Habitat associations of the long-tailed wood-partridge (Dendrortyx macroura) in a managed coniferous forest in Michoacan, Mexico

We examined habitat associations of the endemic long-tailed wood-partridge (Dendrortyx macroura) at the macrohabitat and microhabitat levels in a Mexican temperate forest managed for timber production. To determine what vegetation associations were used more frequently than expected, we used a map depicting the spatial distribution of eight associations and estimated relative abundances of the wood-partridge. We also measured vegetation and microhabitat variables within each association to evaluate the relationship between the wood-partridge relative abundance and these variables. The average number of long-tailed wood-partridges detected was 0.31 +/- 0.03 individuals per point count. The wood-partridge was detected in the eight sampled vegetation associations, with average relative abundance estimates ranging from 0.29 +/- 0.18 to 3.38 +/- 1.07 individuals. The highest relative abundance was found in the Pinus pseudostrobus-Ternstroemia pringlei association, which was also the association most used than expected by the wood-partridge relative to its availability. A habitat use gradient ( HUG) was identified by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), showing that altitude, canopy tree cover, litter cover, and relief correlate significantly with the distribution of six plant associations and the wood-partridge. The long-tailed wood-partridge reaches high abundances when values of those microhabitat variables are intermediate, and appears as a generalist in response to the distribution of the plant associations along the HUG. Our results suggest that in terms of relative abundance, not habitat quality, the P. pseudostrobus-T. pringlei association represents the most favorable habitat for the long-tailed wood-partridge in the study area. These results help describe the wood-partridge habitat associations for conservation purposes.