The use of pasture trees by birds in a tropical montane landscape in Monteverde, Costa Rica

Conversion of forests to agricultural land may require many bird species to use resources in fragmented landscapes in order to persist. Pasture trees can make agricultural landscapes more hospitable for birds, but we do not know what factors promote bird visitation to pasture trees. Bird use of 26 focal trees of a common pasture species, Sapium glandulosum (Euphorbiaceae), was examined in three pastures in a montane landscape in Costa Rica to understand factors influencing bird visitation. Bird visits were analysed in relation to pasture tree size, distance from forest edge, degree of isolation and epiphyte load. Foraging resources (epiphyte or tree substrate) were also measured. From May–July 2012, 52 bird species from 20 families were recorded from 926 unique visits. Bird visitation was best explained by tree size, degree of isolation and epiphyte load such that larger, more isolated trees with higher epiphyte loads attracted more birds. Birds preferred food resources from focal trees (51% of visits) rather than their epiphytes (5% of visits). The results corroborate previous findings that mature pasture trees, even when isolated, may contribute more to species persistence than smaller trees.