Information regarding the impacts of different urban landscape designs on avian species is largely out of reach for most decision-makers because it is accessible only through many different journal articles and technical reports. In order to evaluate the impacts of different landscape and development designs on birds, landscape architects and urban planners need a tool that reflects current research and is in a format that can be used in typical planning venues. We present a new, online evaluation tool called Building for Birds. The goal of the Building for Birds tool is to provide decision makers with a way to evaluate different development scenarios and how they affect habitat for species of forest birds during breeding and migration seasons. From a systematic review of empirical studies in U.S. and Canada, we have created lists of species for three avian habitat categories. Avian habitat categories are 1) forest fragments used as breeding habitat, 2) forest fragments used as stopover habitat during migration, and 3) tree canopy within residential areas used as breeding and/or stopover habitat. Inputs for the tool are the amount of conserved forest fragments and tree canopy in built areas; points are allocated per acre of forest and tree canopy conserved, and these points are different depending if a bird is using the site as breeding habitat and/or as stopover habitat during migration. Outputs are bird habitat scores and a list of potential birds that could be found in each of three aforementioned habitat categories. We found a surprising number of birds that use fragmented landscapes, including interior forest specialists that use relatively small forest fragments and tree canopy in built areas as stopover habitat. Overall, the tool allows city planners and landscape architects to assess impacts of different development and landscape designs, and such understanding will enable decision makers to incorporate bird-friendly designs into the planning process.
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