SHORT-TERM RESPONSE OF FOREST BIRDS TO EXPERIMENTAL CLEARCUT EDGES

Abstract Numerous studies have addressed the potential consequences of increasing the density of edges through human activities, but most have documented responses to existing edges. Here, we monitored the response of seven forest bird species to experimentally created edges around five plots (10 ha, n = 3; 25 ha, n = 2) in the boreal mixed-wood forest of Alberta, Canada. We also mapped bird detections in six control plots (10 ha, n = 5; 25 ha, n = 1). The focal species were Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata), Black-throated Green Warbler (D. virens), Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla), Mourning Warbler (Oporornis philadelphia), and White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). In the two breeding seasons following experimental clearcutting, we quantified birds' responses to edges in the absence of substantial edge-induced changes in vegetation by comparing the distribution of detections between treatment and control plots. We ...