Woodland Bird Use of In-channel Islands in the Central Platte River, Nebraska

Recapture data showed woodland obligate birds from riparian habitats made substantial use of thinly vegetated, adjacent small islands in the Platte River. During the bird nesting and spring migration seasons of 200 I through 2004, there were 4,360 individuals of 90 species captured on both mainland and in: hannel island sites. Island locafion captures totaled 595 individuals of 47 species )etween 2002 and 2004. Islands formerly were considered inconsequential for coraging and nesting of passerines. My study substantiated passerine use of Islands and provided a rationale for additional consideration of islands for migration and nesting management. Assemblages of bird species using islands were significantly different from the mainland (P = \u3c 0.001). These data indicated a discrete island avifauna made up of some of the same, but fewer species in different proportions than the mainland. Abundance of some species caught on islands was higher in comparison to mainland captures, but all species were captured less frequently on islands than in riparian woodlands probably due to less effort. Birds captured on islands also were captured in mainland woods and mainland captured birds moved to islands