This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Migration is a fundamental characteristic of the life history of many organisms allowing individuals to take advantage of different habitats as environments change seasonally. For example, over two-thirds of all landbirds that breed in temperate North America fly thousands of kilometers to nonbreeding areas in Central and South America. Traveling long distances is energetically expensive, and the mortality associated with migration is thought to be substantial. How well a bird solves problems that arise during migration determines the success of migration, and ultimately a bird's survival. That said, following individuals throughout the year poses a serious challenge, and our understanding of the behavior of migrating birds has been constrained by not knowing the bird's breeding destination, not to mention the point of departure. Information from stable isotopes, genetic markers, and plumage coloration is integrated to geographically link individual birds captured at stopover sites in the southern U.S. during spring migration with their ultimate breeding destination in North America. This novel approach will allow a more comprehensive understanding of the strategies used by birds during migration. For example, do birds 'late' on their migration stop over for a shorter time and do they redeposit critical energy stores faster than migrants on schedule? Do late migrants 'catch up' by migrating faster or for more hours once aloft? This project will enhance not only understanding of the behavior, ecology, and evolution of migratory birds, but also development of conservation strategies for animals whose annual cycle bridges continents. The project continues a long history of undergraduate and graduate student traineeship and, because of the dramatic nature of animal migration, provides rich opportunities for outreach to educational groups and the community.
