Forest Structure in Northern Goshawk
Nesting Site Areas in the Gunnison BasinForest Structure in Northern Goshawk
Nesting Site Areas in the Gunnison Basin
Northern goshawks (Accipiter Gentilis) in the Gunnison Basin, Colorado are used as a indicator species for old
growth forest. In the spring courting period, goshawks are frequently sighted. However, by the summer very few
successful nests are located suggesting either disturbances or low habitat quality may be causing goshawks to abandon
nests in the Gunnison Basin. I hypothesized that goshawks select and occupy their nest sites based on low percent
understory cover, high canopy closure, high prevalence of dead snags and fallen logs, large DBH and low tree density.
I tested whether nest sites are limiting by comparing random sites to known nest sites within the forest. My results
suggest that goshawks select for high tree height, south to southeast aspect and large DBH for a nest tree within
nesting area and select the nesting area from the PFA due to high tree height, high canopy closure and high basal
area. Data acquired will provide additional knowledge for the vegetative characteristics of nesting areas compared
to the surrounding areas and information about the presence or absence of breeding pairs within those areas.