Piñon-Juniper Birds of Conservation
Concern
Species Conservation 2
Species Conservation 1
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Pinyon Jay (19)
Juniper Titmouse (19)
Virginia’s Warbler (19)
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
(17)
• Black-chinned Sparrow
(16)
• Black-throated Gray
Warbler (16)
• Broad-tailed
Hummingbird (16)
• Gray Vireo (16)
• Montezuma Quail (16)
• Bushtit (14)
• Mountain Chickadee
(14)
• Western Bluebird (14)
Why Are so Many Piñon-Juniper Birds
in Trouble?
P-J Habitats in New Mexico
• Climate
– drought
– fire
– insects
• Management practices
– livestock grazing
– fuelwood harvest
– clearing, excessive thinning
• Development
– oil and gas
Juniper Titmouse
Juniper
Titmouse
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NMACP SC1: Score 19
PIF rangewide population 180,000
PIF NM population 70,000
BBS rangewide trend -0.23
BBS NM trend -1.36
NM Importance 5
NM threats 4
41.8 % of population in NM
Photo: Tony Randell, Flickr
Breeds in:
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Juniper
Titmouse
Habitat
Needs
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Late successional
woodlands with high
juniper overstory
cover
Large senescent trees
and dead limbs
High density lateral
branches for foraging
Low bare ground/rock
cover
Piñon pines within
11.3 m of nest for
foraging
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Southwest aspect
(physiological
adaptations to warm,
dry conditions)
Piñon pines present
Higher overstory juniper
cover
Lower bare ground/rock
cover
Dead limb density NS
Bare ground x dead limb
interaction
Pavlacky, D.C. and S.H. Anderson. 2001.
Condor 103:322-331
Juniper
Titmouse
Habitat
Needs
Juniper Titmouse
Habitat Use Research Needs
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Used vs. available
size and species
of nest trees
Used vs. available
cavities
Used vs. available
canopy cover at
nest
Habitat
covariates of
nesting success
Nesting and nest
success in
thinned vs. unthinned habitat
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via
Wikimedia Commons
Management Actions that May Help Juniper
Titmouse in New Mexico
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Maintain late seral-stage woodlands with high
density of large, senescent trees
Maintain high juniper overstory cover
– measured from below on ground: mean used: 37% vs.
available 26%
– 3% increase in birds for every 1% increase in overstory
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Presence of piñon trees much more important than
juniper regeneration
Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
Woodhouse’s
Scrub-jay
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Photo courtesy Nature’s Pics Online,
http://www.naturespicsonline.com
NMACP SC1: Score 17
PIF rangewide population
510,000
PIF NM population 160,000
BBS rangewide trend -0.09
BBS NM trend -3.17
NM Importance 3
NM threats 4
18% of population in NM
Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay Habitat Needs
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Mean abundance increased with
increased pine/conifer
abundance,
Mean annual population
variability decreased with
increasing pine/conifer
abundance and increasing pine
species diversity
Associated with mast production
In NM, WOSJ only one of 11
species studied that was more
abundant on ungrazed areas
Because of their reliance on
masting tree species, many of the
management recommendations
for Pinyon Jays apply to WOSJ
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Woodhouse’s
Scrub-jay
Research Needs
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Habitat use, especially related to woodland management:
breeding season tree species composition, size
distribution, density, canopy cover, subcanopy, ground
cover, etc.
Habitat covariates of reproductive success
Influence of pine vigor and cone production on population
dynamics and reproductive success
Influence of grazing, thinning, other management on
reproductive success and population size
Management Actions that May Help Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay in
New Mexico
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Always avoid thinning in persistent P-J
woodland
If thinning is necessary for fuels
management:
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Leave on average 40% canopy cover
Avoid creating “orchards”; i.e., uniformly distributed
trees
Leave clumps of large nesting and cone-bearing
trees; thin “doghair” stands
Leave multiple age classes
Pinyon Jay
Pinyon Jay
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Photo:
Cole Wolf
NMACP SC1: Score 19
PIF rangewide population
760,000
PIF NM population 200,000
BBS rangewide trend -4.36
BBS NM trend -4.12
NM Importance 4
NM threats 5
30.4% of population in NM
Pinyon Jay Habitat Needs:
Home Range Scale
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Year-round home
ranges are very large,
≈5000 ha
Home ranges should
include:
– multiple areas
containing many
large, mastproducing piñon
trees (>15 cm RCD
make cones)
– multiple colonysized patches (≈50
ha) of nesting
habitat
– water sources,
especially near
nesting colonies
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In piñon-juniper
habitat, home ranges
should include
multiple land cover
types:
– piñon woodland
(nesting) and/or
– piñon-juniper
woodland (nesting)
– juniper woodland
and savanna
(wintering)
– may include
sagebrush
shrubland and/or
grassland
components
(wintering)
Cole Wolf
Pinyon Jay Habitat Needs:
Nesting Colony Scale
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Nesting habitat should
include land cover types:
– piñon woodland and/or
– piñon-juniper woodland
– relatively high canopy cover
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Colony sites should:
– be at least 50 ha in area
– contain large nest trees
– include >20 dense tree clumps
that include potential nest trees
– be within 3 km of a water source
– have minimal fragmentation by
roads, well pads, etc.
– have minimal noise and foot
traffic from March - June
Pinyon Jay Habitat Needs:
Nest Scale
In piñon-juniper habitat, nest-scale
habitat should include:
– tall piñon or Utah juniper trees
– large diameter piñon or Utah juniper
trees
• Mean 35.4 cm RCD, range 7-102
– high tree density
– high canopy cover
• mean ground 31% (0-70%)
• mean aerial 21% (2-41%)
• not basal area
– healthy trees with dense foliage
Pinyon Jay Habitat
Needs –
Knowledge Gaps
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Impacts of thinning on
piñon tree health and
cone production (also
under drought conditions)
Pinyon Jay reproductive
success in different habitat
types, especially with
varying canopy cover and
tree vigor
Impacts of thinning on
Pinyon Jay nesting habitat
use and reproductive
success
Establish standardized
measurement methods for
canopy cover; establish
rules for converting aerial
canopy cover from
imagery to ground
measures
Management Actions that may Help Pinyon Jays
in New Mexico
• Always avoid thinning in persistent P-J woodland
• Avoid thinning within 500 m of traditional Pinyon Jay nesting
colonies
• Providing supplementary food and water may assist flocks during
drought or food shortage.
• If thinning is necessary for fuels management:
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Leave on average 35% canopy cover (ground measured)
Avoid creating “orchards” (uniformly distributed trees)
Leave clumps and large nesting and cone-bearing trees; thin “doghair”
Leave diverse age structure
General Management Recommendations
for Piñon-Juniper Birds
DO:
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Maintain areas of relatively high canopy
cover
– Pinyon Jay
– Gray Vireo
– Juniper Titmouse
– Gray Flycatcher
– Bewick’s Wren
Retain significant piñon component
– Pinyon Jay
– Juniper Titmouse
– Gray Flycatcher
– Bewick’s Wren
– Black-throated Gray Warbler
Leave large trees for nesting
– Pinyon Jay
– Juniper Titmouse
– Black-throated Gray Warbler
Leave large trees for mast production
– Pinyon Jay
– Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
Leave large trees for insect foraging
– Juniper Titmouse
DON’T:
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Clear cut
Thin in “orchard” configuration; instead
leave clumps containing large-diameter
trees
Thin trees >15 cm RCD
Thin to aerial canopy cover of <25 %
Thin to ground canopy cover of
<40 %
If Conducting Treatments:
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Know your site. What P-J type do you have? If it’s persistent
woodland, thinning is not advisable.
Know your purpose. Why are you thinning?
Know your goals. What are your target outcomes?
– canopy cover
– tree size
– tree spatial distribution
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What is the justification for prescriptions?
If Conducting Treatments:
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Monitor, monitor, monitor!
– Veg measurements before (AIM or
modified AIM methods)
– Same measurements after
– Pre- and post-treatment wildlife
surveys (multiple sites and years)
– Did you achieve your management
goals?
– How did veg management actions
affect the remaining veg? Any
change in mortality rates or tree
health?
– What effect did veg management
have on birds or other target
wildlife?