Bird Species Richness Compared Between Two Local Wetlands

• Grace Gibbs

  Juniata College

  Author

• Lydia Hiller

  Juniata College

  Author

• Payton Miller

  Juniata College

  Author

• Hunter Mona

  Juniata College

  Author

The Old Crow wetlands of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania are currently faced with the potential construction of a Rutter’s gas station at a proximity detrimental to the wildlife found there. Old Crow is known for its bird species richness and plays a significant role in preserving the biodiversity seen in Huntingdon County. This study aims to justify the protection and preservation of the Old Crow wetlands by surveying the bird species diversity found there and comparing these results to a neighboring wetland found at Juniata College. To collect this data, we conducted several surveys of the bird species at each of these locations. By observing the bird species diversity and counts at these locations we hope to show the importance of Old Crow as an area of high species richness. Our results showed a higher individual abundance and species richness at Old Crow wetlands than seen at Juniata. This data proves our hypothesis and shows that the Old Crow wetlands should be preserved as they are an important source of biodiversity.

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