Is nest predation on two endangered bird species higher in habitats preferred by snakes?

Sperry, Jinelle H.; Cimprich, David A.; Peak, Rebecca G.

doi:10.2980/16-1-3198

Cited by 47 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A positive relationship between density and proportion of forest cover could be a bird's response to increased quantity of suitable habitat (Whitcomb et al 1981, Temple andCary 1988) or to factors that affect habitat quality, such as microhabitat characteristics (Lynch and Whigham 1984), food availability (Blake 1983, Burke andNol 1998), or changes in levels of nest prédation associated with proportion of forest cover , Robinson et al 1995, Tewksbury et al 1998) and its effect on the abundance and activity patterns of nest predators (Donovan et al 1997, Chalfoun et al 2002. Texas rat snakes {Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) are the most frequent predator of Golden-cheeked Warbler nests (Stake et al 2004) and they use forest edges preferentially (Sperry et al 2009). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amount and Type of Forest Cover and Edge Are Important Predictors of Golden-cheeked Warbler Density

Peak¹,

Thompson²

2013

The Condor

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Considered endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) breeds exclusively in the juniper-oak (Juniperus ashei-Quercus spp.) woodlands of central Texas. Large-scale, spatially explicit models that predict population density as a function of habitat and landscape variables can provide important insight for its management and recovery. We used distance sampling to model detection probability and to estimate the density and abundance of singing male Golden-cheeked Warblers on Fort Hood Military Reservation. We used an information-theoretic approach to evaluate hypotheses concerning the effects of proportion of forest type and forest cover, forest-edge density, and patch size on density. We fitted generalized linear models with detection probability as an offset term to predict density as a function of the habitat and landscape variables, calculate a model-based density and abundance estimate, and map density across the area sampled. The design-based estimates were 0.39 males ha"' and 7557 singing males. The most supported model contained proportion of forest type and forest cover, both of which had a positive effect on density, as well as forest-edge density, which had a negative effect. The model-based estimates of 0.39 males ha"' and 7571 singing males were greater than estimates extrapolated from intensive territory monitoring. Knowledge of factors affecting Golden-cheeked Warbler density can be used to inform recovery efforts, and our density model can be used to assess the effects of various activities proposed for military training and of environmental disturbance on warbler densities.Resumen. La especie Setophaga chrysoparia, considerada en peligro por el Servicio de Vida Silvestre y Pesca de EUA, cria exclusivamente en los bosques de enebro y roble {Juniperus ashei-Quercus spp.) del centro de Texas. Modelos espacialmente explícitos de gran escala que predicen la densidad poblacional como una función de las variables del habitat y del paisaje pueden brindar información importante para su manejo y recuperación. Usamos muéstreos de distancia para modelar la probabilidad de detección y para estimar la densidad y abundancia de individuos machos canoros de S. chrysoparia en la Reserva Militar Fuerte Hood. Usamos un enfoque de la teoria de la información para evaluar las hipótesis concernientes sobre los efectos de la proporción del tipo de bosque y de la cobertura del bosque, de la densidad de borde de bosque y del tamaño del parche sobre la densidad. Ajustamos modelos lineales generalizados con la probabilidad de detección como un término de compensación para predecir la densidad como función de las variables del habitat y del paisaje, calcular la densidad y abundancia estimada basada en el modelo y mapear la densidad a lo largo del área muestreada. Las estimaciones basadas en el diseño fueron 0.39 machos ha"' y 7557 machos canoros. El modelo con mejor soporte contuvo una proporción de tipo de bosque y de cobertura de bosque, ambos de los cuales tuvieron un ...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amount and Type of Forest Cover and Edge Are Important Predictors of Golden-cheeked Warbler Density

Peak¹,

Thompson²

2013

The Condor

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Sperry et al () proposed that ratsnakes may also use the upper edge of the tree canopy as ‘edge habitat’. If true, this may account for the trend of endotherm specialists preying more than other snakes on canopy nests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snake predation on North American bird nests: culprits, patterns and future directions

DeGregorio

Chiavacci

Weatherhead

et al. 2014

Journal of Avian Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Predation is the leading cause of nest failure for most birds. Thus, for ornithologists interested in the causes and consequences of variation in nest success, knowing the identity and understanding the behavior of dominant nest predators is likely to be important. Video documentation of nests has shown that snakes are frequent predators. Here we reviewed 53 North American studies that used nest cameras and used these data to identify broad patterns in snake predation. Snakes accounted for 26% (range: 0–90%) of recorded predation events, with values exceeding 35% in a third of studies. Snakes were more frequent nest predators at lower latitudes and less frequent in forested habitat relative to other nest predators. Although 12 species of snakes have been identified as nest predators, ratsnakes Elaphe obsoleta, corn snakes E. guttata and fox snakes E. vulpina were the most frequent, accounting for > 70% of all recorded nest predation events by snakes and have been documented preying on nests in 30–65% of studies conducted within their geographic ranges. Endotherm‐specialist snakes (Elaphe and Pituophis genera) were more likely to depredate nests in forests and the canopy relative to other snakes, due to their affinity for edge habitat. Predation by only ratsnakes and corn snakes was predominantly nocturnal and only ratsnakes were more likely to prey on nests during the nestling stage. Snakes were not identified to species in over 30% of predation events, underlining the need for more complete reporting of results. A review of research to date suggests the best approach to investigating factors that bring snakes and nests into contact involves combining nesting studies with radio tracking of locally important snake nest predators.

show abstract

“…We suspect that the shrubland‐cropland edges also would provide the thermoregulatory conditions that might attract snakes, which may have contributed to increased nest predation near cropland edges in our study. We make this suggestion with caution, because the link between high snake activity in a given habitat type and higher nest predation rates in that habitat type has not been well established, even though seasonal snake activity levels are sometimes correlated with seasonal patterns in songbird nest survival (Sperry et al 2008, 2009; Weatherhead et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cropland edge, forest succession, and landscape affect shrubland bird nest predation

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of habitat edges on nest survival of shrubland birds, many of which have experienced significant declines in the eastern United States, have not been thoroughly studied. In 2007 and 2008, we collected data on nests of 5 shrubland passerine species in 12 early successional forest patches in North Carolina, USA. We used model selection methods to assess the effect of distance to cropland and mature forest edge on nest predation rates and additionally accounted for temporal trends, nest stage, vegetation structure, and landscape context. For nests of all species combined, nest predation decreased with increasing distance to cropland edge, by nearly 50% at 250 m from the cropland edge. Nest predation of all species combined also was higher in patches with taller saplings and less understory vegetation, especially in the second year of our study when trees were 4–6 m tall. Predation of field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) nests was lower in landscapes with higher agricultural landcover. Nest predation risk for shrubland birds appears to be greater near agricultural edges than mature forest edges, and natural forest succession may drive patterns of local extirpation of shrubland birds in early successional forest patches. Thus, we suggest that habitat patches managed for shrubland bird populations should be considerably large or wide (>250 m) when adjacent to crop fields and maintained in structurally diverse early seral stages. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

show abstract

Is nest predation on two endangered bird species higher in habitats preferred by snakes?

Cited by 47 publications

References 45 publications

Amount and Type of Forest Cover and Edge Are Important Predictors of Golden-cheeked Warbler Density

Amount and Type of Forest Cover and Edge Are Important Predictors of Golden-cheeked Warbler Density

Snake predation on North American bird nests: culprits, patterns and future directions

Cropland edge, forest succession, and landscape affect shrubland bird nest predation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About