Stopover Duration and Habitat Use by Tennessee Warblers (Oreothlypis peregrina) at a High-Elevation Bald

Abstract

Use of high-elevation balds by Nearctic-Neotropical passerines remains a poorly understood component of migration ecology. We used radio-telemetry to assess the habitat use of 20 Oreothlypis peregrina (Tennessee Warbler) at a high-elevation bald during September 2011. Our goals were to estimate the duration of stopover, examine variation in stopover length by age class, and determine patterns of habitat use during fall migration. For radio-tracked birds, the average length of time spent at the bald was 4.6 days (range: 1–12 days). The majority of tracked locations corresponded with heath habitat that surrounded the bald opening (79% of locations), relative to the more distal and less complex, hardwood forest. Collectively, these results provide information on the important, yet ephemeral role that high-elevation balds play in supporting the autumnal migration of eastern North American passerines.