scholarly journals Effects of post-breeding moult and energetic condition on timing of songbird migration into the tropics

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1702) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget J. M. Stutchbury ◽  
Elizabeth A. Gow ◽  
Tyler Done ◽  
Maggie MacPherson ◽  
James W. Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Level ◽  
Hylocichla Mustelina ◽  
Energetic Condition ◽  
Territory Acquisition ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
High Reproductive Effort ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Songbird Migration ◽  
Wood Thrushes

Each autumn billions of songbirds migrate between the temperate zone and tropics, but little is known about how events on the breeding grounds affect migration to the tropics. Here, we use light level geolocators to track the autumn migration of wood thrushes Hylocichla mustelina and test for the first time if late moult and poor physiological condition prior to migration delays arrival on the winter territory. Late nesting thrushes postponed feather moult, and birds with less advanced moult in August were significantly farther north on 10 October while en route to the tropics. Individuals in relatively poor energetic condition in August (high β-Hydroxybutyrate, low triglyceride, narrow feather growth bars) passed into the tropics significantly later in October. However, late moult and poor pre-migratory condition did not result in late arrival on the winter territory because stopover duration was highly variable late in migration. Although carry-over effects from the winter territory to spring migration may be strong in migratory songbirds, our study suggests that high reproductive effort late in the season does not impose time constraints that delay winter territory acquisition.

scholarly journals Increased summer food supply decreases non-breeding movement in black-legged kittiwakes

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 20190725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Whelan ◽  
Scott A. Hatch ◽  
David B. Irons ◽  
Alyson McKnight ◽  
Kyle H. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
Rissa Tridactyla ◽  
Breeding Behaviour ◽  
Unlimited Supply ◽  
Migration Phenology ◽  
Carry Over

Individual condition at one stage of the annual cycle is expected to influence behaviour during subsequent stages, yet experimental evidence of food-mediated carry-over effects is scarce. We used a food supplementation experiment to test the effects of food supply during the breeding season on migration phenology and non-breeding behaviour. We provided an unlimited supply of fish to black-legged kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ) during their breeding season on Middleton Island, Alaska, monitored reproductive phenology and breeding success, and used light-level geolocation to observe non-breeding behaviour. Among successful breeders, fed kittiwakes departed the colony earlier than unfed controls. Fed kittiwakes travelled less than controls during the breeding season, contracting their non-breeding range. Our results demonstrate that food supply during the breeding season affects non-breeding phenology, movement and distribution, providing a potential behavioural mechanism underlying observed survival costs of reproduction.

scholarly journals Climatic effects on breeding grounds are more important drivers of breeding phenology in migrant birds than carry-over effects from wintering grounds

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 20130669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Ockendon ◽  
Dave Leech ◽  
James W. Pearce-Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Breeding Phenology ◽  
Spring Temperature ◽  
Climatic Effects ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
The Impact

Long-distance migrants may be particularly vulnerable to climate change on both wintering and breeding grounds. However, the relative importance of climatic variables at different stages of the annual cycle is poorly understood, even in well-studied Palaearctic migrant species. Using a national dataset spanning 46 years, we investigate the impact of wintering ground precipitation and breeding ground temperature on breeding phenology and clutch size of 19 UK migrants. Although both spring temperature and arid zone precipitation were significantly correlated with laying date, the former accounted for 3.5 times more inter-annual variation. Neither climate variable strongly affected clutch size. Thus, although carry-over effects had some impact, they were weaker drivers of reproductive traits than conditions on the breeding grounds.

scholarly journals Wood Thrush Movements and Habitat Use: Effects of Forest Management for Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D. Lang ◽  
Larkin A. Powell ◽  
David G. Krementz ◽  
Michael J. Conroy
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Pinus Taeda ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Picoides Borealis ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Hylocichla Mustelina ◽  
Wood Thrush ◽  
Dispersal Distances ◽  
Wood Thrushes

Abstract We monitored adult and juvenile breeding-season movements and habitat use of radio-tagged Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, central Georgia, USA. We investigated the effects that management for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis), thinning and burning >30 year old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) habitat, had on Wood Thrushes, a ground-foraging and midstory-nesting species. Adult Wood Thrush pairs regularly moved long distances between nesting attempts (range 1 to 17,388 m). The only experimental effect we found on adult movements was a decrease in weekly emigration rates (Ψ) from thinned and burned compartments after silvicultural management. Adult males preferred riparian hardwoods with sparse to moderate cover and those preferences increased following management. Juveniles remained near their nest site (x̄ = 177 m, SE = 113) for an average 24 days (SE = 6.3), and then dispersed a mean 2,189 m (SE = 342). Before dispersal, juveniles preferred upland hardwood–pine mixed habitat (P < 0.05) with moderate overstory cover (P < 0.05). We found no management effects on dispersal distances or predispersal habitat use. However, juveniles from thinned and burned compartments dispersed to hardwood habitats with dense cover, whereas birds from control compartments dispersed to pine-dominated habitats with sparse cover. All juveniles dispersed to areas with habitat similar to what they used before dispersal. Small-scale thinning and burning for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers may have had little effect on Wood Thrush habitat use and movements because typical movements were often larger than the scale (stand or compartment) targeted for management.

Relationship between energetic condition and indicators of immune function in thrushes during spring migration

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
pp. 638-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Owen ◽  
F. R. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Hylocichla Mustelina ◽  
Catharus Ustulatus ◽  
Stopover Site ◽  
Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
Energetic Condition ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Immunoglobulin Gamma

Evidence suggests that the ability of an animal to maintain its immune system and (or) mount an immune response depends on its nutritional health and energetic condition. Migration is a period within an animal’s annual cycle when energetic condition varies, especially after a long, nonstop flight over a large ecological barrier. Our objective was to determine if measures of immune function in migrating Wood Thrush ( Hylocichla mustelina (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)), Swainson’s Thrush ( Catharus ustulatus (Nuttall, 1840)), Gray-cheeked Thrush ( Catharus minimus (Lafresnaye, 1848)), and Veery ( Catharus fuscescens (Stephens, 1817)) were related to the energetic condition of the birds at a stopover site during spring migration. We present data on total leukocyte, lymphocyte, and heterophil counts, heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, serum immunoglobulin gamma G (IgG) concentration, and immune response to phytohemagglutinin. Thrushes arriving at the stopover site in poor energetic condition had low leukocyte and lymphocyte counts. Heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, heterophil count, and IgG concentration were not related to energetic condition. Furthermore, immune response to phytohemagglutinin was positively related to change in mass and days spent in captivity, suggesting that immune function may improve during stopover. We suggest that migrating thrushes arriving at a stopover site in poor energetic condition may also be in poor immunological condition and may have increased susceptibility to disease or parasite infection.

Homing behavior of wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina)

1984 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth P. Able ◽  
William F. Gergits ◽  
Jeffrey D. Cherry ◽  
Scott B. Terrill
Keyword(s):  
Hylocichla Mustelina ◽  
Homing Behavior ◽  
Wood Thrushes

Song learning in the wood thrush

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 1038-1042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl L. Whitney ◽  
Joan Miller
Keyword(s):  
Song Learning ◽  
Hylocichla Mustelina ◽  
Wood Thrush ◽  
Young Males ◽  
The Third ◽  
Structural Types ◽  
Wood Thrushes

A typical wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) song has three phrases. The first (A) is a series of low pitched sounds, the second (B) consists of loud flutelike notes, and the third (C) is usually a trill. Males have repertoires of two to eight different B phrases, which they use in different songs. In a previous study, males reared in isolation of adult song developed songs that were normal except for the structure of the B phrases. We tutored young males (at age 20–80 days) with recorded B phrases. The phrases were of four previously defined structural types, with four variants of each type, giving a total of 16 phrases. The variants of each type differed only in frequency (Hz). The objectives of the experiment were to determine (i) if wood thrushes copy the structure of B phrases that they hear as juveniles, and (ii) if they copy selectively in such a way as to develop repertoires of highly contrasting phrases. Results were obtained for five males. The B phrase repertoires developed by four subjects consisted entirely of phrases (N = 17) copied from the tutor tape. The repertoire of the fifth subject was of phrases (N = 4) that appeared not to be copied. The males that copied from the tutor tape showed no tendency to develop repertoires of highly contrasting B phrases. Three of the four males developed multiple versions of one or more phrase types, while ignoring other types, and in some cases these versions were very similar in frequency and other details of structure.

Patterns of differential migration in white-throated sparrows evaluated with isotopic measurements of feathers

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Mazerolle ◽  
Keith A. Hobson
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Differential Migration ◽  
Zonotrichia Albicollis ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Migratory Songbirds ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Arrival Dates ◽  
Wintering Areas ◽  
Spring Arrival ◽  
Carry Over

We used stable isotope techniques to investigate differential migration in the white-throated sparrow ( Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)), a short-distance migrant in North America, to clarify hypotheses about patterns and consequences of migration tactics. Sparrows staging in Manitoba, Canada, exhibited sex-biased differential timing of spring arrival and latitude of wintering origin. Specifically, females arrived later and originated from more southern latitudes. Furthermore, there was a negative relationship between wintering latitude and arrival dates of individuals, although this relationship was only present during the second spring of the study, since atypical cold temperatures were associated with a pulse of late-arriving sparrows during the first spring. The negative correlation between wintering latitude and arrival date was also present within males, suggesting that the distribution of males on wintering areas could have carry-over effects to reproduction. This study demonstrates potential links between events occurring on wintering and breeding grounds of migratory songbirds.

scholarly journals A Productivity Model for Parasitized, Multibrooded Songbirds

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larkin A. Powell ◽  
Melinda G. Knutson
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Model ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Hylocichla Mustelina ◽  
Wood Thrush ◽  
Driftless Area ◽  
Annual Productivity ◽  
American Redstarts ◽  
Complex Life History ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Wood Thrushes

Abstract We present an enhancement of a simulation model to predict annual productivity for Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) and American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla); the model includes effects of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism. We used species-specific data from the Driftless Area Ecoregion of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa to parameterize the model as a case study. The simulation model predicted annual productivity of 2.03 ± 1.60 SD for Wood Thrushes and 1.56 ± 1.31 SD for American Redstarts. Our sensitivity analysis showed that high parasitism lowered Wood Thrush annual productivity more than American Redstart productivity, even though parasitism affected individual nests of redstarts more severely. Annual productivity predictions are valuable for habitat managers, but productivity is not easily obtained from field studies. Our model provides a useful means of integrating complex life history parameters to predict productivity for songbirds that experience nest parasitism.

An examination of stable hydrogen isotope (δD) variation in adult and juvenile feathers from a migratory songbird

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 585-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Gow ◽  
Bridget J.M. Stutchbury ◽  
T. Done ◽  
T.K. Kyser
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Hylocichla Mustelina ◽  
Intraindividual Variation ◽  
Single Location ◽  
Site Variation ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Migratory Songbird

Stable hydrogen isotopes (δD) can help predict geographic origin of tissue growth but within-site variation of feather δD (δDf) exists. Multiple hypotheses explain δDf variation: moult timing, physiology, and spatio-temporal differences in source deuterium, but there have been few direct tests of these factors. We assessed δDf variation within a breeding population of Wood Thrush ( Hylocichla mustelina (Gmelin, 1789)), by sampling feathers from hatch-year birds, returning adults (after migration), and to eliminate confounding variables from newly grown adult primary feathers during moult. We evaluated potential mechanisms explaining δDf variation by examining intraindividual variation (different feather types), precipitation δD, prey δD, corticosterone (CORT), and breeding productivity. In addition, we directly compared δDf of newly grown primary feathers to δD blood hematocrit (δDb). We found significant differences in δDf between years and age classes and observed no significant intraindividual variation. δDf and δDb were not significantly correlated. CORT weakly contributed to δDf, but there are other factors influencing δDf. Ten percent of all feather samples had outlying δDf values, and were likely grown away from the breeding grounds. Our results document intrapopulation and intraindividual variation of δDf at a single location and indicated that age class and year-to-year differences contributed to high δDf variance.

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