Habitat associations of migratory birds in South Texas

It is estimated that 80% of North American avian migrants travel along the southern coast of Texas where development is on the rise, thus quality of stopover habitat in this region is of concern. Since little research has been conducted on stopover habitat use in South Texas, I investigated habitat associations of migratory birds to identify important factors driving density along the lower Texas coast. Terrestrial bird surveys took place during spring and autumn migration from 1991–1993, and 2006–2008, and were conducted along 500 m line transects placed within 6 habitats common in south Texas. I estimated densities of focal bird groups and calculated species and guild richness, guild diversity, community similarity indices and habitat conservation values for each habitat during migration. I also combined remote sensing techniques with density estimates at each transect to understand landscape characteristics driving bird density during migration in South Texas. I found wooded habitats were higher in multiple metrics than habitats dominated by herbaceous growth, and that to some degree, grassland birds have an affinity for woody vegetation during the non-breeding period. Land managers in south Texas should aim to preserve a mosaic of diverse habitats in various stages of successional stages