The Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) is declining throughout its range, yet is capable of persisting in both contiguous forests and small forest patches surrounded by human suburban development. Thus, it is an ideal species for gaining insight into the effects of suburbanization on migrant songbirds. I investigated two aspects of Wood Thrush nesting ecology: nest ectoparasites and nest defense behavior in order to determine if suburbanization influences either aspect. Nests from suburban forests had fewer haematophagous mites, though the abundance of haematophagous blowfly larvae did not differ between suburban and contiguous forests. There was no relationship between the abundance of mites and nest site characteristics, though blowfly abundance may be related to nesting substrate species. Parasites had little effect on nestling condition. In regard to nest defense, suburban Wood Thrushes had shorter flight initiation distances and mounted more active defenses during initial nest visits than birds nesting in contiguous forests, suggesting a previously-established sensitization response to human disturbances in suburban birds. I found no consistent shifts in aggression over subsequent nest visits in either habitat type, suggesting that throughout the breeding season, Wood Thrushes neither habituate nor sensitize further to repeated human disturbances. My results suggest that Wood Thrushes nesting in suburban forest patches are subject to fewer nest ectoparasites and defend their nests more aggressively than conspecifics nesting in contiguous forests. These results draw attention to the fact that although Wood Thrushes persist in both rural and suburban habitats, their nesting ecology may be different between these habitat types.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:masters_theses_2-1113 |
| Date | 07 November 2014 |
| Creators | Dalton, Evan N |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Masters Theses |
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