Date of Award
5-2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Forestry
Department
Forestry
First Advisor
I-Kuai Hung
Second Advisor
Brian Oswald
Third Advisor
Christopher M. Schalk
Fourth Advisor
Daniel Saenz
Fifth Advisor
Clifford E. Shackelford
Abstract
The Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) is a declining songbird that occurs throughout the southeastern United States. Bachman’s Sparrow is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Texas, but information crucial to management efforts, such as factors affecting their detectability and occupancy, is lacking. I investigated the predictors of Bachman’s Sparrow occupancy and phenology in Texas using detections from autonomous recording units coupled with site characteristics and weather data. My results indicate that Bachman’s Sparrow occupancy is associated with increasing herbaceous ground cover and decreasing basal area, distance to the nearest source population, and basal area when canopy height is high. Singing phenology is affected by photoperiod and precipitation, with singing occurring between January and October. These results highlight the optimal spatial and temporal conditions for this species to guide future management and monitoring efforts.
Repository Citation
Wolff, Liam G., "Spatiotemporal Factors Affecting the Occupancy and Phenology of a Declining Songbird (Bachman's Sparrow - Peucaea aestivalis) at the Western Extent of its Range" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 439.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/439
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Forest Management Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
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