The Relationships between Habitat Structure and Breeding Bird Communities in Deciduous Forest in Mid-eastern Korea

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the changes in breeding bird communities resulting from change in habitat structure caused by forestry. Research was conducted in a natural deciduous forest within the Pyoungchang national forest, Kangwon Province (N 37°27′, E 128°29′), in the Northeastern part of South Korea, from April to June, 1996. Three 8-ha areas with differing degrees of deforestation were selected for territory mapping of breeding bird communities. Vegetation characteristics, vertical structure of habitat (foliage height profile), and diameters at breast height (DBH) distribution were measured in each study area. The characteristics of the breeding bird communities and their niche relationships were surveyed. The relationships between habitat structure and breeding bird communities were also examined. The dominant tree species in the study area were Quercus mongolica, Ulmus davidiana, Acer mono and Fraxinus rhynchophylla. The vertical structure of the forest differed among the study areas. The number of trees per hectare, tree species diversity, and range of DBH decreased with the degree of forest cutting among the areas studied. Bird species diversity, breeding density, species richness, and guild structures also differed among study areas. The hole-nesting and canopyforaging guild was dominant in intact natural forest, whereas the bush-nesting and bush-foraging guild was found to be more prevalent at areas where a few trees had been felled. We found that the structure of a forest seems to be an important determining factor for a breeding bird community. Therefore, the interaction between the structure of a forest and its bird community should be considered in forest management for conservation of bird communities and their habitat.