Alaska Project: Ecology of Smith's Longspurs in Northern Alaska

Alaska Project

Ecology of Smith's Longspurs in Northern Alaska

August 2007 - December 2015

Personnel

Participating Agencies

National Park Service

The overall goal of this project is to contribute to conservation strategies for Smith’s Longspurs by further refining our knowledge of their breeding ecology in Alaska, using the unique availability of individually marked birds and baseline data at the Arctic Refuge. Our objectives are to (1) document natal and breeding site fidelity using resightings of individually banded birds, (2) estimate nest survival and analyze covariates that influence nest survival (e.g. habitat and temporal factors), and (3) continue to collect and analyze life history information to better understand breeding parameters such as breeding phenology, adult survival and movements, nesting chronology, habitat preferences, and nest site requirements.

Research Publications

Research Publications	Publication Date
Will, A., H. McFarland, C. Latty, and A. Powell. 2024. Geolocators, stable isotopes, and citizen science identify migratory timing, route, and spring molt of Smith’s Longspurs. Avian Conservation and Ecology 19(1):13. [online] URL: https://www.ace-eco.org/vol19/iss1/art13 \| Abstract	April 2024	Climate change is disproportionately impacting the Arctic. For Arctic breeding birds, basic knowledge of their annual cycle, specifically the timing, route, and movement behavior of migration, is needed to understand when and where populations may experience threats. We use a combination of geolocators and stable isotope analysis to identify route and timing of migration in Smith’s Longspurs (<i>Calcarius pictus</i>) that breed in Alaska’s Brooks Range. We trapped males on their breeding grounds in 2011-2014 and collected head feathers for stable isotopes of hydrogen (δ<sup>2</sup>H). We deployed 22 geolocators on a subset of individuals and retrieved four, which all overwintered in southern Texas. Individual start dates for fall migration based on geolocators were more variable than for the spring, and individuals were highly mobile while on their wintering grounds. Geolocators and stable isotope values were comparable across years and indicated that birds from the Brooks Range undergo their pre-nuptial molt in central Canada. We compared geolocator and stable isotope inferred locations to observations submitted to e-Bird and found that longspurs were distributed farther south during the winter months, but farther north during the spring than most eBird observations. Concurrent deployments of geolocator tags across Smith’s longspur’s breeding range would clarify whether migratory behaviors and routes are population specific or shared widely across breeding locations.
Wild, T. C., S. J. Kendall, N. Guldager, and A. N. Powell. 2015. Breeding habitat associations and predicted distribution of a tundra obligate, Smith's Longspur, in the face of changing climate. Condor 117: 3-17. DOI: 10.1650/CONDOR-14-77.1	December 2014
McFarland, H. R., S. Kendall, and A. N. Powell. Nest-site selection and nest success of an arctic-breeding passerine, Smith's Longspurs, in a changing climate. The Condor: Ecological Applications 119:85-97. DOI: 10.1650/CONDOR-16-87.1	February 2017
Craig, H.R., S. Kendall, T. Wild, and A. N. Powell. 2015. Dispersal and survival of a polygynandrous passerine. The Auk: Ornithological Advances 132:916-925, DOI: 10.1642/AUK-15-41.1 \| Download	October 2015

Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations	Publication Date
Wild, T. C. 2013. Habitat associations, distribution, and abundance of Smith's Longspur (Calcarius pictus), and uncommon species of concern in the Brooks Range, Alaska. M.S. Thesis, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.	December 2013
Craig, H. R. 2015. Breeding ecology of Smith's Longspurs (Calcarius pictus) in the Brooks Range, Alaska. M.S. Thesis, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska. 77 pp.	August 2015

Data or Software Releases

Type	Citation	Publication Date
Data Release	Powell, A.N., 2024, Locations of Smith's Longspurs tagged with light-level geolocators in northern Alaska, 2013 and 2014: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9NHNCPL.	2023

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Alaska Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Alaska Project

Ecology of Smith's Longspurs in Northern Alaska

August 2007 - December 2015

Personnel

Participating Agencies

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Alaska
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources