Estimating the Abundance of Nesting Rusty Blackbirds in Relation to Wetland Habitats in Alaska

Matsuoka, Steven M.; Shaw, David; Johnson, James A.

doi:10.1525/cond.2010.100148

Cited by 12 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…are the common wetland shrubs >1 m in height; balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), black spruce (Picea mariana), and white spruce (P. glauca) are the dominant trees in forested wetlands. we reached the study sites in innoko and the tanana flats by motor boat and searched for nests in wetlands along 22 km of hather creek (innoko) and 11.25 km 2 of floodplain adjacent to the tanana River (tanana flats; Matsuoka et al 2010). Study sites in fairbanks and tetlin were reached by road and included wetlands with open water on the perimeter of the city of fairbanks and two lakes and their adjacent forested and shrubby wetlands near the alaska highway (tetlin).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the study area in anchorage was located in a primarily upland landscape. wetlands of various sizes were generally isolated and dispersed; we searched for nests in all wetlands that were seasonally or permanently flooded (n = 33) and in the adjacent 50 m of upland habitats (Matsuoka et al 2010). the dominant trees and shrubs within wetlands in anchorage are similar to those in interior alaska except that willows are uncommon.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nesting Ecology of the Rusty Blackbird in Alaska and Canada

Matsuoka¹,

Shaw²,

Sinclair³

et al. 2010

The Condor

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Resumen. examinamos la ecología de nidificación de Euphagus carolinus a través del monitoreo de 162 nidos para obtener datos de supervivencia de nidos en alaska y de 252 registros adicionales de alaska y canadá para identificar habitats importantes para la nidificación y evaluar si las bajas tasas de éxito de nidos contribuyeron a las disminuciones poblacionales en alaska. en la costa de alaska y a lo largo de canadá, los nidos se encontraron principalmente en coníferas (85% de 212 nidos). todos los nidos en coníferas de alaska y el 80% de los de canadá estuvieron ubicados en ejemplares de Picea spp., principalmente P. mariana. en alaska se identificó un uso selectivo de ejemplares pequeños de Picea (<8 cm dap), resultando en un alto éxito reproductivo-la supervivencia de los nidos incrementó con la densidad de P. mariana, y el éxito de nidos en ejemplares de Picea (79%) fue mayor que el de los nidos ubicados en vegetación decidua (52%). la supervivencia de nidos en ejemplares más altos de Picea disminuyó, posiblemente debido a la depredación por parte de Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. los individuos de E. carolinus nidificaron cerca del agua en el interior (x _ = 8 m) y en el sur centro de alaska (x _ = 30 m), y los ejemplares pequeños de Picea parecieron ser importantes dentro de la mayor parte del área de distribución de la especie. Sin embargo, en el interior de alaska, la mayoría de los nidos se ubicaron en ejemplares de Salix (78%), los que dominaban la vegetación cercana al agua. el éxito de nidos en alaska promedió el 56%, similar a las tasas del mismo periodo en nueva inglaterra pero mayor que las de otras especies de Euphagus de américa del norte. Son necesarios estudios para verificar si la supervivencia de nidos es alta también en canadá y para investigar dónde y cómo el déficit en la supervivencia de adultos o juveniles puede estar limitando el crecimiento poblacional.neSting ecology of the RuSty BlackBiRd in alaSka and canada ecología de nidificación de Euphagus carolinus en alaska y canadá Abstract. we examined the nesting ecology of the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) from 162 nests monitored for nest survival in alaska and 252 incidental records from alaska and canada to identify important habitats for nesting and to test whether low rates of nest success are contributing to populations declines in alaska. in coastal alaska and throughout canada, nests were primarily in conifers (85% of 212 nests). all conifer nests in alaska and 80% of those in canada were placed in spruce (Picea spp.), primarily black spruce (P. mariana). in alaska use of small spruces (<8 cm dbh) was selective and resulted in high reproductive success-nest survival increased with black spruce density, and success of nests in spruce (79%) was higher than that of nests in deciduous vegetation (52%). Survival of nests in taller spruce declined, possibly from predation by red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Rusty Blackbirds nested near water in interior (x _ = 8 m) and south-central alaska (x _ = 30 m), and small spruces near ...

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting Ecology of the Rusty Blackbird in Alaska and Canada

Matsuoka¹,

Shaw²,

Sinclair³

et al. 2010

The Condor

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“…Matsuoka et al (2010a) and Powell et al (2010a) respectively surveyed and radio-tracked breeding Rusty Blackbirds and found that the generally low breeding densities observed over much of the species' range are linked to specialized use of shallow-water habitats for foraging and large home ranges, which typically include multiple wetlands used for foraging and nesting. Matsuoka et al (2010b) and Powell et al (2010b) analyzed data from >450 nests across the breeding range and showed that the species' widespread use of small stunted conifers, primarily spruce (Picea spp.…”

Section: Important Findings Of the Special Sectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such efforts would be most useful if focused on populations breeding in areas of known decline and range retraction and were designed to evaluate various hypotheses for the decline. For example, researchers could repeat previous surveys or atlases of breeding Rusty Blackbirds (e.g., Powell 2008) and compare habitats, patterns of land use, levels of acidification or contamination, and climatic characteristics among sites that retain breeding blackbirds and sites at which the species bred formerly (Machtan et al 2007, Matsuoka et al 2010a.…”

Section: Breeding Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies that use the before-after, control-impact (BACI) design (Smith 2002) may give insight on this front, but their spatial scale will need to be relatively large, given the generally low densities at which the species breeds. The availability of shallow water and its aquatic macroinvertebrates (particularly Odonata) as prey appears to be central both in selection of breeding sites (Matsuoka et al 2010a) and in successful reproduction. Understanding how the composition, densities, and phenology of macroinvertebrates influence clutch size, nestling growth, and mass at fledging will be important in inferring mechanisms governing habitat choice and reproductive success and for assessing how climate change will affect populations by altering the phenology or reducing the availability of prey by desiccating wetlands (Matsuoka et al 2010a).…”

Section: Breeding Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rusty Blackbird: Mysteries of a Species in Decline

Greenberg¹,

Matsuoka²

2010

The Condor

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Abstract. The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) breeds across the boreal forest zone of North America and winters throughout the eastern United States. Over the past four decades, the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the Christmas Bird Count have shown high rates of population decline ranging from approximately 5 to 12% per year. Regional surveys suggest declines and range retractions in the southern boreal zone. Analyses of historical accounts suggest that the Rusty Blackbird's abundance has been dropping steadily for over a century. A number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain the decline. The species relies on wooded wetlands throughout the year, so loss and degradation of these habitats-particularly in the winter range-is a prime suspect. Blackbird-control programs may have contributed. In recent decades, habitat disturbance, global warming, and environmental contamination in the boreal zone may have taken their toll on breeding populations. In 2005, the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group was formed to develop research efforts toward understanding the mysterious decline. This special section presents the group's research findings-the first on the species' use of breeding and winter habitat, reproductive success, parasite prevalence, patterns of molt, and migratory connectivity. Data on the levels of methylmercury in tissues and the role of timber management on reproductive success are intriguing. We outline research needed for assessment of the roles of various factors in causing the decline of the Rusty Blackbird. Resumen. Euphagus carolinus es una especie distribuida a lo largo de la zona de los bosques boreales de América del Norte durante la época reproductiva y que pasa el invierno a lo largo del este de los Estados Unidos. Durante las últimas cuatro décadas, el Censo Norteamericano de Aves Reproductivas y el Conteo de Aves de Navidad muestran altas tasas de disminución de poblaciones en un rango aproximado que va del 5 al 12% anual. Los censos regionales sugieren disminuciones de población y retracciones de distribución en la zona boreal meridional. Los análisis de conteos históricos sugieren que la abundancia de E. carolinus ha venido disminuyendo sostenidamente por más de un siglo. Se propusieron varias hipótesis para explicar la disminución. Esta especie depende de humedales arbolados a lo largo del año, por lo tanto la pérdida y degradación de estos habitatsparticularmente en el área de distribución de invierno-representan la principal sospechosa. Los programas de control de E. carolinus pueden haber contribuido. En décadas recientes, la alteración de hábitat, el calentamiento global y la contaminación ambiental en la zona boreal pueden haber tenido un grave efecto en las poblaciones reproductivas. En el 2005 se formó el Grupo Internacional de Trabajo de E. carolinus (IRBWG por sus siglas en inglés) para desarrollar esfuerzos de investigación para lograr entender la misteriosa disminución. Esta sección especial presenta los resultados de las investigaciones del IRBWG-el p...

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Climate change and the decline of a once common bird

McClure

Rolek

McDonald

et al. 2012

Ecology and Evolution

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Climate change is predicted to negatively impact wildlife through a variety of mechanisms including retraction of range. We used data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey and regional and global climate indices to examine the effects of climate change on the breeding distribution of the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), a formerly common species that is rapidly declining. We found that the range of the Rusty Blackbird retracted northward by 143 km since the 1960s and that the probability of local extinction was highest at the southern range margin. Furthermore, we found that the mean breeding latitude of the Rusty Blackbird was significant and positively correlated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation with a lag of six years. Because the annual distribution of the Rusty Blackbird is affected by annual weather patterns produced by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, our results support the hypothesis that directional climate change over the past 40 years is contributing to the decline of the Rusty Blackbird. Our study is the first to implicate climate change, acting through range retraction, in a major decline of a formerly common bird species.

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Estimating the Abundance of Nesting Rusty Blackbirds in Relation to Wetland Habitats in Alaska

Cited by 12 publications

References 25 publications

Nesting Ecology of the Rusty Blackbird in Alaska and Canada

Nesting Ecology of the Rusty Blackbird in Alaska and Canada

Rusty Blackbird: Mysteries of a Species in Decline

Climate change and the decline of a once common bird

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