Monitor Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration at Purchase Knob, GSMNP
Armstrong M. 2016. Monitor Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration at Purchase Knob, GSMNP
"PI has captured and banded ruby-throated hummingbirds on several days each year, 2006-2009, using nets close to natural food sources, especially jewelweed and Monarda, near the Ferguson Cabin at Purchase Knob, from late August through late September. A total of 94 hummingbirds were banded over the five years. The vast majority captured (90.3%) were young of the year, in keeping with the pattern that adults are the first to migrate in late summer. Roughly two thirds (64.5%) were males. No birds were recaptured during this period, though hummingbirds captured associated with the breeding season MAPS station were occasionally recaptured on different dates in July and early August. While more study is needed, the most obvious difference between birds at Purchase Knob and those at a lowland site (Knoxville) is the lack of fat in birds at Purchase Knob. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are known to add 2 - 2.5 grams of fat before long migratory flights so these birds were likely not ready for migration. Captures of other species are listed in the IARs. All data has been shared with the park and is entered in the ATBI database."
- Type
- Generic Dataset
- Authors
- Armstrong, Mark
- Date of Issue
- 2016-10-11
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, ATBI, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, jewelweed, mig, migration, Monarda, Origin:External, Purchase Knob, ruby-throated hummingbird, SER, Southeast Region, StudyID:GRSM-00434
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds