Swainson's Thrush

Swainson’s Thrush

Latin name: Catharus ustulatus swainsoni French name: Grive à dos olive Spanish name: Zorzal de Swainson

CONSERVATION STATUS: BREEDING Worldwide Assessment (Global IUCN): Least Concern Swainson’s Thrushes nest in dense In Canada (COSEWIC): Not at Risk coniferous forests of northern boreal Population trend: Slow Decline forests. A clutch size of 3-4 speckled blue eggs are laid in a hidden nest cup made of moss, lichen, twigs, and leaves and lined with grass. Nestlings are fed a diet of energy-rich caterpillars, ants and SPRING MIGRATION beetles. Swainson’s Thrushes are neotropical migrants, travelling long dis- tances between their wintering and FALL MIGRATION breeding habitats. They fly at night Fall migration routes are variable and stop to rest and feed in wood- and widespread as birds return to lots and parks during the day. their wintering grounds. Swainson’s Thrushes moult throughout migration, replacing worn body and flight feathers at stopover sites. As the season changes, Swainson’s DESCRIPTION Thrush forage for wild fruits and A Swainson’s Thrush is a medium-sized berries to fuel their journey. songbird in the thrush family. Similar in shape to a robin, they have a round head WINTER and short bill. They have a flute-like, Swainson’s Thrushes spend the upward spiral song. winter in mature tropical forests and forest-pasture edges of Central and South America. They Buffy have an omnivorous diet, foraging eye ring for insects from the forest floor, and fruits and berries in the undergrowth. Olive brown plumage CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia brown speckled Phylum: Chordata chest Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes (Perching birds)

P Family: Turdidae (Thrushes) h o Genus: Catharus t o Species: ustulatus : N ic k Weight: S 16-20 cm a 23-45 g u n de rs CONSERVATION: Swainson’s Thrush are currently designated as a species of ‘Least Concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, Swainson’s Thrush and many other neotropical forest birds, are experiencing declining population trends due to a variety of factors across wintering, migrating, and breeding ranges. Key conservation concerns include: Large-scale habitat loss in South America (clear-cutting; animal agriculture) Habitat conversion (changing diverse, mixed-species forests with monocultures such as pine or coffee plantations) Collisions with windows and structures along migration

SWAINSONS THRUSH WINTERING & MIGRATION ECOLOGY PROJECT: Scientists are investigating the full life cycle ecology of Swainson’s Thrush to understand factors leading to population declines, and to help recover or conserve populations.

SCIENCE GOALS: Identify wintering sites and specific habitat needs in South America Determine departure and arrival times between its wintering and breeding locations. Colombia, South America Identify important stopover locations and length of stay during migration.

Adapted from Motus Wildlife Tracking System Projects: Selva Colombia (#57) https://motus.org/data/project?id=57

METHODS: Fine ‘mist nets’ are set up in the tropical forests of the A B Andes Mountains in Colombia during the non-breeding (winter) stage of the birds’ cycle (A). Birds caught are measured (B), banded, and tagged (C). The nanotag is attached like a backpack, with loops around the legs, PROJECT DESCRIPTION PROJECT and sits in the centre of the bird’s back (D). The bird is released, and the C D tag will emit a unique signal, which can be detected by the array of radio antennas across the landscape.

Nanotags have been released on nearly 300 Swainson’s Thrushes during 2014, 2015, and 2016. Project photos: Ana Gonzalez Detections of these tags indicate the date and location of an individual bird as it moves across the landscape. VIDEO CLIP: Neotropical migrant songbird use of shade-coffee plantations in Colombia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76ZKcSsP2k0&feature=youtu.be

Case Study: SWAINSON’S THRUSH PROJECT DATA

Swainson’s Thrush ‘SWTH 6548’ was tagged on March 10, 2016 in Nilo, Colombia. As it moved, the tagged bird was detected by radio telemetry stations at locations provided in the table below. You will Explore its movements on the provided base map using the following guidelines: need: A. attached base map 1. Label the bird species in the top right corner of the map page. (latitude/longitude OR 2. Use the detection data in the table below to plot the locations on the map. alphanumeric) 3. Connect the dots and label the track with the tag identification number. B. 3 colours (highlighters or pencil crayons) 4. Draw arrowheads on the track to point in the direction of bird movement. C. pencil or pen 5. Label the date on the first detection location and the last detection location. D. ruler 6. Circle the location where the bird stopped for the longest time. Label its length of stay. E. calculator 7. Using the scale on the map and a ruler, measure and label the total flight track distance. 8. Choose two detections, and calculate the flight speed between locations (distance/time as km/ hr). Label this on the map sites. 9. Build a legend in the bottom left corner of the map. Use a different colour to label each stage: Breeding, Migration, and Wintering. 10. Fill in the Breeding range and the Wintering range of the map, using the legend colours. Trace the flight track with the color for Migration. 11. Circle the country names in which this bird was detected. 12. Draw a big star on your location. Which range for this species are you located?

ALPHA- NEAREST LENGTH OF DATE LATITUDE LONGITUDE NUMERIC REFERENCE STAY April 5, 2016 4.3 N 74.5 W J-17 Bogota, Colombia 40d 1h 52m

April 20, 2016 9.0 N 79.4 W I-16 Colon, Panama 0d 0h 5m

April 21, 2016 9.4 N 79.9 W I-16 Panama City, Panama 0d 0h 5m

May 15, 2016 29.4 N 94.8 W G-12 Galveston, Texas 0d 0h 10m

May 23, 2016 39.0 N 84.3 W H-10 Cincinnati, Ohio 0d 0h 2m

May 25, 2016 42.2 N 79.8 W I-9 Erie, Pennsylvania 0d 0h 8m

May 26, 2016 44.1 N 76.4 W I-9 Kingston, Ontario 0d 0h 1m

May 28, 2016 45.4 N 73.9 W I-8 Montreal, Quebec 0d 0h 2m May 29, 2016 46.9 N 71.2 W I-8 Quebec City, Quebec 0d 0h 4m

June 2, 2016 50.2 N 63.8 W J-7 Mingan Archipelago National 0d 0h 23m Park Reserve, Quebec

CHECK YOUR MIGRATION TRACK HERE: https://motus.org/data/demo/educationSWTH.html

MULTI-TAG ANIMATION: https://motus.org/data/demo/thrushesSpring2016.html

Case Study: SWAINSON’S THRUSH DISCUSSION

Use the guided discussion boxes below to analyze the project results from this Case Study. The attached Resource page offers further information to support your inquiry. Present and discuss as a class, or compare results with other Case Study species.

Populations: What is the population trend and Migration Ecology: What habitat and food 1 status for Swainson’s Thrush? 2 resources make a good stopover site for this species?

Threat Assessment: Identify a threat that Conservation: How can human-related threats be 3 might impact survival or success at each stage: 4 reduced or mitigated? Breeding; Migration; Wintering

Case Study: SWAINSON’S THRUSH EXTENSION ACTIVITIES community. activity thathelpsreduce ormitigate impacts ofthreats tobirdsin your path, organization orresearch. pages inCaseStudy.Considerreaching outfor aninterview abouttheircareer on theproject research team.Findthisinformation ontheMotuswebsiteproject connections ofSwainson’sThrush totheirecological community. using computergraphics (usingsoftware suchasAdobeIllustrator). Stewardship &Conservation: Citizen Science: Career Connections: Connecting Communities through birds: Bird Inquiry: Bird Art: Ecological Connections: game, quiz,appealletter,blogpostetc.). skit, memes,comic,graphic, brochure, powerpointpresentation, poem,shortstory, present information inacreative communication(infographic, popularnewsarticle, Count, andeBird. FeederWatch, Project NestWatch(Canada),(US),Great BackyardBird your area andcontributeobservations for scienceandconservation. Try Project media, orarrange aclassroom-to-classroom videochat. You couldwritealettertoinform theschoolofbird,exchangepostsonsocial school thatshares thewintering,migratory orbreeding range ofthisspecies. SketchormodelaSwainson’sThrush usingpencil; paints;clay;or Investigate ahuman-related threat toSwainson’sThrush, and ParticipateinCitizenSciencetolearnmore about birdsin Writeaprofessional profile for oneofthepersonnel Designafood webmodeltodisplay Initiate orparticipateinastewardship Case Study: SWAINSON’S THRUSH Connectwithanother RESOURCES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYSCIENCE NATURAL ANDHUMAN-RELATED THREATS CONSERVATION ANDPOPULATION STATUS LIFE HISTORY • org.co/en/research-programs/migratory-species/migratory-birds-in-shade-coffee/ • vol13/iss1/art19/ connection revisited. Avian Conservation andEcology13(1):19.https://www.ace-eco.org/ • helps-birds/ Birds https://abcbirds.org/article/study-shows-growing-coffee-and-cacao-in-shade- • www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-03503-4 in aboreal songbird ScientificReportsvolume7,Articlenumber:3405(2017) • eng/97548.html • birdscanada.org/news/unlocking-migration-mysteries-to-conserve-birds • avibirds.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/swainsons-thrush2004.pdf • species/22712252/87461332 • oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2014&sL=e&sM=p1&sB=SWTH • catharus-swainsoni • • thrush • swainsons-thrush • Thrush/id • FLAP Canada:www.flap.org Neotropical migrant songbirduseofshade-coffee plantationsinColombiahttp://selva. González-Prieto, A.2018.Conservation ofNearcticNeotropical migrants: thecoffee American BirdConservancy: StudyShowsGrowing Coffee AndCacaoInShadeHelps Fuel loadsacquired atastopoversite influencethepaceofintercontinentalmigration Tracking fantasticflyerswithtechnologyhttp://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/ Bird StudiesCanada:Unlockingmigration mysteriestoconservebirdshttps://www. Conservation Assessmentfor Swainson’sThrush: USDAForest Service:https:// State ofCanada’sBirdsReport(pg8):https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Population StatusofBirdsinCanada:https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/bird-status/ BirdLife DataZone:http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/swainsons-thrush- IUCN RedList:https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/103881981/132046609 Audubon: Swainson’sThrush https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/swainsons- Boreal SongbirdInitiative:Swainson’sThrush https://www.borealbirds.org/bird/ All AboutBirds:Swainson’sThrush https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_ Case Study: SWAINSON’S THRUSH https:// GLOSSARY Habitat Food Web Food Chain Flyway Fledge Feathers Field Marks Extinction Environment Endangered Egg Ecosystem eBird Diurnal COSEWIC Courtship Copulation Conservation Clutch Climate Change Camouflage Call Brood Patch Brood Breeding Plumage Breeding Behavior Breeding Bird Banding Biodiversity Aves Altricial young Alternate plumage Aerial Insectivore (food, water,shelter,andspace) A placewhere ananimalmakesitshome andmeetsallofitsneedsfor survival The combinedinteractions betweendifferent speciesinanecologicalcommunity Direct linksofenergy transfer betweenorganisms Flight route usedbymigratory birdsbetween theirwinteringandbreeding locations When youngbirdsleavethenest waterproofing, camouflageandcourtship. External, ‘feathered’ projections ofthe skinuniquetobirds.Aidinflight,insulation, Visible characteristics ofabird(color,wingbars,billshape) A speciesthatisnolongerlivingonEarth An area characterised byconditionsintheclimate, soil,terrain, andlivingorganisms A speciesthatisindangerofbecomingextinct The hard-shelledstructure laidbybirdscontainingembryo,yolk,andwhite Combination ofalllivingandnon-livingthingsthatinteract inanenvironment A globalCitizenSciencedatabaseofbirdobservations (www.ebird.org) Birds thatare activeduringthedayandsleepatnight Committee oftheStatusEndangered Wildlife inCanada(www.cosewic.ca) Displays orritualsperformed toattract amate The matingprocess whichfertilizes theeggtoinitiatedevelopmentofembryo and ofwildlife The preservation, protection, orrestoration ofwildlife andthenatural environment The numberofeggsafemale laysinasinglenestingattempt A changeinregional orglobalclimatepatterns The coloration ofanorganism thatmatchesitsenvironment toconcealitself Short andsimplebirdsounds.Communicatelocation,hunger,danger The patchoffeatherless skinonundersideofbirdsfor incubationduringnesting The numberofbirdshatchedfrom asingleclutchofeggs The feather moltusedduringthebreeding season(malesare usuallymore colorful) Behavior exhibitedtoattract amate(brightplumage,singing,drumming,dancing) To mateandproduce offspring band tothelegandreleasing itbackintothewild A techniqueusedtostudyandtrack individualbirdsbyattachinga numbered metal ‘Bio’ meansLife; ‘Diversity’meansvariety; thevariety oflife forms The classofanimalsknownas“birds” Birds bornnaked,blindanddependentonparental care (Ex.mostsongbirds) The feather moltofbirdsduringnon-breeding periods An animal(bird,bat,insect)thatfeeds oninsectswhileinflight Case Study: SWAINSON’S THRUSH GLOSSARY Wintering Threatened Taxonomy Stopover Stewardship Species Songs Scrape Roost Preen Precocial young Population Plumage Ornithology Nocturnal Nest Migrant Neotropical Nanotag Motus WTS Molt Migration Juvenile IUCN Invasive Species Incubation Herbivores Hatch To spendthe winter;oftenthenon-breeding stage A speciesatriskofbecoming endangered Kingdom; Phylum;Class;Order; Family; Genus;Species The classificationoforganisms toassignnamesandrelationships A briefstayduringthecourseofamigration torest andbuildenergy reserves Responsible activitiestoprotect andenhancetheenvironment natural conditions Individuals ofthesameorganism thatcanbreed andproduce fertile offspringunder Loud vocalizationsusedtoattract matesorasterritorialdefense A shallowdepression usedbyground birdsasanest(Ex.Killdeer) A placefor temporary rest orsleep To cleanandpositionfeathers withabeak Birds bornfullyfeathered, mobile,andactive(Ex.ducks,geese,shorebirds) The numberofindividualsaparticularspeciesindefinedarea The colourandpatternsoffeathers The scientificstudyofbirds Birds thatare activeatnightandsleepduringtheday Shelter prepared bybirdsfor layingeggsandraising young A long-distantmigrating birdthatwintersinthetropics °N. andbreeds northof23 a receiver animals (birds,bats,insects)todeterminelocationanddate/timewhendetectedby Small radio transmitters thatemitauniquesignal(frequency). Affixedtosmall receivers totrack smallanimalsacross thelandscape Motus Wildlife Tracking System,alarge-scale networkofautomatedradio telemetry The process oflosingandreplacing feathers for breeding andmigration. and survival needs Movement ofaspeciesfrom oneplacetoanother;usuallyfor breeding, foraging, A youngbirdthathasfledgedthenestandisindependentofparental care natural worldandthemeasures neededtosafeguard it(www.iucn.org) International Unionfor theConservation ofNature; globalauthorityonthestatusof impact onthedynamicsofnatural community A plantorananimalthatisnon-nativetotheenvironment andishavinganegative development The process ofkeepingeggswarm(orcool)tomaintaintemperature for Primary consumers;organisms thateatplants(primaryproducers) Process ofbabybirdbreaking outofanegg Case Study: SWAINSON’S THRUSH A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

1 1

2 Greenland 2 (Denmark) 3 3

4 Anchorage 4 Iqaluit 5 Whitehorse Yellowknife Coats Island 5

6 Canada Mingan Archipelago 6 National Edmonton Park Reserve St. John's 7 Moosonee 7 Regina Winnipeg Victoria Québec 8 Olympia Helena Montréal 8 Kingston Nantucket Portland Island 9 Erie 9 Cape May Sacramento Denver Cincinnati 10 United States 10 Phoenix Atlanta 11 11 New Orleans Galveston 12 Bahamas 12

13 Mexico Cuba Dominican 13 Republic Mexico City 14 Antigua 14 Belize Jamaica Haiti France Honduras 15 Guatemala Tobago 15 Trinidad Suriname Panama El Salvador Caracas Guyana Colón Panama City French 16 Nicaragua Venezuela 16 Guiana Costa Bogota 17 17 Rica Colombia 18 18 Ecuador 19 Peru 19 Brazil 20 20 Lima Brasíila 21 Bolivia 21 Sucre 22 22 Paraguay 23 Chile 23

24 Argentina 24 Santiago 25 Buenos Aires 25 Uruguay 26 26

27 27

28 28 Rio Grande 29 Km 29

30 0 1,000 30

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O Greenland (Denmark)

Anchorage Iqaluit Coats 50°N Whitehorse Yellowknife Island

Canada Mingan Archipelago 35°N

45°N National Edmonton St. Park Reserve John's Moosonee Regina Winnipeg Victoria Québec

40°N Olympia Helena Montréal 30°N Kingston Portland Nantucket United Island States Erie 35°N Cape May Sacramento Denver Cincinnati 25°N 30°N Phoenix Atlanta New

Orleans 20°N Galveston 25°N Mexico Bahamas 15°N 20°N Cuba Dominican Mexico Republic City 15°N Belize Jamaica Haiti 10°N Honduras Guatemala Caracas Suriname 10°N El Salvador Panama Guyana 5°N Colón Panama French Nicaragua City Venezuela 5°N Bogota Guiana Costa 0° Rica Colombia 0° 5°S

5°S Ecuador Peru 10°S 10°S Lima Brazil Bolivia Brasíila 15°S 15°S

Sucre 20°S 20°S

Chile Paraguay 25°S 25°S Argentina 30°S 30°S Santiago Buenos Aires 35°S

Uruguay 35°S 40°S 40°S 45°S

Rio

Grande 45°S

50°S Km

0 1,000 55°S

170°W 160°W 150°W 140°W 130°W 120°W 110°W 100°W 90°W 80°W 70°W 60°W 50°W 40°W 30°W 20°W 10°W 0° 10°E