The ecological role of native‐plant landscaping in residential yards to birds during the nonbreeding period

Residential yards are a form of urban land use that cover considerable amount area in cities worldwide and provide important habitat for wildlife, especially when landscaped with native plants. Nevertheless, most native-plant landscaping wildlife research the northern temperate regions world has been conducted during spring summer breeding period, leaving gap our understanding importance residential plants as habitats animals nonbreeding period. To fill this gap, we quantified ecological role native-landscaped to avifauna throughout Greater Los Angeles (LA), California, winter which is time year region hosts high abundance diversity migratory resident birds. We surveyed birds features from October March 2020 2021 at 22 pairs native- non-native-landscaped plus 10 additional yards. had three objectives study. First, compared avifaunal communities, including feeding nonfeeding behaviors, between Second, relationships bird richness, abundance, behaviors—focusing on species affiliated or natural terrestrial ecosystems region. Third, documented behaviors by non-native Native-landscaped greater trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, higher elements, leaf litter bare-ground cover. Bird richness abundance—especially tree- shrub-dominated ecosystems—were than Further, supported numbers birds, individuals focusing their foraging distinct trees Quercus spp. (oak), Heteromeles (toyon), Arctostaphylos (manzanita), Salvia (sage). Our results suggest period viable approach residents if improving conditions annual cycle goal.