The ecology of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher in central Arizona - A 10-year synthesis report

Paxton, Eben H.; Sogge, Mark K.; Durst, Scott L.; Theimer, Tad C.; Hatten, James R.

doi:10.3133/ofr20071381

Cited by 35 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 109 publications

(121 reference statements)

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“…Attraction to conspecifics likely helps to improve survival by minimizing the time birds need to search for new territory and increasing opportunities for individuals to find mates (Fletcher 2006), but artificially provided conspecific broadcasts has not explicitly been shown to improve survival of reproductive success (Ahlering et al 2010, Grendelmeier et al 2017. Because most prospecting Willow Flycatchers seeking to establish new territories are second-year individuals and typically less productive than their older counterparts (Sedgwick 2004, Paxton et al 2007), we would not necessarily expect to see high productivity in the short term from individuals attracted to a habitat by conspecific broadcasts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Schofield¹,

Loffland²,

Siegel³

et al. 2018

ACE

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ABSTRACT. Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) populations have been in decline across the western United States for decades. California populations are especially vulnerable with fewer than 500 pairs remaining in the state. Declines and local extirpations continue despite extensive habitat restoration and improved management designed to help conserve Willow Flycatchers. Such efforts may have failed to help reverse these trends in part because Willow Flycatchers rarely recolonize habitat after extirpation, regardless of present habitat suitability. Failure to recolonize habitat may be because prospecting Willow Flycatchers, like many other songbird species, assess habitat suitability based on the presence of conspecifics, making them unlikely to consider unoccupied habitat as potential breeding grounds. If true, broadcasting conspecific vocalizations in suitable but unoccupied habitat could help facilitate recolonization. During the 2016 and 2017 breeding seasons, we assessed the effectiveness of providing artificial social cues as a means of restoring Willow Flycatchers to suitable but unoccupied restored meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. We selected 14 experimental meadows where conspecific songs were broadcast during the settlement and breeding periods and 19 control meadows where no broadcasts took place. All the meadows were recently restored, contain high-quality habitat with hydrological characteristics and vegetation similar to meadows where Sierra Willow Flycatchers successfully breed, and were confirmed to be unoccupied in the year prior to their inclusion in the study. We observed Willow Flycatchers at five of 14 experimental meadows (35.75%) during the breeding season and at one of 19 control meadows (5.3%). We found that habitat characteristics also play a role in the efficacy of this technique, as Willow Flycatcher presence was highly significantly related to the combination of both the experimental treatment and meadow size. These results demonstrate that within large, restored meadows, conspecific broadcasts may be an effective strategy for restoring Willow Flycatchers. Utilisation de la diffusion de chants de conspécifiques pour le rétablissement du Moucherolle des saulesRÉSUMÉ. Les populations de Moucherolles des saules (Empidonax traillii) sont à la baisse dans tout l'ouest des États-Unis depuis des décennies. Les populations californiennes sont particulièrement vulnérables, comptant moins de 500 couples. Les baisses et les disparitions locales se produisent toujours malgré les efforts importants de restauration d'habitat et d'aménagement ciblant la conservation de ces moucherolles. Ces efforts pourraient avoir failli à renverser les tendances, en partie en raison du fait que le Moucherolle des saules recolonise rarement un habitat qu'il a abandonné, sans égard aux conditions actuelles propices. L'échec de la recolonisation d'habitat est peut-être attribuable au fait que les moucherolles qui prospectent, tout comme de nombreuses autres espèces d'oiseaux chanteurs, évaluen...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Schofield¹,

Loffland²,

Siegel³

et al. 2018

ACE

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“…A more fundamental test is to verify whether restoration of native vegetation where the SWFL is no longer present can induce birds to re-occupy these abandoned reaches and river systems. These birds will move fairly large distances, as much as 140 km within and between watersheds (Paxton et al 2007). Documented movement was to locations where other conspecifics form territories, but it is conceivable that they would occupy new areas within the dispersal range if conditions were appropriate.…”

Section: Scale Of Restorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tamarisk biocontrol, endangered species risk and resolution of conflict through riparian restoration

Dudley

Bean²

2011

BioControl

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A long-standing debate between wildlife agencies and biological control researchers and practitioners concerns Diorhabda carinulata Desbrochers (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) introduced to suppress invasive Tamarix spp. (Tamaricaceae), and potential impacts of Tamarix defoliation on endangered southwestern willow flycatchers using this non-native plant as nesting habitat in some western riparian ecosystems. The conflict and ensuing legal actions are currently centered on the presence of D. carinulata within the breeding range of the flycatcher in the Virgin River watershed, which has led to APHIS termination of permits supporting the biocontrol development program and has also affected other programs to develop biocontrol agents against environmental weeds. Central to concerns over wildlife is the lack of rehabilitation of native vegetation where biocontrol is expected, so there are current and planned efforts to promote restoration of native cottonwood-willow habitat to mitigate the anticipation decline in Tamarix cover. A strategic approach to riparian restoration is outlined which could facilitate sustainable, and scientifically documented recovery of this iconic habitat type. While the results of these efforts will not be known immediately, the process which is leading to riparian restoration has brought specialists from both sides of the debate together in search of resolution via collaboration, and if successful, may allow re-initiation of the Tamarix biocontrol program attendant with habitat enhancement for wildlife species of conservation concern.

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“…Nesting sites specifically tend toward riparian edge habitat (Paxton et al, 2007). The United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the flycatcher as endangered in 1995 (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These birds winter in Central and South America and occupy breeding territories in riparian areas of North America for four to five months of the year. The south-western subspecies occupies breeding sites in Arizona, western New Mexico, and southern portions of California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado (Paxton et al, 2007). Extensive surveys conducted since 1993 have produced a current estimate of just over 1200 flycatcher territories located at 284 breeding sites throughout the bird's range .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A habitat overlap analysis derived from maxent for tamarisk and the south-western willow flycatcher

et al. 2011

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Biologic control of the introduced and invasive, woody plant tamarisk (Tamarix spp, saltcedar) in south-western states is controversial because it affects habitat of the federally endangered South-western Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus). These songbirds sometimes nest in tamarisk where floodplain-level invasion replaces native habitats. Biologic control, with the saltcedar leaf beetle (Diorhabda elongate), began along the Virgin River, Utah, in 2006, enhancing the need for comprehensive understanding of the tamarisk-flycatcher relationship. We used maximum entropy (Maxent) modeling to separately quantify the current extent of dense tamarisk habitat ( > 50% cover) and the potential extent of habitat available for E. traillii extimus within the studied watersheds. We used transformations of 2008 Landsat Thematic Mapper images and a digital elevation model as environmental input variables. Maxent models performed well for the flycatcher and tamarisk with Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) values of 0.960 and 0.982, respectively. Classification of thresholds and comparison of the two Maxent outputs indicated moderate spatial overlap between predicted suitable habitat for E. traillii extimus and predicted locations with dense tamarisk stands, where flycatcher habitat will potentially change flycatcher habitats. Dense tamarisk habitat comprised 500 km 2 within the study area, of which 11.4% was also modeled as potential habitat for E. traillii extimus. Potential habitat modeled for the flycatcher constituted 190 km 2 , of which 30.7% also contained dense tamarisk habitat. Results showed that both native vegetation and dense tamarisk habitats exist in the study area and that most tamarisk infestations do not contain characteristics that satisfy the habitat requirements of E. traillii extimus. Based on this study, effective biologic control of Tamarix spp. may, in the short term, reduce suitable habitat available to E. traillii extimus, but also has the potential in the long term to increase suitable habitat if appropriate mixes of native woody vegetation replace tamarisk in biocontrol areas.

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The ecology of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher in central Arizona - A 10-year synthesis report

Cited by 35 publications

References 109 publications

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Tamarisk biocontrol, endangered species risk and resolution of conflict through riparian restoration

A habitat overlap analysis derived from maxent for tamarisk and the south-western willow flycatcher

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