in wooded swamps include several warblers (Tennessee, Nashville, and parula 

 warblers, and northern water thrush), the yellow-bellied flycatcher, and the 

 rusty blackbird. During migration and/or winter, palustrine habitats are 

 important for several raptors, including peregrine falcon, snowy owl, short- 

 eared owl, gyrfalcon, and merlin. 



Open Fields and Wet Meadows 



Open fields and wet meadows are used by approximately 32 species of birds. 

 They are used as feeding areas by species such as hawks and swallows that nest 

 in adjacent habitats, and as nesting and feeding areas for blackbirds (red- 

 winged, meadowlark, bobolink) and sparrows (song, savannah, vesper, field, and 

 sharp-tailed; figure 16-1). If suitable nesting cavities are available, 

 American kestrels will nest and feed in these habitats. Many species of 

 hawks, blackbirds, and sparrows feed in open fields and wet meadows during 

 non-breeding seasons, also. 



Old Fields, Edges, and Successional Habitats 



Nearly 60 species of birds are found in successional or edge habitats, 

 including 34 breeding residents, 14 permanent residents, 7 winter residents, 

 and 4 migratory residents. Successional habitats form a continuum from 

 relatively open, young serai stages, such as those found on recently abandoned 

 farmland or clearcut forests, to older stages dominated by tall shrubs and low 

 trees. Edge habitats occur where two structurally different habitats come 

 into contact. Edges are found where forests are adjacent to fields or 

 clearcuts, around clearings within forests, along the margins of ponds, lakes 

 and streams, along highway and transmission line rights-of-way, and in rural 

 and urban areas. Because of the range of vegetation types found in 

 successional and edge habitats, it is difficult to generalize about the bird 

 species found there. Often many different successional stages are found in 

 the same general area and birds preferring each stage are found together. 

 There are a few bird species considered true "edge" species (table 16-5). 

 Edge species require both of the component habitats for successful nesting, 

 using one habitat type for nesting or as song advertisement areas, and the 

 other for feeding. Bird species utilizing edge habitats, and successional 

 habitats in spruce-fir, pine, and deciduous forests are listed in figures 16-1 

 through 16-4 respectively. 



Forests 



Bird populations in Maine's forests are usually the richest of any terrestrial 

 habitats in both density and species. One reason is that forests have a 

 variety of vegetative types (herbs, shrubs, and trees), and bird species 

 adapted to utilize the different "layers" of forest vegetation occur together. 

 In addition, there is usually a range of successional stages within forest 

 stands caused by cutting, wind throw, or natural mortality that allows bird 

 species adapted to early successional stages to exist. 



Forest birds can be grouped into those found in coniferous forests and those 

 found in deciduous forests. Mixed coniferous-deciduous forests are inhabited 

 by both groups of birds. 



16-12 



