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Regional abundance and local breeding productivity explain occupancy of restored habitats in a migratory songbird
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Ecological restoration is a key tool in offsetting habitat loss that threatens biodiversity worldwide, but few
projects are rigorously evaluated to determine if conservation objectives are achieved. We tested whether restoration
outcomes for an imperiled bird, the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera; GWWA) met the
assumptions of the ‘Field of Dreams’ hypothesis or whether local and regional population dynamics impacted
restoration success. From 2015 to 18, we surveyed 514 points located in recently restored successional habitats.
We used new- and published data on the survival of 341 nests and 258 fledglings to estimate GWWA breeding
productivity. Occupancy and colonization of restored habitats were significantly higher in our Western Study
Region (Minnesota and Wisconsin) than our Eastern Study Region (Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey), a
pattern that mirrored broader regional population trends. At local scales, productivity was high in Eastern
Pennsylvania (> 3 independent juveniles/pair/year) but low in Central Pennsylvania (1 juvenile/pair/year)
while both Western and Central Minnesota hosted intermediate productivity (between 1 and 2 juveniles/pair/
year). Productivity and occupancy covaried locally in the Eastern Study Region, while occupancy was high in the
Western Study Region, despite intermediate productivity. These differences have profound implications for restoration
outcomes, as GWWA possessed robust capacity to respond to habitat restoration in both regions, but
this capacity was conditional upon local productivity where the species is rare. Our findings suggest that, even
when restoration efforts are focused on a single species and use comparable prescriptions, interactions among
processes governing habitat selection, settlement, and productivity can yield variable restoration outcomes.
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Multiscale drivers of restoration outcomes for an imperiled songbird
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Habitat restoration is a cornerstone of conservation, particularly for habitat-limited species. However, restoration efforts are
seldom rigorously monitored at meaningful spatial scales. Poor understanding of how species respond to habitat restoration
programs limits conservation efficacy for habitat-restricted species like the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera,
GWWA). We provide one of the first concerted assessments of a national conservation program aimed at restoring songbird
habitat across its breeding range. We studied GWWA response to forest habitat restoration across two broad regions with
opposing population trajectories and assessed factors driving species use of restored habitats across multiple spatial scales.
From 2015 to 2017, we conducted 1,145 (n = 457 locations) and 519 point counts (n = 215 locations) across the Appalachian
Mountains and Great Lakes (respectively) within restored habitats. Warbler abundance within restored habitats across the
Great Lakes varied with latitude, longitude, elevation, forest type, and number of growing seasons. In the Appalachian Mountains,
occupancy ( ^ ψ) varied with longitude, elevation, forest type, and number of growing seasons. Detections were restricted
to areas within close proximity to population centers (usually <24 km) in the Appalachian Mountains, where GWWAs are rare
( ^ ψ= 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20–0.25), but not in the Great Lakes, whereGWWAs remain common ( ^ ψ= 0.87, 95%
CI: 0.84–0.90). Our study suggests that, even when best management practices are carefully implemented, restoration outcomes
vary within/across regions and with multiscale habitat attributes. Although assessments of concerted habitat restoration efforts
remain uncommon, our study demonstrates the value of monitoring data in the adaptive management process for imperiled
species.
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Capture of GWWA on Nonbreeding Grounds
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While studying migratory birds on their Costa Rican wintering grounds in March 2017, associates at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) were able to add some important data to the understanding of Golden-wing Warbler biology. RTPI affiliate Sean Graesser, who was working in a remote rainforest reserve in northeastern Costa Rica with other RTPI staff on a tropical biology course for high school students, captured a gorgeous male Golden-winged Warbler. When he extracted it from the net to collect data and band it, he realized that this bird already had a uniquely numbered band on its leg – a band that Sean had put there himself a year ago! Since the bird was last seen in March of 2016, it had flown to North America – likely somewhere in that upper Great Lakes Region area, possibly nested and raised young against all odds, and returned to Costa Rica to overwinter. This bird looked healthy as could be and was getting ready to make the same trek again – possibly travelling as far as 6,000 miles each year between its breeding and wintering grounds.
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Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in the Aspen Parkland Transition Zone of Canada
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The Aspen Parkland Transition Zone comprises the contact
zone between the prairie parkland and the greater boreal
ecosystems (Figure 1). Whereas the prairie biome is dominated
by grasses and the boreal biome by coniferous tree species and
mixed woods, the Aspen Parkland Transition Zone is dominated
by deciduous trees, especially Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
and Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), in complex mosaics
with grassland and wetlands.
The Aspen Parkland Transition Zone is the only remaining
large area within the Golden-winged Warbler range where
Blue-winged Warbler does not occur. Thus, maintaining healthy
populations of Golden-winged Warbler in this area is critical.
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Golden-Winged Warbler Great Lakes/Canada Fact Sheets
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Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in Shrub Wetlands of the Great Lakes
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Shrub wetlands are extensive in the region, particularly in
the western Great Lakes. Not all shrub wetlands are occupied
by Golden-winged Warbler for a variety of reasons including
high water levels, lack of desired woody and herbaceous
vegetation patchiness, lack of scattered canopy trees, and
distance to upland deciduous forest. Dense mature stands of
unbroken woody shrub cover over large areas often are unsuitable.
Reduced flooding and beaver activity may be partially
responsible for these conditions and restoration of these
natural disturbance regimes could improve habitat quality. In
other cases, mechanical treatments provide the mechanism
for creating or restoring breeding habitat (Figure 1) and are
the focus of the included guidelines.
For this insert, shrub wetlands are defined as palustrine
wetlands dominated by broad-leaved deciduous woody vegetation
less than 20 feet tall. The species include true shrubs,
young trees, and scattered trees of varying size. See Table 1
for common dominant shrub and tree species.
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Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Abandoned Farmlands in the Great Lakes
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Since the early 20th century, abandoned farmland has become
an important component of the Great Lakes landscape.
When crop and pasture lands become inactive, they begin
succeeding into their pre-agricultural state, which is often
deciduous forest. The span of time from field to forest takes
decades, during which there is a period of years where the ratio
of herbaceous vegetation, shrubs, and young trees on a given
site can potentially create habitat for breeding Golden-winged Warblers (Figure 1). Without active management, this is a temporary
condition that typically persists for less than a decade.
Throughout the region there is an excellent opportunity, especially on private lands, to create habitat for Golden-winged Warbler
on abandoned farmlands. Perhaps the best opportunities exist on poorly drained soils that are too wet for pasture or crops.
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Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Utility Rights-of-way in the Great Lakes
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Utility ROWs consist of long, linear corridors that are often
managed in a way that can provide habitat for Golden-winged
Warbler and other shrubland birds. Many landscapes within
the Great Lakes region are traversed by extensive and growing
networks of electric transmission lines and gas pipelines (Figure
1), and in some of these the utility corridors are the principal
sites of extensive shrubland habitat. Only a small proportion of
these utility ROWs are managed for Golden-winged Warbler;
therefore, substantial opportunities exist to benefit this species
while still meeting the vegetation management goals of utility
companies and working within acceptable budgets.
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Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in Deciduous Forests of the Great Lakes
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This supplement for Deciduous Forests accompanies Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Great
Lakes Region, which includes general information that applies to all habitat types in this area. Users should refer to both documents
to develop a comprehensive management strategy for Golden-winged Warbler. The following are guidelines and not absolute
rules for the creation of breeding habitat, thus prescriptions that fall outside the numerical ranges presented can provide habitat,
too. Consult a Golden-winged Warbler or young forest habitat expert for assistance in tailoring a management plan to your property,
and, if available, follow forest management guidelines for your state or province.
Historically, young forest in this region was generated by natural disturbances such as wind, ice, insect outbreaks, flooding, beaver
activity, and fire. Today, much habitat is created through commercial management of deciduous forests, which is the focus of this
habitat guide. Deciduous forest management opportunities exist throughout the Great Lakes on public, private, and tribal lands.
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Best Management Practices For Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Great Lakes Region: A Guide for Land Managers and Landowners
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This guide is intended to provide land managers and landowners with regional, habitat-specific strategies and techniques to begin developing and restoring habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This document includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Great Lakes region and should be used along with supplemental documents dedicated to the management of specific regional habitat types (deciduous forests, aspen parkland transition zone, abandoned farmlands, utility rights-of-way, forest and shrub wetlands) most important to Golden-winged Warblers.
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Golden-winged Warbler Status Review and Conservation Plan
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The Golden-winged Warbler Status Review was initiated over a decade ago when David Buehler, John Confer, and Ron Canterbury were funded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service to elaborate on what was originally a status assessment begun by Chuck Hunter in 1999. Over time, that original project received input from others and underwent numerous stalls, revisions, and reviews. The continuous stream of new information that so rapidly outpaced the writing of the document is actually a tribute to the tremendous dedication and energy of the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group and its partners. In this version of the Status Review, survey and trend estimates have been updated to include 2009 BBS trend information. Genetic data were updated to include birds sampled during the 2010 breeding season. We are pleased finally to release the Status Review, at the same time acknowledging that new research and conservation action will just as quickly outdate much of the information it summarizes. We prefer to think of this document as a Status Transition to a more hopeful future.
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Golden-Winged Warbler General Fact Sheets
