EFFECTS OF WILDLAND DEVELOPMENT ON FOREST BIRD COMMUNITIES

The rapid urbanization of rural landscapes for primary and secondary h omes can significantly affect bird populations as wildlands are develo ped. To study this effect, we conducted bird counts within the Lake of the Ozarks region of central Missouri in three different landscape ty pes: wildlands, dispersed single homes, and cluster development. For e ach landscape type, we selected five 100 ha forested sites and conduct ed bird counts during May and June for 2 years. Forest interior migran t species were most abundant in wildland sites and least abundant in c luster development sites. In contrast, cluster development sites were dominated by species generally found in urban residential neighborhood s, and nest predators and brood parasites were more prevalent on these sites than wildland sites.