Fire Effects on Birds

The direct effects of fire on birds- injury, mortality, escape, and immigration- are influenced by fire season, intensity, severity, rate of spread, uniformity, and size. As with all animals, young birds with limited mobility are more vulnerable to injury and mortality than mature individuals. Fires indirect effects on bird populations and communities are related to the amount of structural change in vegetation. Many studies depict a reorganization of bird communities in response to fire, with increases in some species accompanied by decreases in others. For example, understory fires and stand-replacement fires in grasslands often disrupt bird community composition and abundance patterns for only 1 to 2 years, but stand-replacement fires in shrublands and forest cause longer lasting effects, which are initially positive for insect- and seed-eating species and negative for species that require dense, closed canopy.

The following sections from Wildland Fire in Ecosystems: Effects of Fire on Fauna (Smith 2000) synthesize research on birds and fire from all regions of the U.S.

• Injury and Mortality in Birds
• Escape, Emigration, and Immigration in Birds
• Effects on Bird Populations
• Effects on Bird Communities

Information on the effects of fire on the following bird species found in the southeastern U.S. is available through the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) of the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station by accessing the links below. Where indicated, additional information on particular bird species is available in the ESFS.

Species	Common Name	FEIS	ESFS
Accipiter gentilis	northern goshawk	ACGE
Accipiter striatus	sharp-shinned hawk	ACST
Aix sponsa	wood duck	AISP
Anas acuta	northern pintail	ANAC
Anser albifrons	greater white-fronted goose	ANAL
Anas crecca	green-winged teal	ANCR
Anas discors	blue-winged teal	ANDI
Anas platyrynchos	mallard	ANPL
Anas rubripes	American black duck	ANRU
Anas strepera	gadwall	ANST
Aphelocoma coerulescens	scrub jay	APCO	*
Aquila chrysaetos	golden eagle	AQCH
Asio flammeus	short-eared owl	ASFL
Aythya valisineria	canvasback	AYVA
Bonasa umbellus	ruffed grouse	BOUM
Branta canadensis	Canada goose	BRCA
Buteo jamaicensis	red-tailed hawk	BUJA
Buteo lagopus	rough-legged hawk	BULA
Buteo swainsoni	Swainsons hawk	BUSW
Bubo virginianus	great horned owl	BUVI
Circus cyaneus	northern harrier	CICY
Colinus virginianus	northern bobwhite	COVI	*
Dumetella carolinensis	gray catbird	DUCA
Falco peregrinus	peregrine falcon	FAPE
Falco sparverius	American kestrel	FASP
Grus americana	whooping crane	GRAM
Grus canadensis	sandhill crane	GRCA
Haliaeetus leucocephalus	bald eagle	HALE
Meleagris gallopavo	wild turkey	MEGA
Molothrus ater	brown-headed cowbird	MOAT
Otus asio	eastern screech-owl	OTAS
Parus atricapillus	black-capped chickadee	PAAT
Pandion haliaetus	osprey	PAHA
Phasianus colchicus	ring-necked pheasant	PHCO
Picoides borealis	red-cockaded woodpecker	PIBO	*
Scolopax minor	American woodcock	SCMI
Sialia sialis	eastern bluebird	SISI
Speotyto cunicularia	burrowing owl	SPCU
Tympanuchus cupido	greater prairie-chicken	TYCU
Tympanuchus pallidicinctus	lesser prairie-chicken	TYPA
Zenaida macroura	mourning dove	ZEMA