Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) stop-over ecology

Despite much interest in the stopover ecology of intercontinental migratory birds, little is known about resource use, including intrasexual and intersexual competition, during stopover. . Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are intercontinental migrants and represent an attractive model system to study resource use. Although knowledge of the stopover biology of hummingbirds (Trochillidae) varies by species, we know surprisingly little about the migration biology of Ruby-throated Hummingbird (RTHU), the only species of hummingbirds that breeds in eastern North America. The intercontinental migration of RTHUs has exciting "story telling" potential vis-à-vis the importance of the stopover period in conservation biology.

My graduate research focuses on the stopover ecology of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds at a coastal stopover site in southwestern Louisiana. The narrow woodlands (cheniers) along the Louisiana gulf coast are thought to provide valuable habitat for migratory birds before and after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. . My major advisor, Frank Moore, and his students/collaborators have studied stopover biology along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico for over 20 years, which reduces the likelihood of any logistical problems. RTHU face challenges during stopover, including the need to acquire resources to meet energetic/nutritional demands in a short period while copying with competition from other migrants and residents not to mention the threat of predation. RTHUs provide an attractive model to answer questions that would otherwise be difficult to answer with other migratory species because they are attracted to feeders by which resources can be experimentally manipulated. In the course of my study of resource use, information will be obtained on stopover duration, use of space, and pattern of passage in relation to age and sex.

Other Research Interests. I have an ongoing research project with Dr. Robert Smith at the University of Scranton, which examines the spectral plumage reflectance of breeding Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis). This work has used feathers we collected during the breeding season near Lackawanna State Park in Northeastern Pennsylvania. For more information, see http://academic.scranton.edu/faculty/smithr9/undergrads.html

The University of Southern Mississippi. Last modified: 03 March, 2010 . Questions and Comments?
URL: http://www.usm.edu/mbrg/jo.htm
AA/EOE/ADAI