The short-term impacts of Hurricane Maria on the forest birds of Dominica

Island ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the predicted increases in the intensity and frequency of tropicalstorms resulting from climate change. In this study, we assess the short-term effects of Hurricane Maria (September 2017)on forest bird communities on the Caribbean island of Dominica. We compared community composition, functional composi-tion, biometrics, and forest structure changes pre- and two years post-hurricane. We caught a total of 408 birds of 18 speciesacross the three years using mist nets. Post-hurricane catch rates were lower than pre-hurricane, and we observed changesin abundance between years across all functional groups, with decreases in the relative abundance of all groups except foromnivores. Hummingbirds showed the greatest reduction in both abundance and richness. Non-metric multidimensional scal-ing and analysis of dissimilarity indicate a significant shift in community composition for 2018, with 2019 overlapping both 2017and 2018. The observed changes in richness, abundance, and community composition show that Dominica’s forest birds variedin response to Hurricane Maria, and that these changes are still observed two years following the storm. Severe storms like Hur-ricane Maria disproportionately impact some functional groups, while other species may be able to capitalize on the changesin habitat.