MaxEnt Model of Belted Kingfisher Nests Along the Tennessee River Gorge Largely Determined by Soil Type

Abstract

The Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon, is a species of bird in the order Coraciiformes known for having burrow-style nests on the borders of rivers, creeks, and lakes. Using data from the Tennessee River Gorge Trust collected via in-person scouting, we mapped documented Belted Kingfisher nesting sites and tested them against a collection of variables, including NCLD 2019 land cover data, bioclimatic factors from WorldClim, and soil type. This was done using ArcGIS, a web mapping service from ESRI. We found based on a series of significance tests that BEKI prefer to nest along bodies of water that are bordered by sandy clay soil. This map suggests various sites that are ripe for further investigation by the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, within their surveyed land we found hot spots for possible BEKI activity on Elder Mountain, and in Falling Water Nature Preserve, all within the city of Chattanooga, TN

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Hollins University

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Last time updated on 26/05/2024

This paper was published in Hollins University.

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