THE BIRDS OF HUBBARD BROOK, PART II

Featured scientist: Richard Holmes from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

In Part I, you examined patterns of total bird abundance at Hubbard

Brook Experimental Forest. This data showed bird numbers at Hubbard
Brook have declined since 1969. Is this true for every species of bird?
You will now examine data for four species of birds to see if each of
these species follows the same trend.
View of the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

It is very hard to study migratory birds because they are at Hubbard Brook only during their breeding season (summer in
the Northern Hemisphere). They spend the rest of their time in the southeastern United States, the Caribbean or South
America or migrating between their two homes. Therefore, it can be difficult to tease out the many variables affecting bird
populations over their entire range. To start, scientists decided to focus on what they could study, the habitat types at
Hubbard Brook and how they might affect bird populations.

Research Background: Habitat preferences for four bird species

Hubbard Brook Forest was heavily logged and disturbed in the early 1900s. Trees were cut down to make wood products,
like paper and housing materials. Logging ended in 1915, and various plants began to grow back. The area went through
what is called secondary succession, which refers to the naturally occurring changes in forest structure that happen as a
forest recovers after it was cut down or otherwise disturbed. Today, the forest has grown back. Scientists know that as the
forest grew older, its structure changed: Trees grew taller, the types of trees changed, and there was less shrubby
understory. The forest now contains a mixture of deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the winter (about 80–90%;
mostly beech, maples, and birches) and evergreen trees, mostly conifers, that stay green all year (about 10–20%; mostly
hemlock, spruce, and fir).
Richard and his fellow scientists already knew a lot about the birds that live in the forest. For example, some bird species
prefer habitats found in younger forests, while others prefer habitats found in older forests. They decided to look carefully
into the habitat preferences of four important species of birds: Least Flycatcher, Red Eyed Vireo, Black Throated Green
Warbler, and American Redstart, and compare them to habitats available at each stage of succession. They wondered if
habitat preference of a bird species is associated with any change in the bird populations at Hubbard Brook since the
beginning of succession.
• Least Flycatcher: The Least Flycatcher prefers to live in semi-open, midsuccessional forests. The term mid-successional
refers to forests that are still growing back after a disturbance. These forests usually consist of trees that are all about the
same age and have a thick canopy at the top with few gaps, a relatively open area under the canopy, and a denser shrub
layer close to the ground.
• Red-eyed Vireo: The Red-eyed Vireo breeds in deciduous forests as well as forests that are mixed with deciduous and
coniferous trees. They are abundant deep in the center of a forest. They avoid areas where trees have been cut or blown
down and do not live near the edge. After an area is logged, it often takes a very long time for this species to return.
• Black-throated Green Warbler: The Black-throated Green Warbler occupies a wide variety of habitats. It seems to
prefer areas where deciduous and coniferous forests meet and can be found in both forest types. It avoids disturbed areas
and forests that are just beginning succession. This species prefers both mid-successional and mature forests.
• American Redstart: The American Redstart generally prefers moist, deciduous, forests with many shrubs. Like the
Least Flycatcher, this species prefers midsuccessional forests.
 Scientific Question: How does each bird species respond to habitat Black-throated American Redstart
changes, due to secondary succession, at Hubbard Brook? Green
Warbler
What is the hypothesis? Find the hypothesis in the Research
Background and copy it down below. A hypothesis is a proposed
explanation for an observation, which can then be tested with
experimentation or other types of studies.
"...habitat preference of a bird species is associated with
any change in the bird populations at Hubbard Brook
since the beginning of succession." Least Red-eyed Vireo
Draw your predictions: Below is a diagram of secondary succession at Flycatcher
Hubbard Brook where you can draw your predictions. Think about the
different habitat preferences of the four bird species. For each species,
draw a line or bracket above the vegetation showing the range along
succession where you predict it will be most abundant. Label each
range with the name of the bird species.

Red-eyed
Least Flycatcher: Viero trees with dense tops and shrubs (mid-successional forests)
Slightly smaller

American
Red-eyed Vireo: Redstart
Likes trees that lose their leaves in winter, or mix of deciduous and coniferous (ever-
greens). Like the center of the forest, and lots of cover (mature forests)
Black-Throated Green Warbler
Black-Throated Green Warbler: Likes more mature forests (and midsuccessional), and both kinds of tall
trees (coniferous anddeciduous
Least Flycatchertrees)
American Redstart: Likes moisture and deciduous forests with shrubs. Midsuccessional forests

F o r est S h r u b s

Time
Scientific Data:

Use the data below to answer the scientific question: How does each bird species respond to habitat changes, due to
secondary succession, at Hubbard Brook?

Number of birds counted / study area Number of birds counted / study area

Least Red-eyed Blackthroated American Least Red-eyed Blackthroated American

Year Year
Flycatcher Vireo Green Warbler Redstart Flycatcher Vireo Green Warbler Redstart

1969 26 20 8 12 1993 0 17 18 13
1970 28 24 9 26 1994 0 19 14 8
1971 43 29 12 29 1995 0 18 14 2
1972 50 22 7 29 1996 0 19 16 11
1973 57 26 6 26 1997 0 22 9 11
1974 26 23 10 22 1998 0 17 11 10
1975 30 31 8 39 1999 0 24 13 10
1976 28 30 8 42 2000 0 28 16 8
1977 34 24 7 44 2001 0 29 14 4
1978 22 20 8 33 2002 0 19 16 2
1979 22 16 9 36 2003 0 21 13 7
1980 15 13 10 35 2004 0 21 14 2
1981 1 26 9 22 2005 0 25 13 1
1982 0 23 9 32 2006 0 22 18 2
1983 0 22 11 30 2007 0 19 16 2
1984 0 21 7 14 2008 0 20 16 3
1985 0 22 15 27 2009 0 27 25 1
1986 0 22 9 13 2010 0 24 21 0
1987 0 20 12 11 2011 0 22 19 0
1988 6 22 17 14 2012 0 24 17 2
1989 0 23 16 6 2013 0 28 18 0
1990 0 24 18 19 2014 0 31 19 0
1991 2 26 14 14 2015 0 30 17 0
1992 1 15 18 19
 Below is a graph of the data: Identify any changes, trends, or differences you see in the graph. Draw arrows pointing out what
you see, and write one sentence describing what you see next to each arrow.

The forest slowly came back over this time period... >>>>>>>>>>>

Interpret the data:

Make a claim that answers the scientific question.
While the Least Flycatcher and American Redstart dramatically declined in population numbers, the
Red-Eyed Vireo and the Black-Throated Green Warbler have slowly increased in population numbers.

EVIDENCE AND REASONING ARE COMBINED TOGETHER

What evidence was used to write your claim? Reference specific parts of the table and graph.
Least Flycatcher (blue arrow): This bird prefers mid-succession forests, so the decline after the forest matured
doesn't surprise me. Because the dense canopy and thick bushes are decreased, their preferred habitat is
naturally decreased as well, reducing their numbers.
American Redstart (orange arrow): The American Redstart also prefers lots of bushes and shrubs. With mature
forests, the tall trees block out most of the light from all the shrubs below, killing most of them in the process.
Without proper habitats, this bird also dramatically declined in numbers (albiet not as quickly)
Explain your reasoning and how the data support your claim. Connect your reasoning to what you learned about the
habitat preferences of each bird species and how habitats change through forest succession.
Red-Eyed Vireo (pink arrow): This bird takes a while to recover from a dead ecosystem. It also prefers more
mature forests as well. So the slow increase in population does make sense with this bird's habitat preferences
Black-Throated Green Warbler (green arrow): While the Red-Eyed Vireos prefer predominately mature forests,
this bird can survive in either mid-successive or fully matured forests. Thus, their population changed the
least out of all the birds on this list. Their numbers did increase a little, which also fits their habitat preferences
Did the data support Richard’s hypothesis? Use evidence to explain why or why not. If you feel the data were
inconclusive, explain why.
The data did in fact support Richard's hypothesis. Every habitat preference was matched in the incline or
decline of populations. The two bird species Least Flycatcher and American Redstart both declined in
population numbers as the forest matured. These two birds both relied on the shrubs found only in mid-
succession forests, and were stamped out by taller trees that came later. So, their populations declined. The
other two species of birds, the Red-Eyed Viero and Black-Throated Green Warbler, either were more favored
towards mature forests (tall trees), or were a little more flexible in their timing. Thus, their populations went up.
In every case, bird habitat preference matched up with their populations as the decades went on.