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Habitat associations of migrating and overwintering grassland birds in southern Texas

Condor
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.2307/1370064

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Abstract

We report on the habitat associations of 21 species of grassland birds overwintering in or migrating through southern Texas, during 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. Ninety percent of our grassland bird observations were made during winter and spring, and only 10% occurred during fall. Grassland species made up a high proportion of the total bird densities in grassland and shrub-grassland habitats, but much lower proportions in the habitats with more woody vegetation. Fewer grassland species were observed in grassland and woodland than in brushland, parkland, and shrub-grassland habitats. Grassland birds generally were found in higher densities in habitats that had woody canopy coverage of < 30%; densities of grassland birds were highest in shrub-grassland habitat and lowest in woodland habitat. Species that are grassland specialists on their breeding grounds tended to be more habitat specific during the nonbreeding season compared to shrub-grassland specialists, which were more general in their nonbreeding-habitat usage. Nonetheless, our data demonstrate that grassland birds occur in a variety of habitats during the nonbreeding season and seem to occupy a broader range of habitats than previously described.

Suggested Citation

Igl, L., Ballard, B., 1999, Habitat associations of migrating and overwintering grassland birds in southern Texas: Condor, v. 101, no. 4, p. 771-782, https://doi.org/10.2307/1370064.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Habitat associations of migrating and overwintering grassland birds in southern Texas
Series title Condor
DOI 10.2307/1370064
Volume 101
Issue 4
Year Published 1999
Language English
Publisher Oxford Academic
Description 12 p.
First page 771
Last page 782
Additional publication details