Habitat Connectivity

DEVELOPED HABITATS
- Agricultural Fields
- Cattle Feedlots
- City Parks
- Suburban Lawns
- Towns

OPEN HABITATS
- Woodlands
- Forest Edges
- Meadows
- Marshes
- Streamsides

BREEDING HABITATS & BEHAVIORS
- Open in North America, East of Rocky Mountains
- well-concealed nests in dense trees or shrubs
- nests near water, man-made structures, or cavities
- nests in large colonies

The Common Grackle is considered a pest among farmers and gardeners due to their foraging behavior. They are ground foragers, and will eat anything from seeds and fruits to invertebrates and fish. They are also known to go through trash cans and eat leftover food from humans.

Ideal Habitat & Behavior

Assigned Bird

COMMON GRACKLE

THIS LAB ENCOMPASSES THE AREA INSIDE THE LOOP IN ATHENS

HABITAT CONNECTIVITY

Location

Habitat Locations in Athens

On this map, the yellow areas represent habitat locations that are good for the Common Grackle, & the pink areas are the ones that are the best for the Common Grackle inside the loop in Athens, GA.

The yellow areas consist of ones with thick, dense tree & shrub cover, public parks, & open greenspaces.

The pink areas also consist of ones with thick, dense tree & shrub cover, public parks, & greenspaces, but also include features such as streamsides and rivers, & better, denser tree cover in areas farther away from public areas.

These habitat areas were determined using data maps from the online Athens Clarke-County guide, including a map of Tree Cover, Environmental Areas, and Existing Parks & Greenspaces in Athens which can be seen below.

Potential Benefits & Conclusion

In the previous lab, my prioritization focused on implementing more trees in parking lot areas throughout campus and Athens. This would create more areas of dense trees and habitat for the Common Grackle bird as well as creating more visually appealing places and spaces throughout Athens and campus. This tree canopy implementation would allow for less habitat fragmentation and more interconnection between tree cover and habitat.

This would allow an improvement of biodiversity in the Athens area. Biodiversity results in many benefits for the Common Grackle and other animals, including less susceptibility to disease, variety in materials and food, longer life spans, more ecological services, and genetic diversity. The habitats that animals live in influence that animal's behavior and, therefore, ecological processes, which are needed for persistence of the Common Grackle and other animal's population as well as the upkeep of biodiversity and ecosystem health. The added tree canopy on campus and in Athens could also help to contribute to the reduction of the urban heat island effect, added development of wildlife areas and corridors, and provide ecosystem services.