Brown-Headed Nuthatch Occupancy in Central Florida and Its Relationship to Forest Type, Forest Structure, and the Presence of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers

The condor

James A. Cox¹ 

关键词: Brown-headed Nuthatch;    habitat quality;    Picoides borealis;    occupancy;    Red-cockaded Woodpecker;    Sitta pusilla;   

DOI  :  10.1525/cond.2012.110167

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office

【 摘 要 】

Abstract. The Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) is listed as a species of conservation concern throughout most of its range. Forest conditions that support the imperiled Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) are thought to provide excellent habitat for the nuthatch, but ambiguity exists because the nuthatch has disappeared from some areas where the woodpecker persists. We studied Brown-headed Nuthatches in two forest types that spanned an environmental gradient in central Florida and also differed in terms of forest structure and the presence of woodpeckers. Sandhill forests had mature timber that supported a large woodpecker population (∼70 territories); flatwood forests were dominated by younger pines and supported no Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. We used repeated surveys incorporating broadcast vocalizations and patch-occupancy analysis to assess variation in nuthatch occupancy and detection in relation to forest type, four structural covariates (snag density, basal area of pines and hardwoods, a...

【 授权许可】

CC BY