Habitat use by Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus in an intensively used farmland in Western Poland

Abstract

The habitat use of the Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus was studied between 1998 2000 in an intensive cultivated agricultural landscape in western Poland. Birds occupied only wet marginal habitats such as small reedbeds, marshes, meadows and drainage ditches. Reed Buntings located their territories at the edges of these habitat islands, showing no preferences for their shape and area. Using logistic regression models it was found that Reed Buntings prefer to set territories in areas with a high proportion of reeds, herbaceous vegetation and bulrushes. The percentage of meadows, cattails and oil seed rape had a smaller, positive impact on territory occupancy. Moreover, a small, negative effect of spring cereals on Reed Bunting distribution was found. The results obtained show that protection of wet habitat patches has a key role in the promotion of Reed Bunt-ings in the intensively cultivated farmland.