River regulation by dams on the Missouri River has modified riparian forest successional patterns, with decreases in early and increases in later seral stages and higher occurrence of invasive tree species, including Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) and eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). The effects of these altered successional trajectories on bird biodiversity are difficult to quantify because of limited data on bird-habitat associations. We surveyed riparian shrubland and forest bird species across a gradient of riparian forest ages along two segments of the regulated Missouri River in South Dakota and Nebraska, USA and explored relationships between bird abundance and patch- and landscape-scale vegetation characteristics for 46 bird species. Predicted abundances at sites assigned to five vegetation classes, estimated from Bayesian binomial N-mixture models, identified 11 early successional bird species and 19 forest bird species. Abundances of early successional bird species were similar at cottonwood-willow sites and Russian olive sites and were positively correlated with cottonwood (Populus deltoides) importance values for only one species, Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii). Abundances of forest bird species were similar at sites in the three forest vegetation classes, although Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) and Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) showed some affinity for mid- or late successional cottonwood sites over late-successional non-cottonwood sites. Abundances of three forest species, including Baltimore Oriole, were positively correlated with cottonwood or negatively correlated with eastern red cedar importance values. Fifteen species were positively correlated with shrubland land cover, whereas 21 species were positively correlated with forest land cover. For most bird species, correlations were strongest with land cover within a 200-m buffer compared to 400 or 1200 m. These data suggest that the trends in riparian forest change due to river regulation along the middle Missouri River may produce a mix of positive and negative effects on riparian bird species. While management plans to promote regeneration of early successional cottonwood-willow stands are likely to benefit conservation of early successional bird species, Russian olive may also provide suitable bird habitat for the majority those species.

The post Vegetation associations of riparian birds in successional woodlands along the regulated Missouri River first appeared on Avian Conservation and Ecology.

密苏里河水坝的河流调节改变了河岸森林的演替模式，早期减少，后期增加，入侵树种出现增多，包括俄罗斯橄榄树（Elaeagnus angustifolia）和东部红雪松（Juniperus virginiana ））。由于鸟类栖息地关联的数据有限，这些演替轨迹的改变对鸟类生物多样性的影响很难量化。我们调查了美国南达科他州和内布拉斯加州受监管的密苏里河两段沿河岸森林年龄梯度的河岸灌木丛和森林鸟类物种，并探讨了 46 种鸟类的鸟类丰度与斑块和景观规模植被特征之间的关系。根据贝叶斯二项式氮混合模型估计，分配到五个植被类别的地点的预测丰度确定了 11 种早期演替鸟类和 19 种森林鸟类。三叶杨-柳树遗址和俄罗斯橄榄树遗址早期演替鸟类物种的丰度相似，并且与三叶杨呈正相关（三角杨 (Populus deltoides ) 仅有一种物种的重要性值，即柳鹟 ( Empidonax Traillii )。尽管烤鸟 ( Seiurus aurocapilla ) 和巴尔的摩金莺 ( Icterus galbula ) 在三个森林植被类别的地点的森林鸟类物种丰富度相似，）显示出对中期或晚期演替棉杨地点比晚期演替非棉杨地点有一定的亲和力。包括巴尔的摩金莺在内的三种森林物种的丰度与三叶杨呈正相关，或与东部红雪松重要性值呈负相关。15 个物种与灌木丛土地覆盖呈正相关，而 21 个物种与森林土地覆盖呈正相关。对于大多数鸟类来说，与 400 或 1200 m 缓冲区相比，200 米缓冲区内的土地覆盖相关性最强。这些数据表明，密苏里河中游河流调节导致的河岸森林变化趋势可能会对河岸鸟类产生积极和消极的影响。

密苏里河沿岸连续林地中河岸鸟类的后植被协会首次出现在《鸟类保护与生态学》上。