PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #68: Avian Ecology.
Friday, August 9. Presentation from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Winter habitat selection of flycatchers on a central Florida cattle ranch.

Bancroft, G. Thomas^*,1, ¹ The Wilderness Society, Washington, DC

ABSTRACT- Understanding winter habitat requirements for birds is important to the development of conservation strategies for them. Large beef cattle ranches dominate the former prairie habitats of central Florida. Because of economic conditions, cattle ranches are being converted to citrus groves and other more intensive agricultural uses. We surveyed a 4,200-h cattle ranch and a 60 h commercial citrus grove for all wintering flycatchers during January and February 1997. We found 17 Great Crested Flycatchers, 139 Eastern Phoebes and one Vermilion Flycatcher. To explore habitat selection, we compared area of habitats within 100-m of each wintering bird with the area within 200 randomly placed 100-m diameter circles. Great Crested Flycatchers showed strong selection for palm/oak forests and avoidance of pasture habitats. All flycatcher circles contained at least one forest and averaged 1.7 h of forests, whereas less than half of 200 random circles contained forest and averaged only 0.2 h of forests. Eastern Phoebes select areas with palm/oak forests, orange groves and wet canals and avoided areas dominated by pastures. Phoebe sites contained an average of 0.5h forest. Twenty-one phoebes (7%) sites had citrus whereas only 4 of 200 random 100-m circles contained citrus. Over 90% of the phoebe sites contained a canal with water and/or a wetland. A single male Vermilion Flycatcher winters in a pasture area adjacent to a barrow pit filled with water and floating vegetation. These results suggest that cattle ranches provide important wintering habitat for Eastern Phoebes and Great Crested Flycatchers. Conversion of cattle ranches to more intensive agriculture will eliminate much of the palm/oak forests, which appear extremely important. Although citrus groves appear to be used extensively by Eastern Phoebes, Great Crested Flycatchers do not use them.

KEY WORDS: flycatchers, Florida, ranches, winter