Incorporating weather in counts and trends of migrating Common Nighthawks
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Visible migration counts show stable or increasing population trends for the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), a species of conservation concern. Long-term monitoring using these methods is recommended for accurate population trend estimation.
Area Of Science
- Ornithology
- Conservation Biology
- Ecology
Background
- Effective conservation requires accurate population trend data, which is challenging for species like the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) due to difficulties in traditional surveys.
- Migratory bird counts offer a potential alternative or supplemental method for monitoring species that are hard to track during the breeding season.
Purpose Of The Study
- To assess the feasibility of using standardized evening counts of migrating Common Nighthawks to estimate population trends.
- To investigate the influence of weather variables on daily migration counts and identify factors associated with large migratory flights.
Main Methods
- Conducted standardized evening counts of Common Nighthawks over 15 years (2008-2022) along western Lake Superior.
- Utilized generalized linear mixed effects models to analyze the relationship between daily counts, weather variables, and large migratory flights.
- Calculated population trends using a geometric mean passage rate adjusted for annual weather variations.
Main Results
- Lighter, westerly winds and warmer temperatures were associated with higher daily counts and increased probability of large migratory flights.
- Trend analyses indicated stable or non-significantly increasing population trends for Common Nighthawks over the 15-year study period.
- Trend models explained a low percentage of the variation in counts, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and weather covariate adjustments.
Conclusions
- Visible migration counts can provide valuable supplemental data for monitoring Common Nighthawk populations.
- Establishing widespread, standardized visible migration count programs is recommended for North American Common Nighthawk monitoring.
- Long-term monitoring efforts, incorporating weather adjustments, are crucial for effectively estimating population trends of this species of conservation concern.
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