Many neotropical migrant bird
species that breed in the forests of eastern North America have shown
recent population declines. Possible explanations include habitat loss
and fragmentation on the breeding grounds, increased nest predation
and parasitism by cowbirds, deforestation on the wintering grounds,
and other human-induced environmental change.
Hooded Warblers are a species
at risk in Canada; their breeding range is restricted to mature
forests of southwestern Ontario. These forests have undergone
considerable loss and fragmentation over the last century,
contributing to the current threatened status of this species in
Canada.
Bird Studies Canada, in
association with the Acadian Flycatcher/Hooded Warbler Recovery Team,
and in accordance with a national recovery plan began extensive
surveys in 1997 to determine the population size and distribution of
Hooded Warblers in Canada. Field efforts were concentrated in the St.
Williams Forest, which currently supports the largest breeding
population of Hooded Warblers in Canada.
This document summarizes the
results of the first year of a two year study of Hooded Warblers in
the St.Williams Forest. The study examines productivity, factors
affecting productivity, and habitat selection. Productivity and
habitat selection are both variables which have not been closely
examined before in Canada, and both could have significant value to
the conservation of this threatened species.
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Full Report (236 K PDF File; Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)
