Breeding and Post-Breeding Habitat Use by Forest Migrant Songbirds in the Missouri Ozarks

We compared habitat use by forest migrant songbirds during the breeding and post-breeding periods in four Missouri Ozark habitats: mature upland forest, mature riparian forest, 9- to 10-year-old upland forest, and 3- to 4-year-old upland forest created by clearcutting. Adult forest-ground species showed a decrease in abundance in all habitats during the post-breeding period, but hatching-year birds of one of the two forest-ground species were most abundant in early-successional forest during this time. Adults of the two forest-canopy species tended to increase in abundance in 3- to 4-year-old forest from breeding season to post-breeding season. During the breeding season, some forest species were detected with mist-nets in the two early-successional habitats, but infrequently or not at all with point counts in those habitats. Forest birds captured in early-successional habitats during the breeding season may have been nonbreeding floaters, or may have been foraging there from nearby territories in mature forest. Dense shrubs or young trees in early-successional forest may provide habitat for nonbreeding and post-breeding forest migrant songbirds in the Missouri Ozarks.