Golden-winged Warbler post-fledging movement and stand-scale habitat selection

<p>Our understanding of songbird habitat needs during the breeding season stems largely from studies of nest success. However, growing evidence shows that nesting habitat and post-fledging habitat often differ. Management guidelines for declining species need to be revaluated and updated to account for habitat shifts that may occur across the full breeding cycle. The Golden-winged Warbler (<i>Vermivora chrysoptera</i>) is a declining songbird species for which best management practices (BMPs) are based overwhelmingly on nesting habitat. We studied stand-scale habitat selection by fledgling Golden-winged Warblers during May-July 2014-2017 in two landscapes (2 years of data for each landscape), 200 km apart in Pennsylvania. Across four years, we radio-tagged and tracked 156 fledglings. We used discrete-choice models to evaluate habitat selection during two post-fledging time periods (days 1-5, days 6-28). Fledglings used a variety of cover types, but most telemetry relocations (i.e. 85%) occurred in forest in the stand initiation stage, stem exclusion stage, or mature forest upland. Fledglings primarily selected stand initiation forest during the first five days, but preferred habitats differed between regions during days 6-28 post-fledging.</p> <p>Fledglings in one landscape favored stands in the stem exclusion stage while fledglings in the other landscape continued to select stands in the initiation stage. Fledglings moved greater distances as they aged and dispersed approximately 750 m by day 28 post-fledging. These findings suggest the need to update Golden-winged Warbler BMPs to account for the broader habitat needs of fledglings during the breeding season. In addition, these results indicate that regional studies of habitat requirements can help guide management of dynamic forest landscapes for birds.</p>