Winter ecology and movements of declining songbird species in Manitoba

Migratory birds are in a conservation crisis, with accelerating population declines documented Canada-wide. It is a federal responsibility to protect migratory birds; however, a major gap in the ability to mitigate threats to these species is a lack of knowledge of their year-round movements. By using new tracking technology, our project will quantify movements and migrations of declining songbirds and fill knowledge gaps critical for informing conservation activities. Bird Studies Canada (BSC)s mission is to engage citizens in understanding and conservation of birds. Our project will provide research and outreach tools such as migration maps, habitat assessments, and bioclimatic models, to accomplish this mission. We will improve research capacity for BSC by expanding the scope of their programs in Manitoba, and initiating new, long-term research sites and telemetry stations for tracking migratory birds. This research will inform and improve conservation efforts by BSC and other stakeholders, e.g., government agencies and industry.

Faculty Supervisor:

Oliver Love

Student:

Emily McKinnon

Partner:

Bird Studies Canada

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Windsor