Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Science

Department

Biological Sciences

College

College of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics

Committee Chair

Chris Kellner

Second Committee Member

Tom Nupp

Third Committee Member

Doug Barron

Program Director

Tom Nupp

Dean of Graduate College

Sarah Gordon

Abstract

Study of the nesting and post-fledging periods is necessary to properly evaluate avian reproductive success. Birds breeding in suburban areas are threatened by a high abundance of predators and limited habitat availability. American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are common birds in suburban areas across North America, but their breeding ecology is understudied. The goals of my study were to: assess robin nest survival and its relationships with nest characteristics, evaluate fledgling survival, movement, and behavior, and determine the fledging sex ratio and sex-based plumage characteristics of fledglings. I found that robin daily nest survival (0.920) was lower than previous estimates in suburban areas. Nests located on buildings had higher daily survival than those in native or non-native plants. Most fledgling mortalities occurred during the first two days post-fledging. As fledglings aged, they were more likely to survive, make larger daily movements, and move farther away from the nest. Fledglings moved to tall, concealed perches during the first few days post-fledging and shifted to open areas for foraging as they approached independence at around three weeks post-fledging. The sexes of fledglings were not clearly distinguishable by plumage and the fledging sex ratio was slightly skewed towards females. Future studies should examine if and how buildings are important nesting sites in suburban areas. Detailed habitat and behavior data should be collected to expand our understanding of robin post-fledging ecology. More complex field and image analysis protocols may help identify sex-based plumage characteristics of fledgling robins, which could have implications for demographic studies.

Download

Included in

Ornithology Commons

Share

COinS