OBJECTIVE
Upland deciduous forests in and near
Winona harbor a wide mix of different bird species during the
spring months. Many species are year-round residents, breeding
and over-wintering in the same area. Others are only temporary
residents, either just breeding, overwintering here, or passing
through during their migration to points further north. Within
the upland forests, these species often exhibit distinct habitat
preferences, preferring the ground, the canopy, or some habitat
in between. This exercise will familiarize you with a wide variety
of different birds found in upland forests during springtime and
examine the birds' habitat preferences within these forests.
HYPOTHESIS
Birds will be evenly distributed throughout the various habitats
within the upland forest during springtime.
METHODOLOGY
As many birds as possible will be counted and identified on
within the upland forest in Bluffside Park during a single morning.
Birds will be counted and identified to species with the aid of
binoculars as we move slowly along the trails within the park.
Males and females of each species will be tallied together. The
habitat occupied by each bird also will be recorded according
to the following scheme:
Code - Habitat
G - Ground
S - Shrub layer
U - Understory trees
C - Canopy (tops of large trees)
T - Trunks of large trees
L - Large limbs of large trees
F - Flying
The instructor will provide you with a data sheet to facilitate
collection of habitat information.
ANALYSIS
After data are collected, display the species and numbers of birds
observed according to habitat type in table form. Consult your
field guide for appropriate names (common and scientific). Compare
the relative abundances (%) of different species for the total
of all birds observed, and within specific habitats. Which species
were most abundant overall, and were different species more abundant
than others within specific habitats? Compare bird distribution
within the various habitat types with the aid of a Chi-square
goodness-of-fit test (Ecology lab manual). Use the same test to
compare the distributions of several of the more common species
observed as well.
EQUIPMENT
Bird field guide
Binoculars
Data sheet
Ecology lab manual
___________________________________________________
Neal D. Mundahl
Department of Biology
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota
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Synopsis