Full life cycle approaches to the conservation of migratory birds require not just information on a species needs across the annual cycle but also an understanding of how population limiting factors…

This federal Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service under the Migratory Bird Conservation program (CFDA 15.647) provides $118,370.00 to conduct a range-wide study on the non-breeding grounds of the wood thrush, a migratory bird species of conservation concern. The award aims to gather information on over-winter survival, migration routes, survival during migration, and migratory connectivity of distinct wood thrush populations across Central America. This will be accomplished through the deployment of motus tracking transmitters at sites in the species' main population centers. The project also includes capacity building efforts to increase local ability to study and monitor migratory birds using motus technology. The results are expected to identify population limiting factors and how they vary regionally, with findings communicated to stakeholders such as state wildlife agencies. This work complements parallel efforts studying the wood thrush on its breeding grounds.

Full life cycle approaches to the conservation of migratory birds require not just information on a species needs across the annual cycle but also an understanding of how population limiting factors vary geographically and temporally between distinct breeding and wintering populations. The gathering of this information must be accompanied by capacity building in regions where conservation action and monitoring will take place, to ensure that resulting recommendations can be effectively translated into conservation action. Here we propose to carry out a range-wide study on the non-breeding grounds of the wood thrush, a species of great conservation need across 25 US states, through a participatory, capacity building approach. Through the deployment of motus transmitters at sites located in the species main population centers across central america, we will gather information on over-winter survival, migration routes, survival during spring and fall migration and the migratory connectivity of distinct populations. The results are expected to identify where population limiting processes occur and how they vary regionally, while associated training activities will increase local capacity for studying and monitoring migratory birds using motus technology. A variety of mechanisms will be used to transmit key findings to stakeholders at a relevant scale, such as formulating state level recommendations for state wildlife agencies. This work will be carried out in parallel with range-wide deployments across the breeding grounds, providing information on a geographical scale and resolution never attempted before for a widespread neotropical migratory landbird.