1. Plasticity by Migrant Yellow-Rumped Warblers: Foraging Indoors During Unseasonable Cold Weather
- Author
-
R. Mark Brigham and Kristin J. Bondo
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,biology ,Myrtle warbler ,Ecology ,Foraging ,biology.organism_classification ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,010605 ornithology ,Milking ,Geography ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,Yellow-rumped warbler ,Setophaga coronata ,Cold weather ,Barn (unit) ,General Environmental Science - Abstract
From 11 to 15 October 2009, we observed Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata coranata) foraging inside an unheated barn on 4 d, and inside a heated modern milking parlor on 2 d at a dairy farm in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. Warblers fed on dormant flies that were huddled on the walls inside of the barn and sallied for flies in mid-air and gleaned them from the window screens inside of the milking parlor. These observations were preceded by 2 d of unseasonable cold weather on 9 and 10 October, when maximum temperatures were below 0°C. Yellow-rumped Warblers fed indoors until 15 October after which the days became warmer, and we observed them only outside. Yellow-rumped Warblers most likely entered buildings to feed because unseasonable weather conditions increased their energetic demands and provided incentive for them to exploit shelter and food in novel places.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF