Migratory connectivity and annual cycle phenology of Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) revealed through archival GPS tags

Avian Conservation and Ecology

article

James R. Wright¹  James A. Johnson²  Erin Bayne³  Luke L. Powell⁴  Carol R. Foss⁶  Jeremiah C. Kennedy³  Peter P. Marra⁴ 

[1] School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University;U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management;Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta;Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park;Current address: Institute of Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow;New Hampshire Audubon

关键词: bird migration;    Euphagus carolinus;    full annual cycle;    habitat use;    Icteridae;    life-history stages;    stopover ecology;   

DOI  :  10.5751/ACE-01871-160120

学科分类：口腔科学

来源: Resilience Alliance Publications

【 摘 要 】

Understanding spatial and temporal movement patterns of migratory birds throughout the annual cycle can help identify potential population threats. The behavior and habitat use of birds during migration and stopover periods is particularly understudied in many species. In this study, we used high spatial resolution archival GPS tags to track Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) from one eastern (New Hampshire) and two western (Alaska and Alberta) breeding populations across the annual cycle. We sought to determine: 1) migratory connectivity of the three distinct populations; 2) migratory phenology, behavior, and time spent during each phase of the annual cycle; and 3) habitat use of individuals throughout the nonbreeding period. We retrieved 7 tags from 30 tagged individuals following 1-year deployments. We found that four Alberta individuals overwintered in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, two Alaska individuals overwintered in either the Great Plains or the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and the single New Hampshire individual overwintered on the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Length of annual cycle stages varied among individuals, with the combined migratory periods occupying between 12% and 48% of the annual cycle. Stopover behavior was also widely variable, as minimum convex polygons of stopovers ranged from < 1 hectare to 505 km² and stopover durations ranged from 1 to 35 days (n = 40 stopovers). Birds predominantly used woody wetlands and emergent marsh during the nonbreeding period, but habitat use differed between roosting and foraging. Marshes were used more for nocturnal roosting, whereas woody wetlands were used for diurnal foraging. Our results can help efforts to conserve this declining species by targeting regions and habitats at specific times of year for management during the nonbreeding period. In particular, the large amount of time spent during migration periods suggests conservation efforts in stopover regions are just as important as those on the wintering grounds.

【 授权许可】

CC BY