Stopover departure behavior and flight orientation of spring-migrant Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) experimentally exposed to methylmercury

Seewagen, Chad L.; Ma, Yanju; Morbey, Yolanda E.; Guglielmo, Christopher G.

doi:10.1007/s10336-019-01641-2

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…We detected 8 out of 19 birds beyond the release site. Although this detection rate appears low, it is similar to a previous study with yellow-rumped warblers at our study site that had a detection rate of approximately 41% (10 out of 24 birds) (Seewagen et al, 2019). In our study, all the detections of birds beyond the release site were in the appropriate northward direction despite being held in captivity overwinter.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In our study, all the detections of birds beyond the release site were in the appropriate northward direction despite being held in captivity overwinter. Furthermore, most detections beyond the release site occurred at night which is comparable to a previous study on yellow-rumped warblers (Seewagen et al, 2019). Overall, these results suggest that we were successful at photostimulating the birds to enter a spring migratory phenotype and that they behaved in a comparable manner to wild conspecifics.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Second, there was predicted severe weather on the original release date consisting of thunderstorms and high winds and we did not want the birds to experience this weather immediately upon release from their captive artificial environment. Following previous studies (Deakin et al, 2019;Seewagen et al, 2019), we considered the release to simulate arrival at a stopover site. Both previous studies captured birds during fall migration, held them in captivity over winter, and released them at the same site we used on Long Point in the spring.…”

Section: Post-release Departure Timing and Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both previous studies captured birds during fall migration, held them in captivity over winter, and released them at the same site we used on Long Point in the spring. Upon release, the birds behaved similarly to wild conspecifics at stopover and migrated in the appropriate northward direction (Deakin et al, 2019;Seewagen et al, 2019). Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus), a network of automated telemetry receivers (Taylor et al, 2017), was used to determine the length of stay at the stopover site and to reconstruct the birds' migratory trajectory paths post-departure.…”

Section: Post-release Departure Timing and Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus), a network of automated telemetry receivers (Taylor et al, 2017), was used to determine the length of stay at the stopover site and to reconstruct the birds' migratory trajectory paths post-departure. A bird was considered to be present at the site in Long Point if it was detected by the receiver station >50 times in a day and the length of stay (days) was calculated as the last day present minus the release day plus 1 (Seewagen et al, 2019).…”

Section: Post-release Departure Timing and Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of the Social Environment on Spring Migration Timing of a Songbird

2021

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The influence of the social environment on the timing of the annual cycle is poorly understood. Seasonally migratory birds are under pressure to accurately time their spring migration, and throughout the annual cycle, they may experience variability of the local sex-ratio. A population-level male-biased sex ratio is predicted to advance spring migration timing in males and is attributed to the increased intra-specific competition for access to females and/or breeding territories. The present study had two goals. First, to develop a method that utilizes digitally coded radio-transmitters to quantify the activity of flocked individuals in captivity. Second, to use this method to test the hypothesis that the social environment influences the spring migration traits of male yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata coronata). To accomplish this, birds were captured in the fall in Long Point, Ontario, and transferred to the Advanced Facility for Avian Research, London, Ontario. In the winter, they were assigned to a slightly male- or female-biased treatment and housed in flocks in large free-flight rooms. Throughout the experimental period, we took body mass measurements and standardized photos to monitor body condition and molt progression. To measure locomotor activity, the birds were outfitted with digitally coded radio-transmitters in April and photo-triggered to enter a migratory phenotype. The tagged birds were released at their capture site in May and the Motus Wildlife Tracking System was used to determine stopover departure timing and migratory movements. Sex ratio did not influence body mass or molt progression. However, males from the male-biased treatment had significantly less locomotor movement than those from the female-biased treatment. Additionally, a lower proportion of males from the male-biased treatment initiated migratory restlessness, an indicator of the urge to migrate. Overall, these findings suggest that the social environment can influence behavior of songbirds, but do not support the hypothesis that a male-biased sex ratio accelerates migration.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Post-release Departure Timing and Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Post-release Departure Timing and Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Post-release Departure Timing and Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of the Social Environment on Spring Migration Timing of a Songbird

2021

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The impact of mercury on North American songbirds: effects, trends, and predictive factors

Cristol

Evers

2020

Ecotoxicology

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Researchers were asked to contribute new results addressing questions about the exposure and effects of mercury (Hg) in North American songbirds, a rapidly declining group of species that is the subject of enduring interest for millions of birdwatchers, the general public and conservation scientists. Important questions to be answered include: Is Hg causing or exacerbating songbird population declines? Which North American songbirds are at most risk and in which landscapes? Are there aspects of songbird natural history that pre-dispose them to risks of Hg exposure and effects, in particular, their migratory behavior? In all, 61 authors contributed 15 studies addressing aspects of these questions. Articles in this special issue address an array of topics including: (1) three studies on health effects in the laboratory using a domesticated songbird model species, the zebra finch; (2) three studies on changes in songbird exposure to Hg over time spans from less than a decade to more than a century; (3) five studies on landscape characteristics or management practices that cause the oft-noted spatial variation in Hg accumulation by resident songbirds, from the subarctic tundra to high-elevation tropical forests; (4) three papers examining the recently recognized role of migration behavior in predicting risk to songbirds from Hg; and (5) one paper on the potential pitfalls of using feather Hg concentration as a bioindicator for Hg exposure. In summary, although there are many questions still to be answered, it is clear that the effects of Hg are persistent long after exposure, Hg exposure of North American songbirds is not improving, predicting exposure requires a detailed understanding of ecosystem processes beyond simply the amount of Hg present at a site, migration behavior predisposes songbirds to risk of Hg exposure and effects, and carefully selecting appropriate bioindicator sites, species, and tissues is critical to any monitoring efforts.

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Mercury exposure in sedentary and migratory Charadrius plovers distributed widely across China

Lin

Huang

et al. 2019

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Stopover departure behavior and flight orientation of spring-migrant Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) experimentally exposed to methylmercury

Cited by 19 publications

References 34 publications

Effect of the Social Environment on Spring Migration Timing of a Songbird

Effect of the Social Environment on Spring Migration Timing of a Songbird

The impact of mercury on North American songbirds: effects, trends, and predictive factors

Mercury exposure in sedentary and migratory Charadrius plovers distributed widely across China

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