Associations of Small Migratory and Resident Birds with Two Scrub Habitats During Late Winter and Spring in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico

We used mist nets to survey small migrant and resident birds of scrub habitats in arroyos and adjacent uplands of the northern Chihuahuan Desert during late February–early May 1993–1997. We captured 723 individuals of 49 species. Species diversity was greater in arroyos than in adjacent uplands. Bla...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Southwestern naturalist 2012-03, Vol.57 (1), p.31-38
Main Authors: Kozma, Jeffrey M, Burkett, Laura M, Mathews, Nancy E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphispiza bilineata
Animal behavior
Animal ecology
Arroyos
Aves
Bird migration
Birds
Breeding
Deserts
Environmental aspects
Environmental protection
Feature s
Finches
Forest habitats
Habitat
Habitat conservation
Highlands
Migratory birds
Mists
Nets
Pipilo chlorurus
Recruitment
Scrub
Sparrows
Species diversity
Spring
Studies
Vegetation
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife habitats
Winter
Zonotrichia leucophrys
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Summary:We used mist nets to survey small migrant and resident birds of scrub habitats in arroyos and adjacent uplands of the northern Chihuahuan Desert during late February–early May 1993–1997. We captured 723 individuals of 49 species. Species diversity was greater in arroyos than in adjacent uplands. Black-throated sparrows (Amphispiza bilineata), white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys), and green-tailed towhees (Pipilo chlorurus) were captured most frequently. Rates of capture for residents, short-distance migrants, and Neotropical migrants were higher in arroyos than in adjacent shrubland and showed an increase after mid-April caused by an influx of Neotropical migrants heading north to their breeding grounds. Our results suggest that arroyos are important as stopover sites during spring for many migrants, especially Neotropical migrants, as they cross the northern Chihuahuan Desert.
ISSN:0038-4909
1943-6262
DOI:10.1894/0038-4909-57.1.31