Community structures and vertical distributions of woodland birds were investigated in the breeding season from 1974 to 1978 in Oze of Gunma prefecture. Line transect method was used for the estimation of the numbers of species and individuals. Results obtained were as follows.
1. From this survey, 93 species were recorded, including
Prunella rubida and
Prunella collaris in high mountains area.
2.
Cettia diphone and
Parus ater of transient and
Phylloscopus borealis of summer visitor, which are insectivorous birds, had priority over others, while
Pyrrula pyrrula,
Nucifraga caryocatactes and
Garrulus glandarius of seed and leave feeder distributed all over the investigative area inspite of small numberes, these being characteristic of the Honshu-subalpine coniferous forest.
3.
Phylloscopus tenellipe and
Emberiza variabilis were recorded concentrically at the ecotone of subalpine coniferous forest and broad-leaved deciduous forest.
4. Dominant species of Oze were
Cettia diphone (20.0%),
Parus ater (15.8%),
Phylloscopus borealis (14.3%),
Erithacus akahige (5.2%),
Tarsiger cyanurus (3.1%). These five species occupied 58.4% of all, and yet, constant bird community was maintained in Oze because of many species of birds lived in this area.
5. The density of
Sturnus cineraceus,
Phylloscopus occipitalis and
Phylloscopus tenellipes were higher in May than that in August, and in August these species already transferred or dispersed somewhere.
6. Six species of
Cettia diphone,
Phylloscopus borealis,
Parus ater,
Corvus macrorhynchos,
Troglodytes troglodytes, and
Erithacus akahige were widely distributed from low mountain zone to high mountain zone, and these six species were considered to be the fundamental constitution of bird community in the breeding season of Oze.
7. As a limiting factor of vertical distribution of each species, a vegitational construction of the habitat and altitude were considered to be the main factor. For example,
Phylloscopus borealis were distributed in
Abies Mariesii forest,
P. tenellipes in the ecotone between
Fagus crenata forest and
Abies Mariesii forest,
P. occipitalis in
Fagus crenata forest.
8.
Sturnus cineraceus was most dominant species in Ozegahara.
Sturnus cineraceus,
Corvus macrorhynchos and
Alauda arvensis were considered to have close correlations with people.
9. All over Oze, the population of
Delicon urbica were about 10, 000 in 1970 but in 1978 it was about 4, 000.
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