Offered Papers Theme B: Grassland and the Environment
Description
The Japanese Red Data Book of Birds lists the Japanese Marsh Warbler (Locustella pryeri pryeri) as an endangered species. It feeds and breeds in-reed dominated (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin.ex.Steud.) grassland in N Japan. Expanses of reclaimed land (Hotokenuma) are its largest breeding grounds. Each April, fire management is used to rid the area of the dead reed material amassed from the previous year. Circa 1 month after burning, the species returns to the area to inhabit and breed in the unburned areas. Fire use to manage grasslands is an important tool for the conservation and management of bird habitat (Pon et al., 2003, Kirkpatrick et al., 2002). We investigated the size and distribution of the unburned areas and the monthly changes in the number of the courtship displays observed in breeding season. This study aimed to draft recommendations for use to conserve the microhabitat of this species from the results.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Effect of Burning Abandoned Reclaimed Land in Early Spring on the Distribution of an Endangered Grassland Bird Species - the Japanese Marsh Warbler
The Japanese Red Data Book of Birds lists the Japanese Marsh Warbler (Locustella pryeri pryeri) as an endangered species. It feeds and breeds in-reed dominated (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin.ex.Steud.) grassland in N Japan. Expanses of reclaimed land (Hotokenuma) are its largest breeding grounds. Each April, fire management is used to rid the area of the dead reed material amassed from the previous year. Circa 1 month after burning, the species returns to the area to inhabit and breed in the unburned areas. Fire use to manage grasslands is an important tool for the conservation and management of bird habitat (Pon et al., 2003, Kirkpatrick et al., 2002). We investigated the size and distribution of the unburned areas and the monthly changes in the number of the courtship displays observed in breeding season. This study aimed to draft recommendations for use to conserve the microhabitat of this species from the results.
