Skip to content

Coal Tit Abundance Rose With Dense Canopy While Stock Dove Increased With Forest Maturity

Coal tit perched on a branch
Research · Ecology

A six-year study of managed montane forest in southwestern Germany found contrasting responses to forest structure among coal tit (Periparus ater) and stock dove (Columba oenas). Across 135 one-hectare plots in the Black Forest, coal tit had the highest modelled mean abundance among the 30 bird species retained in the final models, at 6.46 individuals per plot, while stock dove had the lowest at 0.12.

Researchers carried out 1,394 bird surveys from 2017 to 2022 and modelled each species against variables representing forest maturity, structural heterogeneity, tree composition and the abiotic environment.

Dense canopy and forest maturity produced different species responses

Coal tit abundance was significantly higher in plots with denser canopy cover, but declined significantly as the share of broadleaved trees increased.

Stock dove showed a different pattern. Its abundance increased significantly with all three forest-maturity variables included in its model: larger mean diameter of living trees, more standing dead trees and larger average diameter of those dead trees. Among cavity-nesting birds, the number and diameter of standing dead trees showed clear effects only for stock dove and Eurasian nuthatch (Sitta europaea). The authors also note that old beech trees with heart rot are important structures for black woodpeckers and the stock doves that use their cavities.

Across the full bird community, variables associated with close-to-nature forestry — particularly canopy cover and broadleaf share — affected more species than the variables used to represent forest maturity and retention forestry. The direction of these effects varied strongly among species.

Bird responses did not simply track the sampled invertebrates

The study also measured potential invertebrate prey with pitfall and flight-interception traps. Although both birds and invertebrates responded to forest structure, the analyses did not support a direct numerical link between the abundance of the sampled invertebrate groups and the abundance of the corresponding bird foraging guilds.

The authors conclude that forest-management effects differ substantially among bird species. They argue that retaining mature and dead trees should be combined with other close-to-nature practices, rather than expecting one management feature to benefit the entire forest bird assemblage in the same way.

Sources and image credit

  1. Cordeiro Pereira, J. M., Klingenfuß, S., Basile, M., Frey, J., Mikusiński, G., & Storch, I. (2026). Disentangling the effects of multifunctional forestry practices on the abundances of birds and their invertebrate prey. Ecological Applications, 36(2), e70198. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.70198Primary open-access peer-reviewed article first published 8 March 2026. Researchers conducted 1,394 bird surveys on 135 one-hectare plots in the Black Forest from 2017–2022 and modelled abundance for 30 final focal bird species. Coal tit had the highest modelled mean abundance at 6.46 individuals per plot and was positively associated with canopy cover but negatively associated with broadleaf share. Stock dove had the lowest modelled mean abundance at 0.12 individuals per plot and increased significantly with all three forest-maturity variables included in its species model; among cavity-nesters, snag number and snag diameter showed significant effects only for stock dove and Eurasian nuthatch. The study found species-specific responses to multifunctional forestry and no supported direct numerical link between bird-guild abundance and sampled lower-layer invertebrate abundance.

Image: Alexis Lours — coal tit (Periparus ater) in Parc Georges-Valbon, Seine-Saint-Denis, France, photographed 21 March 2026; Wikimedia Commons Quality Image; representative species image, not a bird from the Black Forest study · CC BY 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Ecology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Coal Tit Periparus ater Explore species Stock Dove Columba oenas Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.