Breeding Birds of Mature Woodlands of Point Pelee National Park Prior to Infestation by Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis

Abstract

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a wood-boring beetle native to Asia that now infests and kills ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in North America. Many ecological communities will be dramatically altered by the mortality of ash trees caused by this invasive insect. The EAB recently colonized Point Pelee National Park of Canada in extreme southwestern Ontario, Canada, a site famous for its unusual plant and animal diversity as well as its extraordinary bird migrations. We conducted a census of breeding birds in two ash-rich mature forests at Point Pelee in order to obtain baseline data on the breeding bird communities prior to changes in forest communities that are likely to be caused by the EAB. Here we report the results of the bird census and review possible changes to the breeding bird fauna of Point Pelee that may result from ash tree mortality and the associated disruption of forest communities.