Wetland birds in the northern prairie pothole region may show sensitivity to agriculture

Wetland losses in the Northern Prairie Pothole Region (NPPR) are largely attributed to agriculture. Since land-use is known to influence bird habitat selection, bird community composition is likely sensitive to the extent of neighboring agricultural activity. We determined which local and landscape habitat variables are most predictive of wetland bird assemblage occurrence in southern Alberta. We:1) identified distinct bird assemblages with a cluster analysis, 2) identified which species were indicative of these assemblages using an indicator species analysis and 3) predicted which bird assemblage would occur in a wetland with a classification and regression tree. Avian assemblages were more loosely defined and had few indicator species. Importantly, assemblages were specific to the natural region in which the wetland occurred. Also, landscapes with higher agricultural activity generally supported waterfowl and shorebirds, likely because agricultural activities excluded wetland-dependent birds that nest in upland habitat. Though waterfowl and shorebirds show poor sensitivity to surrounding landscape composition, edge-nesting wetland avifauna may make good indicators of ecological integrity.