ABSTRACT
To relate habitat to the animal community, biologists must select features of the habitat that accurately reflect the species’ habitat requirements and allow them to make accurate predictions of species’ response to habitat change. A review of the literature on forest habitat shows that a number of studies on succession as well as edge provide techniques useful in looking at avian habitat. Classical habitat descriptions which include listing dominant plant species on a study site can be utilized for sampling the habitat. Symbolic descriptions of habitat features, including vegetation height, canopy height, slope, screening efficiency of canopy, and dispersion of plants, can be used. Many investigators wish to develop statistical correlations between species and/or communities of wildlife. They are then able to show how specific components can be correlated with presence and abundance of wildlife species. Vegetation cover and volume are important parameters that help characterize the habitat. Data on other parameters must also be collected.
