Work

Insights Into the Ecology of a Widespread but Poorly Known Aerial Insectivore and a Theoretical Basis for Range Expansion Following Repeated Vagrancy Events

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Over the course of the last two centuries, Northern Rough‐winged Swallows ( Stelgidopteryx serripennis ) have expanded their range across the North American continent but have remained a relatively poorly known species. In this paper, I discuss two aspects of their nature history that has received little attention. First, I document an instance of Northern Rough‐winged Swallows digging their own burrow, which was for the better part of the last century considered a behavior that was either lost or never occurred in the first place. Second, I review the natural history literature to document qualitative patterns evident in their expansion over the last two centuries. In doing so, I define three potentially useful concepts that can he applied to understand species' range shifts: an Expansion Chronology , which is a spatiotemporal map of a range shift; the concept of Vagrancy‐induced Range Expansion , where a species undergoes repeated movements outside of their typical geographic range (defined as vagrancy events), leading to the regular occurrence in a new region (e.g., regular overwintering or nonbreeding occurrences); and the concept of Vagrancy‐induced Long‐distance Dispersal, which is specifically expansion of a species' breeding range following repeated vagrancy events.

Source: Ecology and Evolution

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70576

Author: José R. Ramírez‐Garofalo

Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Language: English

Topic: Avian ecology and behavior

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,470