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THE AVIAN ECOLOGY OF A TUSSOCK ISLAND IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS
Author(s) -
Woods R. W.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.1970.tb00072.x
Subject(s) - tussock , ecology , habitat , nest (protein structural motif) , fauna , geography , vegetation (pathology) , biology , medicine , biochemistry , pathology
Summary In the windswept and treeless Falkland Islands, the natural vegetation has been seriously depleted by two centuries of extractive farming. One habitat—mature Tussock‐grass—is of vital importance to the resident birds, and those Tussock‐covered islands that remain in a nearly natural state can support a far greater density and variety of bird species than any areas on the mainland. Kidney Island maintains a diverse avian fauna because it offers abundant cover, nest‐sites, nest materials and food. In and around the dense mature Tussock‐grass which covers about 90% of the surface, 28 bird species nest on the island; 18 of them occupy one or other of the six minor habitats which can be distinguished in the Tussock‐grass. The nest‐sites and interrelationships of these breeding species are described.