HABITAT SELECTION BY BLACKBURNIAN WARBLERS WINTERING IN COLOMBIA

We compared habitat characteristics in plots used by Blackburnian Warb lers (Dendroica fusca) to randomly selected paired plots in a high And ean native secondary forest in Colombia. Density of trees in all diame ter-at-breast-height (dbh) categories, density of snags, and density o f native trees and shrubs were higher on the bird-centered plots. Perc ent vegetation cover (0-1 m, 1-2 m and 2-3 m above the ground) was low er at bird-centered plots. Blackburnian Warblers avoided non-native tr ees species, represented mainly by Eucalyptus globulus in the study ar ea, and preferred native tree species. They preferred the higher part of trees in the middle and high dbh classes. They avoided the smallest dbh size class (3-8 cm dbh). Management for conservation of Blackburn ian Warbler wintering habitat should emphasize maintenance of relative ly mature native forests. Conversion of native forests to non-native t ree species will reduce the amount of suitable Blackburnian Warbler ha bitat.