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Nesting and foraging behavior of red-winged blackbirds in stormwater wetlands

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Abstract

Stormwater wetlands are a common part of urban and suburban landscapes. These constructed wetlands provide first-order treatment of effluent from roads, parking lots, lawns and other surfaces. They also provide habitat for wetland-associated birds. Thus, there is a concern that birds may be attracted to potentially toxic habitats. This study assesses nesting success and forging behavior of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in retention stormwater wetlands based on drainage type. Drainage categories included residential, commercial, and highway sites. Commercial sites had the lowest nesting success and the lowest diversity of invertebrate foods. Mean nest success values for all three types of wetlands, especially for highway drainages, were comparable to published values from natural wetlands. Over two years of study highway ponds collectively served as source populations whereas residential and commercial sites were population sinks in one year and sources in the other. Red-wings using highway sites had the highest foraging efficiency as determined by the frequency and duration of forays. Residential sites had the greatest human disturbance and generally had intermediate-quality habitat and nesting success. We conclude that while stormwater wetlands collect run off and accompanying pollutants, they can still be valuable habitats for nesting birds in urban and suburban areas. We recommend a few management strategies that can increase avian use of these habitats.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Leroy Jonas and the Maryland State Police for allowing us access to highway drainages and in photo-reconnaissance. Natalie Karouna Reiner helped with field investigations and allowed us free access to her data. Two reviewers provided excellent recommendations in improving an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology, M.S. 6504, LSII, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA

    Donald W. Sparling

  2. US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA

    Donald W. Sparling & John Eisemann

  3. USDA APHIS, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 La Porte Ave., Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA

    John Eisemann

  4. Center for Excellence for Poultry Sciences, University of Arkansas, 1260 W. Maple, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA

    Wayne Kuenzel

  5. Department of Animal Sciences, University of Maryland, Laurel, MD, USA

    Wayne Kuenzel

Authors
  1. Donald W. Sparling
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  2. John Eisemann
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  3. Wayne Kuenzel
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Correspondence to Donald W. Sparling.

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Sparling, D.W., Eisemann, J. & Kuenzel, W. Nesting and foraging behavior of red-winged blackbirds in stormwater wetlands. Urban Ecosyst 10, 1–15 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-006-0009-0

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