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1 December 2012 Nesting Ecology of Swainson's Warblers in a South Carolina Bottomland Forest
Jennifer Thompson Bishop, John A. Gerwin, Richard A. Lancia
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Abstract

We studied the nesting ecology of Swainson's Warblers (Limnothylpis swainsonii) in Britton's Neck, South Carolina, USA and found 144 nests of which 78 were active. Nest initiations followed a bimodal distribution. Clutches averaged (± SE) 3.19 ± 0.20 eggs and 2.50 ± 0.33 fledglings per nest. The Mayfield nest success estimate for a 23-day cycle was 50%. Logistic exposure models indicate nest success to be most impacted by Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) nest parasitism, nest age, and distance to the nearest swamp. Unparasitized nests that were younger in age and further from a swamp had the highest daily survival rates. Ten percent of nests were parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds with a 26% reduction in Swainson's Warbler hatching and an 89% reduction in fledgling production. Multiple brooding was observed in 21% of 2000 and 2001 Swainson's Warbler nests. Vines, such as greenbrier (Smilax spp.), were the most common substrate used for nesting, although two-thirds of the nests contained cane (Arundinaria tecta and A. gigantea) within a 5-m radius.

Jennifer Thompson Bishop, John A. Gerwin, and Richard A. Lancia "Nesting Ecology of Swainson's Warblers in a South Carolina Bottomland Forest," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124(4), 728-736, (1 December 2012). https://doi.org/10.1676/1559-4491-124.4.728
Received: 18 December 2009; Accepted: 1 June 2012; Published: 1 December 2012
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