High-tech canopy maps reveal how tropical birds use Amazon forests

edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Add as preferred source Researchers mapped chemical and structural differences in forest canopies across Peru using the ASU Global Airborne Observatory. Credit: Greg Asner/Arizona State University Tropical forests may look like a uniform sea of green from above, but new research shows that carefully measured differences in forest structure and function can help explain how birds use existing habitats, how they respond to threats and which communities may be most at risk as forests change.

Using aircraft-mounted sensors, researchers mapped chemical and structural differences in forest canopies across Peru. They then compared those forest types with the ranges and traits of more than 1,300 forest-dependent bird species.