Aug

28

2007
 
 

Going for a song



Some songbirds behave like sheep, but that could be a good thing

going for a songSongbirds’ own behavior can be used to protect them from habitat loss, according to research published recently in Animal Conservation. Working in the Hiawatha National Forest, Beth Hahn and University of Michigan PhD supervisor Emily Silverman tested the adage that “birds of a feather flock together” by playing recordings of singing male black-throated blue warblers Dendroica caerulescens at the start of the mating season. The recordings attracted other males to the area — the birds use the calls of their fellow competitors to judge habitat quality. This opens the possibility of manipulating songbird habitat choice in anticipation of forestry operations (aka habitat destruction), although there are many questions yet to answer. How do birds of different social status respond? Are non-target species affected? Is the age structure of the population affected? It’s an exciting start to what’s likely a long journey. Source: Hahn BA & Silverman ED (2007) Managing breeding forest songbirds with conspecific song playbacks. Animal Conservation DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2007.00128.x

Image © bbear

Filed Under Habitat, Restoration, Monitoring, Tools and technology | 

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