Consequences of spring arrival dates for the breeding phenology of migratory warblers

Donelan, Jenny, Morrison, Catriona ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4293-2717, Barr, Iain and Gill, Jennifer (2021) Consequences of spring arrival dates for the breeding phenology of migratory warblers. Bird Study, 68 (1). pp. 36-43. ISSN 0006-3657

[thumbnail of Published_Version]
Preview
PDF (Published_Version) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Capsule: Early male arrival on the breeding grounds results in early pairing but not early nesting in Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita, and Chiffchaffs can nest, fail, and re-nest before Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus begin nesting. Aims: To quantify the consequences of timing of arrival for the subsequent timing of pairing, nesting, and re-nesting of short-distance (Chiffchaff) and long-distance (Willow Warbler) migrants. Methods: The arrival dates of 118 Chiffchaffs and 20 Willow Warblers were measured from March to June over 10 weeks in Foxley Wood nature reserve, Norfolk. Colour-ringing of 56 Chiffchaffs (55 males, 1 female) and 11 Willow Warblers (10 males, 1 female) was used to relate individual arrival dates to timing of male pairing, clutch initiation, and re-nesting. Results: Male Chiffchaffs started to arrive in early March and increased rapidly in number until early April, while the arrival of male Willow Warblers began in early April. Early-arriving male Chiffchaffs paired earlier than later-arriving individuals, but timing of clutch initiation was unrelated to male arrival dates. Early nesting by Chiffchaffs allowed replacement clutches following nest loss, the earliest of which occurred 12 days after the first Willow Warbler male had paired. Conclusions: Although early arrival in male Chiffchaffs does not translate into earlier nesting, timing of nesting in Chiffchaffs was sufficiently early to allow time for replacement clutches following nest loss. The later arrival of Willow Warblers is likely to mean fewer opportunities for replacement clutches following nest loss. This difference in breeding phenology could therefore contribute to differences in productivity between the species, especially if nest failure rates are high.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics,nature and landscape conservation ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Biosciences Teaching and Education Research
Related URLs:
Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 12 Feb 2021 01:17
Last Modified: 14 May 2023 00:48
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/79228
DOI: 10.1080/00063657.2021.1962804

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item