The Plight of Migrant Birds Wintering in the Caribbean: Rainfall Effects in the Annual Cycle

Abstract

Here, we summarize results of migrant bird research in the Caribbean as part of a 75th Anniversary Symposium on research of the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF). The fate of migratory birds has been a concern stimulating research over the past 40 years in response to population declines documented in long-term studies including those of the IITF and collaborators in Puerto Rico's Guánica dry forest. Various studies indicate that in addition to forest loss or fragmentation, some migrant declines may be due to rainfall variation, the consequences of which may carry over from one stage of a migrant's annual cycle to another. For example, the Guánica studies indicate that rainfall extremes on either the temperate breeding or tropical wintering grounds affect migrant abundance and survival differently depending on the species. In contrast, IITF's collaborative studies of the migrant Kirtland's Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) in the Bahamas found that late winter droughts affect its annual survival and breeding success in Michigan. We review these IITF migrant studies and relate them to other studies, which have improved our understanding of migrant ecology of relevance to conservation. Particularly important is the advent of the full annual cycle (FAC) approach. The FAC will facilitate future identification and mitigation of limiting factors contributing to migrant population declines, which for some species, may be exacerbated by global climate change.

Winged Wonders and Lush Landscapes: Exploring the Harmony between Birds and Forests

“…Some other scholars also agree that vegetation cover and structure create substantial variations between avian communities of different habitats or land-use types. Have compared avian community assemblage and association of protected and unprotected montane grassland ecosystems in Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) [98]. The report concluded that variations in avian communities between the two land-use types (protected and unprotected) are due to the difference in vegetation structure.…”

Patterns in island endemic forest-dependent bird research: the Caribbean as a case-study

“…The contrast between research effort for resident and migratory species is exemplified by the underrepresentation of the resident Parulidae species in this review. Migratory warblers, such as Kirtland's warbler, Setophaga kirtlandii, are one of the best studied groups in the Caribbean (Latta 2012), benefiting from attention and funding from North American researchers and programmes such as Partners in Flight (Wunderle and Arendt 2017). Globally, migrant bird species are proportionally overrepresented in the literature, both due to the ecological importance 1 3 of migratory behaviour and the geographic bias of research emanating from the global north (Ducatez and Lefebvre 2014).…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology in the Anthropocene

“…Henareh et al [21], Gould et al [22], Feng at al. [23], Jennings et al [24], Van Beusekom et al [25,26] Monitoring of changes in biodiversity Campos-Cerqueira et al [27], Wunderle and Arendt [28], González et al [29], Heartsill-Scalley and González [30] Understanding novelty Lugo and Erickson [31] Attention to urban environments and their functioning Muñoz-Erickson et al [32] A social-ecological-technological focus Lugo and Alayón [33], Lugo [34] Fomenting collaboration among many sectors of society González and Heartsill-Scalley [35] Development of novel policies for effective governance McGinley [36], Rudel [37] Institutional improvement M. Rains [38] * Manuscripts are part of this Special Issue or are recent products of the Institute's program.…”