The Condor: Ornithological Applications: two papers
Published October 17, 2018  09:00 EDT (News release from the American Ornithological Society)
Long-term Canadian data reveal how demographic factors contribute to declining populations of tree swallows, which hunt insects while flying. In Ontario, drops in overwinter survival and the rate at which chicks successfully left the nest drove the declines. On Kent Island, Nova Scotia, which saw tree swallow populations plummet from 202 to 12 during the study, the population relies on immigration from the mainland, which decreased as mainland populations declined. Increasingly unfavorable weather conditions and declines in insect availability may be behind the demographic shifts.
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Lead author: Amelia Cox, Queen’s University – 11arc4@queensu.ca