Reproductive activity of olive-sided flycatchers (Contopus cooperi) in commercial forests of central New Brunswick
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Date
2020
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Olive-sided flycatcher (OSFL; Contopus cooperi) is an avian aerial insectivore facing range-wide population declines. OSFL select breeding territories in open forest near waterbodies and are known to preferentially inhabit harvested forests. To determine if forest harvesting act as an ecological trap for OSFL in New Brunswick, I quantified and analyzed the reproductive activity of individuals in harvested and non-harvested sites. I used OSFL call patterns to determine if individuals were successfully breeding in each habitat. OSFL do select harvest sites over non-harvest sites for their breeding territory. Individuals are selecting breeding territories with older cutblocks within 4.9 and 45 ha and sites with a smaller proportion of the territory being clearcut within 19.6 ha. Harvest sites in New Brunswick do not seem to act as an ecological trap for olive-sided flycatchers. My study indicates that forest harvesting in central New Brunswick does not adversely affect the reproductive activity of OSFL.