Effects of plant species and foliage structure on the foraging behavior of forest birds

Author:

Robinson, Scott K., Holmes, Richard T.

Title:

Effects of plant species and foliage structure on the foraging behavior of forest birds

Periodical:

Auk

Year:

1984

Volume:

101

Pages:

672-684

Subject:

Foraging behavior

Summary:

Based on a hypothesis that a bird's foraging environment ultimately determines which species can successfully exploit and survive in a particular habitat and, as a consequence, influence a bird community structure and species diversity, this paper tests part of this theory by examining the behavior of four bird species as they forage for arthropods among a variety of plant species and strata. The species that were studied were the Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), the Philadelphia Vireo (V. philadelphicus), the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), and the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens). Conducted on a 10-ha study plot in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, in West Thornton, New Hampshire, the question is asked whether or not the differences in foliage structure among the plant species in three vertical forest layers significantly affect the food-searching patterns, searching radii, attack rates, and foraging maneuvers of these four bird species.

Label:

Birds - General

URL:

https://sora.unm.edu/node/24020

Date:

Oct., 1984

Collection:

Periodicals