Foliage structure influences foraging of insectivorous forest birds: an experimental study

Preferences for foraging in particular tree species have been well documented in a variety of bird species, but underlying reasons remain little investigated. Understanding the causal bases for such patterns of habitat use can help to elucidate mechanisms of habitat selection and, therefore, community organization and structure. I experimentally tested the hypothesis that fine‐scale foliage structure of two deciduous tree species influences the foraging behavior of three small, insectivorous bird species. On sugar maple (Acer saccharum), with its orbicular leaves elevated above the branch, Black‐throated Blue Warblers (Dendroica caerulescens) and American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) captured prey predominantly from lower leaf surfaces, whereas Black‐throated Green Warblers (Dendroica virens) captured prey predominantly from upper leaf surfaces. In contrast, on yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), with its oblong‐ovate leaves held within the plane of the supporting branch, all three bird species captured prey disproportionately from upper leaf surfaces. Overall, aerial maneuvers were used more frequently to capture prey from upper than from lower leaf surfaces on sugar maple, but the opposite occurred on yellow birch, where non‐aerial maneuvers were used more frequently to capture prey from upper than from lower leaf surfaces. Those results indicate that the leaf surface from which prey are more easily captured (with less energetically costly non‐aerial maneuvers) differs between those tree species. Experimental manipulation of leaf dispersion and distance to prey demonstrated that leaf dispersion is the chief determinant of prey capture location (upper vs. lower leaf surfaces), and that distance to prey is the chief determinant of prey capture maneuver (aerial vs. non‐aerial). When foraging on artificial branches in which vertical distance between branches was systematically increased experimentally, Black‐throated Green Warblers captured a significantly smaller proportion of prey from lower surfaces of leaves on the upper branch than did Black‐throated Blue Warblers. Taken together, these results indicate that different tree species, as well as different locations within tree species, present insectivorous birds with distinct foraging environments and, therefore, constitute distinct foraging microhabitats. Furthermore, even closely related bird species that are generally similar morphologically respond in behaviorally unique ways to differences in foliage structure. For those reasons, forest management practices that enhance tree species diversity could concomitantly enhance foraging opportunities (niche diversity) for forest insectivores and may thus help to promote high bird species diversity and maintain abundant populations.