A forest is a unit of multilayered vegetation that is dominated by trees. Around 4.03 billion hectares, which equates to approximately 30% of earths land area is covered by forests. Forests hold great importance as they provide a wide range of ecosystem services such as conserving flora and fauna, preventing soil erosion and regulating climate. Birds have been associated with forests since they first came into existence. Birds are highly interactive members in the forest ecosystem and share a mutualistic relationship with plants in a forest. Birds are insect predators and therefore influence tree growth by reducing the effect of insect pests. Birds also play an important role in seed dispersal and pollination. In return birds are provided with food and safe nesting sites in the forest.
The forest provides sustenance to birds in the form of nectar, fruit, seeds and leaves. Most birds are not completely herbivorous and therefore also feed on insects. Due to birds controlling the amount of insect pests present, plant growth is increased. Nectar of flowers is typically composed of sucrose and amino acids. This nectar is housed inside brightly colored flowers which attract bird pollinators. When birds feed on the nectar of various flowers, pollen is transferred from one plant to the next and therefore birds aid in pollination. Birds also feed on fruits which contain seeds, and through the bird’s droppings; the seeds are dispersed to a new location far away from the parent plant. Through these mechanisms’ birds are provided with food while the plant benefits in seed dispersal and pollination. Forests are also important for birds during migration. The migrating birds feed on food or insects and replenish their fat reserves which will be used when crossing seas or non-forested habitats.
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Aside from food, forests also provide birds with nesting sites. Birds build their nests on the ground, in shrubs or in the treetops. Birds such as the woodpecker which are cavity nesting birds, will use hollowed out parts of a tree or plant to nest. The risk of nest predation also has a great influence on the reproductive success of birds. Birds will look at the various characteristics of a nesting site when choosing a nesting site. The site that a bird selects is influenced by the nest predation risk, tolerance to abiotic factors and interspecific competition. During nesting season, particularly for cavity nesting birds; the canopy cover could affect the temperature of chicks during development and influence reproductive success.
Deforestation refers to the permanent removal of forests to make land available for other non-forest uses. Deforestation occurs when a single area of habitat is removed while the surrounding habitat remains intact. The deforested land can then be used for agriculture such as crops, pasture and plantations. The global population is constantly growing and is estimated to reach 9 billion in 2050. This places a demand on forest products and land use for food production and urbanization. Logging which is a major cause of deforestation, is the process of cutting and processing trees to produce timber, furniture and paper. Simulation models show that the rate of human population growth correlates to the rate of deforestation. If deforestation continues at its current rate, it may take only 400 years for all forests to be removed.
Deforestation is typically followed by forest fragmentation. Forest fragmentation occurs when patches of forest are separated by non-forest patches such as roads, agriculture or other human developments. When a habitat is lost due to deforestation the remaining habitat becomes fragmented and the space between remaining patches increases. Both deforestation and fragmentation has a negative effect on the population and diversity of birds. It has been predicted that future extinctions will occur in biodiversity hotspots where there are high rates of deforestation. Deforestation, fragmentation and logging opens forest area to hunters and makes room for human development which are major drivers of bird diversity loss.
Forest habitat fragmentation reduces territory space, nest sites, food and other critical resources which leads to the decline of bird populations. Habitat fragmentation can also lead to an increase in numbers of predators which places a greater predation risk on birds and their nests. The availability of food is also affected by habitat fragmentation. A shortage in the availability of food can affect the capability of birds to produce offspring. Therefore, forest habitat fragmentation can impact the reproductive success of birds either indirectly by increasing predation risk, or directly by decreasing the availability of food.
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