Non-Breeding Ecology of Loggerhead Shrikes in An Intensive Agricultural Region

Author

Emily Rose Donahue, Arkansas State UniversityFollow

Date of Award

3-24-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Biology, MS

First Advisor

Than Boves

Committee Members

Jerry Farris; Lorin Neuman-Lee

Call Number

LD 251 .A566t 2020 D66

Abstract

As intensive agriculture has transformed much of the landscape across central North America, many grassland species have had to learn to adjust these new, highly homogeneous habitats while facing steep population declines. The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus; hereinafter shrike) is one such declining species that persists in these agricultural landscapes. However, we lack information on the sustainability of these populations, and shrike non-breeding ecology, as for most passerines, remains understudied. Specifically, little is known about non-breeding behavior, diet, survival, site fidelity, and habitat selection. If survival, space use, and habitat selection metrics differ between demographic groups within non-breeding populations also remains unknown. To fill these gaps, we conducted behavioral and diet surveys and banded and monitored shrikes in NE Arkansas from 2016–2019. Our efforts give insights into the foraging strategies and winter requirements of LOSH while investigating demographic partitioning and potential consequences in a partial migrant species.

Rights Management

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Donahue, Emily Rose, "Non-Breeding Ecology of Loggerhead Shrikes in An Intensive Agricultural Region" (2021). Student Theses and Dissertations. 331.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/331