Analysis of combined data sets yields trend estimates for vulnerable spruce-fir birds in northern United States

Ralston, Joel; King, David I.; DeLuca, William V.; Niemi, Gerald J.; Glennon, Michale J.; Scarl, Judith C.; Lambert, J. Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.04.029

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Specifically, avian data are standardized to control for the effects of survey protocols on detectability of each species, based on time of day, time of year, duration and radius of survey, and surrounding landcover types (Matsuoka et al 2012, Sólymos et al 2013. These standardized avian population density data have been used to predict range dynamics of passerines (Stralberg et al 2017), climate change impacts on passerines (Stralberg et al 2015a, b), regional population trends for species occurring in spruce-fir forests (Ralston et al 2015), and Canada Warbler habitat needs in Alberta (Ball et al 2016). In our study area, the BAM project included 15,021 locations in which point counts were conducted between 1996 and 2013.…”

Section: Avian Datasetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the conservation value of protected areas in Maritime Canada for two species at risk: the Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) and Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)

Westwood¹,

Staicer²,

Sólymos³

et al. 2019

ACE

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Section: Avian Datasetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the conservation value of protected areas in Maritime Canada for two species at risk: the Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) and Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)

Westwood¹,

Staicer²,

Sólymos³

et al. 2019

ACE

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“…Populations of many landbirds are declining throughout North America (Robbins et al 1989, Pyle et al 1994, Ballard et al 2003, Sauer and Link 2011, Sauer et al 2013, Ralston et al 2015. The population index for birds of Western forest habitats, based on 39 obligate breeding species, has declined nearly 20% since 1968 (NABCI 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The first 50 years of the North American Breeding Bird Survey

et al. 2017

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“…, Ralston et al. ), including Bicknell's Thrush in both the United States and Canada (Townsend et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This shapefile is available in Data S1. (Lehikoinen et al 2014, Flousek et al 2015, Hayhow et al 2015, Ralston et al 2015, including Bicknell's Thrush in both the United States and Canada (Townsend et al 2015). The Canadian BBS data estimated a 9% annual decline of Bicknell's Thrush from 1968 to 2008 (COSEWIC 2009), and High Elevation Surveys (1993-2003 in the White Mountains suggested a 7% total decline from 1993 to 2003 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A fine‐scale U.S. population estimate of a montane spruce–fir bird species of conservation concern

Hill¹,

Lloyd²

2017

Ecosphere

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Citation: Hill, J. M., and J. D. Lloyd. 2017. A fine-scale U.S. population estimate of a montane spruce-fir bird species of conservation concern. Ecosphere 8(8):e01921. 10. 1002/ecs2.1921 Abstract. Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) is one of the most range-restricted bird species in North America. In the United States (U.S.), it occurs only in the disturbed montane forests of fir (Abies balsamea) and spruce (Picea spp.) in the northeastern states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Climate change is expected to substantially diminish this vegetation community (>50% extinction from current range) by 2300. Despite the increasingly tenuous conservation status of the species, fundamental demographic parameters remain unknown and overall population size is uncertain. We used N-mixture models in a hierarchical Bayesian framework to predict population size and to elucidate spatial and temporal patterns of Bicknell's Thrush abundance in the northeastern United States. From 2011 to 2016, as part of Mountain Birdwatch, citizen-scientists conducted 14,552 five-minute point counts at 747 sampling locations along hiking trails. Observers detected Bicknell's Thrush at 49.4% of points and tallied 1079 observations of the species. Bicknell's Thrush abundance was parsimoniously modeled as a complex function of elevation, forest canopy cover, and latitude. Using our model results, and the estimated U.S. range of the Bicknell's Thrush, we produced the first fine-scale (<1.0 ha resolution) abundance estimate and map of Bicknell's Thrush density across their U.S. range. We predicted the U.S. Bicknell's Thrush population in 2016 as 71,318 (95% credible interval: 56,080-89,748), and 95% of that population occurred above 805 m. Combining our results with existing estimates of population size in Canada suggests a global population size of <120,000; Bicknell's Thrush likely have one of the smallest population sizes of regularly occurring bird species within the contiguous United States and Canada. By cross-referencing the U.S. Geological Survey Protected Areas Database, we estimated that 76.6% of Bicknell's Thrush habitat occurred on conserved lands across the United States and that this habitat supported 84.6% of the predicted population. The White Mountain National Forest (New Hampshire and Maine) is the largest conservator of Bicknell's Thrush habitat in the United States and supports~31% of the predicted U.S. population. Our model provides a testable framework for assessing the success of future conservation and management actions on Bicknell's Thrush populations throughout their U.S. range.

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Analysis of combined data sets yields trend estimates for vulnerable spruce-fir birds in northern United States

Cited by 27 publications

References 45 publications

Estimating the conservation value of protected areas in Maritime Canada for two species at risk: the Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) and Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)

Estimating the conservation value of protected areas in Maritime Canada for two species at risk: the Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) and Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)

The first 50 years of the North American Breeding Bird Survey

A fine‐scale U.S. population estimate of a montane spruce–fir bird species of conservation concern

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