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Iverson AR, Humple DL, Cormier RL, Hahn TP, Block TA, Shizuka D, Lyon BE, Chaine AS, Hudson EJ, Hull EM. Winter GPS tagging reveals home ranges during the breeding season for a boreal-nesting migrant songbird, the Golden-crowned Sparrow. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305369. [PMID: 38865434 PMCID: PMC11168665 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining space use for species is fundamental to understanding their ecology, and tracking animals can reveal insights into their spatial ecology on home ranges and territories. Recent technological advances have led to GPS-tracking devices light enough for birds as small as ~30 g, creating novel opportunities to remotely monitor fine-scale movements and space use for these smaller species. We tested whether miniaturized GPS tags can allow us to understand space use of migratory birds away from their capture sites and sought to understand both pre-breeding space use as well as territory and habitat use on the breeding grounds. We used GPS tags to characterize home ranges on the breeding grounds for a migratory songbird with limited available breeding information, the Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla). Using GPS points from 23 individuals across 26 tags (three birds tagged twice), we found home ranges in Alaska and British Columbia were on average 44.1 ha (95% kernel density estimate). In addition, estimates of territory sizes based on field observations (mean 2.1 ha, 95% minimum convex polygon [MCP]) were three times smaller than 95% MCPs created using GPS tags (mean 6.5 ha). Home ranges included a variety of land cover classes, with shrubland particularly dominant (64-100% of home range cover for all but one bird). Three birds tracked twice returned to the same breeding area each year, supporting high breeding site fidelity for this species. We found reverse spring migration for five birds that flew up to 154 km past breeding destinations before returning. GPS-tracking technology allowed for critical ecological insights into this migratory species that breeds in very remote locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn R. Iverson
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
| | - Diana L. Humple
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
| | - Renée L. Cormier
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas P. Hahn
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis California, United States of America
| | - Theadora A. Block
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Bruce E. Lyon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Alexis S. Chaine
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UAR2029), Evolutionary Ecology Group, Moulis, France
- Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France
| | - Emily J. Hudson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Elisha M. Hull
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
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Wasserlauf Y, Gancz A, Ben Dov A, Efrat R, Sapir N, Dor R, Spiegel O. A telemetry study shows that an endangered nocturnal avian species roosts in extremely dry habitats to avoid predation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11888. [PMID: 37482541 PMCID: PMC10363541 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38981-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Describing animal space use is essential for understanding their ecological needs and for planning effective conservation schemes. Notably, certain biomes and life histories are understudied due to methodological challenges in tracking animals in their natural habitats. Specifically, both arid environments and nocturnal species are not sufficiently researched compared to diurnal species and to other biomes. This knowledge gap hinders our ability to properly prioritize habitats for species protection in areas undergoing human-related development. Here, we investigate the movement ecology of the Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius) in the arid Dead-sea region of Israel, the Palestinian Authority (the West Bank) and Jordan. This nocturnal insectivore is a cryptic desert-dweller and was considered locally extinct until it was rediscovered in 2016. For this work we tracked twelve individuals using GPS tags to determine how this resource-poor environment affects their home range, (predicting large areas), habitat use, and day-roost ecology. We found that the tracked Egyptian Nightjars had a much larger home range area than other Nightjar species, commuting nightly between foraging grounds and day-roosts. We found, as expected, intensive foraging activity at agricultural fields, where artificial irrigation likely supports higher resource (insect) density. Additionally, we found that individuals showed very high roosting site fidelity, often returning to the same specific site, located in extremely dry and exposed habitats, presumably for predator avoidance. This finding highlights the ecological value of these barren habitats that are often considered "lifeless" and therefore of lower priority for conservation. Consequently, our research demonstrates the importance of describing the space-use of nocturnal animals in arid habitats for conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohay Wasserlauf
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Ady Gancz
- The Exotic Clinic, 9978600, Gezer, Israel
| | | | - Ron Efrat
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Roi Dor
- Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel
| | - Orr Spiegel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Lalla KM, Fraser KC, Frei B, Fischer JD, Siegrist J, Ray JD, Cohn-Haft M, Elliott KH. Central-place foraging poses variable constraints year-round in a neotropical migrant. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:39. [PMID: 36127732 PMCID: PMC9487155 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00337-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND "Central-place foragers" are constrained in their habitat selection and foraging range by the frequency with which they need to return to a central place. For example, chick-rearing songbirds that must feed their offspring hourly might be expected to have smaller foraging ranges compared to non-breeding songbirds that return nightly to a roost. METHODS We used GPS units to compare the foraging behaviour of an aerial insectivorous bird, the purple martin (Progne subis), during the breeding season in three regions across North America, as well as the non-breeding season in South America. Specifically, we tested foraging range size and habitat selection. RESULTS Foraging range did not vary among regions during breeding (14.0 ± 39.2 km2) and was larger during the nonbreeding period (8840 ± 8150 km2). Purple martins strongly preferred aquatic habitats to other available habitats year-round and in the Amazon commuted from night roosts in low productivity sediment-poor water, where risk of predation was probably low, to daytime foraging sites in productive sediment-rich water sites. CONCLUSIONS We provide the first estimates for foraging range size in purple martins and demonstrate foraging preference for aquatic habitats throughout two stages of the annual cycle. Understanding foraging constraints and habitat of aerial insectivores may help plan conservation actions throughout their annual cycle. Future research should quantify foraging behaviour during the post-breeding period and during migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M Lalla
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - Kevin C Fraser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Barbara Frei
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montreal, Canada
- McGill Bird Observatory, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Joe Siegrist
- Purple Martin Conservation Association, Erie, PA, USA
| | - James D Ray
- Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, U.S. Department of Energy-National Nuclear Security Administration Pantex Plant, Amarillo, TX, 79120, USA
- , 8500 Kemper Road, Canyon, TX, USA
| | - Mario Cohn-Haft
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, H9X 3V9, Canada
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Korpach AM, Davy CM, Mills A, Fraser KC. Migratory connectivity and timing for an at-risk Canadian landbird, Eastern Whip-poor-will ( Antrostomus vociferus), from two geographically distant breeding areas. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Determining the year-round spatial distributions of at-risk avian migratory species is critical for effective conservation. High-precision tracking enables the identification of distant breeding and nonbreeding areas and their connectivity, as well as migratory routes and associated threats. We GPS-tracked two groups of Eastern Whip-poor-wills ( Antrostomus vociferus (A. Wilson, 1812)) that breed near the northern edge of their range, in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario (“west”), and in southern Ontario (“east”), Canada. The western-breeding birds were also ∼5° of latitude farther north than the eastern birds. We aimed to determine the degree of spatiotemporal overlap between the two groups during fall migration and at tropical wintering sites. We found that western-breeding birds departed earlier on migration than eastern-breeding birds, but we did not detect a difference in arrival timing to wintering sites. The two breeding groups retained spatial structure during migration, until all routes converged to circumnavigate the Gulf of Mexico. Western-breeding birds overwintered at sites farther south than eastern-breeding birds, consistent with a leapfrog pattern of migration. Quantifying the strength of migratory connectivity in at-risk species can be a first step toward defining breeding populations and informing customized conservation strategies throughout the annual cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia M. Korpach
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Christina M. Davy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, ON K9J 3C7, Canada
| | - Alex Mills
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Kevin C. Fraser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
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Wilcox RC, Tarwater CE. Space use patterns and the extent of complementarity across scales in introduced seed dispersers. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02786-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Fleming CH, Deznabi I, Alavi S, Crofoot MC, Hirsch BT, Medici EP, Noonan MJ, Kays R, Fagan WF, Sheldon DR, Calabrese JM. Population‐level inference for home‐range areas. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. H. Fleming
- University of Maryland College Park College Park MD USA
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA
| | - I. Deznabi
- University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst MA USA
| | - S. Alavi
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
| | - M. C. Crofoot
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | | | - E. P. Medici
- Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas Nazaré Paulista Brazil
| | - M. J. Noonan
- The University of British Columbia Okanagan Kelowna BC Canada
| | - R. Kays
- North Carolina State University Raleigh NC USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh NC USA
| | - W. F. Fagan
- University of Maryland College Park College Park MD USA
| | - D. R. Sheldon
- University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst MA USA
- Mount Holyoke College South Hadley MA USA
| | - J. M. Calabrese
- University of Maryland College Park College Park MD USA
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), Görlitz Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (HZDR), Leipzig Germany
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig Germany
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