Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) demographic response to hardwood forests managed under the selection system

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2015-0112 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 499-507 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Daniel M. Geleynse ◽

Erica Nol ◽

Dawn M. Burke ◽

Ken A. Elliott

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Group Selection ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Forested Wetlands ◽

Timing Of Breeding ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Single Tree ◽

Single Tree Selection ◽

Foraging Site ◽

Brown Creeper

The Brown Creeper (Certhia americana Bonaparte, 1838) has been identified as one of the most sensitive passerines to partial forest harvest in North America. The effect of selection logging on Brown Creeper density, nest timing, nest survival, and nest and foraging site selection was examined in five silviculture treatments (intensive group selection, typical group selection, old single-tree selection, recent single-tree selection, and control forests) of Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada. As Brown Creeper nests under the bark of large, decaying trees, we hypothesized that Brown Creeper density, timing of breeding, nest survival, and nest and foraging site selection would be negatively affected by silviculture through the removal of large, decaying trees as part of providing safe conditions for loggers. We monitored 101 nests of Brown Creeper during the 2010 and 2011 breeding seasons, mapped territories to estimate density, and conducted foraging surveys. Brown Creeper density was reduced by about 42% in logged stands compared with control stands. Despite that, silviculture did not significantly alter timing of breeding or nest survival. However, the loss of large trees through partial harvesting meant that Brown Creeper nested closer to adjacent, small forested wetlands and often in balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) in treated stands. In control stands, Brown Creeper nested further from forested wetlands, disproportionately in greater numbers in upland hardwoods, and preferentially in the bark of snags of yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton). The change in the species of tree used for nesting and the general forest type as a result of logging also resulted in consequences for the selection of foraging substrates. To maintain higher densities of Brown Creeper in logged stands in Algonquin Park, we recommend retaining larger diameter yellow birch, both snags and live trees, preferably within strategically located uncut reserves based on habitat supply planning, that maintains patches roughly the size of Brown Creeper territories (10 ha).

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Future forests and indicator-species population models

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc83036-1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 83 (1) ◽

pp. 36-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

L A Venier ◽

J L Pearce ◽

B A Wintle ◽

S A Bekessy

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Indicator Species ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Population Change ◽

Biological Indicators ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Landscape Models ◽

Dynamic Landscape ◽

Brown Creeper ◽

The Impact

In this paper, we provide an overview of a project that we initiated to explore the utility of spatially-explicit metapopulation models linked to dynamic landscape models as a way of incorporating biological indicators into sustainable forest management. We developed models for three indicator species as case studies; brown creeper (Certhis americana), redbacked vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) and red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) in a northern Ontario landscape. Results from the project to date suggest that there are significant advantages to models that are spatially-explicit and dynamic in their treatment of both populations and landscapes. Dynamic landscape metapopulation (DLMP) models allow a manager to track population change through time in response to a changing landscape and a fluctuating environment. These DLMP models may be used to predict the impact of current and alternative forest management strategies on population sizes of a suite of species chosen to indicate the health of forest ecosystems. Key words: biological indicators, population viability analysis, population modeling, dynamic landscape modeling, sustainable forest management, brown creeper, red-backed salamander, red-backed vole

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Nest site characteristics of cavity-nesting birds on a small island, in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v133i4.2277 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 133 (4) ◽

pp. 352-363

Author(s):

Neil G. Pilgrim ◽

Joanna L. Smith ◽

Keith Moore ◽

Anthony J. Gaston

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Nest Site ◽

Bird Species ◽

Tree Height ◽

Small Island ◽

Haida Gwaii ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Site Characteristics ◽

The Mean ◽

Brown Creeper

Many studies of cavity-nesting birds in North America are conducted in large continental forests and much less is known about them in island ecosystems. We describe a 29-year study of tree species, nest site characteristics, and fledge dates of cavity-nesting birds on a small island in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia (BC). Seven cavity-nesting bird species were documented on East Limestone Island and 463 nests were found in 173 different trees. Nest trees were significantly taller and had a greater diameter than a random sample of snags. Tree height did not differ among bird species but diameter at breast height was larger for trees used by Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) than for other species. Cavity-nesters selected tree decay classes 2–7 (all dead/near dead [snags]), with 85% in decay class 4 (35%) or 5 (50%), similar to the random snag sample (class 4, 32%; class 5, 42%). Cavity height ranged from 2.6 to 44.9 m and for all species, except Brown Creeper, the mean nest height was >60% of the mean tree height. Nest heights were generally greater than observed elsewhere in BC. Nest cavity orientation was random except for Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber), for which only 13% of the cavity entrances faced southeast. Median fledging dates ranged from 7 June (Chestnut-backed Chickadee [Poecile rufescens]) to 28 June (Northern Flicker [Colaptes auratus]). Estimated median dates of clutch completion were similar for all species. Our results show that large snags provide habitat for a high diversity of cavity-nesting birds on Haida Gwaii.

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