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Seasonal change in tropical habitat quality and body condition for a declining migratory songbird

  • Behavioral ecology - Original research
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Abstract

Many migratory songbirds spend their non-breeding season in tropical humid forests, where climate change is predicted to increase the severity and frequency of droughts and decrease rainfall. For conservation of these songbirds, it is critical to understand how resources during the non-breeding season are affected by seasonal patterns of drying, and thereby predict potential long-term effects of climate change. We studied habitat quality for a declining tropical forest-dwelling songbird, the wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), and tested the hypothesis that habitat moisture and arthropod abundance are drivers of body condition during the overwintering period. We examined habitat moisture, abundance of arthropods and fruit, and condition of individual birds (n = 418) in three habitat types—mature forest, mature forest with increased presence of human activity, and riparian scrub—from October to April. We found a strong pattern of habitat drying from October (wet season) to March (prior to spring migration) in all habitats, with concurrent declines in arthropod and fruit abundance. Body condition of birds also declined (estimated ~5 % decline over the wintering period), with no significant difference by habitat. Relatively poor condition (low body condition index, low fat and pectoral muscles scores) was equally apparent in all habitat types in March. Climate change is predicted to increase the severity of dry seasons in Central America, and our results suggest that this could negatively affect the condition of individual wood thrushes.

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Acknowledgments

K. Fraser provided comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript and greatly assisted in the field. Field assistance was provided by R. Florian, T. Pop, W. Garcia, L. Pop, A. Chollum, R. Kresnik, A. Ash, A. Romero, and M. Cruz. Fieldwork was facilitated by logistical support of J. Dourson, H. Barrett, and J. Marlin of BFREE. We are grateful for financial contributions for this work from the Kenneth M. Molson Foundation, Schad Foundation, York University, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) discovery grant, and proceeds from Silence of the Songbirds (BJM Stutchbury, 2007, Walker & Co.) and scholarships to EAM (NSERC Post-Graduate Scholarship, Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, AOU Hesse Award). Two anonymous reviewers provided helpful constructive feedback.

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  1. Emily A. McKinnon

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Emily A. McKinnon & Bridget J. M. Stutchbury

  2. Department of Environmental Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC, 28403-5949, USA

    James A. Rotenberg

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  1. Emily A. McKinnon
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Correspondence to Emily A. McKinnon.

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Communicated by Ola Olsson.

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McKinnon, E.A., Rotenberg, J.A. & Stutchbury, B.J.M. Seasonal change in tropical habitat quality and body condition for a declining migratory songbird. Oecologia 179, 363–375 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3343-1

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