Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models for 5 bird species were tested with spatially-referenced habitat and frequency of use data using a computerized grid-cell mapping system (SYMAP) and the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). According to our spatial approach for testing, pine (Dendroica pinus) and prairie warbler (D. discolor) models performed well-better than those for eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) or red-cockaded (Picoides borealis) and pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus); however, the poor performance of the latter models was probably due more to the testing paradigm and/or to a low number of observed birds than to the models themselves. Models should be tested at scales commensurate with home ranges over an appropriate range of habitat suitability.
