Densities and nesting heights of breeding birds in an Idaho Douglas-fir forest

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Medin, Dean E.

Source:

Northwest Science, Northwest Scientific Association, Volume 59, Issue 1, p.45-52 (1985)

Call Number:

A85MED01IDUS

URL:

https://research.wsulibs.wsu.edu:8443/xmlui/handle/2376/1826

Keywords:

Pseudotsuea menziesii var. glauca, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir

Abstract:

Population densities and nesting heights of breeding birds are described for an unlogged Douglas-fir forest in west-central Idaho. Bird populations were determined using spot-mapping techniques on six 8.1 ha plots from mid-May to late July, 1976 through 1979. Nests were located incidental to bird censuses and by additional day long searches. Bird populations ranged from 192 to 252 breeding pairs per 40 ha; 18 to 21 species were territorial. Standing crop biomass ranged from 189 to 237 g/ha. Also summarized are heights, substrates, and placement of 204 nests, representing 25 species. The most important nesting height strata in the Douglas-fir forest were the understory layer, with over 40 percent of the breeding bird population, and the overstory layer, with about 30 percent of the population. The ground, shrub, and midstory layers each accounted for about a tenth of the total nesting avifauna. Densities and other features of the breeding bird community are compared with data from Douglas-fir forests elsewhere in North America.