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Open Corridors In A Heavily Forested Landscape: Impact On Shrubland And Forest-Interior Birds, Robert A. Askins

Biology Faculty Publications

In eastern North America, remnant patches of forest surrounded by open habitat constitute unfavorable habitat for many species of migratory forest birds because of high rates of nest predation and cowbird parasitism. Although most evidence for this relationship comes from 'forest islands' surrounded by residential or agricultural land, even forest patches isolated from other forests by narrow open corridors such as roads and powerline rights-of-way seem to show this pattern. Productive habitat for migratory birds can be maintained by consolidating corridors and routing them along the periphery of forests to retain as much continuous forest as possible. Consolidation of open …