Housing developments in rural New England: effects on forest birds

In rural New England, forest fragmentation is caused by housing development s in forested areas. To evaluate the effects of these changes on forest bir ds, we compared bird assemblages between forests with different housing den sities in western Massachusetts. Species occurrences and relative abundance s were determined from systematic point count surveys and mist-netting at t hree plots in forest of low housing density (0-0.05 houses/ha) and of moder ate housing density (0.60-6.70 houses/ha) in 1993 and 1994. Among guilds, N eotropical migrants and forest-interior species had significantly lower abu ndances in forests of moderate housing density. Abundances of ground/shrub nesting birds as a group, and of individual species such as veery (Catharus fuscescens), ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) and wood thrush (Hylocichla m ustelina), were greater in forest of low housing density, but blue jays (Cy anocitta cristata) were more abundant in forest of moderate housing density . Although the abundances of ground/shrub nesting birds were positively rel ated to ground cover, this vegetation structure did not differ between fore st types. Avian and mammalian nest predators may be responsible for the tre nds in bird abundance. Avian nest predators may recognize forest of moderat e housing density as edge habitat, and this rural development may also supp ort relatively high densities of mammalian nest predators. These trends sug gest that birds of New England's relatively extensive forests may be subjec t to greater fragmentation effects than generally thought, as a result of i ncreasing rural housing development within forests.