Bird Habitats Types

Birds occur in just about every habitat type on earth. Birds can fly and move from one region to another, but they consistently associate with specific habitat types. An optimal habitat type is one where a species, through adaptation, can access food, shelter, find reproductive mates, and use coverage to avoid predation.

Bird Habitats vary in structural complexity and the bird communities they support. As a general rule, forest habitats support a higher bird diversity. Conversely, open habitats with little or no vegetative cover tend to support fewer species.

Ornithologists Douglas Stotz, John Fitzpatrick, Theodore Parker III, and Debra Moskovits (1996)  used species associations with habitat and bird communities

to propose 41 broad categories of Neotropical Bird Habitats. We follow the categorization proposed by these authors. Each habitat type shows specific characteristics and floristic composition. The authors list the typical plant species in each habitat to make it recognizable by ornithologists and biologists with other specialties.

Below is the list of major Neotropical Bird Habitats. Each link leads to a brief habitat description and photographs that illustrate the habitat’s general appearance.

 Forest Habitats


Forest Habitats: Include areas covered mainly with trees, show some
layering and undergrowth. Recently disturbed forestland (cutover or wildfire)
that currently has no forest cover is considered forest habitat as
it is expected to revert to forest.

neotropical-bird-habitats
Tropical Lowland
Evergreen Forest

.
flooded_forest
Flooded Tropical
Evergreen Forest
river_edge_forest
River edge & River
Island Forest
montane_evergreen_forest
Montane Evergreen
Forest
elfin_forest
Elfin Forest
polylepis-woodlands
Polylepis Woodlands
tropical_deciduous_forest
Tropical Deciduous
Forest

.
gallery_forest
Gallery Forest
white_sand_forest
White Sand Forest
palm_forest
Palm Forest
mangrove_forest
Mangrove Forest
second_growth_forest
Second Growth
Forest and
Woodlands
southern_temperate_forest
Southern Temperate
Forest
pine_forest
Pine Forest
pine-oak_forest
Pine-Oak Forest

Non-Forest Habitats


Non-forest Habitats: Include areas covered with grass, shrubs, scrub, or
a combination of several vegetation types. Generally, non-forest habitats show a single layer and, when present, a short undergrowth.

arid_lowlands_scrub
Arid Lowland
Scrub
arid_montane_scrub
Arid Montane
Scrub
semi-humid_montane_scrub
Semi-Humid
Montane scrub

.
cerrado_habitat
Cerrado
campo_grasslands
Campo  Grasslands
low-seasonally_flooded_grasslands
Low, Seasonally
wet Grasslands

.
southern_temperate_grasslands
Southern Temperate
Grasslands
northern_temperate_grasslands
Northern Temperate
Grasslands
puna-grasslands
Puna Grasslands
paramo_grasslands
Paramo
Grasslands
riparian_thickets
Riparian Thickets
river_island
River Island
Scrub
pasture_agricultural_land
Pasture and
Agricultural Lands
second_gowth-scrub
Second Growth Scrub
urban habitats
Urban Habitats

Aquatic Habitats

Aquatic habitats: Include areas that are permanently or seasonally covered
by water. The vegetation cover varies from bare cover to grasses, reeds,
rushes, scrub, or a combination of various vegetation types. Flooded forests
are not considered aquatic habitats.

freshwater_marshes
Freshwater
Marshes

.
saltwater_and_brackishwater_marshes
Saltwater and
Brackish Marshes

.
coastal_rocky_beaches
Coastal Rocky
Beaches

.
riverine_sand_beaches
Riverine Sand
Beaches
freshwater_lakes_and_ponds
Freshwater
Lakes and Ponds
alkaline_lakes
Alkaline Lakes
.
rivers
Rivers

Streams
bogs
Bogs
coastal_waters
Coastal Waters
pelagic_waters
Pelagic Waters
    

Micro-Habitats


A Micro-Habitat is a habitat with a different composition, structure, or
substrate that differs from the more extensive habitat. Microhabitats
are diverse and generally are composed of a plant species, a plant
community, or abiotic elements, all nested within a more extensive habitat.

bamboo
Bamboo
.
treefall_gap
Treefalls
vine_tangles
Vine Tangles
rocky_outcrops_caves
Rocky Outcrops
streamsides
Streamsides
army_ants
Army Ants
.
    

References:

Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation.  Stotz Douglas F., Fitzpatrick
John W., Parker Theodore A. III, and Moskovits Debra K. University of Chicago Press, 1996.