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Biodiversity Viewpoint
Declining woodland birds in North America: should we blame Bambi?
Article first published online: 4 SEP 2012
DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12003
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Additional Information
How to Cite
Chollet, S. and Martin, J.-L. (2013), Declining woodland birds in North America: should we blame Bambi?. Diversity and Distributions, 19: 481–483. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12003
Publication History
- Issue published online: 15 MAR 2013
- Article first published online: 4 SEP 2012
Funded by
- RGIS
- French Ministry of Research and Education
Keywords:
- overabundance;
- songbirds;
- trophic cascades;
- understory;
- ungulate
Abstract
Aim
We evaluate the possible link between increasing deer populations and declines in woodland birds.
Location
North American continent.
Methods
We used a group of 73 forest bird species that had been tested for their sensitivity to the impact of overabundant deer on forest understory. We used Breeding Bird Survey data to assess population trends for these 73 songbird species between 1966 and 2009, a period of marked continent-wide increases in white-tailed (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule or black-tailed (Odocoileus hemionus) deer.
Results
We show a continent-wide link between increase in deer populations and declines in forest–songbird species-dependent on understory for nesting and/or foraging.
Main conclusions
Increasing deer populations may actually play an important and underestimated role in the decline of North American songbirds.