Site-level connectivity identified from multiple sources of movement data to inform conservation of a migratory bird
M. Beal, J. Nightingale, J.R. Belo, C. Batey, H. Belting, P. Bocher, M. Burgess, T.B. Craft, N. Crockford, P. Delaporte, L. Donaldson, G. Gelinaud, J.A. Gill, T.G. Gunnarsson, B. J. Morrison, J.S. Gutierrez, J. Hooijmeijer, R.A. Howison, P. Hunke, L. Jomat, H. Lemke, J. P. Ludwig, F.A. Majoor, C. Marlow, J.A. Masero, J. Melter, I. Nicholson, M. Parejo, B. O'Mahony, E. Pasanen, J. Pessa, T. Piersma, A.D. Rocha, F. Robin, M. Roodbergen, P. Rousseau, V. Salewski, L. Schmidt, J. Smart, A. Staneva, T. Lee Tibbitts, S. Timonen, J.A. Alves, M.P. Dias
2025, Journal of Applied Ecology (62) 303-316
Migratory birds depend on a suite of sites across their annual cycles, making them vulnerable to a wide variety of anthropogenic pressures. Current area-based conservation measures have been found inadequate to safeguard migratory birds, in part due to a lack of consideration for the connectivity between sites mediated by...
Challenges and opportunities for data integration to improve estimation of migratory connectivity
J. A. Hostetler, Emily B. Cohen, Christen M. Bossu, Amy L. Scarpignato, Kristen Ruegg, Andrea Contina, Clark S. Rushing, Michael T. Hallworth
2025, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (16) 362-376
Understanding migratory connectivity, or the linkage of populations between seasons, is critical for effective conservation and management of migratory wildlife. A growing number of tools are available for understanding where migratory individuals and populations occur throughout the annual cycle. Integration of the diverse measures of migratory movements can help...
Hydrologic variability and plant composition drive relative abundance of marsh birds at created and reference marshes in southeastern Louisiana, U.S.A.
Aylett Lipford, Leah L.K. Moran, Drew Nathan Fowler, Sammy L. King
2025, Restoration Ecology (33)
Coastal marsh loss occurs at an alarming pace globally, with extremely high rates along the northern Gulf of Mexico, particularly in Louisiana. In Louisiana, marsh creation projects combat wetland loss; however, biotic responses of vegetation and wildlife receive little to no consideration during and after construction. Habitat characteristics such as...
Ecosystems
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
2025, Book chapter, Understanding and assessing climate change: Preparing for Nebraska’s future 2024 climate change impact assessment report
The Fifth National Climate Assessment updates the evidence regarding how climate change influences ecosystems, biological diversity, and the implications for changes to critical ecosystem services—as noted in the key messages above (McElwee et al., 2023). Large-scale transformational changes to ecosystems are occurring, including—but not limited to—land-use conversion, hydrological alteration, and...
An integrated geochemical perspective of paleoenvironmental conditions before and during OAE-2 at the southern gateway to the Western Interior Seaway
Katherine L. French, Justin E. Birdwell
2025, Conference Paper, The Cenomanian-Turonian stratigraphic interval across the Americas
No abstract available....
Sex differences in migration routes and non-breeding areas of a declining shorebird
Ann E. McKellar, Cheri L Gratto-Trevor, T. Lee Tibbitts
2025, Avian Conservation and Ecology (20)
Migratory birds face different threats and pressures across their annual cycle, and understanding the impact of these factors on individuals is critical to the conservation of avian populations. Individuals from the same breeding population may share the same non-breeding areas, and thus experience similar conditions, or they may travel to...
Evaluating effects of tracking device attachment methods on Black Oystercatchers Haematopus bachmani
Cole Rankin, Lena Ware, Brian H. Robinson, Daniel Esler, Heather Coletti, Mark Maftei, J Mark Hipfner, David Green
2025, Wader Study (131) 204-213
Advances in tracking technology are greatly improving our understanding of many aspects of avian ecology. However, the diversity of tracking devices and attachment methods necessitates better evaluation of how they affect particular taxa. We evaluated effects of tracking devices mounted on leg bands or attached using leg-loop harnesses on resighting...
Population estimates and land cover use of wintering Mountain Plovers in Texas
James E. Lyons, Brad A. Andres, Kelli L. Stone, Allison K. Pierce, Kammie L. Kruse
2025, Journal of Field Ornithology (96)
Conservation of migratory birds throughout the full annual cycle requires a comprehensive understanding of abundance and distribution in interconnected breeding, migration, and wintering habitats. The Mountain Plover (Anarhynchus montanus) is a rare endemic breeder of the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains regions that migrates to wintering grounds in the southwestern...
Vertebrates in trade that pose high invasion risk to the United States
Wesley Daniel, Helen R. Sofaer, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Richard A. Erickson, Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Peder Scott Engelstad, Jonathan A. Freedman, Susan Canavan, Emily M. Dean, Michael J Adams, Charmayne L. Anderson, Mindy Barnett, Marybeth K. Brey, Kyle J. Brumm, Matthew S. Bunting, Emily Caffrey, Laura Cardador, Jacoby Carter, Phillip Cassey, Duane Chapman, Natalie M. Claunch, Timothy D. Counihan, Kristin P. Davis, Anant Deshwal, Andrew K. Douglas, Corey Garland Dunn, Chase Ehlo, Katie Everett, Jason M. Gleditsch, Andrew Grosse, Zoey Hendrickson, Steven C. Hess, Jeffrey E. Hill, Nick D. Holmes, Ana V. Longo, Julie L. Lockwood, Doran M. Mason, Ashley McDonald, Matthew Neilson, Kristen M. Reaver, Robert Reed, Caleb Powell Roberts, Jane S. Rogosch, Christina Romagosa, James C. Russell, Annie Simpson, Scott A. Smith, Jinelle Sperry, Quenton M. Tuckett, Kurt VerCauteren, J. Hardin Waddle, Christian Wanamaker, John D. Willson, Arden Williams, Deah Lieurance
2025, Biological Conservation (302)
The United States imports thousands of live vertebrate species annually as part of legal trade. Escapes and releases from captivity are major pathways of invasion, however, the risk posed by the thousands of imported vertebrate species has not been systematically assessed. We conducted a horizon scan that used a data-driven...
Examining inter-regional and intra-seasonal differences in wintering waterfowl landscape associations among Pacific and Atlantic flyways
Matthew J. Hardy, Christopher K. Williams, Brian S. Ladman, Maurice E. Pitesky, Cory T. Overton, Michael L. Casazza, Elliott Matchett, Diann Prosser, Jeffrey J. Buler
2025, Journal of Avian Biology (2025)
The Central Valley of California (CVC) and Mid-Atlantic (MA) in the U.S. are both critical sites for nationwide food security, and many waterfowl species annually, especially during the winter, providing feeding and roosting locations for a variety of species. Mapping waterfowl distributions, using NEXRAD, may aid in the adaptive management...
Great Lakes mallard population dynamics
Benjamin Z. Luukkonen, Scott R. Winterstein, Daniel B. Hayes, Drew Nathan Fowler, Gregory J. Soulliere, John M. Coluccy, Amy A. Shipley, John Simpson, Brendan Shirkey, Jason M. Winiarski, Benjamin J. O’Neal, Barbara A. Avers, Gerald R. Urquhart, Philip Lavretsky
2025, Journal of Wildlife Management (89)
Breeding mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) populations in the Great Lakes region (Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, USA) declined by >40% between 2000–2022 based on abundance data collected during spring aerial surveys. Mallards are an important waterfowl species in this region, where an estimated 60–80% of the mallard harvest is composed of locally banded...
Sampling for disease surveillance: Assessing effects on blue-winged teal survival and recovery
Rose J. Swift, Todd W. Arnold, Deborah L. Carter, Paul K. Link, Rebecca L. Poulson, David E. Stallknecht, Aaron T. Pearse
2025, Journal of Wildlife Management (89)
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in wild animals highlight the need for disease surveillance in wild birds to improve our understanding of their role as reservoirs and dispersers, and potential threats to domestic poultry and wild bird populations. Surveillance for avian influenza varies in its approach, objectives, and...
The underlying causes of differential migration: Assumptions, hypotheses, and predictions
N Paprocki, Courtney J. Conway
2025, Biological Reviews (100) 764-789
Mechanisms governing the migratory decisions of birds have long fascinated ecologists and sparked considerable debate. Identifying factors responsible for variation in migration distance, also known as differential migration, has been a popular approach to understanding the mechanisms underlying migratory behaviour more generally. However, research progress has been slowed by the...
Forest bird population status on Saipan, a small oceanic island
Trevor Bak, Steve Mullin, Emilie Kohler, Bradley A. Eichelberger, Richard J. Camp
2025, Global Ecology and Conservation (56)
Tropical oceanic islands are critical biodiversity hotspots where population monitoring can help to determine the status and trends of rare and endangered species. Saipan is the second largest island in the Mariana Islands and contains many endemic and range-restricted bird species. Surveys of forest birds were conducted on Saipan using...
Predation of Lost River and Shortnose suckers by piscivorous colonial waterbirds in the Upper Klamath Basin: An analysis of predation effects during 2021–2023
Nathan B Banet, Quinn Payton, Allen Evans, Rachael Katelyn Paul-Wilson, Jacob Richard Krause, Brian S. Hayes, Erin Marie Benham
2025, Report
Previously published research indicated that predation by piscivorous colonial waterbirds in the Upper Klamath Basin was a source of mortality for Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and Shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris), including mortality of Sucker Assisted Rearing Program (SARP) fish. Avian predation on recently released Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in...
Weather events influence survival and recruitment of Coereba flaveola (Bananaquit) in the Caribbean
Clint W. Boal, Brent D. Bibles
2025, Ornithology (142)
The West Indies is considered a biodiversity hotspot and a priority for ecological conservation efforts. Understanding how environmental conditions influence the survival of resident avifauna is an important information need given the predicted increases in drought and the frequency and intensity of severe storms in the region. Throughout much of...
Developing a range-wide sampling framework for endangered species: A case study with light-footed Ridgway’s rail
Bryan S. Stevens, Courtney J. Conway, Kimberley A. Sawyer, Lauren Kershek, Giselle Block, Sandra E. Hamilton, Rebecca Kolstrom
2025, Biodiversity and Conservation (33) 3703-3726
Monitoring provides the foundation for evaluating recovery of endangered species, yet many species lack monitoring programs designed to integrate a species’ unique attributes, specific monitoring objectives, and principles of statistical sampling theory. We developed a framework for monitoring and assessment of endangered light-footed Ridgway’s rails (Rallus obsoletus levipes) across their...
Identifying mismatches between conservation area networks and vulnerable populations using spatial randomization
Laura A. Nunes, Christine Ribic, Benjamin Zuckerberg
2025, Ecology and Evolution (11) 16006-16020
Grassland birds are among the most globally threatened bird groups due to substantial degradation of native grassland habitats. However, the current network of grassland conservation areas may not be adequate for halting population declines and biodiversity loss. Here, we evaluate a network of grassland conservation areas within...
