A Backward‐Looking Perspective of Land‐Use Change Impacts on Bird Communities in Southern Quebec

Abstract

Study DescriptionHabitat loss and degradation are among the major threats to biodiversity. Using bird atlas data, we predicted the response of 128 bird species to land-use changes in southern Québec between "1984-89" and "2010-2014." Declining species were mostly short-distance migrants, associated with open habitats and aerial insectivorous or granivorous diets, which may be related to agricultural intensification and land abandonment. Land-use changes were positive for some forest species, associated with mixed and deciduous forests, generalist diets, and tree-nesting strategies. Yet cavity-nesting birds have suffered reductions in their distributions, suggesting that effects of intensive logging pose a threat for mature forest-specialist species.