Effects of selection logging on birds in northern Belize

We compared bird diversity and frequency in selection logged and unlogged forest to determine the effects of recent selection logging on avian biodiversity in a subtropical, moist evergreen forest. We used a combination of mist netting and fixed-radius point counts to assess bird communities in Febr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biotropica 1998-09, Vol.30 (3), p.449-457
Main Authors: Whitman, A.A. (Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, MA.), Hagan, J.M. III, Brokaw, N.V.L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ANIMAL SALVAJE
ANIMAL SAUVAGE
Aves
BELICE
BELIZE
BIODIVERSIDAD
BIODIVERSITE
BIODIVERSITY
BIRDS
CORTA SELECTIVA
COUPE DE JARDINAGE
disturbance
forest birds
Forest canopy
Forest conservation
Forest ecology
Forest habitats
Forest management
Forests
Habitat conservation
Logging
Neotropical migrants
OISEAU
PAJAROS
selection logging
SELECTIVE FELLING
SPECIES DIVERSITY
subtropical moist evergreen forest
SUBTROPICAL ZONES
Vegetation
WILD ANIMALS
ZONA SUBTROPICAL
ZONE SUBTROPICALE
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Summary:We compared bird diversity and frequency in selection logged and unlogged forest to determine the effects of recent selection logging on avian biodiversity in a subtropical, moist evergreen forest. We used a combination of mist netting and fixed-radius point counts to assess bird communities in February and March 1993 in northwestern Belize. Vegetation structure and composition was similar in logged and unlogged forest. The 66 most common species occurred with statistically similar frequency in logged and unlogged forest although 13 species were two times more frequent in intact forest. Numbers of total bird species were similar between logging gaps and the logged forest matrix, and between the logged forest matrix and unlogged forests. A comparison of numbers of species in 26 guilds based on migration strategy, diet, foraging substrate, and height strata also showed them to be similar regardless of logging history. Our results differed from previous studies that reported lower bird species richness and abundance of individual species in logged tropical forests than in unlogged forest. The differences might be explained by the lower logging intensity and/or greater levels of natural disturbance in our study area compared to previous studies.
ISSN:0006-3606
1744-7429
DOI:10.1111/j.1744-7429.1998.tb00079.x