Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland
Territory mapping and transect counts were made in upland birch scrub (46 ha) in north-east Scotland to document the bird community and assess responses of birds to habitat variation. The bird community was species poor, supporting approximately 20 species. Richness and diversity were low compared w...
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fttsvojs:oai:journal.fi:article/133478 2023-09-05T13:19:22+02:00 Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland Gillings, S. Fuller, R. J. Henderson, A. C. B. 1998-03-31 application/pdf https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133478 eng eng BirdLife Finland https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133478/82024 https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133478 Ornis Fennica; Vol 75 Nro 1 (1998); 27–37 Ornis Fennica; Vol. 75 No. 1 (1998); 27–37 0030-5685 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article 1998 fttsvojs 2023-08-23T23:02:49Z Territory mapping and transect counts were made in upland birch scrub (46 ha) in north-east Scotland to document the bird community and assess responses of birds to habitat variation. The bird community was species poor, supporting approximately 20 species. Richness and diversity were low compared with other British scrub habitats . The two dominant species were Willow Warbler (52% of territory mapping registrations) and Chaffinch (18% of registrations) . Densities derived from territory mapping and transect counts (Distance sampling) were similar. Willow Warbler densities were high and comparable with preferred habitats in lowland England and Fennoscandia. Contour mapping, correlation and canonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that successional stage, represented by birch cover, was the single most important factor determining community composition and individual species' distributions. Meadow Pipits persisted at low densities in sparse birch; Tree Pipits occurred throughout the range of birch densities. Willow Warblers preferred areas of medium height birch at intermediate canopy cover. Wren, Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit occurred in older birch scrub. The relatively simple bird-habitat relationships reported are contrasted with more complex patterns elsewhere. These findings are discussed in the context of scrub and woodland regeneration in upland Britain with particular reference to mosaics and maintenance of avian diversity. Article in Journal/Newspaper Fennoscandia Federation of Finnish Learned Societies: Scientific Journals Online |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Federation of Finnish Learned Societies: Scientific Journals Online |
op_collection_id |
fttsvojs |
language |
English |
description |
Territory mapping and transect counts were made in upland birch scrub (46 ha) in north-east Scotland to document the bird community and assess responses of birds to habitat variation. The bird community was species poor, supporting approximately 20 species. Richness and diversity were low compared with other British scrub habitats . The two dominant species were Willow Warbler (52% of territory mapping registrations) and Chaffinch (18% of registrations) . Densities derived from territory mapping and transect counts (Distance sampling) were similar. Willow Warbler densities were high and comparable with preferred habitats in lowland England and Fennoscandia. Contour mapping, correlation and canonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that successional stage, represented by birch cover, was the single most important factor determining community composition and individual species' distributions. Meadow Pipits persisted at low densities in sparse birch; Tree Pipits occurred throughout the range of birch densities. Willow Warblers preferred areas of medium height birch at intermediate canopy cover. Wren, Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit occurred in older birch scrub. The relatively simple bird-habitat relationships reported are contrasted with more complex patterns elsewhere. These findings are discussed in the context of scrub and woodland regeneration in upland Britain with particular reference to mosaics and maintenance of avian diversity. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gillings, S. Fuller, R. J. Henderson, A. C. B. |
spellingShingle |
Gillings, S. Fuller, R. J. Henderson, A. C. B. Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland |
author_facet |
Gillings, S. Fuller, R. J. Henderson, A. C. B. |
author_sort |
Gillings, S. |
title |
Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland |
title_short |
Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland |
title_full |
Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland |
title_fullStr |
Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east Scotland |
title_sort |
avian community composition and patterns of bird distribution within birch-heath mosaics in north-east scotland |
publisher |
BirdLife Finland |
publishDate |
1998 |
url |
https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133478 |
genre |
Fennoscandia |
genre_facet |
Fennoscandia |
op_source |
Ornis Fennica; Vol 75 Nro 1 (1998); 27–37 Ornis Fennica; Vol. 75 No. 1 (1998); 27–37 0030-5685 |
op_relation |
https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133478/82024 https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133478 |
_version_ |
1776200156979396608 |