Anthropogenic fire reduces migratory bird abundance and diversity at a stopover site

TL;DR

Anthropogenic fires reduce the number and variety of migratory birds at a stopover site, likely due to habitat and food loss.

Contribution

This study provides empirical evidence of fire impacts on migratory bird stopover sites, an understudied area.

Findings

Fire significantly reduced bird abundance and diversity at the stopover site.

Species composition remained largely unchanged despite reduced abundance and diversity.

No significant fire-related effects were found on stopover duration or fuel deposition rate in two species.

Abstract

The frequency and extent of fires are increasing worldwide. Fires impact biodiversity, including bird communities. However, our knowledge is biased towards breeding bird communities, with fire impacts on birds during migration being poorly studied. Migratory birds rely on suitable stopover sites, and any changes at such sites could negatively affect their survival and population dynamics. We investigated the effects of an anthropogenic fire on birds captured at an autumn stopover site, comparing data from one year with fire to four years thereafter without. We found significant negative effects of fire on bird abundance and diversity, though species composition remained largely unchanged. We posit that reduced habitat and food availability after fire cause these effects. We also assessed variation in stopover duration and fuel deposition rate in two species, but found no overall significant fire-related effects in either case. Management strategies should aim at limiting the extent of fires to sustain suitable stopover habitat patches.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-27464-1.

Figures