SREL Reprint #2917

Biotic Communities: Nongame Birds

John C. Kilgo1 and A. Lawrence Bryan, Jr.2

1USFS-Savannah River, PO Box 700, New Ellenton, SC 29809
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802

Abstract: The Savannah River Site (SRS) provides habitat for an impressive array of avian species. During its fifty-year existence, 259 bird species have been recorded there (Mayer et al. 1997 and unpublished data). This figure represents more than two thirds of the 379 species on the South Carolina state list (McNair and Post 1993). Explanations for SRS’s diverse avifauna include its location along the Savannah River migratory flyway, its predominantly forested landscape (in stark contrast to the surrounding counties; see figure 1.7), and the great diversity of habitat types on the site. SRS habitats span a continuum from xeric longleaf pine–turkey oak (see appendix for scientific names of plants) sandhills to hydric cypresstupelo forests and from early successional pine regeneration stands to mature bottomland hardwood forests. The urban or developed habitats of the facilities areas and the lacustrine habitats of the cooling reservoirs add to the habitat diversity and support many species.
Since its inception, the SRS has been the subject of intensive avian study. In 1951, Dr. Eugene Odum and a team of scientists from the University of Georgia initiated avian surveys to establish baseline ecological information for the Department of Energy and to identify patterns of old- field succession. As this early research program grew into the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, its avian research focus shifted toward radioecology, waterfowl, and endangered species studies. Meyers and Odum (2000) have described early ornithological work on the SRS. In recent years, the U.S. Forest Service has initiated considerable avian research and monitoring efforts. In 1996, the Forest Service symposium on long-term avian research on the SRS produced the publication Avian Research at the Savannah River Site: A Model for Integrating Basic Research and Long-Term Management (Dunning and Kilgo 2000). This valuable resource includes contributions from most ornithologists who worked on SRS in the 1980s and 1990s.

SREL Reprint #2917

Kilgo, J. C. and A. L. Bryan, Jr. 2005. Biotic Communities: Nongame Birds. pp. 223-252 In J. C. Kilgo and J. I. Blake (Eds.). Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape: Fifty Years on the Savannah River Site. Island Press.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).