Central-place foraging poses variable constraints year-round in a neotropical migrant

Journal Article · Tue Sep 20 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Movement Ecology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-022-00337-2· OSTI ID:1897494

Lalla, Kristen M. ^[1]; Fraser, Kevin C. ^[2]; Frei, Barbara ^[3]; Fischer, Jason D. ^[4]; Siegrist, Joe ^[5]; Ray, James D. ^[6]; Cohn-Haft, Mario ^[7]; Elliott, Kyle H. ^[1]

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1. McGill Univ., Montreal, QC (Canada)
2. Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)
3. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montreal, QC (Canada); McGill Bird Observatory, Montreal, QC (Canada)
4. Disney Animals, Science and Environment, Orlando, FL (United States)
5. Purple Martin Conservation Association, Erie, PA (United States)
6. Pantex Plant (PTX), Amarillo, TX (United States)
7. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Manaus (Brazil)

Background: “Central-place foragers” are constrained in their habitat selection and foraging range by the frequency with which they need to return to a central place. For example, chick-rearing songbirds that must feed their offspring hourly might be expected to have smaller foraging ranges compared to non-breeding songbirds that return nightly to a roost. Methods: We used GPS units to compare the foraging behaviour of an aerial insectivorous bird, the purple martin (Progne subis), during the breeding season in three regions across North America, as well as the non-breeding season in South America. Specifically, we tested foraging range size and habitat selection. Results: Foraging range did not vary among regions during breeding (14.0 ± 39.2 km²) and was larger during the nonbreeding period (8840 ± 8150 km²). Purple martins strongly preferred aquatic habitats to other available habitats year-round and in the Amazon commuted from night roosts in low productivity sediment-poor water, where risk of predation was probably low, to daytime foraging sites in productive sediment-rich water sites. Conclusions: We provide the first estimates for foraging range size in purple martins and demonstrate foraging preference for aquatic habitats throughout two stages of the annual cycle. Understanding foraging constraints and habitat of aerial insectivores may help plan conservation actions throughout their annual cycle. Future research should quantify foraging behaviour during the post-breeding period and during migration.

• Research Organization: Pantex Plant (PTX), Amarillo, TX (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: NA0001942
• OSTI ID: 1897494
• Journal Information: Movement Ecology, Journal Name: Movement Ecology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 10; ISSN 2051-3933
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
aerial insectivore
biologging
foraging
habitat selection
home range
songbird