Avian Use of Purple Loosestrife Dominated Habitat Relative to Other Vegetation Types in a Lake Huron Wetland Complex

Michael B. Whitt^1,3,4, Harold H. Prince¹, and Robert R. Cox, Jr.²

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), a native of Eurasia, is an introduced perennial plant in North American wetlands that displaces other wetland plants. Although not well studied, purple loosestrife is widely believed to have little value as habitat for birds. To examine the value of purple loosestrife as avian breeding habitat, we conducted early, mid-, and late season bird surveys during two years (1994 and 1995) at 258 18-m (0.1 ha) fixed-radius plots in coastal wetlands of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. We found that loosestrife-dominated habitats had higher avian densities, but lower avian diversities than other vegetation types. The six most commonly observed bird species in all habitats combined were Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis), Marsh Wren (C. palustris), Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), Common Yellowthroat (Geothylpis trichas), Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana), and Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Swamp Sparrow densities were highest and Marsh Wren densities were lowest in loosestrife dominated habitats. We observed ten breeding species in loosestrife dominated habitats. We conclude that avian use of loosestrife warrants further quantitative investigation because avian use may be higher than is commonly believed. Received 27 May 1998, accepted 26 Aug. 1998.

This resource is based on the following source (Northern Prairie Publication 1048):

Whitt, Michael B., Harold H. Prince, and Robert R. Cox, Jr.  1999.  Avian Use
     of Purple Loosestrife Dominated Habitat Relative to Other Vegetation Types
     in a Lake Huron Wetland Complex.  Wilson Bulletin Vol. 111, No 1:105-114.

This resource should be cited as:

Whitt, Michael B., Harold H. Prince, and Robert R. Cox, Jr.  1999.  Avian Use
     of Purple Loosestrife Dominated Habitat Relative to Other Vegetation Types
     in a Lake Huron Wetland Complex.  Wilson Bulletin Vol. 111, No 1:105-114.
     Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
     http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/huron/index.htm 
     (Version 04JUN99).

Figures and Tables

Figure 1 -- Characters of surveyed vegetation types in Saginaw Bay Wetlands.
Table 1 -- Mean cover height and mean water depth by period and vegetation type in Saginaw Bay wetlands.
Table 2 -- Distribution of breeding birds by vegetation type in Saginaw Bay wetlands, 1994 - 1995.
Table 3 -- Number and percent of plots where nests of bird species were found in Saginaw Bay wetlands.
Table 4 -- Mean avian density, avian diversity, and number of plots by vegetation in Saginaw Bay wetlands.
Table 5 -- Mean density of the six most commonly observed bird species by vegetation type in Saginaw Bay wetlands.

¹ Michigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, East Lansing, MI 48824.
² Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, 8711 37th Street SE, Jamestown, ND 58401.
³ Present address: Svoboda Ecological Resources, 2477 Shadywood Road, Excelsior, MN 55331;
e-mail:ser@winternet.com.
⁴ Corresponding author.

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Avian Use of Purple Loosestrife Dominated Habitat Relative to Other Vegetation Types in a Lake Huron Wetland Complex

Table of Contents

Figures and Tables