Ecological and Distributional Relations of Desert Scrub Birds of Western Texas
Dixon KL. 1959. Ecological and Distributional Relations of Desert Scrub Birds of Western Texas. The Condor. 61(6):397-409
Breeding-bird population data from two plots in desert scrub in the Big Bend area of Texas, censused for 2 to 3 years, respectively, revealed little change in species composition from one year to the next, but some fluctuations in density values. The plots are considered representative of open desert scrub of the Chihuahuan Desert. The avifauna of that scrub is shown to be depauperate in relation to that of the deserts of southern Arizona, consisting of species that range widely through the deserts and continuous woody plant formations. Comparison of the avifaunas of several desert areas reveals a relationship between species composition and structural diversity of vegetation. The colonizations of desert scrub by euryoecious bird species whose populations were completely isolated from those inhabiting other woody plant formations is suggested as a factor that may have hampered the evolution of specializations for life under extreme desert conditions.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Dixon, Keith
- Units
- BIBE
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Birds (Aves), Black Gap Wildlife Management Area TX, Breeding, Desert Scrub, Geographic Information System (GIS), Habitats, Monitoring, Plots, Population Density