Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in Québec
We investigated the breeding habitat selection of the Canada Warbler ( Cardellina canadensis ) in southern Quebec across three distinct landscapes: a mixed boreal forest, an agroforestry landscape, and a riverine deciduous forest. This study aimed to characterize breeding habitat by assessing fine-s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.ace-eco.org/vol20/iss1/art21 |
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| author | Samuel Dufour-Pelletier Bruno Drolet Vincent Lamarre Carl Savignac Jacques Ibarzabal Junior A. Tremblay |
| author_facet | Samuel Dufour-Pelletier Bruno Drolet Vincent Lamarre Carl Savignac Jacques Ibarzabal Junior A. Tremblay |
| author_sort | Samuel Dufour-Pelletier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We investigated the breeding habitat selection of the Canada Warbler ( Cardellina canadensis ) in southern Quebec across three distinct landscapes: a mixed boreal forest, an agroforestry landscape, and a riverine deciduous forest. This study aimed to characterize breeding habitat by assessing fine-scale vegetation structure and composition at surveyed stations during the breeding period. We conducted surveys between 2016 and 2018, with data collected on bird occurrence, vegetation structure, and plant community composition. We assessed habitat selection based on vegetation structure with logistic regression models and we tested associations with plant community using permutational ANOVAs and indicator species analysis. We observed variations in habitat selection across the three study areas. In the mixed boreal forest, Canada Warbler occurrence was positively associated with the density of large saplings and mixed-deciduous forest cover. In the agroforestry landscape, the species displayed a preference for mixed-coniferous forest cover and density of smaller saplings. In the riverine deciduous forest, no habitat variable was associated with the occurrence of the Canada Warbler as all surveyed stations were characterized by uniformly dense shrubby vegetation. Different plant species were indicators of Canada Warbler occurrence in each study area, but most of these species were part of the shrub structure. Although emphasizing a general preference for mixed forest compositions, our study highlights variations in Canada Warbler habitat selection across three distinct landscapes. Within predominantly coniferous landscapes, Canada Warbler demonstrated a tendency to select forest stands with a higher proportion of deciduous trees and, conversely, a higher proportion of coniferous trees within predominantly deciduous landscapes. Recovery and conservation efforts should focus on preserving or enhancing specific forest structures (i.e., high shrub density), while recognizing that measures may need to vary regionally. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8e3829eefdbd41a6bb0ede35ea204ff2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1712-6568 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-8e3829eefdbd41a6bb0ede35ea204ff22025-08-20T03:29:27ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682025-06-012012110.5751/ACE-02872-2001212872Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in QuébecSamuel Dufour-Pelletier0Bruno Drolet1Vincent Lamarre2Carl Savignac3Jacques Ibarzabal4Junior A. Tremblay5Bureau environnement et terre d'OdanakCanadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change CanadaWildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, QuebecDendroica Environnement et FauneUniversité du Québec à ChicoutimiWildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, QuebecWe investigated the breeding habitat selection of the Canada Warbler ( Cardellina canadensis ) in southern Quebec across three distinct landscapes: a mixed boreal forest, an agroforestry landscape, and a riverine deciduous forest. This study aimed to characterize breeding habitat by assessing fine-scale vegetation structure and composition at surveyed stations during the breeding period. We conducted surveys between 2016 and 2018, with data collected on bird occurrence, vegetation structure, and plant community composition. We assessed habitat selection based on vegetation structure with logistic regression models and we tested associations with plant community using permutational ANOVAs and indicator species analysis. We observed variations in habitat selection across the three study areas. In the mixed boreal forest, Canada Warbler occurrence was positively associated with the density of large saplings and mixed-deciduous forest cover. In the agroforestry landscape, the species displayed a preference for mixed-coniferous forest cover and density of smaller saplings. In the riverine deciduous forest, no habitat variable was associated with the occurrence of the Canada Warbler as all surveyed stations were characterized by uniformly dense shrubby vegetation. Different plant species were indicators of Canada Warbler occurrence in each study area, but most of these species were part of the shrub structure. Although emphasizing a general preference for mixed forest compositions, our study highlights variations in Canada Warbler habitat selection across three distinct landscapes. Within predominantly coniferous landscapes, Canada Warbler demonstrated a tendency to select forest stands with a higher proportion of deciduous trees and, conversely, a higher proportion of coniferous trees within predominantly deciduous landscapes. Recovery and conservation efforts should focus on preserving or enhancing specific forest structures (i.e., high shrub density), while recognizing that measures may need to vary regionally.https://www.ace-eco.org/vol20/iss1/art21 cardellina canadensis indicator specieshabitat selectionpoint countspecies occurrence |
| spellingShingle | Samuel Dufour-Pelletier Bruno Drolet Vincent Lamarre Carl Savignac Jacques Ibarzabal Junior A. Tremblay Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in Québec Avian Conservation and Ecology cardellina canadensis indicator species habitat selection point count species occurrence |
| title | Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in Québec |
| title_full | Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in Québec |
| title_fullStr | Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in Québec |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in Québec |
| title_short | Breeding habitat selection of Canada Warblers across three distinct landscapes in Québec |
| title_sort | breeding habitat selection of canada warblers across three distinct landscapes in quebec |
| topic | cardellina canadensis indicator species habitat selection point count species occurrence |
| url | https://www.ace-eco.org/vol20/iss1/art21 |
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