The effect of reed burning on the habitat occupancy of passerine species

This paper describes observed patterns of habitat occupancy in breeding passerines in burned and unburned reed-beds during two periods of their reproductive season (May and June). In burned areas only two species, Acrocephalus patustris and Saxicola torquata, exhibited differences in habitat occupancy between the two study periods. The differences regarding average number of singing males per observation plot were significant only in the case of Acrocephalus palustris. In unburned areas, for all species we recorded the same average number of males per observation plot in the two study periods. We also compared the number of singing males of A. palustris and of S. torquata observed in burned and unburned areas in the second study period. In this period (June) the reed was grown, and the habitats were occupied by both species. The average number of A. palustris recorded in the observation plots located in unburned areas was lower than in burned areas, but the difference was not statistically significant. The average number of S. torquata males observed in the unburned areas was also lower than in the burned areas, again without statistical significance.