You are here:
SONGBIRD COMMUNITIES INDICATE ECOLOGICAL CONDITION OF THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS
Citation:
Jackson, L E., T. B. DeMoss, T. J. O'Connell, AND R. P. Brooks. SONGBIRD COMMUNITIES INDICATE ECOLOGICAL CONDITION OF THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/620/R-00/003, 2000.
Description:
During the spring breeding season, more than a hundred songbird species conduct a birds-eye assessment of the Mid-Atlantic highlands to determine suitable habitat for mating and raising young. Different bird species require different habitats for food, shelter and breeding. Some species need extensive areas of dense forest. Others prefer fringe areas with a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses, and farmland. Still others are adapted to more developed urban and suburban landscapes. This document explains that the types of birds found in an area are an indication of its ecological condition; it also demonstrates the linkages between bird communities and land use/land cover.