MF2648 Birds of Kansas Streamside Forests

Birds of Kansas Streamside Forests Nature’s Winged Legacy Birds that inhabit forests in eastern Kansas include: Eastern Kansas hosts a variety of bird life. Much of it Hairy Woodpecker can be found along the forested waterways that connect the Pileated Woodpecker tallgrass prairie, crop fields, and towns. More than 100 bird Broad-winged Hawk species use the streamside forests and other woodlands in Red-shouldered Hawk Riley County alone. Birds depend on these riparian forests for nesting and raising young, as stopover habitat during Barred Owl migration, or a winter haven. Wood Duck Wood Thrush Landowners and managers play an important Yellow-throated Vireo role in conserving nature’s winged legacy. This Scarlet Tanager publication describes features of streamside forests that are important to particular species of Red-eyed Vireo birds. It suggests ways to manage stream Blue-gray Gnatcatcher corridors for healthy bird populations. Northern Parula Practices to promote bird life fit with those Kentucky Warbler for managing streamsides for conservation Black-and-white Warbler purposes such as soil and streambank Ovenbird stabilization, improved water quality, timber and firewood production, natural scenery, and fish and Black-billed Cuckoo wildlife habitat. The following information is provided Eastern Whip-poor-will to help landowners determine how well their streamside forests benefit birds and to find support for habitat Forest Age and Condition restoration and improvement projects. Mature forests with full-size, seed- and fruit-producing trees are important to some species, usually for adequate Forest Size and Continuity food supply, nesting sites, and cover. Species associated with Birds may prefer or require forest tracts of 50 acres mature forests: or more. Large-bodied forest birds such as the Red- Wood Duck shouldered Hawk and Pileated Woodpecker need a Red-shouldered Hawk large territory for foraging. Song birds such as the Red- eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, and Kentucky Warbler need the Barred Owl protection of the inner forest. For the Wood Duck, Eastern Hairy Woodpecker Whip-poor-will, and Barred Owl, continuous stretches of Pileated Woodpecker woodland may be more important than forest patch size. Ovenbird Northern Parula Scarlet Tanager Summer Tanager Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service For other birds, the overall age of the forest may be less More than a dozen bird species depend wholly or important than the presence of large, older trees for perch- partially on 3-D trees along watercourses in eastern Kansas: ing, roosting, or nesting. These bird species need large trees: Wood Duck Great Blue Heron Osprey Turkey Vulture Red-headed Woodpecker Osprey Hairy Woodpecker Bald Eagle Downy Woodpecker Broad-winged Hawk Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-throated Vireo Northern Flicker White-breasted Nuthatch Bald Eagle Brown Creeper Barred Owl Other birds, such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chuck- Eastern Screech-Owl will’s-widow, Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker Tree Swallow favor open woodland, which is forest with a broken or Tufted Titmouse noncontinuous canopy. This type of habitat allows them to White-breasted Nuthatch forage more efficiently. Louisiana Waterthrush Some birds prefer young forests. Sharp-shinned Hawk and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker favor dense stands of trees, Pollution and Disturbance while the American Woodcock selects young forests with Exposure to toxins in lead and other heavy metals, openings. pesticides, dioxins, and other environmental contaminants The understory vegetation such as shrubs and small can reduce reproduction and longevity of birds, and lead to trees below the forest canopy, often determines the presence disease or death. Pesticides can affect insect-eating birds by of certain birds. These birds select dense understory areas reducing their food supply. Air pollution can destroy the for foraging or protection: lichens and mosses the Northern Parula needs for nesting. Birds with diets that make them especially vulnerable to Yellow-billed Cuckoo environmental pollution include: Black-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Cuckoo Alder Flycatcher Black-billed Cuckoo Willow Flycatcher Eastern Whip-poor-will Red-eyed Vireo American Woodcock Black-and-white Warbler Black-crowned Night-heron Kentucky Warbler Osprey The Eastern Whip-poor-will and Yellow-crowned Bald Eagle Night-heron prefer an open understory with parklike con- Cooper’s Hawk ditions below the tree canopy. Red-shouldered Hawk Yellow-throated Vireo Dead, Damaged and Diseased Trees Tree Swallow Many birds require an ample supply of dead, dam- Northern Parula aged, or diseased trees, commonly described as 3-D forest Scarlet Tanager conditions. Woodpeckers, flickers, and sapsuckers excavate cavities in trunks and limbs that are broken or filled with Some bird species are sensitive to human disturbance, decayed wood. These cavities provide nesting sites, not only particularly when breeding and nesting: for the woodpeckers, but also for many other birds known Chuck-will’s-widow as secondary cavity nesters. Eastern Bluebirds are secondary Eastern Whip-poor-will cavity nesters of fields and woodland edges. Osprey and Great Blue Heron Bald Eagle use tall, dead trees as hunting perches. Black-crowned Night-heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Cooper’s Hawk 2 Red-shouldered Hawk White-eyed Vireo, and Bewick’s Wren, require low, dense Yellow-throated Vireo vegetation for nesting and protection from natural enemies. Wood Thrush Landowners should retain snags in flooded areas, protect beaver ponds, and consider constructing new wetlands near Kentucky Warbler riparian forests. Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Timber Harvesting – Landowners who harvest trees from riparian forests can benefit bird communities by Forest Management maintaining a blend of trees of varying species, ages and sizes, and a varied shrub and low tree understory. On each Forest Restoration – Riparian forests may regenerate acre, retain several damaged and dead trees with branches, naturally if there are mature trees nearby as a source of including some large trees more than 20 inches diameter at seeds. Natural regeneration can be rapid on sites that expe- breast height. Thinning should release other trees for more rience occasional flooding because water deposits sediment rapid growth and maturity, although this may favor some carrying tree and shrub seeds. Where natural regeneration birds over others. Landowners should avoid clear-cutting, would be slow or unlikely, the landowner should plant a heavy selective cutting (which can eliminate even versatile variety of native tree and shrub seedlings. In either case, species such as Eastern Screech-Owl), and timber opera- seedlings and saplings may need protection from livestock tions during the bird breeding season. Long harvest rota- and wild herbivores such as deer. The stream or river corri- tions of more than 50 years and reducing tree removal can dor may need to be restored or stabilized before reforesta- help provide mature forest conditions important to many tion is possible. Landowners that have established a young birds of eastern Kansas. forest should consider using nest boxes to support certain species, such as Wood Duck and Eastern Screech Owl, Firewood Cutting – Landowners should avoid excessive during the forest regrowth period. removal of dead trees and branches for firewood, especially big trees. This eliminates nesting habitat for species such For more information on establishing riparian as the Red-headed Woodpecker, which has been declining woodlands, see, Establishing Riparian Buffers (MF2489). in numbers. It is useful to retain snags in groups whenever Low-cost native trees and shrub seedlings are available each possible. Leave downed timber for Louisiana Waterthrush spring and fall from the Kansas Forest Service. Learn more and other species that nest under logs and upturned trees. at www.kansasforests.org. Livestock Grazing – Livestock owners should avoid Forest Stewardship – In general, large forest patches grazing areas of young tree seedlings and riparian wood- are the most desirable for streamside bird communities of lands. Use of alternative water supplies, alternative shelter eastern Kansas. A few acres of forest can provide habitat and fencing for livestock can help prevent overgrazing. for many songbirds, but Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Some birds such as Cooper’s Hawk and Willow Flycatcher, Parula, and others, require tracts ranging from 20 to several may be particularly sensitive to vegetation loss due to live- hundred acres. Small openings in a forest are tolerated by stock grazing and the indirect environmental effects such many species and benefit others, for example, Broad-winged as soil compaction, root exposure, and gullying. In Kansas, Hawk, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, and Ken- the Eastern Whip-poor-will requires ungrazed woods for tucky Warbler. Good to excellent canopy cover is also de- nesting. sirable, especially for smaller woodlands. Landowners with large patches of forest may wish to provide an understory of Recreational Activities – Recreational activities should native shrubs of various composition and density to match be diverted from nests and roosts of birds that can be the preferences of a range of bird species. For birds such as easily disturbed such as Bald Eagle and Red-shouldered Wood Thrush and Northern Parula, it is important to retain Hawk. Avoid disturbing spring nesting birds,

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