Using Solar Tracking Technology to Study Year-Round Territoriality of the Northern Mockingbird

Abstract

Understanding the characteristics of a species’ territoriality is critical for developing conservation strategies. Mockingbirds are one of the few songbird species in the Northeastern U.S. that maintain territories year-round. However, there has been a lack of substantive information about their movement across the annual cycle. This project investigates the territory and habitat use of the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) throughout the year. We are using mockingbirds as a model species to test a cutting-edge, long-term tracking system (Cellular Tracking Technologies – CTT). We attached a solar-powered radio LifeTag to three mockingbirds over the last six months and have been monitoring them using CTT Locators, which are handheld radio trackers. We placed six CTT Nodes in a grid across the study site and have been recording the signal detections from the focal mockingbirds. The CTT Locator and Nodes have successfully and continuously detected the LifeTag attached to the focal birds, providing detailed information about the birds’ movements without the need for recapture. We used these data to calculate a minimum convex polygon to estimate the home ranges of the tagged birds. The three mockingbirds had distinct territories that did not overlap, and the data from the nodes agreed with visual observations. This study helped us practice using this tracking method for other species with year-round territories, including many tropical species such as the endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi).