NORTH AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGICAL CONFERENCE “Flight paths addressing global challenges” ABSTRACT BOOK Virtual Conference August 10-15, 2020 naocbirds.org #NAOC2020 Virtual NAOC 2020 Abstract Book ABSTRACT BOOK Listed alphabetically by last name of presenting author Paper Sessions and Symposia . .1 Lightning Talks . 170 Posters . 189 Created by Nicholas A. Mason i Virtual NAOC 2020 Abstract Book PAPER SESSIONS AND SYMPOSIA Bird Diversity Recovery During Secondary Forest as an index for attractiveness for development, and thus Succession in the Tropics: a Meta-Analysis as non-random habitat loss. Using data on bird species from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, we Orlando Acevedo-Charry, T Mitchell Aide simulated habitat loss in increments of five percent of total habitat, ordered by declining HPI, and estimated Many studies in tropical regions have focused on how species richness, abundance and rarity index in the re- vegetation and ecosystem processes recover following maining area. HPI predicted decrease in total richness the abandonment of agricultural activities, but less at- for eastern species while for western bird richness its ef- tention has been given to the recovery patterns of the fect was not different from random. Richness and abun- fauna. Our objective was to evaluate the recovery of dance per route were always higher at zones of interme- tropical bird diversity during secondary forest succes- diate attractiveness. Rarity was higher at highly attrac- sion. To evaluate the bird recovery, we conducted a tive zones in the East and at medium attractive zones on literature search and a meta-analysis. We compared the West. Our results show the relevance of very attrac- changes in species richness and compositional simi- tive areas in supporting high levels of biodiversity. At larity during secondary succession to reference forests the same time, we identified areas of intermediate at- (mature or undisturbed). We also evaluated the re- tractiveness that offer opportunities for conservation in sponse of forest specialists and the change in functional both eastern and western US by supporting high values groups during succession in the tropical moist forest of mean richness and abundance, and high numbers of biome. Based on 58 studies, the general pattern was rare species. a gradual increase toward values similar to the refer- ence forests. Species richness reached levels of the ref- erence forests during succession, but this were not the Differentiated Regions of the Genome Shape Pheno- case for species compositional similarity neither forest typic Differences in the Northern Flicker specialist species richness. Overall, bird recovery in- creased with successional stage, but other factors, such Stepfanie M Aguillon, Jennifer Walsh, Irby J Lovette as, the geographic condition (slower recovery of species richness in islands), rainfall (faster recovery of species Understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic traits richness in regions of high rainfall), and the landscape can provide insights into how selection is acting in na- context (faster recovery of species compositional sim- ture. Hybrid zones provide particularly tractable sys- ilarity with more surrounding habitat amount) influ- tems for studying links between genotype and pheno- enced bird recovery. Our results demonstrate the im- type in natural settings as they provide repeated in- portant role of secondary forests for bird diversity, but stances of admixed phenotypes across the spectrum of the slow recovery of species compositional similarity, genomic ancestry. Here, we leverage the conspicuous forest specialists, and some functional groups (e.g. in- plumage differences and the geographically extensive sectivorous birds) strongly argues for protection of old hybrid zone between yellow-shafted (Colaptes auratus growth/mature forest and the importance of secondary auratus) and red-shafted (C. a. cafer) flickers in the forest persistence for bird diversity. Great Plains of North America to identify the genomic regions associated with the differences in melanin and carotenoid pigmentation across six distinct phenotypic House Price Index Predicts Impact of Habitat Loss traits. Despite being the focus of extensive study, to for Birds in the East but not West United States. date no fixed genetic differences have been identified between the flickers. Here, we perform whole genome Marlen Acosta Alamo, Lisa L Manne re-sequencing of flickers from allopatry and the hybrid zone to obtain a dataset of 8.5 million SNPs. We iden- Habitat loss is one of the major threats for biodiversity tify an extremely low baseline of differentiation across worldwide. This is a non-random phenomenon since the genome punctuated by a few regions of elevated dif- the environmental factors that make an area suitable for ferentiation. Within these differentiated regions we find supporting high local biodiversity overlap with those clusters of significant associations between SNPs and that make it attractive for urban development. We tested the phenotypic differences between the flickers. More- the hypothesis that House Price Index (HPI) will have over, numerous genes known to be involved in both a higher than random impact on avian communities for melanin and carotenoid pigmentation are located within both eastern and western United States. We used HPI these identified genomic regions, including CYP2J19 1 Virtual NAOC 2020 10–15 August 2020 which has been implicated in yellow to red feather color Stopover territoriality- the acquisition and defense of changes in other systems. These findings demonstrate a temporary home range during migration- is rare or the utility of natural hybrid zones to connect phenotypic poorly documented. Obtaining, defending and adver- differences with candidate genes even in systems with- tising a territory is costly and it occurs during the most out existing genomic resources. energetically demanding time of the year. Therefore, its energetic benefits are unclear. Alternatively, stopover territoriality during spring migration may be an ad- vanced expression of breeding characteristics in prepa- Post-Breeding Movements of Two Arctic-Breeding ration for arrival at breeding areas. In male songbirds, Shorebirds the breeding syndrome (e.g. singing, aggression and territorial behavior) should be fully expressed upon ar- Marley Aikens, Hannah MacKellar, Glen Brown, Paul rival at breeding grounds in order to remain competi- A Smith, Erica Nol tive. Therefore, the transition from migratory to breed- ing life history stages should occur during migration. Post-breeding departure dates of shorebirds in arctic- I studied stopover territoriality of the Subalpine War- environments are assumed to be time-minimizing be- bler (Sylvia cantillans), an Afro-Palearctic migrant in cause the arctic-breeding season is contracted, and birds the Moroccan Sahara during spring migration. I color- must make haste, after breeding, to reach staging and banded birds, mapped their positions daily, and mea- non-breeding areas efficiently. Some factors that are sured home range vegetation characteristics. I then proposed to influence departure times are sex, with conducted playback experiments and measured testos- males in monogamous shorebirds, generally taking on terone levels. Males defended territories by singing, ap- more parental care than females, so leaving later; breed- proaching and chasing intruders. Some birds had high ing success, with failed breeders departing immedi- levels of testosterone during stopover. These charac- ately after their breeding attempt is complete; and dis- teristics resemble those observed at their distant breed- tance to non-breeding grounds, with birds who migrate ing areas. Importantly, territoriality did not involve re- from further north, departing later than those who mi- fueling benefits despite prolonged stopovers in small grate from further south. We test these hypotheses defined home ranges. Stopover territoriality and pro- with two species of migrant shorebirds: Semipalmated longed stopover in the absence of refueling may be Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) and Whimbrel (Nu- characterized as a decreased expression in migratory menius phaeopus) at two locations (Polar Bear Provin- behavior and an increased expression in breeding be- cial Park, 53oN and Churchill, MB, 58oN) along the haviors. I suggest that stopover sites not only function Hudson Bay coast in northern Canada. We used the as resting and refueling points, but also as hormonal MOTUS wildlife tracking system to determine depar- staging grounds where life history stage interfaces oc- ture dates. Female Semipalmated Plovers left prior cur. to males, and failed breeders left prior to successful breeders. Failed breeders spent up to two weeks on the non-breeding grounds after nest failure, possibly to Hurricane-Induced Fluctuations in a Critically En- take advantage of any opportunity to re-nest. Plovers dangered Population of West Indian Woodpeckers nesting at our more southerly study area left at the over Two Decades same time as birds at the northern site. For Whimbrel, failed and successful breeders left at about the same Michael E Akresh, Robert A Askins, David I King, time. Northern breeding Whimbrel had later departure Floyd E Hayes, Patricia E Barry, William K Hayes times than southern breeders, presumably because they started their breeding activities later as well. Long- Prior studies have reported short-term impacts of hur- thought expectations about biological factors influenc- ricanes on avifauna,