Are All Trees Created Equal? (According to Black-throated Blue Warblers)
GOS SPRING MEETING POSTER AND PAPER SESSION ABSTRACTS
16-18 APRIL 2010 ATHENS, GA
ARE ALL TREES CREATED EQUAL? (ACCORDING TO BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS)
Brett Maley and Robert Cooper D.B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
Abstract: We examined foraging behavior of an insectivorous migratory songbird, the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica cerulescens), in their southernmost breeding area, the southern Appalachian Mountains, specifically, in the Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research Station. We recorded male foraging techniques, tree species in which they foraged, time spent in each tree, and number of songs performed. A variety of tree species may provide these insectivorous birds with changing resources such as insect abundance or leaf quality. We examined how time, tree choice, and foraging behavior changes throughout a breeding season. We hypothesize that a diverse forest structure is important to Black-throated Blue Warblers, and the tree species males forage on changes throughout a breeding season.
