Geolocators on Golden-winged Warblers do not affect migratory ecology

Peterson, Sean M.; Streby, Henry M.; Kramer, Gunnar R.; Lehman, Justin A.; Buehler, David A.; Andersen, David E.

doi:10.1650/condor-14-200.1

Cited by 34 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…There was no indication of an interaction between attachment method and stalk length that might indicate that snagging in vegetation was a problem. There is, of course, a trade‐off between the utility of a geolocator without a light stalk because light records are less accurate when the light sensor (located at the end of a light stalk for stalked geolocators) is covered with feathers, and so fewer reliable positions may be obtained (but see Peterson et al where the presence of stalks made no difference to data quality).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Small birds (< 15 g) present the current limit for field attachment of tags because battery limitations mean that tags are relatively large and at the 3–5% of body weight limit that is widely regarded as the threshold for significant effects (Cochran , Caccamise and Hedin , Kenward ). The use of geolocators on small passerines has so far produced equivocal results with respect to whether their use impacts fitness (Bridge et al , Fairhurst et al , Peterson et al ) or substantially reduces survival rate (Costantini and Moller , Gomez et al ), although a meta‐analysis concluded that deleterious effects are widespread (Barron et al ). A key issue is that the majority of geolocator studies do not have a formal control group, nor do they adopt an experimental approach to measure variation in effects due to tag design.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Tags and harnesses may change a flying bird's centre of gravity (Vandenabeele et al ) constraining flight or manoeuvrability, may become snagged on vegetation (Dougill et al ), or snag limbs or bills during grooming or preening (Hill et al , Kenward ). Geolocator tags can vary in the presence of and length of a light stalk, which may carry the additional trade‐off of less noisy light data versus a potential reduction in aerodynamic efficiency or chance of becoming snagged (Peterson et al ). How tags are attached to birds can vary not only in the choice of harness design but also in the flexibility of the harness material used and the final tightness of tag on the bird (Naef‐Daenzer ).…”

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confidence: 99%

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An experimental evaluation of the effects of geolocator design and attachment method on between‐year survival on whinchats Saxicola rubetra

Blackburn

Burgess

Freeman³

et al. 2016

Journal of Avian Biology

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Data from location logging tags have revolutionised our understanding of migration ecology, but methods of tagging that do not compromise survival need to be identified. We compared resighting rates for 156 geolocator-tagged and 316 colour ringed-only whinchats on their African wintering grounds after migration to and from eastern Europe in two separate years. We experimentally varied both light stalk length (0, 5 and 10 mm) and harness material (elastic or non-elastic nylon braid tied on, leg-loop 'Rappole' harnesses) in the second year using a reasonably balanced design (all tags in the first year used an elastic harness and 10 mm light stalk). Tags weighed 0.63 g (0.01 SE), representing 4.1% of average body mass. There was no overall significant reduction in between-year resighting rate (our proxy for survival) comparing tagged and untagged birds in either year. When comparing within tagged birds, however, using a tied harness significantly reduced resighting rate by 53% on average compared to using an elastic harness (in all models), but stalk length effects were not statistically significant in any model considered. There was no strong evidence that the fit (relative tightness) or added tag mass affected survival, although tied tags were fitted more tightly later in the study, and birds fitted with tied tags later may have had lower survival. Overall, on a precautionary principle, deploying tags with non-elastic tied harnesses should be avoided because the necessary fit, so as not to reduce survival, is time-consuming to achieve and does not necessarily improve with experience. Geolocator tags of the recommended percentage of body mass fitted with elastic leg-loop harnesses and with short light stalks can be used without survival effects in small long-distance migrant birds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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An experimental evaluation of the effects of geolocator design and attachment method on between‐year survival on whinchats Saxicola rubetra

Blackburn

Burgess

Freeman³

et al. 2016

Journal of Avian Biology

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“…Because of the ethical, conservation and scientific implications, the deployment of such devices should therefore be associated to the assessment of their impact on birds (e.g. Arlt et al 2013;Scandolara et al 2014;Peterson et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No short-term effects of geolocators on flight performance of an aerial insectivorous bird, the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

et al. 2016

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Miniaturized light-level geolocators are becoming increasingly popular devices for the study of avian migration. However, the effects of these devices on birds' flight behaviour, and hence fitness components, are poorly known. We investigated the effect of miniaturized geolocators on flight performance of the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), which may be especially susceptible to geolocator deployment as it is a small (*20 g), aerially insectivorous, long-distance migratory species. We tested whether miniaturized geolocators (*3.5 % of body mass) affected short-term flight performance traits of breeding males by comparing flight manoeuvrability, velocity and acceleration of geolocator-equipped versus control (handled only) birds in flight tunnels. We used a robust experimental design wherein the within-individual change in flight performance was compared between geolocatorequipped birds (after allowing for a period of acclimation) and control birds (that were also tested twice). We found no statistically significant evidence that short-term flight performance traits were affected by geolocator deployment. Here we discuss the implications of our findings for the deployment of geolocators in studies of migratory behaviour of small birds.

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“…Additionally, Peterson et al. () found that geolocators had no effect on the migratory behavior of male Golden‐winged Warblers (Peterson et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geolocators reveal migratory connectivity between wintering and breeding areas of Golden-winged Warblers

et al. 2017

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The conservation of migratory songbirds is often impeded by a lack of understanding of how populations in breeding and wintering areas are geographically linked (migratory connectivity). In recent years, light‐level geolocators have improved our understanding of migratory connectivity. Such information is valuable for evaluating how conservation efforts align between the breeding and non‐breeding areas of at‐risk species, and help to more effectively prioritize the allocation of conservation funding. Golden‐winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) are imperiled migratory songbirds, but the extent to which conservation efforts in their breeding and non‐breeding areas coincide with patterns of migratory connectivity are not well known. We used light‐level geolocators to evaluate the extent to which conservation actions targeting Golden‐winged Warblers in Nicaragua and in their breeding range in North America align with patterns of migratory connectivity. We recovered six of 22 geolocators that had been deployed on male Golden‐winged Warblers at the El Jaguar Reserve during the winter of 2015–2016. All six males migrated to breeding areas in the western Great Lakes region that includes eastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, southwestern Ontario, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. All six males also had similar migration routes, with spring stopovers in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, a trans‐Gulf flight, and a stopover in the region of Louisiana, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and Texas. Our results, in combination with those of previous studies, demonstrate strong migratory connectivity between portions of the breeding and winter distributions of Golden‐winged Warblers currently targeted for conservation. However, additional studies are needed to improve our understanding of the stopover ecology of Golden‐winged Warblers, especially in areas where they remain for extended periods of time. Finally, patterns of migratory connectivity revealed in our study should be used in combination with existing demographic parameters for Golden‐winged Warblers in the western Great Lakes and Nicaragua to help inform full life cycle population models for this imperiled songbird.

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Geolocators on Golden-winged Warblers do not affect migratory ecology

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 34 publications

References 19 publications

An experimental evaluation of the effects of geolocator design and attachment method on between‐year survival on whinchats Saxicola rubetra

An experimental evaluation of the effects of geolocator design and attachment method on between‐year survival on whinchats Saxicola rubetra

No short-term effects of geolocators on flight performance of an aerial insectivorous bird, the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Geolocators reveal migratory connectivity between wintering and breeding areas of Golden-winged Warblers

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