An Appraisal of the use of Hydrogen-Isotope Methods to Delineate Origins of Migratory Saw-Whet Owls in North America

The condor

Chris De Ruyck¹ 

关键词: deuterium;    isotope;    Manitoba;    migration;    Saw-whet Owl;    stable.;   

DOI  :  10.1525/cond.2013.120019

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office

【 摘 要 】

Abstract. Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) breed throughout the boreal forest of North America, but little is known about their population trends or distribution within this region. Analysis of stable hydrogen isotopes (δ2H) in feathers can delineate origins of a variety of avian migrants, but raptors are reported to have high intra-feather isotopic variance and mean δ2H values higher than predicted from δ2H isoscapes specific to raptor feathers, making assignment of geographic origin sometimes difficult. We examined the applicability of δ2H analysis of saw-whet owl feathers to delineating origins of migrants and to assessing differences in the migratory behavior of adult and young owls by using multiple generations of feathers from owls captured during fall migration at the Delta Marsh Bird Observatory, Manitoba, 2006–2007. Values of δ2H in saw-whet owl feathers were higher than predicted from a δ2H isoscape specific to raptor feathers and from patterns of movements inferred from analysis of ba...

【 授权许可】

CC BY