How Management Practices Shape the “Local Habitat Signature” That Modulates Bird Communities in Urban Green Spaces

ABSTRACT Urban biodiversity is often studied along urbanization intensity gradients, which can overlook the critical influence of site‐specific habitat characteristics. We argue that local‐scale management, which creates a unique “local habitat signature,” is a primary driver of community composition. We surveyed birds at 60 points across a diverse range of green spaces in a tropical metropolis, recording 148 species. Focusing on the 34 most frequent species, we used Redundancy Analysis (RDA) and variance partitioning to disentangle the effects of local, landscape, and spatial factors on bird communities. Our results showed that local‐scale predictors consistently explained the largest proportion of unique variance for both taxonomic (9%) and functional (16%) compositions. The taxonomic analysis identified three ecological groups based on their habitat requirements: (1) Open‐Area Specialists, (2) Arboreal Understory Specialists, and (3) Urban Tree‐Dwellers and Generalists. Similarly, the functional analysis separated traits associated with forest interiors from those adapted to disturbed environments. The distribution of these groups was strongly tied to specific management practices, especially of soil cover, such as the presence of unmanaged tall grass or litter. Our findings demonstrate that urban biodiversity is mostly shaped by a mosaic of local habitat conditions. However, the surrounding landscape and the spatial arrangement of habitats also influenced community composition, underscoring the importance of a multi‐scale approach to assess urban biodiversity composition for effective urban planning.