Abstract
Birds were surveyed during summer 1985 in five adjacent saline vegetation zones and during summers 1986 and 1991 in 6 adjacent vegetation zones on the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge on the upper Texas Coast. Although 66 bird species were recorded, numbers and species varied among years, and only 17 were nesting species. A few bird species used all vegetation types at some time, but most were limited by vegetation structure or water presence. Olney’s three-square bulrush (Scirpus olneyi), saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), and mudflats were especially favored feeding and resting areas in response to periodic flooding and had the greatest frequency of use as well as species richness. Reduced rainfall and water depths during 1986 were reflected in a change toward birds favoring drier conditions. Heavy rainfall in 1991 decreased diversity but increased usage and favored freshwater and swimming birds. Although tidally influenced wetlands often are considered uniform, dynamic water and salinity regimes observed along this coast must be considered in the design of any management or conservation program.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Washington, DC, USA.
Bettinger, K. M. and R. B. Hamilton. 1985. Avian use of levee habitat types, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana. p. 165–186.In F. C. Bryan, P. J. Swank and R. H. Chabreck (eds.). Proceedings of the Fourth Coastal Marsh and Estuary Management Symposium, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Burger, J. 1985. Habitat selection in marsh-nesting birds. p. 253–281.In M. L. Cody (ed.) Habitat Selection in Birds. Academic Press, Orlando, FL, USA.
Burger, J., J. Shisler, and F. H. Lesser. 1982. Avian utilisation on six salt marshes in New Jersey. Biological Conservation 23:187–212.
Chabreck, R. H. 1972. Vegetation, water and soil characteristics of the Louisiana Coastal Region. Louisiana State University Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 644. Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Correll, D. S. and H. B. Correll. 1975. Aquatic and wetland plants of the southwestern United States. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, USA.
Craig, R. J. and K. G. Beal. 1992. The influence of habitat variables on marsh bird communities of the Connecticut River estuary. Wilson Bulletin 104:295–311.
Epstein, M. B. and R. L. Joyner. 1988. Waterbird use of brackish wetlands managed for wildlife. Proceedings of Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 42:476–490.
Kendeigh, S. C. 1944. The measurement of bird populations. Ecological Monographs 14:67–106.
Lum, A. L. 1978. Shorebird fauna changes in a small tropical estuary following habitat alterations: biological and political impacts of environmental restoration. Environmental Management 2:423–430.
McAtee, W. L. 1939. Wildlife of the Atlantic Coast salt marshes. U.S. Department of Agriculture Circular No. 520. Washington. DC, USA.
Mendoza, C. H. and R. Ortiz. 1985. Features of spoil banks vs utilization by birds: Upper Laguna Madre of Texas. p. 153–164.In F. C. Bryan, P. J. Swank and R. H. Chabreck (eds.) Proceedings of Fourth Coastal Marsh and Estuary Management Symposium, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Nixon, S. W. 1982. The ecology of New England high salt marsh: a community profile. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Services, Washington, DC, USA. FWS/OBS-81/55.
Parnell, J. F. and R. F. Soots, Jr. 1978. The use of dredge islands by wading birds. p. 105–111.In A. Sprunt, J. C. Ogden, and S. Winkler (eds.) Wading birds. National Audubon Society, New York, NY, USA.
Texas Department of Water Resources. 1984. Water for Texas. Texas Department of Water Resources, Austin, TX, USA. GP-4-1, GG72.
Ward, G. H. Jr., N. E. Armstrong, and the Matagorda Bay Project Teams. 1980. Matagorda Bay, Texas: its hydrography, ecology and fishery resources. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Services, Washington, DC, USA. FWS-OBS-81/52.
Weller, M. W. and L. H. Fredrickson. 1974. Avian ecology of a managed glacial marsh. Living Bird 12:269–291.
Withers, K. and B. Chapman. 1993. Seasonal abundance and habitat use of shorebirds on Oso Bay mudflat, Corpus Christi, Texas. Journal of Field Ornithology 64:382–392.
Woolfenden, G. E. and R. W. Schreiber. 1973. The common birds of the saline habitats of the eastern Gulf of mexico: their distribution, seasonal status, and breeding ecology. p. 111J-1/111J-22.In J. I. Jones, R. E. Ring, M. L. Rinkel, and R. E. Smith (eds.) A summary of knowledge of the eastern Gulf of Mexico 1973. State University System of Florida, Institute of Oceanography. St. Petersburg, FL, USA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weller, M.W. Bird-habitat relationships in a Texas estuarine marsh during summer. Wetlands 14, 293–300 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160635
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160635