Precise direct tracking and remote sensing reveal the use of forest islands as roost sites by Purple Martins during migration

Fournier, Auriel M. V.; Shave, Amanda; Fischer, Jason D.; Siegrist, Joe; Ray, James D.; Cheskey, Edward D.; MacIntosh, Megan; Ritchie, A. D.; Pearman, Myrna; Applegate, Kelly; Fraser, Kevin C.

doi:10.1111/jofo.12298

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Of these 238 birds, 200 tags were retrieved (22% of tags deployed) and 159 tags had data on them (80% of tags retrieved), although data did not always cover entire migration periods. Occasionally, authors using GPS-archival tags gave reasons for low return rates including low expected survival of the species (Fournier et al 2019) or vehicle mortality and movement out of the study site (Pagel et al 2020). Others found a lower retrieval rate of tagged birds compared to only-banded birds (12% vs. 25–48%; Lavallée et al 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global positioning system (GPS) and platform transmitter terminal (PTT) tags reveal fine-scale migratory movements of small birds: A review highlights further opportunities for hypothesis-driven research

Iverson

Schaefer

Skalos

et al. 2023

Ornithological Applications

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Studying migration is critically important for understanding the full-annual cycle of migrating birds and aids in management and conservation. In recent years, global positioning system (GPS) and platform transmitting terminal (PTT) tags have become miniaturized, revolutionizing migration research by allowing for higher location accuracy and global coverage for smaller species. We reviewed 116 primary research papers from 2006 to 2021 that reported on GPS- or PTT-tagged small birds (<500 g) during migration and assessed research aims, tag efficacy, ecological findings, and future opportunities. Reviewed papers covered 58 unique species (nearly half of which were shorebirds) and 65% of studies tagged birds at breeding grounds. Tags that did not require retrieval had higher success obtaining data, with PTT tags having the greatest success (85% of deployed tags had data). Of studies that reported tag load information, most (70%) reported tag loads ≥3% body mass, which is a potential concern given that 3% is considered the preferable upper limit. Most papers (69%) focused on presenting spatial information such as migratory routes, stopover sites, and habitat use, and only 33% of papers tested explicit hypotheses, demonstrating that we are in the early stages of understanding small bird migration at fine scales. Almost all tag deployments (93%) occurred in the northern hemisphere, most often in the United States (24%), indicating a deficiency in GPS and PTT research on small bird migration from the southern hemisphere. GPS and PTT tags have revealed new biological insights not possible with other technologies by providing fine-scale movement data and global coverage. There are exciting opportunities for researchers to move beyond descriptive spatial studies and explore hypothesis-driven migratory research, into topics such as intraspecific variation, carry-over effects, and climate-driven movements for irruptive species.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global positioning system (GPS) and platform transmitter terminal (PTT) tags reveal fine-scale migratory movements of small birds: A review highlights further opportunities for hypothesis-driven research

Iverson

Schaefer

Skalos

et al. 2023

Ornithological Applications

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“…The intraindividual variability we found for purple martins is more similar to broad, within-individual variation recently shown for some shorebirds (Senner et al, 2019;Verhoeven et al, 2019), than to data reported for nocturnally migrating songbirds. Purple martins are diurnal migrants that roost in large flocks during stopovers across migration (Brown and Tarof, 2013), and may use island-like habitats for stopover (Fraser et al, 2017;Fournier et al, 2019). Large social aggregations and suitable stopover habitat are unevenly distributed across a migratory landscape, thus martin stopover decisions may be influenced by these social factors which could contribute to variation in their individual timing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual Variability in Migration Timing Can Explain Long-Term, Population-Level Advances in a Songbird

et al. 2019

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Migratory animals may be particularly at-risk due to global climate change, as they must match their timing with asynchronous changes in suitable conditions across broad, spatiotemporal scales. It is unclear whether individual long-distance migratory songbirds can flexibly adjust their timing to varying inter-annual conditions. Longitudinal data for individuals sampled across migration are ideal for investigating phenotypic plasticity in migratory timing programs, but remain exceptionally rare. Using the largest, repeat-tracking data set available to date for a songbird (n = 33, purple martin Progne subis), we investigated individual variability in migration timing across 7,000-14,000 km migrations between North American breeding sites and South American overwintering sites. In contrast to previous studies of songbirds, we found broad, within-individual variability between years in the timing of spring departure (0-20 days), spring crossing of the Gulf of Mexico (0-20 days), and breeding site arrival (0-18 days). Spring departure and arrival dates were fairly repeatable across years (depart r = 0.39; arrive r = 0.32). Fall migration timing was more variable at the individual level (depart range = 0-19 days; gulf crossing range = 1-15 days; arrive range = 0-24 days) and less repeatable, with fall crossing of the Tropic of Cancer being the least repeatable (r = 0.0001). In this first, repeat-tracking study of a diurnal migratory songbird, the high within-individual variability in timing that we report may reflect the greater influence of environmental and social cues on migratory timing, as compared to the migration of more solitary, nocturnally migrating songbirds. Further, large, within-individual variability in migration dates (0-24 days) suggest that advances in spring arrival dates with climate change that have been reported for multiple songbird species (including purple martins) could potentially be explained by intra-individual flexibility in migration timing. However, whether phenotypic plasticity will be sufficient to keep up with the pace of climate change remains to be determined.

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“…We used the purple martin ( Progne subis ) as a model species for colonial aerial insectivores because they have central nests or roosts at throughout most of the year and they are one of the largest swallows, allowing them to be tracked using recently-miniaturized GPS biologgers [ 19 , 20 ]. Given that aerial insectivores are a rapidly declining avian guild [ 21 – 23 ], and there is no consensus on the main cause of decline [ 9 , 24 , 25 ], understanding their year-round habitat requirements is critical for developing management practices that would contribute to conservation [ 26 , 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Central-place foraging poses variable constraints year-round in a neotropical migrant

et al. 2022

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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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Precise direct tracking and remote sensing reveal the use of forest islands as roost sites by Purple Martins during migration

Abstract: la conservaci on del ciclo anual completo de Progne subis y otras especies migratorias con poblaciones en disminuci on.

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Global positioning system (GPS) and platform transmitter terminal (PTT) tags reveal fine-scale migratory movements of small birds: A review highlights further opportunities for hypothesis-driven research

Global positioning system (GPS) and platform transmitter terminal (PTT) tags reveal fine-scale migratory movements of small birds: A review highlights further opportunities for hypothesis-driven research

Individual Variability in Migration Timing Can Explain Long-Term, Population-Level Advances in a Songbird

Central-place foraging poses variable constraints year-round in a neotropical migrant

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