Avian Use of a Desert Riparian Island and Its Adjacent Scrub Habitat

A riparian bird community in central Arizona contributed from 23 to 33% of the birds along the adjacent desert washes, and from 7 to 15% of the birds in the adjacent desert upland. Conversely, the desert bird community contributed only from 1 to 1.5% of the birds in the riparian island. Bird density ranged from 336 to 446 birds/40 ha in the riparian core and edge in 1981 and 1982. Bird density in the adjacent desert decreased with distance from the edge of the riparian island to a low of 101 birds/40 ha in 1981, to 137 birds/40 ha in 1982, in the segment 600 to 1,000 m from the riparian edge.