Mountain Bluebird Travels 130 Miles to Renest

Scott, Lorne; Lane, Jack C.

doi:10.29173/bluejay4067

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…While young birds rarely return to their natal site, they typically disperse a short distance (≤3 km; Dawson et al., unpublished in Johnson & Dawson, 2020 ). It should be noted, however, that mountain bluebirds do have the propensity for relatively long‐distance travel when renesting; a female (and presumably her mate) traveled over 209 km to renest after a particularly bad storm hit the region (Scott & Lane, 1974 ). However, this example is notable for how unusual it is in terms of overall distance moved during the breeding season.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutral markers reveal complex population structure across the range of a widespread songbird

Veale,

Reudink,

Burg

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding how both contemporary and historical physical barriers influence gene flow is key to reconstructing evolutionary histories and can allow us to predict species' resilience to changing environmental conditions. During the last glacial maximum (LGM), many high latitude North American bird species were forced into glacial refugia, including mountain bluebirds (Silia currucoides). Within their current breeding range, mountain bluebirds still experience a wide variety of environmental conditions and barriers that may disrupt gene flow and isolate populations. Using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained through restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing, we detected at least four genetically distinct mountain bluebird populations. Based on this structure, we determined that isolation‐by‐distance, the northern Rocky Mountains, and discontinuous habitat are responsible for the low connectivity and the overall history of each population going back to the last glacial maximum. Finally, we identified five candidate genes under balancing selection and three loci under diversifying selection. This study provides the first look at connectivity and gene flow across the range of these high‐altitude and high latitude songbirds.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutral markers reveal complex population structure across the range of a widespread songbird

Veale,

Reudink,

Burg

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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show abstract

“…Cold, wet weather is known to inhibit foraging by adults, result in abandoned nests, or cause death (Criddle 1927, Weld 1932, Musselman 1939, Haecher 1948, Miller 1970, Scott and Lane 1974. Extreme heat may be fatal to developing Eastern Bluebird embryos and can severly stress young nestlings, thus resulting in lowered nest success (Musselman 1935, Laskey 1940, Thomas 1946, White and Woolfenden 1973.…”

Section: Nest Box Temperaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%