Dietary Shifts among Songbirds from a Diflubenzuron-Treated Forest

Edge effects for songbirds vary with forest productivity

We hypothesized that edge density more strongly influences species abundances in more productive environments. To test this hypothesis we collected songbird point count data across broad biophysical gradients and gradients in forest patch edge density in thewest and east slopes of the CascadeMountains of Oregon and Washington, U.S.A., which differ in ecological productivity. We then analyzed bi...

Forest fragmentation and the decline of migratory songbirds

Oxidative stress, circulating antioxidants, and dietary preferences in songbirds.

Oxidative stress is an unavoidable consequence of metabolism and increases during intensive exercise. This is especially problematic for migratory birds that metabolize fat to fuel long-distance flight. Birds can mitigate damage by increasing endogenous antioxidants (e.g. uric acid) or by consuming dietary antioxidants (e.g. tocopherol). During flight, birds may increase protein catabolism of l...

Are Forest Songbirds Declining? Status Assessment from the Southern Appalachians and Northeastern Forests

Reported declines in populations of migratory songbirds in the eastern United States (Robbins et al. 1989, Askins et al. 1990, Hagan and Johnston 1992) have created a great deal of concern among researchers, land managers and conservationists, resulting in the formation of the large bird-conservation consortium, Partners In Flight. Among the causes implicated in these declines are destruction o...

Forest shifts bolster long-term hopes

A major global issue for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has been monitoring the world’s forests for the past 60 years. The news is not good; “Deforestation, mainly conversion of forests to agricultural land, continues at an alarmingly high rate — about 13 million hectares per year”, it reported this year. But, in a small glimmer of good news, it recorded that “forest planting, lands...