![Conserve Ontario's Carolinian Forests - Preserve Endangered Songbirds](/web/20061210003158im_/http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/factsheets/images/fs_songbird_header.jpg)
Table of Contents
Acadian
Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers
Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers are migratory birds that
share essential breeding habitat in the forests of Ontario’s
Carolinian Zone. Like many songbirds that nest in Canada, these
species winter in Central and South America, and migrate each year
to eastern North America for the warm months. In Canada, the birds
nest only in Ontario, in the moderate climate found in the southwestern
portion of the province. Natural areas in this region are under
intense pressure from agricultural and urban expansion.
Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers prefer large, mature woodlands
for nesting. In Ontario’s Carolinian Zone, the preferred habitat
of these birds has diminished by as much as 90 per cent since European
settlement. Acadian Flycatchers are listed as an endangered species
in Canada, with only 35 to 50 nesting pairs occurring annually.
Hooded Warblers are a nationally threatened species, with just 150
to 210 nesting pairs found each year.
Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers are fairly abundant in
highly forested regions of the eastern and southeastern United States.
However, they have both been identified as “Species of Concern”
in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin, owing to significant
loss and fragmentation of forest habitat.
In Canada, Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers are known to
have nested in fewer than 100 individual forests. Preserving these
populations in Canada is contingent on conserving the remaining
Carolinian forests in Ontario.
To protect and enhance the habitat of these songbirds, co-operative
efforts are required from landowners, forest managers, foresters,
wildlife biologists, planners, municipalities, habitat restoration
groups, and community conservation groups.
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A Closer Look at Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded
Warblers
Acadian Flycatchers are olive-coloured birds that make their homes
under tall, closed tree canopies in the middle levels of mature
forests, often along steep-sided ravines. The small birds have an
explosive song that sounds like “peet-sah,” which resounds
from shady spots along creeks and swamps. Their nests are generally
built at low heights (two to four metres) over bare, open areas
like streams and pools of water. Nests are typically suspended from
the horizontal branches of American beech, eastern hemlock and flowering
dogwood trees. They can be distinguished by long, hanging strands
of grass or other materials.
Hooded Warblers are easily identified by their yellow masks and
underbodies. The males have full black hoods, whereas the females
may have nearly complete hoods or no hoods at all. Their loud song
suggests the phrase “weeta-weeta-weetee- o.” The nest
– a bulky mass of dry leaves – is placed in the low,
shrubby understory that occurs in small gaps in mature, dry forests.
Hooded Warblers prefer to nest close to the ground, often in wild
raspberry thickets.
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The
Species Ranges and the Carolinian Zone
North American Distribution Maps
The small songbirds reach the northern limits of their breeding
ranges in the Carolinian forests of southwestern Ontario.
The majority of forest songbirds in Canada are neotropical
migrants, which means that they breed in North America in
the summer months and winter in Central and South America,
or the Caribbean. Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers
are two of Canada’s rarest neotropical migrants. Both
species reach the northern limits of their breeding ranges
in the Carolinian forests of southwestern Ontario. Wildlife
found at the edges of their breeding range can provide important
benefits to the whole species. These populations often evolve
unique genetic and behavioural variations that can contribute
to species survival in the event of rapid changes to the environment
or climate, which may affect the larger group adversely.
ONTARIO’S CAROLINIAN ZONE
The Carolinian Zone lies south of an imaginary line between
Grand Bend on Lake Huron and Toronto on Lake Ontario. This
region enjoys warmer year-round temperatures than any other
part of Ontario. The accommodating climate supports ecosystems
found nowhere else in Canada, along with levels of biological
diversity unsurpassed elsewhere in the province and possibly
the nation.
“Carolinian” is a name coined by early botanists,
who observed that hardwood forests in southwestern Ontario
share many characteristics with forests as far south as the
Carolinas. Forests in Ontario’s Carolinian Zone are
enriched by trees having a strong southern affinity, such
as tulip, sassafras, Kentucky coffee, cucumber magnolia, black
gum,
and papaw.
Carolinian forest is one of Canada’s most threatened
habitats. More than 40 per cent of the national list of endangered
and threatened species occur in the Carolinian zone –
more than in any other Canadian life zone. Throughout the
Carolinian Zone, agricultural and residential pressures have
caused extensive wildlife habitat destruction. In parts of
southwestern Ontario, over 90 per cent of the original forests
are gone. Most of the remaining forests are too small and
isolated to accommodate Acadian Flycatchers, Hooded Warblers
and other species that depend on the specialized habitats
found in large forests.
Recovery actions are needed to ensure the conservation of
the remaining Carolinian forests in Ontario. Preservation
and enhancement of the habitat favoured by Acadian Flycatchers
and Hooded Warblers will benefit other forest birds, including
three species of special concern: Red-shouldered Hawks, Cerulean
Warblers and Louisiana Waterthrushes. More common forest bird
species, such as Wood Thrushes, Ovenbirds and Pileated Woodpeckers,
will also gain from the conservation and wise management of
mature forest habitat. |
Canada’s
Recovery Plan
In 1994, Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers received their
current, respective designations, “Endangered” and “Threatened.”
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, known
as COSEWIC, is the national assessment body that makes recommendations
on the status of species believed to be at risk of extinction. COSEWIC
consists of distinguished scientists and wildlife managers representing
20 member agencies and organizations from across Canada, plus the
chairs of its eight Species Specialist Groups. In 1996, the Canadian
Wildlife Service, through the committee for Recovery of Nationally
Endangered Wildlife, or RENEW, established the first multi-species
recovery team in Canada, the Acadian Flycatcher and Hooded Warbler
Recovery Team. This group developed a National Recovery Strategy
and Recovery Action Plan to preserve the two species.
The National Recovery Strategy aims to substantially increase the
current populations of the birds in Ontario. Successful recovery
will raise the populations to 250 nesting pairs of Acadian Flycatchers
and 500 nesting pairs of Hooded Warblers. The recovery team is realizing
these goals by:
- encouraging private landowners
and public managers of Carolinian
forests in Canada to protect and
enhance these rare ecosystems;
- providing management guideline
options to concerned landowners,
managers and foresters that are
designed to maintain and enhance
Carolinian forest habitat; and
- assisting landowner stewardship and
the creation of broad partnerships
between landowners, government,
and interest groups around six Core
Woodland Complexes identified in
the Recovery Action Plan.
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Building
Better Forest Habitat
Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers prefer extensive
forest cover for nesting. In Canada, the largest amount of
forest cover within the Carolinian Zone is found in Norfolk
and Elgin counties, which are 25 and 16 per cent forested,
respectively. Consequently, these two regions support the
greatest concentrations of Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded
Warblers in Canada.
Under the national Recovery Action Plan for the two species,
six key woodland complexes in southwestern Ontario have been
identified as having national importance for the maintenance
of one or both species. These large forest complexes have
been designated for special conservation effort:
- Lambton County Heritage Forest (Lambton County);
- Bothwell Forest / Skunk’s Misery and County Line
Woods ( Middlesex County and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent);
- Clear Creek Forest (Municipality of Chatham Kent);
- Backus Woods, St. Williams Forest, South Walsingham Forest
and Deer Creek Valley (Norfolk County);
- Dundas Valley (Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth);
and
- the Niagara Escarpment Plan area encompassing Short Hills
Provincial Park and the Fonthill area (Niagara Regional
Municipality).
![Photo of Clear Creek Forest, Cochrane Woods / James Duncan, Nature Conservancy of Canada](/web/20061210003158im_/http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/factsheets/images/clear_creek_forest.jpg) |
Clear
Creek Forest, Cochrane Woods / James Duncan, Nature
Conservancy of Canada |
|
FOREST INTERIOR HABITAT REQUIRED
Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers are considered
“area-sensitive” species because of their preference
for nesting in large woodlands. The birds occasionally inhabit forests
as small as 20 hectares (about 50 acres), but are much more common
in forests of at least 100 hectares (about 250 acres). Small woodlots
can, and do, attract these species if they are in close proximity
to larger forest cover within the region.
Large woodlands are more likely to contain the variety
of microhabitats these songbirds require for nesting, foraging and
cover. In addition, large woodlands offer extensive interior habitat,
the inner part of the forest more than 100 metres from the edges.
Because there are generally more predators in small forests and
along forest edges, nesting success is often greater in the interior
portion than near the edges or in small woodlots.
TROUBLE AROUND THE EDGES
Birds nesting in small woodlands are more vulnerable
to an array of predators that thrive along forest edges, such as
jays, crows, grackles, squirrels, raccoons, foxes and skunks. These
predators are far more abundant in fragmented landscapes, with their
higher proportion of edge habitat, than in forest-dominated landscapes.
Fragmented habitat is dominated by fields, pastures, orchards and
residential areas.
Large forests also reduce pressure from Brown-headed
Cowbirds. As “brood parasites,” cowbirds do not build
their own nests. Instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of other
birds, which incubate the cowbird eggs and raise the cowbird hatchlings
as their own. As a result, the host parents may raise few or none
of their own young. Cowbirds, which flourish in fragmented landscapes,
target the nests of many species of songbirds, including Acadian
Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers.
The amount of edge habitat can be minimized by protecting
large woodlands, increasing the size of individual forests through
re-forestation projects, and avoiding further fragmentation of existing
forests.
BENEFITS OF OLD-GROWTH FORESTS
Older woodlands, which are disappearing rapidly in
southern Ontario, have special ecological significance. They often
support a greater mix of tree and plant species, and habitats at
different stages of succession, than younger woodlands. They also
offer the diversity of habitats required by Acadian Flycatchers,
Hooded Warblers and a suite of area-sensitive forest birds.
Mature forests also bring significant economic returns to landowners.
Delaying the harvest of 50- to 80-year-old sugar maple trees for
another 15 years will increase economic return by up to 400 per
cent, because older trees grow in size and accrue superior quality
and economic value.
In addition, by leaving older seed
trees of a variety of species in place,
landowners will maintain overall
forest stand diversity and health
over the long term.
The Acadian Flycatcher and Hooded Warbler Recovery
Team encourages public agencies who own or manage Carolinian Canada’s
remaining woodlands to manage these properties as old-growth stands.
A strong commitment from public landowners will greatly enhance
the survival of Acadian Flycatchers, Hooded Warblers and other Carolinian
species with specialized habitat requirements, and will establish
benchmarks for similar stewardship by private landowners.
Breeding Evidence in the Carolinian
Zone
Current known breeding distribution of Acadian Flycatchers
and Hooded Warblers in Ontario.
![Map of Acadian Flycatcher Breeding Evidence](/web/20061210003158im_/http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/factsheets/images/breedingevidence_map1.gif) |
Acadian
Flycatcher |
![Map of Hooded Warbler Breeding Evidence](/web/20061210003158im_/http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/factsheets/images/breedingevidence_map2.gif) |
Hooded
Warbler |
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A Guide to Habitat-Friendly
Forest Management
|
Good forestry practices can maintain and improve the economic
quality of a forest over a long period without harming the
ecological processes that sustain and develop wildlife habitat.
Viable options are available that can benefit both landowners
and area-sensitive species, such as Acadian Flycatchers and
Hooded Warblers. Many species will thrive in a carefully managed
forest, while the woodlot continues to provide long-term income
for the landowner. Harvesting woodlands wisely builds a significant
legacy for the preservation of our natural heritage, and protects
long-term economic interests for future generations. |
IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
Careful planning at all stages of forest management can help to
determine feasible economic objectives, minimize environmental damage,
and protect sensitive species and features of the site. The Acadian
Flycatcher and Hooded Warbler Recovery Team is available to advise
property owners prior to logging operations. Information on woodland
management in southern Ontario can also be obtained from the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources (see Contacts).
GET IT IN WRITING
If you hire a contractor to cut your woodlot, be sure to work from
a written contract specifying the management plan you want to use.
SINGLE-TREE SELECTION OPTION
Single-tree selection is the least intrusive cutting system and
likely comes closest to imitating a natural pattern of small-scale
forest disturbance. For this option, a prescribed selection of mature
or preferred trees are removed at short intervals of 10 or 20 years,
leaving a scattered pattern of small gaps, while also leaving all
the major tree components in place to rejuvenate themselves in a
natural pattern. The life expectancy of the gaps is relatively short
because they tend to regenerate quickly, but continued single-tree
selection will ensure that new gaps are created. Meanwhile, retention
of many older growth trees ensures that essential ecological cycles
(including re-seeding) are maintained.
Retaining many large-diameter trees in the forest maintains a permanent
canopy cover, the habitat most beneficial for Acadian Flycatchers.
At the same time, the interspersed small gaps created through single-tree
selection will provide alternative habitat that is ideal for Hooded
Warblers. Gaps as small as five metres wide can provide nesting
habitat for these birds.
GROUP-TREE SELECTION OPTION
Group-tree selection creates scattered canopy openings that measure
about twice the height of the tallest trees in the forest. Small
groups of mature or preferred trees are removed at short intervals
of 10 or 20 years. This method is similar to single-tree selection,
but it results in the creation of larger gaps.
Provided that the operations retain some tracts of mature and uncut
deciduous forest, well-planned group-tree selection treatments can
maintain the closed canopy conditions favoured by Acadian Flycatchers.
In turn, within a few years of their creation, the forest gaps begin
to regenerate and can attract Hooded Warblers. Two to three gaps
per hectare provide shrub cover and foraging habitat for nesting
Hooded Warblers. The warblers may return annually until the saplings
reach more than five metres in height and begin shading out the
thick undergrowth, a process that may take 12 years or more.
DIAMETER-LIMIT CUTS MAY LIMIT FUTURE OPTIONS
A diameter-limit cut involves harvesting every tree larger than
a specified diameter. This system severely diminishes the ecological
health of the woodland and reduces opportunities for long-term,
sustainable income from future cuts. Landowners are often left with
a low-quality, genetically impaired forest. As well, diameter-limit
cuts remove all of the oldest trees and eliminate breeding habitat
for Acadian Flycatchers, Hooded Warblers and other forest birds
that need mature forest habitat.
CUT ROTATION IS ESSENTIAL
Best practices for habitat conservation indicate that only a portion
of the forest should be cut at any one time. Rotating cuts ensures
that essential forest bird habitat is maintained, with areas of
the forest providing closed canopy and older habitat for Acadian
Flycatchers and other areas providing small canopy gaps for Hooded
Warblers. At the same time, periodic rotation cuts ensure a sustained
income for the landowner.
MINIMIZE IMPACTS OF LOGGING
To minimize the impacts of logging on breeding birds, operations
must be scheduled outside the nesting season. The best time to log
is from October to March, when the ground is either frozen or dry
enough to minimize or avoid damage to the forest floor. Plan carefully
to keep the size and number of trails and landings low, which will
reduce the number of canopy breaks and help to avoid the spread
of invasive native and non-native plants.
MAINTAIN THE EDGE
Avoid cutting trees within 20 to 30 metres of the forest edges.
A dense stand of trees around the forest edges, particularly on
the southwest-facing side, buffers the forest interior from the
damaging effects of wind and sun.
Open edges expose the forest to greater risk of windthrow, drought,
disease, pesticides, and invasive plants.
KEEP AN UNDISTURBED FOREST CORE
Consider leaving a permanent,
unlogged core area in the centre of
the forest as an old-growth reserve.
Older-growth or mature forest habitat
supports many plant and animal
species that are absent or uncommon
in young forests. Older-growth stands
can satisfy the habitat requirements
of both Acadian Flycatchers and
Hooded Warblers because they
provide extensive closed canopy
areas, along with a mosaic of gaps
created by natural tree falls.
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Enlarge and reconnect existing woodlands
The amount of forest interior habitat can be increased, sometimes
significantly, by reforesting fields and other large openings within
woodlands, restoring marginal farmland around woodland edges, and
reconnecting isolated woodlands. Strategic reforestation can have
important, lasting ecological benefits for area-sensitive and forest-interior
species.
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Protect valleylands and swamps
Woodlands bordering streams and ravines provide important habitat
for Acadian Flycatchers and other forest birds, particularly in
regions where little other forest cover exists. Protect ravine woodlands
from erosion and disruption by leaving at least a 10 metre buffer
of trees on the tableland along the top of the ravine slope. Degraded
slopes and valleys can be restored by natural or planned regeneration.
It is best to avoid harvesting timber from ravines and stream banks
because subsequent erosion may diminish stream water quality.
Swamps provide important habitat
for endangered species such as
Acadian Flycatchers and Prothonotary
Warblers, and more common species
such as Wood Ducks and Northern
Waterthrushes. Swamps and other
wetlands also protect the quality and
quantity of water supplies. Preserving
wetlands provides environmental
benefits for humans, birds and
other wildlife.
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Tax Incentives for Sustainably Managed Forests
The Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program (CLTIP) and Managed
Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) are provincial government property
tax incentives. Landowners can receive property tax incentives for
owning certain environmentally sensitive lands and/or managing those
lands for conservation. Landowners interested in these programs
should contact the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for more
information (see Contacts).
ALTERNATIVES FOR LONG-TERM PRESERVATION
There are a variety of conservation options available to preserve
high-quality forest habitat for Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers.
Conservation easements, for example, can enshrine preservation policies
on the title of the property. Some conservation groups will lease
significant habitat. Also, the federal Ecological Gifts Program
allows landowners to donate ecologically sensitive land to qualified
recipients, and receive significant tax benefits (see Contacts).
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Thanks to the landowners
Many landowners throughout
Ontario’s Carolinian Zone protect
significant woodland habitat. Without
their past and continuing stewardship,
the region would experience
greater depletion of species such as
Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded
Warblers that are dependent on
mature forest habitat. Numerous
landowners also allow access to their
lands for wildlife and forest research.
Their generous co-operation and
contributions to conservation are
deeply appreciated.
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Recommended Reading
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. 2000. A
silvicultural guide to managing southern Ontario forests.
Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Toronto, Ontario.
Available from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Tel: 1-800-667-1940
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Contacts
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Acknowledgments:
This pamphlet and the work of the Acadian Flycatcher and Hooded
Warbler Recovery Team have been supported by the following sponsors
and partners: Canadian Wildlife Service – Ontario Region,
Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, Bird Studies Canada, Endangered Species
Recovery Fund, Natural Heritage Information Centre, Long Point Foundation
for Conservation, and the Long Point Region Conservation Authority.
Thanks also to Mike Cadman, Dawn Burke, Mary Gartshore, Ken Elliott,
Dave Martin, Jon McCracken, Jim Oliver, Don Sutherland, Bridget
Stutchbury and Allen Woodliffe for their help in producing this
fact sheet.
This fact sheet was printed on Rolland Opaque paper,
made with 20 per cent post-consumer recycled waste, and printed
with vegetable-based inks.
© Bird Studies Canada, 2001
Authors: Lyle Friesen and Mark Stabb
Editors: Julie Suzanne Pollock, Helen Mason and Jon McCracken
Design & Layout: Neglia Design Inc., Toronto
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