Domestic livestock may indirectly affect bird species through changes in vegetation structure (e.g. cover), reducing the availability of food, nesting sites, refugia and, therefore, reproduction in many ecosystems worldwide. However, it remains unclear how the effect of livestock on vegetation structure can influence insectivorous birds that use shrubs for nest construction and placement rather than for feeding. Several species from the Furnariidae family inhabit Monte Desert, Argentina, exhibiting an extraordinary diversity in nest placement and structure that allows them to survive habitat aridity. Nest abundance and size of two common furnariid species, Pseudoseisura gutturalis and Leptasthenura aegithaloides, were studied across a cumulative livestock impact gradient (livestock impact by years grazed). These bird species use large, closed-nests (~40 cm and ~100 cm length, respectively) built with thorny branches placed on thorny shrubs. The study encompassed nine independent rangelands within the same habitat, but with increasing livestock density, establishing a gradient in grazing intensity. In each rangeland, nest abundance, nest and supporting plant characteristics, vegetation structure and the percentage of browsing were assessed. Plant cover was lower in rangelands with higher livestock impact, and this was associated with lower nest abundance and nest size. Nest abundance of L. aegithaloides was halved, whereas P. gutturalis was decreased 10-fold comparing the extremes of the livestock impact gradient (0.06 vs 1.63 cattle ha⁻¹ × years). Nests tended to be smaller and more spherical with increasing livestock impact. The significant and positive association between nest abundance and vegetation structure together with the importance of mating and reproduction for bird lifecycles suggests that the nest abundance of these species could be used as an indicator of habitat degradation. Therefore, furnariid nest abundance could be used as a first step for diagnosing ecosystem health and designing ecologically sustainable management practices in Monte Desert. Changes in vegetation structure (e.g. cover) such as those imposed by livestock may unpredictably affect plant-associated species affecting their reproduction, demography and ecosystem biodiversity.

家畜可能通过改变植被结构（例如，覆盖物）而间接影响鸟类，从而减少了食物的供应，筑巢地点，避难所以及因此在全球许多生态系统中的繁殖。但是，尚不清楚牲畜对植被结构的影响如何影响食虫性鸟类，这些食虫性鸟类使用灌木来筑巢和放置而不是觅食。来自Furnariidae科的几种物种居住在阿根廷的蒙特沙漠中，在巢的位置和结构上表现出非凡的多样性，使它们能够在干旱的栖息地中生存。两种常见的呋喃类动物巢的丰富度和大小，Pseudoseisura gutturalis和Leptasthenura aegithaloides在累积的牲畜影响梯度（放牧年份对牲畜的影响）上进行了研究。这些鸟类使用封闭的大巢（分别长约40厘米和约100厘米），并在棘手的灌木丛上放置棘手的树枝。该研究涵盖了同一栖息地内的九个独立牧场，但随着牲畜密度的增加，放牧强度出现了梯度。在每个牧场中，评估巢的丰度，巢和辅助植物的特征，植被结构以及浏览的百分比。牧场的覆盖率较低，对牲畜的影响较高，这与较低的鸟巢丰度和鸟巢大小有关。巢丰L. aegithaloides减少了一半，而P. gutturalis与牲畜影响梯度的极端值相比，下降了10倍（0.06对1.63牛ha ^-1 ×年）。随着牲畜影响的增加，巢往往更小，更球形。鸟巢丰富度与植被结构之间的显着正相关以及交配和繁殖对鸟类生命周期的重要性表明，这些物种的鸟巢丰富度可以用作栖息地退化的指标。因此，呋喃类巢的丰度可以用作诊断沙漠生态系统健康和设计生态可持续管理方法的第一步。诸如牲畜造成的植被结构变化（例如覆盖）可能会不可预测地影响与植物相关的物种，从而影响其繁殖，人口统计和生态系统生物多样性。