Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Exotic, invasive plants are a constant presence in most European river landscapes. In Someș River floodplain, invasive plant associations have replaced most of the native ones. Birds use invasive plants as living habitats for nesting and often prefer them to the native habitats. In 2014 – 2016 period, we assessed the marsh warbler (Acrocephalus palustris) habitat selection preferences in Someș river meadow (North-Western Romania). The marsh warbler is the most abundant species in all investigated habitats. As a whole, the singing male density values are close for native and invasive habitats. At the scale of the habitat categories, the highest recorded densities were found in Helianthus tuberosus L. dominated associations and the lowest in Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decr. homogenous monodominant stands. For all habitat types densities calculated are higher for small areas than for the largest. Marsh warbler is one of the few bird species that exploit these invasive, anthropogenetic habitats, largely available in the Someș river agricultural landscape.