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Project T-71-R1

Project Title: The Effects of Bottomland Restoration on the Breeding Bird Community

Community and/or Species Focus:

 Cowbird, Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Kentucky Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Prothonotary Warbler, White-eyed Vireo

Goals/Objectives:
  1. Compare rates of nest predation and cowbird parasitism between restored and unrestored land
  2. Survey restoration plots that vary in age to document how bird communities change
  3. Use telemetry and genetic analyses to better understand cowbird activities in the Cache River watershed
Achievements:
  1. ​Rates of cowbird parasitism are half of what they were in 1993-1995
  2. Nest predation rates have also decreased in 4 of 5 sites
  3. Few bird species were present in agriculture fields; the highest species richness was in habitat that had developed 5-14 years after the agriculture stage
  4. Telemetry studies were conducted on adult and juvenile cowbirds to observe activity, foraging, and habitat use

Post-Project Survey (if applicable): n/a

Project Period: 5/1/11 - 7/31/13

Principle Investigator(s):

 Jeff Hoover (Illinois Natural History Survey)

Final Report:
T-71-R1​