scholarly journals Social cues facilitate habitat selection: American redstarts establish breeding territories in response to song

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth A Hahn ◽  
Emily D Silverman
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Conspecific Attraction ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Settlement Cues ◽  
Migratory Songbirds ◽  
American Redstarts ◽  
Spring Arrival ◽  
Northern Temperate Forests

For migratory songbirds nesting in northern temperate forests, a short breeding season demands that males rapidly establish territories. Because critical insect and vegetation resources are unavailable during spring arrival, we suggest that conspecifics serve as settlement cues for males new to a local population. To test conspecific attraction, we conducted playback experiments with American redstarts Setophaga ruticilla . Experimental results demonstrate that song playbacks strongly attract conspecifics, recruiting an average of 4.2 additional males per plot; adult males new to our sites increased, while yearling males failed to respond. Yearlings arrived 6 to 10 days later than adults, raising the possibility that yearlings responded to songs of early arriving adults rather than to playbacks. Our work indicates that conspecific attraction is an important mechanism for breeding habitat selection in an established population of a migratory forest songbird, but the effect is moderated by age, reproductive experience and arrival timing.

Habitat selection of sympatric Siberian Grouse and Hazel Grouse in natural and exploited forests of the lower Amur region

Ornis Fennica ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 142-161
Author(s):  
Tobias Ludwig ◽  
Ralf Siano ◽  
Alexander V. Andreev
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Russian Far East ◽  
Far East ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Empirical Modelling ◽  
Hazel Grouse ◽  
Pioneer Trees ◽  
Selection Of

The Siberian Grouse (Falcipennis falcipennis), which is endemic to the “dark-needle” taiga of the Russian Far East, is one of the least studied grouse species in the world. We examined post-breeding habitat selection of Siberian Grouse and contrasted it with that of the better examined Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia) in two areas near Komsomolsk na Amure, Russia. To infer species-specific preferences, we used field sampling, logistic regression, and AIC model selection, and compared late summer habitats of Siberian Grouse and Hazel Grouse in a mountain- and hilly area in the dark needle taiga. Our study is the first to explain Siberian Grouse habitat relationships with an empirical modelling approach. Results indicate proportions of coniferous/ pioneer trees forest and rejuvenation to be the most important covariates separating Siberian and Hazel Grouse observation sites in forests from both areas. Siberian Grouse tended to select sites with low proportions of pioneer trees and rejuvenation but availability of dwarf shrubs. Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) appeared to be of high importance for the presence of Siberian Grouse in both regions. Hazel Grouse were common in places dominated by pioneer trees with high canopy cover, and high proportions of grass/herb cover. Hazel Grouse also occurred more often in forest sites with dense vertical layering and rejuvenation. Modern forestry, which results in increasing amounts of forests at younger successional stages, is likely to favour the Hazel Grouse at the expense of the Siberian Grouse.

Conspecific attraction for conservation and management of terrestrial breeding birds: Current knowledge and future research directions

The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathon J Valente ◽  
Christa L LeGrande-Rolls ◽  
James W Rivers ◽  
Anna M Tucker ◽  
Richard A Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Site Occupancy ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conspecific Attraction ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
And Control

Abstract Conspecific presence can indicate the location or quality of resources, and animals settling near conspecifics often gain fitness benefits. This can result in adaptive conspecific attraction during breeding habitat selection as demonstrated in numerous terrestrial, territorial birds. There is growing interest in using simulated conspecific social cues (e.g., decoys, broadcasted vocalizations) to manage bird distributions, yet it remains unclear when this approach is likely to succeed. We reviewed published studies to evaluate whether the strength of conspecific attraction in terrestrial birds is mediated by characteristics of species (life history traits), simulated cues (e.g., timing and duration), sites (e.g., quality), and how conspecific attraction was measured. We identified 31 experiments that simulated social cues and compared conspecific settlement between treatment and control sites. We then used phylogenetically controlled meta-regression to assess the impacts of 19 moderators on settlement. Nearly all species included in these experiments were migratory passerines, and social cues generally had a strong, positive influence on their settlement decisions, as the odds of site occupancy were 3.12× (95% CI: 0.81–11.69) greater in treatment sites relative to control sites. Within this group, conspecific attraction was evolutionarily conserved with ≥25.5% (95% CI: 5.1%–65.4%) of the variance in treatment effects explained by phylogenetic relatedness. However, we found no evidence that any covariates influenced the response to social cues, and we posit this stems from limited research specifically designed to identify the mechanisms mediating conspecific attraction. We therefore developed a research agenda that provides a framework for testing mechanistic hypotheses regarding how cue characteristics, species traits, and spatial contexts may mediate attraction to conspecifics. Evaluating these hypotheses will greatly advance the field by helping managers understand when, where, and why simulating social cues can be used to enhance populations of species that are of conservation concern.

scholarly journals Forest fragmentation in the temperate zone and its effects on migratory songbirds

1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 233-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott K. Robinson ◽  
David S. Wilcove
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Tropical Deforestation ◽  
Temperate Zone ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Neotropical Migrants ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Migratory Songbirds

SummaryAlthough much attention has been paid to the impacts of tropical deforestation on populations of Neotropical migrants, fragmentation of breeding habitat may be an equally serious problem for many of these birds. Populations of many migrant songbirds have been declining in recent decades, especially within small woodlots. Censuses from woodlots of different sizes also consistently show that many migrant songbirds are area-sensitive, i.e. they are absent from all but the largest woodlots in a region. In contrast, long-term censuses from large, unfragmented forests show few consistent patterns of decline in Neotropical migrants. Population declines are therefore linked to forest fragmentation because they are most pronounced in small, isolated woodlots.

Who is in the neighborhood? Conspecific and heterospecific responses to perceived density for breeding habitat selection

Ethology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice K. Kelly ◽  
Scott J. Chiavacci ◽  
Thomas J. Benson ◽  
Michael P. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Breeding Habitat

scholarly journals A review of conspecific attraction for habitat selection across taxa

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 12690-12699
Author(s):  
Valerie L. Buxton ◽  
Janice K. Enos ◽  
Jinelle H. Sperry ◽  
Michael P. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Conspecific Attraction

scholarly journals Seasonal changes in distribution and abundance of a local Corncrake population

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Budka ◽  
Patryk Kokociński ◽  
Paweł Bogawski ◽  
Maciej Nowak ◽  
Joanna Teresa Białas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Population Declines

Abstract Many bird species have experienced short- or long-term population declines. However, the mechanisms and reasons underlying such negative changes are often not fully understood, making it difficult to identify effective conservation measures to recover populations. In this study, we focused on local changes in the abundance and distribution of calling male Corncrakes Crex crex in relation to: (1) within- and between-season site fidelity of adult males, (2) spatial distribution of territories in consecutive years and (3) the effect of habitat conditions on population size. We counted the number of calling males at ten randomly selected study plots (1 km2) in 2014–2018. Additionally, males were caught and individually marked in years 2015–2017. We found significant between-year changes in Corncrake abundance, from a 34% decrease to a 21% increase. On average, 32% of males established territories in the same locations as males recorded in the previous year. Breeding site fidelity was very low, with only 2–5% of males recaptured in the following year. Males selected areas characterized by higher values of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index–higher values indicate more biomass) than on average within the study area. Population size in a particular year was significantly affected by the NDVI of the previous year but not by the NDVI in the current breeding season. We suppose that Corncrakes may exhibit a nomadic breeding behavior, and settle at territories when they encounter optimal habitat conditions. Moreover, as population size was negatively correlated with habitat conditions at the beginning of the previous breeding season, we suppose that local population changes may reflect more general trends in a whole population rather than local breeding success. Therefore, we highlight the need for better knowledge of Corncrake dispersal within the main European population and for the coordination of monitoring and conservation efforts, especially in those regions where most Corncrakes breed.

Finding a place to live: conspecific attraction affects habitat selection in juvenile green and golden bell frogs

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lígia Pizzatto ◽  
Michelle Stockwell ◽  
Simon Clulow ◽  
John Clulow ◽  
Michael Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Conspecific Attraction
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