Avian community response to fire and mechanical shrub control in south Florida

Published source details Fitzgerald S.M. & Tanner G.W. (1992) Avian community response to fire and mechanical shrub control in south Florida. Journal of Range Management, 45, 396-400.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Use prescribed burning on shrublands Action Link
	Manually control or remove midstorey and ground-level vegetation (including mowing, chaining, cutting etc) in shrubland Action Link

Use prescribed burning on shrublands

A replicated and controlled study in shrub dominated by saw-palmetto Serenoa repens (a type of palm) in 1988-1989 in Myakka River State Park, Florida, USA (Fitzgerald & Tanner 1992), found that the total number of birds and the number of species found did not vary between two sites burned in winter (January 1988) and two burned in summer (June 1988) (1.7 species and 2.4 individuals/winter burned site vs. 1.5 and 1.9 for summer burned). There were no differences between winter-burned and control (unburned) sites, but summer-burned sites had significantly fewer species and individuals (2.0 species and 2.7 individuals/unburned site).
Manually control or remove midstorey and ground-level vegetation (including mowing, chaining, cutting etc) in shrubland

A replicated and controlled study in shrub dominated by saw-palmetto Serenoa repens (a type of palm) in 1988-1989 in Myakka River State Park, Florida, USA (Fitzgerald & Tanner 1992), found that total number of birds and the number of species found were significantly lower in two sites cut in winter (January 1988) or summer (June 1988), compared to control (uncut) sites (0.2-1.0 species and 0.2-1.2 individuals/site for cut sites vs. 2.0 and 2.7 for control sites). There were no differences between winter and summer-cut sites. Whilst total bird abundance (27 species recorded) was lowest in cut plots, species were mostly (management target) grassland specialists (e.g. Bachman’s sparrow Aimophila aestivalis and loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus).