Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia.
National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia.
Ecol Appl. 2021 Apr;31(3):e2268. doi: 10.1002/eap.2268. Epub 2021 Feb 17.
Woodland birds are a species assemblage of conservation concern, and their persistence in fragmented agricultural landscapes is dependent on both the preservation of existing woodland remnants and the implementation of restoration plantings. However, little is known about the habitat-use and persistence of birds in fragmented agricultural landscapes. We present a detailed, population-oriented study of woodland birds in temperate eucalypt woodland restoration plantings and remnant woodland patches in the South-west Slopes bioregion of New South Wales, Australia. First, we undertook a 3-yr mark-recapture project to assess annual survival and site fidelity in restoration plantings and woodland remnants. We supplemented our recapture efforts with resightings of color-banded individuals. Second, we tracked individual birds of two species, Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus) and Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys), and documented snapshots of their home ranges and movement patterns during the breeding season. Annual survival in the woodland bird assemblage was lower than expected (51%). Home ranges of the Superb Fairywren were positively correlated with patch size, and were constrained by patch edges in linear sites. Superb Fairywrens and Willie Wagtails were more likely to travel longer distances between substrates while foraging in linear sites. Willie Wagtails engaged in significant gap-crossing (up to 400 m) between adjacent habitat patches. Our findings indicate that (1) patch isolation and certain patch configurations place resident birds at an energetic disadvantage, and (2) in our study area, woodland bird populations are continuing to decline. We recommend landscape-scale habitat restoration programs aim to address ongoing population declines. Studies such as ours conducted over longer time periods would provide a deeper understanding of habitat use and population processes of woodland birds in fragmented agricultural landscapes.
林地鸟类是一个受到关注的保护物种组合，它们在破碎的农业景观中的生存取决于现有林地残余物的保护和恢复种植的实施。然而，对于鸟类在破碎的农业景观中的栖息地利用和生存情况知之甚少。我们在澳大利亚新南威尔士州西南丘陵生物区的温带桉树林地恢复种植区和林地残余区进行了一项详细的、面向种群的林地鸟类研究。首先，我们进行了为期 3 年的标记重捕项目，以评估恢复种植区和林地残余区的年度存活率和地点忠诚度。我们通过对带色标记个体的重新观察来补充我们的重捕工作。其次，我们跟踪了两种鸟类，即华丽琴鸟（Malurus cyaneus）和红尾鸲（Rhipidura leucophrys）的个体，并在繁殖季节记录了它们的巢区和移动模式的快照。林地鸟类组合的年存活率低于预期（51%）。华丽琴鸟的巢区大小与巢区大小呈正相关，在线性地点，巢区受到巢区边缘的限制。在线性地点觅食时，华丽琴鸟和红尾鸲更有可能在基质之间长途跋涉。红尾鸲在相邻的栖息地斑块之间进行了大量的跨越（高达 400 米）。我们的研究结果表明：（1）斑块隔离和某些斑块配置使居留鸟类处于能量劣势；（2）在我们的研究区域，林地鸟类种群仍在继续减少。我们建议景观尺度的栖息地恢复计划旨在解决持续的种群下降问题。像我们这样在更长时间内进行的研究将提供对破碎农业景观中林地鸟类栖息地利用和种群过程的更深入理解。
