Taxonomic and distributional relationships of Black-capped (Parus atricapillus) and Carolina (P carolinensis) chickadees in the southern Blue Ridge Province, North Carolina
Tove MH. 1980. Taxonomic and distributional relationships of Black-capped (Parus atricapillus) and Carolina (P carolinensis) chickadees in the southern Blue Ridge Province, North Carolina. Western Carolina University
The area of overlap between the two chickadee species investigated in this thesis study includes the Balsam Mountains, traversed by the Blue Ridge Parkway. A number of the specific locations mentioned are Parkway overlooks, from the end at Cherokee NC to Mount Pisgah. The author uses vocalization to determine extent of hybridization, finding evidence of hybrids in the Balsam areas, but not in the Great Smoky Mountains. With data tables and graphs, and the appendix contains many sonograms of chickadee calls and songs. On some of the high mountains of the Southern Appalachians occur relict Black-capped Chickadee populations which are actually or nearly in contact with the much more widespread populations of Carolina Chickadees occupying a lower range of elevations. Tanner (1952) studied some of these populations and concluded that they existed without hybridization in the Smokies but not in the Balsams. However, he was unable to identify individual birds as being hybrids. This study reexamined Tanner's (1952) hypothesis using sonographic data of the fee-bee song and the chick-a-dee call complex collected along several elevational transects. It was found that in the Smokies the vocal types of one species did not overlap the vocal types of the other. Moreover, during the breeding season, all the Black-capped Chickadee vocalizations were above 3600 feet (1097 m) and all the Carolina Chickadee vocalizations were below 2600 feet (792 m). In the Balsams there was a zone of overlap and intergradation in song and call types, which shifted upslope with increased distance from the Smokies. Songs of one species were delivered by individuals giving calls of the other. It was concluded that Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees are reproductively isolated in the Smokies, but hybridize at intermediate elevations in the Balsams.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Tove, Michael
- Date of Issue
- 1980-05-11
- Publisher
- Western Carolina University
- Units
- BLRI , GRSM
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Balsam Gap (BLRI), Birds (Aves), black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus), Blue Ridge Parkway, Carolina chickadee (Parus carolinensis), Distribution, GRSM-01803, Section 2-U, Section 2-V, Section 2-W, Section 2-X, Section 2-Y, Section 2-Z, Thesis
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds