[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Birds and exotic shrubs



In an AP story dated January 24, two researchers in the Midwest argue
that the proliferation of exotic shrubs may be contributing to declining

populations of some songbirds.  I have copied a piece of the news story
here because I think the exotics mentioned (honeysuckle and buckthorn)
are common in our area, too.  For a copy of the complete story, email me
directly.
------
For release Monday, Jan. 24, and thereafter
Study links songbird decline to growth of exotic shrubs
AP Photo NY351 of Jan. 20  By TAMMY WEBBER
Associated Press Writer

In a study that adds a new twist to concerns about how non-native, or
exotic, species affect ecosystems, Whelan and Kenneth Schmidt, a
researcher at the University of Memphis, suggest the proliferation of
exotic shrubs may be contributing to declining populations of some
songbirds.
Analyzing six years of data collected from 585 American robin and
wood thrush nests in the 1,600-acre Morton Arboretum near Chicago,
Whelan and
Schmidt discovered birds that nested in exotic honeysuckle and buckthorn

were almost never able to fledge young before the nests were destroyed
or
raided by other animals.
   The reason? The non-native bushes simply don't protect nests as well
as native shrubs, the pair said.  The honeysuckle's stronger branches,
for example, encourage birds to build their nests lower than normal,
putting them within easy reach of hungry marauders such as raccoons,
and also support the predators' weight. And, unlike the native hawthorn,

buckthorn doesn't have thorns to protect nests,  researchers said.
--
Claudia Egelhoff
American Cancer Society-Southeast Division
11 South Boylan Ave
Raleigh, NC  27603
egelhoff@relay.org