I studied bird community dynamics and habitat associations of forest birds in northeast Iowa in 1995 and 1996. During this study, 107 different bird species were detected in northeast Iowa forests, including many neotropical migrant songbirds. However, a nest parasite, the brown-headed cowbird ( Molothrus ater), was the most frequently detected bird during this study. The abundance and species richness of birds (both expressed as mean numbers per bird census point at each site) were both higher in 1995 but the rank orders of bird species in 1995 and 1996 were highly correlated, suggesting stable bird community structure over time;Most previous investigations of bird-habitat relationships conducted in Midwestern forests have excluded recently logged/pastured habitats. In this study, we included forests varying widely in area (32--486 ha) and disturbance history (forest preserves, recently logged/pastured forests, etc.). We discovered that bird species considered to be of high management concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have higher species richness (mean number of species per census point at each site) in undisturbed forests than in recently disturbed forests. Species richness of these birds was also higher in large forest tracts than in smaller forests patches;Finally, we discovered that bird community composition shifts along a forest composition gradient, with many bird groups (e.g., neotropical migrants, USFWS high management concern species) tending to be more abundant and/or species rich in mesic forests. Most habitat associations were detected for only one year, demonstrating the need for long-term studies to truly understand bird community dynamics and the strength of these associations.