An efficient method for sampling aerial arthropods at nest sites of an insectivorous songbird in steep decline

Adam Haberski,Julie C Hagelin,Kristin A Dubour,Christopher P Barger,Derek S Sikes

doi:10.5751/ace-01849-160201

Abstract

Haberski, A., J. C. Hagelin, C. P. Barger, D. S. Sikes, and K. A. DuBour. 2021. An efficient method for sampling aerial arthropods at nest sites of an insectivorous songbird in steep decline. Avian Conservation and Ecology 16(2):1. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01849-160201

Highlights

There is increasing evidence that aerial insectivorous birds are declining in parallel with their arthropod prey, underscoring the need for more long-term studies of both bird and prey abundance (Nebel et al 2010, Smith et al 2015, Imlay et al 2017, Spiller and Dettmers 2019, Tallamy and Shriver 2021)
Canopy Malaise and blue vane traps provide the most efficient sampling method Our primary goal was to develop a standardized approach to sampling aerial insects available to breeding OSFL, a steeply declining aerial insectivore that exhibits both canopy and nearground foraging behaviors
We evaluated four trap types on OSFL breeding territories in the boreal forest of central Alaska

Summary

Introduction

There is increasing evidence that aerial insectivorous birds are declining in parallel with their arthropod prey, underscoring the need for more long-term studies of both bird and prey abundance (Nebel et al 2010, Smith et al 2015, Imlay et al 2017, Spiller and Dettmers 2019, Tallamy and Shriver 2021). Collecting arthropods for ornithological research can be laborious, usually requiring repeated sampling at multiple locations. Like Malaise traps and vane traps, are advantageous because they work continuously, without supervision, and have the potential to generate standardized samples. Combining traps of different designs and colors can reduce bias and sample a wider scope of prey (Campbell and Hanula 2007, Moreira et al 2016). This is important for birds that employ multiple foraging strategies or that forage in multiple microhabitats (Wolda 1990)

Methods

Results

Conclusion