Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape

Abstract Golden‐winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) are facing population declines in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Breeding habitat loss is considered one of the primary reasons for golden‐winged warbler declines in the region. Expanding breeding habitat availability in a manner that prom...

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Main Authors: Michaelyn B. Woodie, Aimee Tomcho, Laurel M. Barnhill, Brenda C. McComb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-09-01
Series:Wildlife Society Bulletin
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1473
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author Michaelyn B. Woodie
Aimee Tomcho
Laurel M. Barnhill
Brenda C. McComb
author_facet Michaelyn B. Woodie
Aimee Tomcho
Laurel M. Barnhill
Brenda C. McComb
author_sort Michaelyn B. Woodie
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Golden‐winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) are facing population declines in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Breeding habitat loss is considered one of the primary reasons for golden‐winged warbler declines in the region. Expanding breeding habitat availability in a manner that promotes population expansion across an interconnected network of habitat patches is particularly problematic in a landscape dominated by private land ownership. We assessed the connectivity of golden‐winged warbler breeding habitat in a 29,680‐ha landscape with 5,664 ownership parcels between 2 state‐owned game lands in northwestern North Carolina, USA, in fall 2021. We created a connectivity map and provided examples of 3 means of prioritizing parcels for golden‐winged warbler habitat maintenance and management based on dispersal distances of fledglings that could return the following spring with prior familiarity of potential nesting areas. Prioritized parcels can guide land acquisition and conservation easement development as well as active management. Despite being highly parcelized, the area has both well‐connected and disjointed clusters of core habitat patches, but habitat management on privately owned parcels would be needed to connect core habitat patches to enable dispersing golden‐winged warbler fledglings to encounter potential breeding habitat that they could use the following spring.
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spelling doaj.art-85431dab930143139d3e81ecd25c2aa22023-09-12T04:31:27ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402023-09-01473n/an/a10.1002/wsb.1473Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscapeMichaelyn B. Woodie0Aimee Tomcho1Laurel M. Barnhill2Brenda C. McComb3Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331 USAAmerican Forest Foundation 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 550 Washington DC 20036 USASouth Atlantic Gulf and Mississippi Basin Interior Regions, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1875 Century Blvd Atlanta GA 30345 USAOregon State University Corvallis OR 97330 USAAbstract Golden‐winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) are facing population declines in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Breeding habitat loss is considered one of the primary reasons for golden‐winged warbler declines in the region. Expanding breeding habitat availability in a manner that promotes population expansion across an interconnected network of habitat patches is particularly problematic in a landscape dominated by private land ownership. We assessed the connectivity of golden‐winged warbler breeding habitat in a 29,680‐ha landscape with 5,664 ownership parcels between 2 state‐owned game lands in northwestern North Carolina, USA, in fall 2021. We created a connectivity map and provided examples of 3 means of prioritizing parcels for golden‐winged warbler habitat maintenance and management based on dispersal distances of fledglings that could return the following spring with prior familiarity of potential nesting areas. Prioritized parcels can guide land acquisition and conservation easement development as well as active management. Despite being highly parcelized, the area has both well‐connected and disjointed clusters of core habitat patches, but habitat management on privately owned parcels would be needed to connect core habitat patches to enable dispersing golden‐winged warbler fledglings to encounter potential breeding habitat that they could use the following spring.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1473dispersalgolden‐winged warblerhabitat connectivityhabitat managementVermivora chrysoptera
spellingShingle Michaelyn B. Woodie
Aimee Tomcho
Laurel M. Barnhill
Brenda C. McComb
Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape
Wildlife Society Bulletin
dispersal
golden‐winged warbler
habitat connectivity
habitat management
Vermivora chrysoptera
title Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape
title_full Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape
title_fullStr Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape
title_full_unstemmed Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape
title_short Assessing golden‐winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape
title_sort assessing golden winged warbler dispersal habitat in a highly parcelized landscape
topic dispersal
golden‐winged warbler
habitat connectivity
habitat management
Vermivora chrysoptera
url https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1473
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