habitat Use by Migratory Grassland Birds in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico

Autor:	W. Grainger Hunt, Cesar E. Méndez-González, J. Roberto Rodríguez-Salazar, Pam G. Krannitz, Alberto Macías-Duarte, Angel B. Montoya
Rok vydání:	2009
Předmět:	geography geography.geographical_feature_category biology Ecology food and beverages Plant community Vegetation Passerine Grassland Habitat biology.animal Guild Animal Science and Zoology Species richness Tinaja Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics
Zdroj:	The Auk. 126:896-905
ISSN:	1938-4254 0004-8038
DOI:	10.1525/auk.2009.08251
Popis:	Breeding populations of grassland birds are declining across North America. Alteration of wintering-ground habitat in Mexico may be a significant causal component in these declines, considering the rapid changes in land use occurring there. We investigated the influence of precipitation, habitat structure, and plant community on the abundance and distribution of grassland passerines in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. We conducted bird and vegetation surveys during 1998–2007 in 65 plots at two study areas 75 km apart, Sueco and Tinaja Verde. Grassland guild species were the dominant component of the wintering bird community at both study areas. Passerine density at Sueco during winter was directly related to cumulative rainfall from the preceding December to September, a factor known to be strongly correlated with grass production. Herbaceous and woody vegetation structure and habitat type influenced occurrence of migratory grassland birds at the plot level. Nine of 11 study species occurred in a...
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
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