Riparian areas are among the most ecologically diverse terrestrial ecosystems but make up <2% of landscape area in southwestern USA. Many species of resident and neotropical migratory birds utilize riparian habitats for breeding, foraging, and nesting. We quantified vegetation composition and structure to predict bird guilds on Wild and Scenic portions of the Verde River, Arizona. We grouped plant species into guilds based on similar functional traits to describe composition. We surveyed birds during the breeding and migrating season to determine abundance and categorized species into guilds using preferences of breeding habitat, foraging substrate, and nest placement. Riparian obligate and facultative breeding guilds were most common. Both vegetation composition and structure were useful predictors of birds. Vegetation structure was most complex in gallery riparian forest. Abundance of riparian-obligate birds in the breeding guild were positively associated with vegetation structure of dense, multi-canopy canopy and tall trees. Abundance of most bird guilds were positively associated with composition of tall trees (Populus fremontii, Salix gooddingii) and drought tolerant shrubs (Prosopis velutina, Celtis reticulata). Our findings show complex riparian habitat important to wildlife is created by both composition and structure of near-stream vegetation that is tied to hydrology and sensitive to flow change.

河岸地区是生态多样性最丰富的陆地生态系统之一，但仅占美国西南部景观面积的不到2％。许多常住和新热带候鸟都利用河岸生境进行繁殖，觅食和筑巢。我们量化了植被组成和结构，以预测亚利桑那州佛得河野生和风景区的鸟类行会。我们根据相似的功能性状将植物物种分为行会，以描述植物的组成。我们在繁殖和迁徙季节对鸟类进行了调查，以根据繁殖栖息地，觅食基质和巢穴的偏好确定丰度并将物种分类为行会。沿岸专性和兼性繁殖行会最为常见。植被组成和结构都是鸟类的有用预测指标。沿河林地的植被结构最为复杂。繁殖行会中河岸专性鸟类的丰富与茂密的，多冠的树冠和高大的树木的植被结构成正相关。大多数鸟类行会的丰富度与高大的树木的组成呈正相关（毛白杨，柳柳（Salix gooddingii）和耐旱灌木（Prosopis velutina，Celtis reticulata）。我们的研究结果表明，对野生生物重要的复杂河岸生境是由与水文联系在一起且对流量变化敏感的近溪植被的组成和结构所创造的。