A review of bird community metrics as indicators of restoration in freshwater‐riparian ecosystems

Abstract Introduction Birds and bird communities can serve as indicators to assess the effectiveness of management actions aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems. Objectives This study conducted a literature review to assemble and summarize publications where bird community data from freshwater‐riparian ecosystems were used as indicators of restoration. We aimed to elucidate where bird community data have been established to inform restoration effectiveness and highlight areas where these data are underutilized. Methods We assembled publications (using Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ResearchRabbit AI) to examine how bird communities were used to evaluate bird conservation and riparian restoration projects. Results Results of our literature review indicated that few restoration actions were explicitly aimed at improving habitat or conditions for birds. More commonly, restoration was focused on other taxa or purposes. Regardless, measurable changes in bird communities were observed across reviewed literature, suggesting birds and bird communities can serve as bioindicators in restored ecosystems across spatial and temporal scales. Further, we found few of the projects aimed at restoring freshwater ecosystems had evaluated bird response to changing water and macroinvertebrate conditions, with limited papers exploring the link between water quality, benthic macroinvertebrates, and riparian birds. Conclusion Our findings suggest there is room for broader consideration of the role birds can play in informing researchers and land managers interested in measuring the effectiveness of freshwater‐riparian restoration efforts. We suggest further development of methods to employ bird community data to assess and monitor aquatic restoration activities.