Northern Waterthrush Research Articles

Light-level tracking of Northern Waterthrush ( Parkesia noveboracensis ): lessons learned from wintering ground deployments

Light-level tracking of Northern Waterthrush ( Parkesia noveboracensis ): lessons learned from wintering ground deployments

Depleted lean body mass after crossing an ecological barrier differentially affects stopover duration and refuelling rate among species of long‐distance migratory birds

Abstract During the long‐distance migratory flights of birds, lean mass breakdown occurs in concert with fat catabolism and is expected to have repercussions on total stopover duration because birds require time to rebuild lean tissue before accumulating fat reserves. Despite this, little is known about the role of in‐flight lean mass breakdown on stopover duration because direct measurements are restricted by the destructive nature of traditional body composition analysis and the technological limitations of tracking small birds over large expanses. We used non‐lethal, non‐invasive Quantitative Magnetic Resonance technology and plasma metabolite profiling to measure the body composition and physiological state of free‐living birds captured at a migratory stopover site after flight across the Gulf of Mexico, and an automated radiotelemetry array covering ~5000 km2 to track stopover duration and regional movements. We tested whether stopover duration is prolonged in individuals arriving with lower lean mass and investigated how lean mass affects regional movements. Stopover duration decreased by 22% for each additional gram of lean mass in Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis), but this relationship was not apparent in Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), Grey‐cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) or Yellow‐billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), even though these species also arrived with depleted lean mass. Stopover duration increased for Swainson's Thrush with higher plasma uric acid, a marker of protein catabolism. Northern Waterthrush with higher plasma triglycerides had longer stopover duration. Our findings suggest that migratory birds may compensate for substantial lean mass losses by increasing refuelling rate or moving to a different stopover site, and highlights species‐level differences in lean mass breakdown and the associated impacts on physiological function. Our results highlight the strategies used by different species to recover from a trans‐Gulf of Mexico flight and resume migration, which improves our understanding of the annual cycle of migratory birds. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Avian haemosporidian (Haemosporida: Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in the department of Arauca, Colombian Orinoquia region

Avian haemosporidian from the genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium are a diverse and widely distributed group of vector-borne blood parasites. These parasites can have negative effects on bird survival by influencing several aspects of their life cycle, causing different clinical signs and even death. Colombia has the widest range of bird richness throughout the globe; however, the associations between haemosporidian parasites and wild birds in different ecosystems remain poorly explored. Within this frame of reference, the objective of the present study was to identify and understand haemosporidian associated with resident and migratory wild birds and their lineages in northeast Orinoquia region, Colombia. Birds were captured in 8 localities and blood samples were collected, identifying the presence of haemosporidian parasites through morphological and molecular analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Blood samples from 233 wild birds (86 species) were analyzed for haemosporidian parasites. Sixteen individuals (6.9%) from 15 resident and migratory species were positive for Haemoproteus or Plasmodium. Fourteen haemosporidian lineages were identified, five of them reported for the first time. These new lineages are reported in four resident birds and one boreal migratory bird (Parkesia noveboracensis). This study is the first developed in the department of Arauca and contributes to the knowledge of haemosporidian lineages and their interaction with wild birds in the Colombian Orinoquia region and South America.

PHILOPATRY OF TWO WARBLERS IN JAMAICAN MANGROVES: COMPARING BANDING DATA OF A MIGRANT AND A RESIDENT SPECIES

Between September 1999 and January 2002, banding was carried out at standardized mist net locations in extensive coastal mangroves at Two Sisters near Mitchell Town in the Portland Bight Protected Area, south-central Jamaica on 25 days as part of a base-line assessment of the avifauna. Captures included 427 birds of 31 species. There were 183 local recaptures and no international recaptures. Two Parulidae warbler species dominated, the Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis), a North American migrant that overwinters in Jamaica with 183 individuals banded of which 45 individuals (25%) were recaptured 71 times (mean = 1.6 times), and the resident subspecies of the Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia) with 45 individuals banded of which 21 individuals (47%) were recaptured 64 times (mean = 3.0 times). The data on phenology and philopatry within and between years were compared for the two species, and the differences between resident and migrant species are discussed.

Can patterns of habitat use by western Nearctic–Neotropical migratory landbirds in winter inform conservation priorities?

I use point-count survey data collected from 171 locations across 11 vegetation conditions in western Mexico to illustrate common patterns of winter habitat use by 97 Nearctic–Neotropical migratory landbird species. A number of bird species are relatively restricted in their habitat use, with some (e.g., Northern Waterthrush [Parkesia noveboracensis], American Redstart [Setophaga ruticilla]) occurring only in relatively undisturbed habitats, and others (e.g., Say's Phoebe [Sayornis saya], Horned Lark [Eremophila alpestris]) occurring only in relatively disturbed lands associated with agriculture. A large number of bird species (e.g., Cassin's Vireo [Vireo cassinii], MacGillivray's Warbler [Geothlypis tolmiei]) use every one of the vegetation types considered, from low-elevation tropical deciduous forests to high-elevation conifer forests. Bird species showing patterns of restricted habitat use deserve conservation attention, but even the more broadly distributed species might become significantly less abundant in human-altered portions of habitats. Identifying the latter will require the inclusion of a wider spectrum of altered vegetation types/conditions than what I included here, or than what is typically considered in wildlife–habitat relationship programs.

Defining catchment origins of a geographical bottleneck: Implications of population mixing and phenological overlap for the conservation of Neotropical migratory birds

Abstract Migratory bottlenecks concentrate individuals and populations of Nearctic–Neotropical migrants from across vast breeding areas. The extent to which such concentrations occur has important ramifications for interpreting migratory connectivity and for the vulnerability of populations throughout the annual cycle but investigations of such phenomena are rare. We inferred breeding origins of 11 species of Nearctic–Neotropical migrants captured during fall migration in the Darién region, northwestern Colombia, using feather stable-hydrogen isotope values (δ 2Hf). Our objectives were to determine (1) the extent to which this region acts as a catchment for individuals from across a species’ breeding range, (2) if temporal patterns of arrival arise as a function of migration distance inferred from δ 2Hf, and (3) if phenological differences among species segregate populations. The Darién concentrated populations of 6 species, with individuals potentially derived from 78% to 94% of their respective North American breeding ranges. The catchment area for the remaining 5 species covered 40–72% of breeding ranges, with a bias in origin from the west (e.g., Northern Waterthrush [Parkesia noveboracensis], Swainson’s Thrush [Catharus ustulatus]), north or center (Yellow Warbler [Setophaga petechia]) of their range. Differential timing in the migration of populations occurred in 6 species, generating a degree of temporal segregation. In contrast, peak migration for all species occurred in October, resulting in high overlap among species in their use of the Darién. Overall, our results describe high mixing of populations in the Darién for several species, which, given the region’s highly restricted geographic extent, suggests that a bottleneck effect occurs; however, comparisons with other regions in Central America and northern South America are required. The combination of extensive population mixing and limited temporal segregation over a narrow geographical area suggests that long-distance migrants may be especially vulnerable to events occurring in such regions, including adverse weather conditions and anthropogenic land cover change.

A 137-Year History of the Summer Avian Community at the Winous Point Marsh, Port Clinton, Ohio, USA

The Winous Point Marsh Conservancy and the Winous Point Shooting Club, with landholdings in both Sandusky and Ottawa Counties, Ohio, has completed a survey of the summer resident bird population on the property 4 times spanning 137 years. Although achieving a true census is unrealistic, these surveys have provided a unique, long-term history of changes in the avian community in northwest Ohio since the 1880s. Surveys were completed in 1880, 1930, 1960, and 2017. Draining and deforestation of the wetlands in northwest Ohio, by the late 1870s, resulted in the loss of many forested-wetland dependent species such as Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea), Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria), and Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) after the 1880 survey. Intensification of agricultural practices after the 1930 survey likely resulted in the loss of the early successional habitat that was associated with smaller, less intensive, agricultural practices and consequently the loss of many grassland nesting species such as Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors), Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), and Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata). Several new species were documented during the 2017 survey including Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis), Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator), and American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). This long-term dataset provides a unique opportunity to investigate the avian immigration, extirpation, and recolonization of a specific site over the past 137 years, providing insight into how landscape-level habitat changes affected the avian community.

Insight into the species diversity of the quill mite genus Betasyringophiloidus Skoracki, 2011 (Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) on the basis of the DNA barcodes

Betasyringophiloidus Skoracki, 2011 is a genus of quill mites (Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) that is believed to contain mono-, steno- and polyxenous parasites associated with a wide range of passerine birds (Passeriformes) across the world. In this work we applied the DNA-barcode marker (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment, COI) to verify whether Betasyringophiloidus schoeniclus (Skoracki, 2002) and Betasyringophiloidus seiuri (Clark, 1964) are actual steno- and polyxenous species associated with the currently recognised host ranges, or their populations are highly host-specific, cryptic species. Our results revealed that a population living on the Tristram's bunting Emberiza tristrami Swinhoe (Emberizidae) in Russia, so far classified as B. schoeniclus, is a new cryptic species Betasyringophiloidus emberizae sp. nov. Both topologies of the neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees as well as genetic distance (11.9% Kimura 2-parameter distance) (K2P) support species status of the mite population from E. tristrami. The same data support previously established conspecific status of B. seiuri found on the ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla (Linnaeus) (Parulidae) (type host) and the northern waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis (Gmelin) (Parulidae) and expand its range with a population found on a new host species Icterus pustulatus (Wagler) (Icteridae) with intraspecific K2P distance up to 1.9% and interpopulation distances ranging from 1.3 to 3.1%.

Contribution of agroecosystems to the conservation of bird diversity in the department of Caldas

En las regiones tropicales se han identificado los aportes y limitaciones de los agroecosistemas en el contexto de la conservación de la diversidad de las aves. Se ha sugerido que los agroecosistemas pueden presentar un valor diferente para la conservación, de acuerdo con la complejidad estructural de la vegetación (e.g., mayor número de estratos de la vegetación, diversidad de las especies cultivadas, entre otros). En este sentido, los agroecosistemas de una menor área (e.g., minifundios), pueden ser claves en el desarrollo de estrategias encaminadas a la conservación de la avifauna. Con el objetivo de establecer el aporte de diferentes tipos de agroecosistemas a la conservación de las aves en el departamento de Caldas (Colombia), se comparó la riqueza, abundancia y similitud de las aves asociadas a tres tipos de hábitats: (1) agroecosistemas tipo I (monocultivos con suelo limpio), (2) agroecosistemas tipo II (cultivos mixtos, potreros enmalezados con árboles dispersos y plantaciones con sotobosque) y (3) bosques secundarios. Los agroecosistemas tipo II no difirieron en la riqueza y en la similitud de las aves con respecto a los bosques secundarios, además se registraron especies con alta sensibilidad a la perturbación (Zentrygon frenata, Phaetornis guy, Phaetornis syrmatophorus, Lepidocolaptes lacrymiger y Sphenopsis frontalis). Adicionalmente en este tipo de agroecosistemas se registró una especie de interés para la conservación global (Chloropipo flavicapilla) y cuatro especies migratorias (Catharus ustulatus, Parkesia noveboracensis, Setophaga fusca y Setophaga striata). Los agroecosistemas tipo II no son hábitats completamente negativos para la avifauna y podrían desempeñar un rol importante dentro de las estrategias para la conservación en paisajes rurales.

CINCO NUEVOS REGISTROS DE ESPECIES DE AVES PARA LA ISLA MALPELO, PACÍFICO COLOMBIANO

Five species of birds were recorded for the fist time in Malpelo Island. With this information, the total number of birds recorded in the island ascends to 65 species. The new bird records are Upland Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Surfbird, Great Crested Flycatcher and the Northern Waterthrush.

Determination of Sex Using Morphometrics in the Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) and Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)

ABSTRACT Many species of passerines are sexually monochromatic and thus sex cannot be determined based on plumage characteristics. Northern Waterthrushes (Parkesia noveboracensis) and Swainson’s Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) are two such species. The objective of this study is to examine morphological differences between males and females of both species and determine whether this information may be used to determine sex. With genetically sexed birds, I indicate wing chord values can be used to determine sex with 95% confidence. This information would allow field researchers to determine sex of 58% of Northern Waterthrushes and 33% of Swainson’s Thrushes with 95% confidence of correct assignment. If age is taken into account, the proportion of individuals for which sex can be determined increases to 62% and 38%, respectively. This information may be used by avian ecologists in future studies of behavioral ecology, conservation biology, or evolutionary biology these species.

Organophosphate pesticide method development and presence of chlorpyrifos in the feet of nearctic-neotropical migratory songbirds from Canada that over-winter in Central America agricultural areas.

Recent modeling analysis suggests that numerous birds may be at risk of acute poisoning in insecticide-treated fields. Although the majority of avian field studies on pesticides have focused on treated seed, granule, insect or vegetation (oral exposure) ingestion, dermal exposure is an important exposure route when birds come into contact with deposited pesticides on foliage and other surfaces. Some nearctic-neotropical migratory songbirds are likely exposed to pesticides on their non-breeding habitats and include treated crops, plantations or farmlands. In the present study, we developed a method for four environmentally-relevant organophosphate (OP) pesticides (fenthion, fenamiphos, chlorpyrifos and diazinon) in the feet of migratory songbirds (i.e. Common yellowthroat, Gray catbird, Indigo bunting, America redstart, Northern waterthrush, Northern parula, and an additional 12 species of warblers). A total of 190 specimens of the 18 species of songbirds were sampled from available window-killed birds (spring of 2007 and 2011) in downtown Toronto, Canada. The species that were available most likely over-wintered in Mexican/Central American crops such as citrus, coffee and cacao. The feet of the dead birds were sampled and where OP foot exposure likely occurred during over-wintering foraging on pesticide-treated crops. Chlorpyrifos was the only measurable OP (pg mg feet weight(-1)) and in the 2011-collected feet of Black throated blue warbler (0.5), Tennessee warbler (1.0), Northern parula (1.2), Northern waterthrush (0.6), Common yellowthroat (1.0) and the Blue winged warbler (0.9). Dermal contact with OP pesticides during over-wintering in agricultural areas resulted in low levels of chlorpyrifos and long time retention on the feet of a subset of songbirds.

Experimental effects of habitat type on the movement ecology and stopover duration of spring migrant Northern Waterthrushes (Parkesia noveboracensis)

Long-distance migratory animals typically stop-over between migratory movements to rest and refuel. In species lacking stopover site fidelity, including most songbirds, timely arrival to breeding areas with sufficient energy stores for reproduction requires that migrants rapidly locate suitable stopover habitat in unfamiliar landscapes. Few studies have examined movement ecology in such species during stopover, and even fewer have addressed how these migrants adjust movement behaviors in response to encountering preferred or non-preferred habitats. We experimentally translocated spring transient Northern Waterthrushes (Parkesia noveboracensis) to preferred (bottomland) and non-preferred (upland) forest habitats and characterized subsequent fine-scale movements and stopover duration using radiotelemetry. Minimum stopover duration averaged 4.1 days and was 1.5 days longer in bottomland-released birds than in upland-released birds. Minimum stopover duration decreased by 1.4 days per week over the spring migratory period. For upland-released and bottomland-released birds, respectively, maximum distance moved from the release point was 635 ± 58 m and 326 ± 51 m on the day of the release and 773 ± 109 m and 504 ± 83 m on the following day. Upland-released individuals traveled nearly twice as far from the release point on day 1 as bottomland-released birds. Upon reaching bottomland habitats within 2.0 ± 0.3 h of release, subsequent distance moved on day 1 by upland-released birds was similar to that of bottomland-released birds. Cumulatively, these results indicate that initial exploratory movements were facultative and habitat dependent and that waterthrushes can successfully locate suitable stopover habitats in a heterogeneous landscape at the spatial scales we investigated.

Summit metabolic rate exhibits phenotypic flexibility with migration, but not latitude in a neotropical migrant, Parkesia noveboracensis

Physiology–life history interactions suggest that birds living with a fast ‘pace-of-life’ should have higher metabolic capacity to provision higher reproductive activity. Previous work supports this, but does not consider migration. We measured summit metabolism (\(\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{ 2\;{\text{summit}}}}\)) in Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) while wintering in the Republic of Panama, migrating northwards through eastern North America, and while breeding in northeastern North America. \(\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{ 2\;{\text{summit}}}}\) is similar between breeding and overwintering (non-migratory) and is significantly elevated in migration. These data suggest that migration is a driver of phenotypic flexibility in these birds and that migration, like winter survival, may be an important determinant of connections between life history and physiology.

Patterns and correlates of songbird movements at an ecological barrier during autumn migration assessed using landscape‐ and regional‐scale automated radiotelemetry

Departure decisions of songbirds at ecological barriers they encounter en route can strongly influence time, energy and survival costs of migration. To date, most field studies of departure decisions and their correlates have used indirect methods and followed migrants at a single stopover site, with limited information on what happens to individuals after they depart from the site. We used an automated radiotelemetry array extending 350 km from southwest Nova Scotia to southern Maine to study the migratory and stopover movements of Northern Waterthrushes Parkesia noveboracensis, Red‐eyed Vireos Vireo olivaceus and Yellow‐rumped Warblers Setophaga coronata in relation to fuel load and weather at the northeastern edge of the Gulf of Maine. From the 105 radio‐transmitters we deployed in southwest Nova Scotia, we recorded 42 landscape‐scale stopover flights and 47 migratory flights by 75 individuals. Of the migratory flights, 57% were orientated southwest, a trajectory that, if held, would require individuals to complete a 350–440 km overwater flight. The remaining 43% of migratory flights were orientated northwest, away from the Gulf of Maine, and 15 individuals were confirmed to have detoured around all or a portion of the barrier, as evidenced by their being re‐detected over the Bay of Fundy and/or along the coast of Maine between 4 h and 15 days later. Across all individuals, initial fat score had a positive effect on departure probability, especially for individuals that made stopover flights. Among weather variables, tailwind assistance was the best predictor of migratory departures but did not appear to be the main factor determining whether individuals orientated towards or away from the Gulf of Maine. Weather had little effect on departure decisions of individuals that made stopover flights. These differences in the correlates of migratory departures and stopover flights would probably not have been distinguishable had our study been restricted to a local scale. Therefore, our findings highlight the importance of expanding the scale at which departure decisions and the ecology of stopover in general are studied.

Bird Communities of Contrasting Secondary Habitats of Bonaire, in the Arid South-Eastern Caribbean

We studied the bird communities of five contrasting semi-natural habitats of Lac Bay, Bonaire, South-eastern Caribbean, during the fall of 2011. A total of 420 point counts were conducted in five different habitats and 63 species were detected. Of these, 31 (49%) were migrants, 24 (38%) were residents, 6 (10%) occurred both as residents and migrants and 2 (3%) were migrants that possibly or irregularly breed. Most migratory species were shorebirds and waders (76%). The bird communities of the five habitats studied showed significant differences in species composition and associated community parameters. Mangrove thicket and salt flat habitats had roughly a two-fold higher total species richness and a four-fold higher migratory species richness compared to woodland habitats. In woodland habitats, breeding residents dominated, whereas migratory shore and waterbirds dominated in salt flat habitat. The Northern Waterthrush, Parkesia noveboracensis, and Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, were the numerically most important migratory passerines. The Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens, a globally Near-Threatened species, ranked among the top 10 most abundant species of the Lac Bay salt flat habitat. Our results suggest that the relatively expansive hypersaline wetlands of Bonaire (of which Lac is only a small part) may be of special significance to migratory shore and waterbirds. In contrast to other areas of the Caribbean, invasive exotic birds so far play a minor role in the communities studied.

Environmental conditions on wintering grounds and during migration influence spring nutritional condition and arrival phenology of Neotropical migrants at a northern stopover site

Assessing effects of winter habitat quality and environmental conditions on fitness of migratory birds is important to understand factors that regulate migratory bird populations throughout the annual cycle. We evaluated effects of winter habitat occupancy, as inferred from tissue stable-carbon (δ13C) and -nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values, on nutritional condition and arrival date of seven long-distance Nearctic–Neotropical migratory species sampled at Delta Marsh Bird Observatory (DMBO, Manitoba, Canada) during their spring migration to more northerly breeding areas. Additionally, we used a long-term dataset of DMBO to assess the effect of May minimum temperature, May minimum daily temperature, and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index on body condition and spring arrival date. A positive effect of assumed mesic winter habitat on nutritional condition and arrival phenology was detected primarily in species overwintering in the Caribbean (Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum, Northern Waterthrush Parkesianovaboracensis). We caution, then, against generalizing the results of previous isotopic studies inferring winter habitat use applied to Neotropical migrants wintering in the Caribbean (e.g., American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla) to those species or populations wintering elsewhere and especially away from dichotomous mangrove versus scrub habitats. In general, birds arrived later and in lower nutritional condition during colder springs, and early migrants did not adjust their timing of migration to spring temperature. Early arrival was associated with poorer nutritional condition, and most species had their lowest nutritional condition during the coldest periods of migration. ENSO, probably through its influence on weather and food availability during winter, carried over to northern latitudes and affected both spring arrival date and nutritional condition.

Blood mercury levels and the stopover refueling performance of a long-distance migratory songbird

I examined the relationship between total mercury (THg) and plasma triglyceride (TRIG; an indicator of body mass change) levels in the blood of migrating Northern Waterthrushes (Parkesia noveboracensis (Gmelin, 1789)) to test the hypothesis that mercury has a negative influence on the stopover refueling rates of migratory birds. THg levels averaged 0.42 ppm and ranged 0.09–2.08 ppm. Model selection indicated that THg was not important for explaining variation in TRIG relative to capture time, body mass, and year. Summed model weights also indicated that THg had low relative importance. Capture time appeared alone in the global best model and had the greatest relative importance. Subsets of birds in the 25th and 75th percentiles of THg level did not have different levels of TRIG. THg in most birds was higher than mean blood levels reported for several other long-distance migrants from the same geographic region, but below the lowest blood level recently determined to cause adverse effects (reduced reproductive success) in a passerine (0.7 ppm). Blood THg levels in this study did not seem to affect foraging efficiency or other attributes of Northern Waterthrushes enough to reduce their stopover refueling rate. Research is needed to identify mercury effect levels for neurological, physiological, and behavioral changes that would impair the migration performance of passerine birds.

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: seventh report

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: seventh report

Influence of Moisture and Food Supply on the Movement Dynamics of a Nonbreeding Migratory Bird (Parkesia noveboracensis) in a Seasonal Landscape

We radiotracked Northern Waterthrushes (Parkesia noveboracensis) in four habitats in Puerto Rico during two winters (i.e., January–April) in 2003 and 2004 to determine the ecological determinants of diurnal space use and overwinter sitepersistence in this species. The majority of birds (69%) were sedentary and used a contiguous area within a single habitat over the winter period. A smaller percentage (31%) initially used a contiguous area within a single habitat but then permanently moved from that area to another disjunct location (mean = 418 m). Most of these movements were out of the two habitats (dry forest and Black Mangrove) that became the driest from January to mid-March and into wetter mangrove areas. The primary determinants of movement probability were moisture and food availability on each bird's home range. Foraging areas of birds that eventually moved were drier and had lower food availability than areas used by site-persistent individuals. The sites that these itinerant birds moved to were wetter and had higher food availability, which suggests that individuals moved in response to changing resources. Our results (1) indicate that habitats used by this species differ in suitability and (2) support previous findings that turnover rates within a habitat could serve as an indicator of habitat quality. The ability to predict behavioral responses of individuals to habitat conditions that vary across space and time is essential for understanding individual and population responses to habitat loss and the effects of a changing climate in the New World tropics.