Researcher(s)
- Nina Weaver, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Jeff Buler, Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware
Abstract
Purple Martins are colonial secondary cavity nesters and have adapted to live almost exclusively in human-made housing structures east of the Rocky Mountains. Adults have a high chance of returning to the same colony year after year, however, little is known about the second-year martins that must nest for the first time. To understand natal dispersal patterns, surveys were conducted over a number of colonies in the northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania region, searching for second-year color-banded martins. Some birds stayed close to their natal colonies, and some flew much further, trying to find an available and suitable colony to nest in. One Purple Martin documented in this survey dispersed 5 five times the average dispersal distance. Female second-year martins are thought to travel and nest at colonies farther than their natal site; however, within this study, there was not much difference in mean dispersal distance between the sexes. The data collected show one out of two survey years for color-banded martins. More significant results, especially with natal dispersal modeled by sex and site characteristics, are forthcoming.