Hooded Warbler Habitat Use in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and an Association with Japanese Barberry
Swayser BW. 2017. Hooded Warbler Habitat Use in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and an Association with Japanese Barberry. Delaware Valley University
Relatively recently Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina) have become abundant in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Point counts conducted between 2011 and 2012 revealed that most Hooded Warbler detections occurred in areas dominated by the exotic invasive shrub Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii). The objective of this study was to confirm that Hooded Warblers utilize thickets of this shrub as a breeding habitat and to further explain the relationship between these two species. Occurrence of Hooded Warbler territories was found to be significantly higher in areas containing substantial amounts of Japanese Barberry than in areas dominated by native understory plants. Hooded Warblers were also found to be older and occupy larger territories in Japanese Barberry areas. Vegetation structure and composition was analyzed to determine differences between Japanese Barberry and native understory-dominated territories, and compared to random available habitat. Several differences in vegetation structure and composition were observed. Ultimately, adequate data was attained to confirm that Hooded Warblers prefer to breed in Japanese Barberry in the National Recreation Area, a nesting preference previously not analyzed by researchers.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Swayser, Brandon
- Date of Issue
- 2017-12-16
- Publisher
- Delaware Valley University
- Units
- DEWA
- Keywords
- Berberis thunbergii, breeding, Hooded warbler, Japanese barberry, Setaphaga citrina, thesis
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds