Avian Use of Purple Loosestrife Dominated Habitat Relative to Other Vegetation Types in a Lake Huron Wetland Complex

Although not well studied, purple loosestrife is widely believed to have little value as habitat for birds. To examine the value of purple loosestrife as avian breeding habitat, we conducted early, mid-, and late season bird surveys during two years (1994 and 1995) at 258 18-m (0.1 ha) fixed-radius plots in coastal wetlands of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron.

We found that loosestrife-dominated habitats had higher avian densities, but lower avian diversities than other vegetation types. The six most commonly observed bird species in all habitats combined were Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis), Marsh Wren (C. palustris), Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), Common Yellowthroat (Geothylpis trichas), Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana), and Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus).