We investigated whether suburban areas in Gainesville FL could provide habitat for wintering bird species. During winter 2020, we conducted a study with two objectives: 1) identify the birds primarily using suburban forest fragments versus those using adjacent residential areas, and 2) assess how species' functional guild traits correspond to their habitat preferences. Vegetation analysis revealed richer vertical structure in forest fragments compared to residential areas, including ground, understory, and canopy vegetation. At 36 random survey sites across suburban forest fragments, adjacent residential zones, and forest fragment-residential edges, we recorded 41 bird species. Of these, 13 species (32%) significantly favored residential areas, while 6 (15%) preferred suburban forest fragments; 22 species (54%) showed no distinct preference. Notably, all 4 frugivorous species (100%), 2 omnivores (29%), and 4 granivores (57%) significantly preferred residential habitats. In contrast, 5 insectivores (23%) favored fragments and 3 (13%) preferred residential areas. These findings emphasize the importance of conserving vegetation in residential habitats and retaining forest fragments (161 ha) within suburban landscapes to support wintering bird populations.
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Buron et al. (2025) studied this question.