Trends in abundance of common passerine species in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, 1997–2019
Mizel J and Hughey J. 2021. Trends in abundance of common passerine species in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, 1997–2019. Natural Resource Report. NPS/CAKN/NRR—2021/2282. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/nrr-2286712
The Central Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network (CAKN) monitors passerine species with the primary objectives of documenting changes in their distribution and abundance. Towards these objectives, we conduct roadside surveys in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST) along the Nabesna and McCarthy roads. Here, we document trends in relative abundance of common breeding species in WRST from 1997–2019 using these data combined with counts from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) made along the same road sections. Among forest-associated species, Swainson’s thrush (Catharus ustulatus) and varied thrush (Ixoreus naevius) exhibited positive and negative trends in abundance, respectively. Among shrub tundra-associated species, only savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) showed strong evidence of change (i.e., a negative trend). The direction of these trends was consistent with state- and regional-scale analyses of BBS data, suggesting that the observed trends in WRST are part of larger-scale population changes within the northern boreal region.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Mizel, Jeremy; Hughey, Jared
- Date of Issue
- 2021-07
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/nrr-2286712
- Units
- CAKN , NRSS , WRST
- Keywords
- Birds, Breeding Bird Survey, McCarthy Road, Nabesna Road, Wrangell-St. Elias
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds