Linking fluctuations in rainfall to nonbreeding season performance in a long-distance migratory bird, Setophaga ruticilla
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2017-12-31
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Studds CE, Marra PP (2007) Linking fluctuations in rainfall to nonbreeding season performance in a long-distance migratory bird, Setophaga ruticilla. Clim Res 35:115-122. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr00718
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This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
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Abstract
Research on long-distance migratory birds has yielded some of the strongest evidence
that shifts in climate are changing ecosystem processes. Much of this work has focused on understanding whether rising temperatures on temperate breeding grounds are advancing migration phenology and limiting reproductive success. However, conditions on tropical nonbreeding quarters can
also shape these processes, yet few studies have directly measured bird responses to climate during
this part of the annual cycle. We tested the hypothesis that variation in winter rainfall can influence
food availability and the nonbreeding season performance of American redstarts Setophaga ruticilla
occupying 2 contrasting habitats: wet, mangrove forest and dry, second-growth scrub. From 2002 to
2005, food availability, body mass, and spring departure schedules of birds in both habitats were
highly dependent on rainfall. Food availability in mangrove forest was higher than in second-growth
scrub in 3 out of 4 yr, allowing birds in this habitat to maintain better physical condition through the
winter and depart earlier on spring migration. However, abundant rainfall in the spring of 2004 led to
abnormally high food availability in scrub and early departure of birds in both habitats. These results
suggest that rainfall on tropical wintering areas can have major effects on the nonbreeding season
performance of migratory birds, and that the timing of rainfall within the dry season, not just the
absolute amount, may be critical for orchestrating migratory departure schedules. Because rainfall in
tropical regions is projected to decline drastically over the next 50 yr, migratory birds could face
increasingly severe food shortages prior to spring migration. Such conditions could force departure
schedules to become delayed and constrain adaptation to selection for earlier breeding in response to
rising temperatures at breeding areas.