Do the predicted suitability scores from species distribution models correlate with species performance on-ground?

Species distribution models are a very popular statistical tool for
inferring potential distribution range of species across space and time
and are thought to be a good predictor for habitat suitability. Some
studies have suggested that if these models are reliable, predicted
habitat suitability (PHS) should relate to species traits
visualization, growth potential, body size, abundance. We
validated this hypothesis by estimating association between the PHS and
species abundance for 17 avian species endemic to the Western Ghats - Sri
Lanka biodiversity hotspot. Additionally, we compared the PHS of sites
where species were detected in both seasons (wet and dry) against sites
where they were detected in the dry season alone. As a proxy for
abundance, we estimated single-season occupancy estimates (ψ) using
detection/non-detection data from multiple visits to the survey sites. We
report significant and positive PHS-ψ correlation, though the strength of
this association varied across species and models. Half of the
species showed higher suitability scores for the sites where they
were detected year round. The results presented here suggest that the
predictive models can be used as a proxy for habitat quality, in addition
to inferring the potential distribution.