In cities, vegetation provides critical shelter, nesting, and foraging habitat for bird species of interest. Human actions, including development and landscaping choices, determine vegetation community composition and structure. Thus, human actions impacting vegetation are critically important to bird conservation in cities. A better understanding of how bird communities are impacted by parcel-scale actions that alter vegetation communities can help guide policy and management best practices to improve matrix habitat quality and quantity.
All measures of the bird community are positively influenced by the presence of more native conifers, particularly old trees that are protected during development activities, and the presence of native shrubs.
The native bird community is negatively impacted by the presence of more non-native trees. Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Varied Thrush are among those species most impacted.
Native bird species populations may be helped by greater provision of native conifer habitat, which is possible using currently existing developments as models and more robust tree protection.
Importantly, birds are associated with the same habitat on office developments as observed elsewhere.
Property owner actions are central to urban vegetation & thus bird habitat. There is an important role for developers, landowners, landscape architects, and tree protection policy in bird conservation.
Interested in how you can apply these ideas to your property or integrate them into your tree protection policy?
