Date of Award
9-30-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Environmental Sciences, MS
First Advisor
Virginie Rolland
Committee Members
Hubert Stroud; Ronald Johnson; Thomas Risch
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2014 N25
Abstract
The wintering behavior of Eastern Bluebirds has not been well studied despite historic population declines associated with severe winters. I monitored 69 nest boxes during the winters of 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 to determine the criteria used for nest box roosting and the roost group composition. I found that nest box use and roost group size increased significantly with lower windchill at sunset. Eastern Bluebirds exhibited a clear preference for boxes with nest material present, but no preference between natural and artificially constructed nests. They were found roosting almost exclusively in family groups, with parent-offspring/direct family relationships being the most common. Juveniles that roosted with a parent were primarily from late-season clutches, despite those clutches only fledging 19% of the total juveniles from the previous spring. There was also an even sex ratio among family-roosting juveniles, and females were found roosting throughout the winter, despite previous reports that females are more likely to disperse away from their natal area.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Fowler Neal, Jessica Anne, "Winter Roosting Habits of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) in Northeastern Arkansas" (2014). Student Theses and Dissertations. 780.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/780
