Examining the Predictors of White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) Spring Departure Date
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Date
2025-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Migratory birds encounter a variety of obstacles while migrating that can have profound negative effects on breeding success. These obstacles and their effects are exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change in addition to novel obstacles arising, such as advancing producer phenology. As such, migratory decisions have the capacity to impact breeding success and therefore population dynamics which in turn have serious implications for conservation. At present, most studies of migratory and phenological decisions by migratory birds have focused on long-distance migrants. Here, I focus on examining the predictors of spring departure date for a boreal-breeding, short-distance migrant, the White-throated Sparrow. I determined the departure date for 42 motus-tagged White-throated Sparrows and qualitatively investigated spring departure date’s relationship with a common spring phenology indicator, common lilac flowering, and winter weather. I found that sex best predicted spring departure date with male sparrows departing earlier. Additionally, departure date and winter weather remained stagnant while lilac phenology advanced. These results align with previous work regarding White-throated Sparrow migratory and phenological decisions and emphasize the occurrence of male migratory birds departing and arriving earlier than females in the spring. Furthermore, advancing producer phenology and stagnant White-throated Sparrow phenology highlight the need for future research to increase statistical power and identify phenological mismatches and associated conservation implications.
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Keywords
White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, Migratory decisions, Phenological mismatch