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Patterns of resource use in an assemblage of birds in the canopy of a temperate alluvial forest

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Abstract

In our study, we assessed patterns of resource use in an assemblage of birds by observing their foraging behaviour from a crane in the canopy of a temperate alluvial forest. We selected 12 bird species and addressed seasonal changes in feeding activity during a 2-month period in spring focussing on average staying time and utilisation of crown strata in two tree species, the common oak (Quercus robur) and the sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). We further examined ecological characteristics of the trees (i. e., crown density) that are likely to influence resource use in birds. The selected birds differed in their preference for the tree species. Most birds preferred common oaks. This preference was probably associated with higher food abundance related to substrate characteristics (i.e., roughness of bark) which offer more microhabitats for arthropods and thus permit higher densities of potential prey. Some bird species switched feeding preferences within the study period from sycamore maples to common oaks in association with tree phenology. We found two main foraging techniques. All birds searched for prey at short distance (≤50 cm) and gleaned food from substrate except the Pied Flycatcher that foraged by hovering and searched over longer distances (>50 cm). Overall, we demonstrate in our study that canopy access with mobile crane systems provides excellent opportunities to observe canopy birds and enables detailed analysis of their foraging behaviour. The main result of our study reveals fine-grained resource partitioning of birds within the canopy as an important factor structuring assemblages, with species-specific and in part also seasonal differences in stratification and substrate use.

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Acknowledgments

We dedicate this study to Wilfried Morawetz, founder of the LAK-project, former professor and head of the Botanical Institute (Biology 1) of the University of Leipzig, who, with his visionary ideas how to access the canopy as one of the last frontiers in ecological research, has created a unique research platform. Furthermore, we are grateful to all colleagues who helped during the study period and the data analysis. In particular, we thank Martin Unterseher, Franz Bairlein, Ophir Tal, Martin Pfeiffer and Marco Tschapka for support. Our study complies with the current laws of Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, 89069, Ulm, Germany

    Stefan M. Böhm & Elisabeth K. V. Kalko

  2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama

    Elisabeth K. V. Kalko

Authors
  1. Stefan M. Böhm
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  2. Elisabeth K. V. Kalko
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan M. Böhm.

Additional information

Communicated by F. Bairlein.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 9.

Table 9 Vegetation parameters of the sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus: A) and the common oak (Quercus robur: Q) in the study plot with identification number of the tree individuals
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Böhm, S.M., Kalko, E.K.V. Patterns of resource use in an assemblage of birds in the canopy of a temperate alluvial forest. J Ornithol 150, 799–814 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-009-0401-7

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