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Abstract State-level Breeding Bird Survey (1980–1998) and U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics were used to test the hypothesis that changes in agricultural land use within the eastern and central U.S. have driven population trends of grassland and shrub habitat birds over the past two decades. The degree to which population trends differed between grassland and shrub habitats was evaluated with respect to migratory and nesting behavior. Grassland birds declined significantly between 1980 and 1999, but, on average, shrub habitat species did not. Grassland-breeding, long-distance migrants exhibited the strongest negative trends. Most species (78%; n = 63) exhibited at least one significant association between population trends and changes in agricultural land use, and in most, land use “explained” 25–30% of the variation in population trends among states. Changes in the farmland landscape accounted for more of the interstate variability of population trends of short-distance migrants than of both long-distance migrants and residents, and that variability was greater in grassland than shrub species. Declines in the area of rangeland and cover crops were followed by population declines and increases, respectively, by many species. Increases of land in the Conservation Reserve Program had negative associations with population trends of some shrub species. The results indicate that grassland birds have declined strongly over the past two decades, and that regardless of migratory behavior or nesting habits, avian population trends are linked strongly to changes in agricultural land use within North America.

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The influences of weather and food supply on Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) reproduction were examined using data on annual (1980—1983) and seasonal variation in timing of breeding, clutch size, and egg mass in a population of kingbirds breeding in eastern Kansas, USA. Timing of breeding differed significantly among years and appeared to be related to insect abundance. Clutch size declined significantly with breeding date in all years, but differed significantly only between 1980 and 1981. A severe drought in 1980 likely depressed food availability, whereas an emergence of periodical cicadas in 1981 provided a superabundant food source. Across all years, however, clutch size varied inversely with the mean breeding date of the population, whereas average egg mass varied directly with food availability. Maximum annual differences in mean clutch and egg size were small compared to variation in food availability. I examined 10 hypotheses that have been proposed to explain seasonal changes to clutch size in birds. All but three rejected as possible explanations for kingbirds. The tendency of older females to lay both earlier and larger clutches is probably responsible for most of the seasonal decline of clutch size, but reduced probability of survival for offspring fledged late in the breeding season and avoidance of stress in adults just prior to migration may also be contributing factors. Reduced clutch size late in the breeding period should permit females to hatch young sooner, to raise them faster, and to fledge them at higher masses. These features should increase survival of both juveniles and adults since postfledging care is long in kingbirds.

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Harsh weather in spring presents energetic challenges to birds during migration and upon reaching the breeding grounds, and yet, birds often arrive well before breeding begins. We studied a population of Eastern Kingbirds in eastern Oregon from 2004 through 2007. Early arriving kingbirds faced the poorest weather conditions, and therefore we predicted that benefits of early arrival must exist to balance the presumed costs. Earlyarriving kingbirds were more likely to both acquire a high-quality territory and to replace nests after failure. Early-arriving birds also bred early, and early breeding led to larger clutches and greater production of young. Earlyarriving males also sired more extra-pair young than later arrivers. Our data suggest that arrival date is in part influenced by individual quality, and that arrival date has reproductive consequences, with the primary benefits of early arrival being the acquisition of a high-quality territory, early breeding, and increased probability of replacing failed initial nests.

Theory predicts that maximal fitness is obtained by individuals who begin to breed immediately upon reaching sexual maturity. However, delayed breeding occurs regularly in some taxa, and in birds and mammals is most often associated with long lifespan and/or limited access to suitable habitats. Delayed breeding is not expected among relatively short-lived species such as migratory passerine birds, but this assumption remains untested in many species. Here we quantify age at first reproduction in an eastern kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus population breeding in an ecological island, and through both observational and experimental approaches, investigate the potential causes for the high frequency of delayed breeding that occurs in this population. Nearly half of the fledged nestlings that returned to the breeding grounds did not breed in their first potential breeding season. Some non-breeders occupied territories, for at least some period, but most remained as non-territorial 'floaters'. Parentage analysis failed to show any reproductive success for female floaters, and only limited success for male floaters, indicating that floating was not a successful reproductive tactic. On the other hand, a strong negative relationship existed between population size and the proportion of young birds that bred in their first year, and non-territorial birds of both sexes quickly filled territory vacancies created by experimental adult removals. Limited breeding habitat and territorial behavior of older birds thus appear to be the main causes of delayed breeding in kingbirds. The frequency of delayed breeding in most species is unknown but of potential significance because failure to incorporate accurate estimates of age at first reproduction in population models may lead to flawed population projections.