Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) nests are oriented northeast

Nest microclimate can be affected by wind and solar radiation, which can influence offspring survival. The endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) constructs a domed nest on the ground in dry prairie and pasture habitats of central Florida. We measured the nest open...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Wilson journal of ornithology Vol. 133; no. 1; pp. 105 - 109
Main Authors Larned, Archer F, Hewett Ragheb, Erin L, Miller, Karl E, Lohr, Bernard
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Fort Collins Wilson Ornithological Society 01.03.2021
Subjects
Ammodramus savannarum floridanus
Birds
Compasses
domed nest
endangered species
Grasshoppers
grassland bird
Grasslands
Habitats
Interspecific relationships
Microclimate
nest microclimate
nest orientation
Nests
Offspring
Orientation
Pasture
Prairies
Predation
Probability theory
Radiation
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
Solar radiation
Storms
Success
Survival
Vegetation
Wildlife management
Wind
Florida
United States > US
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Summary:Nest microclimate can be affected by wind and solar radiation, which can influence offspring survival. The endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) constructs a domed nest on the ground in dry prairie and pasture habitats of central Florida. We measured the nest opening orientation for 116 Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests across 2 sites with different habitats (2014–2016). Nest openings were primarily oriented to the northeast and orientation did not differ by site. Nest opening orientation did not influence the probability that a nest would successfully fledge at least 1 nestling. It is possible that Florida Grasshopper Sparrows may orient nests to the northeast to avoid wind-blown rain from summer storms and solar radiation during the hottest part of the day, but high local rates of nest predation documented at both sites mask the selective advantage of nest orientation on nest survival.
ISSN:1559-4491
1938-5447
DOI:10.1676/19-00133