Do birds select habitat or food resources? Nearctic-neotropic migrants in northeastern Costa Rica.

ABSTRACT: Nearctic-neotropic migrant birds need to replenish energy reserves during stopover periods to successfully complete their semiannual movements. In this study we used linear models to examine the habitat use of 11 migrant species in northeastern Costa Rica to better understand the influence of food and structural resources on the presence of birds during stopover periods. Our models indicated that frugivorous migrants primarily used food abundance, while insectivorous migrants chiefly used vegetation structure as cues for habitat use during stopover. In addition to habitat use models, we documented fruiting plant phenology and found a general relationship between migrant arrival and the timing of ripe fruit availability. Our results suggest that insectivorous migrants probably rely on struc

SUBMITTER: Wolfe JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3904878 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature