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Relationship of Obligate Grassland Birds to Landscape Structure in Wisconsin
Author(s) -
MURRAY LES D.,
RIBIC CHRISTINE A.,
THOGMARTIN WAYNE E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.2193/2006-556
Subject(s) - grassland , ecology , habitat , geography , obligate , biology
Conservation plans for grassland birds have included recommendations at the landscape level, but species' responses to landscape structure are variable. We studied the relationships between grassland bird abundances and landscape structure in 800‐ha landscapes in Wisconsin, USA, using roadside surveys. Of 9 species considered, abundances of only 4 species differed among landscapes with varying amounts of grassland and forest. Landscape variables explained <20% of variation in abundances for 4 of the 5 rarest species in our study. Our results suggest landscape‐based management plans for grassland birds might not benefit the rarest species and, thus, plans should incorporate species‐specific habitat preferences for these species.