| I studied nest survival and habitat selection of Eastern Wood-Pewees (Contopus virens) breeding in deciduous forest and pine plantations in the Ganaraska Forest of south-central Ontario, Canada. Nest success was nearly 2 times greater in deciduous forest (47.5%) than plantations (26.2%). Nest survival in both habitats was greatly influenced by temporal effects and nest visibility. In deciduous forests, nest survival rates improved when nests were located further away from the tree trunk. In pine plantations, nest survival rates improved in areas where trees were more dispersed. In both habitats, occupied territories were associated with lower basal area, lower tree species diversity and fewer white pine trees. Nest-sites were situated in larger trees and associated with areas where trees were more dispersed (i.e., forest gaps) than randomly available within the territory. Conservation measures for this species should ensure the maintenance of forests with large, mature trees in association with forest gaps in both, deciduous forests and pine plantations to ensure adequate nesting requirements. Early conversion of pine plantations to mixed deciduous forest may be a beneficial management strategy to improve reproductive success for the Eastern Wood-Pewee.Keywords: Eastern Wood-Pewee, Contopus virens, daily nest survival, logistic exposure, habitat selection, habitat preference, territory selection, nest-site selection, Ganaraska Forest, pine plantation, ecological trap, polygyny. |
