THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AVIAN NEST BOXES ON SUNY PURCHASE CAMPUS

Abstract

There is a biodiversity crisis as a result of the increased rate of climate change and increase of habitat fragmentation, both of which are affecting the viability of useable habitat in ecosystems. Of the organisms being negatively affected by this habitat loss are local (Purchase, N.Y.) avian species that are classified as secondary cavity nesters that generally use pre-existing cavities that are commonly found in dead or dying trees. In order to further understand the establishment of their nest and to observe the effects of erecting manmade cavities (nest boxes) as a conservation tactic to mitigate the threat that habitat fragmentation presents to avian cavity nesters, 37 wooden nest boxes had been placed on the campus at SUNY Purchase, NY and have found an overwhelming number of the species, House Wren that used 80% of the used boxes.