The Status of Landbirds in Alberta's Boreal Plains Ecozone - Preliminary Assessment 2012

Description: The boreal forest is considered the ''bird nursery'' of North America, serving as the breeding ground for millions of birds each year. Find out how different landbird guilds are doing in the boreal forest of Alberta, including: neotropical migrants, old-forest specialists, forest-interior specialists, winter residents, species at risk, and human-associated birds. This report describes the status of Landbirds, human footprint, and habitat in Alberta's portion of the Boreal Plains Ecozone (BPE). As of 2010, 21% of Alberta's BPE has been directly altered by human activity. The 74 landbird species assessed in this report were found to have a biodiversity intactness of 80%. In general, intactness was lowest for species that are positively associated with human-modified landscapes, and tend to be four to six times more common than expected. The information on this report provides the baseline conditions for landbirds and can be used as the foundation for evaluating future outcomes of resource management in the region. Photo: Norman Bateman