Effects of Competition and Predation on Prothonotary Warblers and House Wrens Nesting in Eastern Iowa

Authors

Timothy Brush, Marycrest College

Document Type

Research

Keywords

avian ecology, House Wren, Prothonotary Warbler, floodplain forest

Abstract

In a fragmented midwestern floodplain forest, a small Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) population experienced high competition with House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) and mammalian nest predation in 1988-89. Despite the provision of 3 types of nest boxes and higher water levels, Prothonotary Warblers did not nest successfully and decreased in the fragmented forest in 1990-91. House Wrens used >90% of the nest boxes in both years. Wren territories doubled within the nestbox area, while remaining constant on an unmanipulated area. In contrast, a larger warbler population had high nesting success during 1990-91 in a relatively unfragmented, wetter forest tract. Such forests, which have lower wren densities and less predation pressure, may be crucial for Prothonotary Warbler populations in the Midwest.

Publication Date

March 1994

Journal Title

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

101

Issue

1

First Page

28

Last Page

30

Copyright

© Copyright 1994 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Brush, Timothy (1994) "Effects of Competition and Predation on Prothonotary Warblers and House Wrens Nesting in Eastern Iowa," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 101(1), 28-30.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol101/iss1/8