Abstract
Two general migration strategies prevail among temperate-breeding migratory songbirds of North America. Most “Eastern” birds migrate relatively directly from breeding to wintering grounds immediately after molting, whereas a substantial proportion of “Western” species depart breeding grounds early, and molt during extended migratory stopovers before reaching wintering areas. The Lark Sparrow is one of a few Western Neotropical migrants with a breeding range that extends into regions dominated by Eastern species. We sought to determine whether Eastern Lark Sparrows migrated in a manner consistent with Western conspecifics or follow typical Eastern songbird migratory patterns. To do so, we tracked individual Eastern Lark Sparrows equipped with geolocators between their breeding grounds in Ohio and their unknown wintering locations. Data from three Ohio Lark Sparrows revealed 1) individual variation in the duration and directness of autumn migrations, 2) autumn departures that consistently preceded molt, 3) wintering grounds in the central highlands of Mexico, and 4) brief and direct spring migrations. These observations suggest that eastern populations of prevailingly Western migrants, such as Lark Sparrows, may be behaviorally constrained to depart breeding grounds before molt, but may facultatively adjust migration en route.
References
[1] Leu M., Thompson C.W., The potential importance of migratory stopover sites as flight feather molt staging areas: a review for Neotropical migrants, Biol. Cons., 2002, 106, 45–56 10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00228-2Search in Google Scholar
[2] Rohwer S., L.K. Butler, D. Froehlich, Ecology and demography of east-west differences in molt scheduling of Neotropical migrant Passerines, In: Greenberg R., Marra P.P. (Eds.), Birds of two worlds: the ecology and evolution of migration, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 2005 Search in Google Scholar
[3] Pyle P., Leitner W.A., Lozano-Angulo L., Avilez-Teran F., Swanson H., Limón E.G., et al., Temporal, spatial, and annual variation in the occurrence of molt-migrant Passerines in the Mexican Monsoon Region, Condor, 2009, 111, 583–590 10.1525/cond.2009.090085Search in Google Scholar
[4] Rohwer S., Irwin D.E., Molt, orientation, and avian speciation, Auk, 2011, 128, 419–425 10.1525/auk.2011.10176Search in Google Scholar
[5] Adams D.K., Comrie A.C., The North American monsoon, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 1997, 78, 2197–2213 10.1175/1520-0477(1997)078<2197:TNAM>2.0.CO;2Search in Google Scholar
[6] Martin J.W., Parrish J.R., Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus), In: Poole A., Gill F. (Eds.), The Birds of North America, no. 488, The Birds of North America, Philadelphia, PA, 2000 10.2173/bna.488Search in Google Scholar
[7] Ross J.D., Bouzat J.L., Genetic and morphometric diversity in the Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) suggest discontinuous clinal variation across major breeding regions associated with previously characterized subspecies, The Auk: Ornithological Advances, 2014, 131, 298-313 10.1642/AUK-13-246.1Search in Google Scholar
[8] Bridge E.S., Kelly J.F., Contina A., Gabrielson R.M., MacCurdy R.B., Winkler D.W., Advances in tracking small migratory birds: a technical review of light-level geolocation, J. Field Orn., 2013, 84, 121–37 10.1111/jofo.12011Search in Google Scholar
[9] McKinnon E.A., Fraser K.C., Stutchbury B.J.M., New discoveries in landbird migration using geolocators, and a flight plan for the future, The Auk, 2013, 130, 211–22 10.1525/auk.2013.12226Search in Google Scholar
[10] Delmore K.E., Fox J.W., Irwin D.E., Dramatic intraspecific differences in migratory routes, stopover sites and wintering areas, revealed using light-level geolocators, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci., 2012, 279, 4582–4589 10.1098/rspb.2012.1229Search in Google Scholar
[11] Contina A., Bridge E.S., Seavy N.E., Duckles J.M., Kelly J.F., Using geologgers to investigate bimodal isotope patterns in Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris), Auk, 2013, 130, 265–272 10.1525/auk.2013.13003Search in Google Scholar
[12] Jahn A.E., Cueto V.R., Fox J.W., Husak M.S., Kim D.H., Landoll D.V., et al., Migration timing and wintering areas of three species of flycatchers (Tyrannus) breeding in the Great Plains of North America, The Auk, 2013, 130, 247–57 10.1525/auk.2013.13010Search in Google Scholar
[13] Rappole J.H., Tipton A.R., New harness design for attachment of radio transmitters to small Passerines, J. Field Orn., 1991, 62, 335–337 Search in Google Scholar
[14] Lisovski S., Hahn S., GeoLight – processing and analysing light-based geolocator data in R, Methods Ecol. Evol., 2012, 3, 1055–1059 10.1111/j.2041-210X.2012.00248.xSearch in Google Scholar
[15] Sumner M.D., Wotherspoon S.J., Hindell M.A., Bayesian estimation of animal movement from archival and satellite tags, PLoS ONE, 2009, 4, e7324 10.1371/journal.pone.0007324Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
[16] CEC (Commission for Environmental Cooperation), Ecological regions of North America: Toward a common perspective, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Canada, 1997 Search in Google Scholar
[17] Cartron J.E., Ceballos G., Felger R.S. (Eds.), Biodiversity, ecosystems, and conservation in northern Mexico, Oxford University Press, New York, 2005 Search in Google Scholar
[18] Nilsson C., Klaassen R.H.G., Alerstam T., Differences in speed and duration of bird migration between spring and autumn, Am. Nat., 2013, 181, 837–845 10.1086/670335Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[19] Ginn H.B., Melville D.S., Moult in Birds, BTO Guide 19, British Trust for Ornithologists, Tring, UK, 1983 Search in Google Scholar
[20] Pyle P., Identification guide to North American birds. Part I. Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA, 1997 Search in Google Scholar
[21] Rohwer S., Molt intensity and conservation of a molt migrant (Passerina ciris) in northwest Mexico, Condor, 2013, 115, 421–433 10.1525/cond.2013.120090Search in Google Scholar
[22] Berthold P., Querner U., Genetic basis of migratory behavior in European warblers, Science, 1981, 212, 77-79 10.1126/science.212.4490.77Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[23] Ketterson E.D., Nolan V. Jr., The evolution of differential bird migration, Current Ornithology, 1983, 1, 357–402 10.1007/978-1-4615-6781-3_12Search in Google Scholar
[24] Helbig A.J., SE- and SW-migrating Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) populations in Central Europe: orientation of birds in the contact zone, J. Evol. Biol., 1991, 4, 657–670 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1991.4040657.xSearch in Google Scholar
[25] Berthold P., Helbig A.J., Mohr G., Querner U., Rapid microevolution of migratory behaviour in a wild bird species, Nature, 1992, 360, 668–70 10.1038/360668a0Search in Google Scholar
[26] Berthold P., Pulido F., Heritability of migratory activity in a natural bird population, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci., 1994, 257, 311–315 10.1098/rspb.1994.0131Search in Google Scholar
[27] Irwin D.E., Bensch S., Price T.D., Speciation in a ring, Nature, 2001, 409, 333–337 10.1038/35053059Search in Google Scholar
[28] Berthold P., Genetic basis and evolutionary aspects of bird migration, Adv. Study Behav., 2003, 33, 175–229 10.1016/S0065-3454(03)33004-9Search in Google Scholar
[29] Bearhop S., Fiedler W., Furness R.W., Votier S.C., Waldron S., Newton J., et al., Assortative mating as a mechanism for rapid evolution of a migratory divide, Science, 2005, 310, 502–504 10.1126/science.1115661Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[30] Irwin D.E., Bensch S., Irwin J.H., Price T.D., Speciation by distance in a ring species, Science, 2005, 307, 414–416 10.1126/science.1105201Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[31] Pulido F., The genetics and evolution of avian migration, BioScience, 2007, 57, 165–174 10.1641/B570211Search in Google Scholar
[32] Rolshausen G., Segelbacher G., Hobson K.A., Schaefer H.M., Contemporary evolution of reproductive isolation and phenotypic divergence in sympatry along a migratory divide, Curr. Biol., 2009, 19, 2097–2101 10.1016/j.cub.2009.10.061Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[33] Newton I., The migration ecology of birds, Elsevier, Oxford, UK, 2008 Search in Google Scholar
© 2014 Jeremy D. Ross et al.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.