Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Distribution And Habitat Associations Of Breeding Secretive Marsh Birds In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley Of Northeast Louisiana, Jonathon Joseph Valente

LSU Master's Theses

Populations of many North American secretive marsh birds (SMBs) have declined over the past 30 years, primarily as a function of wetland loss. Ranges for many of these species encompass Louisiana and researchers have investigated various characteristics associated with breeding populations in coastal wetlands, yet similar knowledge is lacking for other parts of the state. I investigated distributions and habitat characteristics associated with breeding SMBs in wetlands and rice fields of the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) of northeast Louisiana. In the 2007 and 2008 breeding seasons we conducted repeated bird surveys in 118 wetlands and 76 rice fields. Common …