Status and Conservation Priorities of Golden-Winged Warbler (Vermivora Chrysoptera) in North America

Buehler, David A.; Roth, Amber M.; Vallender, Rachel; Will, Tom; Confer, John L.; Canterbury, Ronald A.; Swarthout, Sara Barker; Rosenberg, Kenneth V.; Bulluck, Lesley P.

doi:10.1093/auk/124.4.1439

Cited by 38 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These warblers have experienced range-wide population declines for >40 yr, with the most dramatic declines occurring throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains (e.g., NC populations experience~10.5% per year declines; Sauer et al 2014). Remaining populations of golden wings are fragmented into two breeding populations: the Great Lakes and the Appalachians (Buehler et al 2007;Confer et al 2011). Several factors are likely contributing to population declines, but hybridization with blue-winged warblers and habitat loss (due to forest regeneration and fire suppression; Klaus & Buehler 2001;Buehler et al 2007) are likely the most significant causes (Roth et al 2012).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Remaining populations of golden wings are fragmented into two breeding populations: the Great Lakes and the Appalachians (Buehler et al 2007;Confer et al 2011). Several factors are likely contributing to population declines, but hybridization with blue-winged warblers and habitat loss (due to forest regeneration and fire suppression; Klaus & Buehler 2001;Buehler et al 2007) are likely the most significant causes (Roth et al 2012). These warblers nest in young forest and shrubland communities and during the postfledging period use a variety of forest age classes from dense stands of saplings and pole timber to mature forest (Confer et al 2011, Larkin unpubl.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Multiple Plumage Ornaments as Signals of Intrasexual Communication in Golden‐Winged Warblers

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Avian plumage represents some of the greatest diversity in integument coloration of all animals. Plumage signals are diverse in function, including those that allow for assessing potential mates or the mitigation of agonistic interactions between rivals. Many bird species possess multiple ornamental traits that have the potential to serve as multiple or redundant signals. For example, male golden‐winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) have brilliant carotenoid‐based yellow crowns, melanin‐based black throats, and structurally based white patches on their outer tail feathers. Using a correlative approach, we investigated whether plumage ornaments have the potential to reliably signal ability to acquire higher quality territory, aggressive response to simulated territorial intrusions, and reproductive success. We found that both crown chroma and tail brightness were significantly related to habitat quality and aggression; more ornamented birds held territories with higher quality habitat and were less aggressive toward simulated conspecific stimuli. Older birds sang less threatening songs than younger birds and were more likely to sing their mate attraction song type (type 1) rather than songs typically reserved for agonistic interactions (type 2). Finally, despite our previous research demonstrating that habitat strongly predicts reproductive success in this warbler population, we found no evidence of a direct link between ornamentation and reproductive success. Overall, these data suggest that younger males, and those with lower quality ornaments, compensate with more aggressive behaviors. Additional research is needed to investigate the dynamics between behavioral traits and ornaments to better understand complex signaling and how golden wing signals function in conspecific interactions (male–male interactions and mate‐choice).

show abstract

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Plumage Ornaments as Signals of Intrasexual Communication in Golden‐Winged Warblers

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Golden‐winged Warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera ) are Neotropical migrants that have experienced long‐term population declines throughout much of their North American breeding range (Buehler et al. , Sauer et al. , Rosenberg et al.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…Golden‐winged Warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera ) are one of the most critically threatened, non‐federally listed species in eastern North America (Buehler et al. , Rohrbaugh et al. , Rosenberg et al.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An important recommendation, therefore, of the Golden‐winged Warbler Conservation Plan was to develop a new, targeted long‐term monitoring method to track site occupancy and population trends (Buehler et al. , Roth et al. ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An improved survey method for monitoring population trends of Golden‐winged Warblers and other patchily distributed birds

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conventional surveys designed to monitor common and widespread species may fail to adequately track population changes of rare or patchily distributed species that are often of high conservation concern. We evaluated the performance of a new monitoring approach that employs both a spatially balanced sampling design and a targeted survey protocol designed to estimate population trends of one such patchily distributed species, the Golden‐winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), in the Appalachian Mountains Bird Conservation Region (BCR 28), USA. Our spatially balanced survey consisted of 105 sample quads (one‐quarter Delorme Atlas pages) across the current range of Golden‐winged Warblers within BCR 28, each with five sample points located in early successional habitat. From 2009 to 2013, collaborators visited each sample point once per year during the peak breeding season and conducted a 17‐min survey consisting of passive observation and playback of conspecific songs and mobbing vocalizations. We used multi‐season, single‐species occupancy models to estimate probability of quad occupancy, detection probability, and occupancy dynamics for Golden‐winged Warblers and closely related Blue‐winged Warblers (Vermivora cyanoptera). Our survey protocol resulted in high estimates of detection probability for Golden‐winged (92%) and Blue‐winged (79%) warblers, with 47% and 56% of quads estimated to be initially occupied, respectively. Derived population trend estimates (λ) indicated an average decline in population of 6% for Golden‐winged Warblers and 7% for Blue‐winged Warblers, resulting in estimated 21% and 22% declines, respectively, in quad occupancy after 5 yr. Our results demonstrate that coupling a spatially balanced survey design in appropriate habitat with a playback protocol to increase detection rates is a viable strategy for tracking populations of Golden‐winged Warblers in the Appalachian Mountains BCR. Similar survey methods should be considered for other rare, declining, or patchily distributed bird species that require targeted monitoring.

show abstract

Status and Conservation Priorities of Golden-Winged Warbler (Vermivora Chrysoptera) in North America

Cited by 38 publications

References 8 publications

Multiple Plumage Ornaments as Signals of Intrasexual Communication in Golden‐Winged Warblers

Multiple Plumage Ornaments as Signals of Intrasexual Communication in Golden‐Winged Warblers

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

An improved survey method for monitoring population trends of Golden‐winged Warblers and other patchily distributed birds

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About