Date: October 19, 2017
Source: Virginia Tech
Summary:
A new study aimed to identify
characteristics that promote healthy wood thrush populations on US Department
of Defense land.
Before cutting down forest, land
managers in drought prone areas might first consider the birds in the trees.
According to a new study by
biologists at Virginia Tech and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, the
offspring of a certain songbird, the wood thrush, are more likely to survive
drought in larger forest plots that offer plenty of shade and resources.
These results were published Oct.
18 in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, a journal of the American
Ornithological Society.
Wood thrush are common to the
United States, but populations have declined by more than 60 percent since the
1960s. In addition, many species of songbirds, such as blue jays, robins, and
cardinals, as well as wood thrush, face the highest risk of dying within the
first five days of leaving their nests.
A team of Smithsonian biologists
led by Brandt Ryder worked closely with Ben Vernasco, a doctoral candidate in
biology at Virginia Tech, on a study that aimed to identify characteristics
that promote healthy wood thrush populations on U.S. Department of Defense
land. Vernasco specifically worked to determine the factors affecting wood
thrush survival during the post-fledgling period -- the stage lasting about 21
days until baby birds become independent.
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