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Diffuse Migratory Connectivity In Two Species Of Shrubland Birds: Evidence From Stable Isotopes, Steven T. Knick, Matthias Leu, John T. Rotenberry, Steven E. Hanser, Kurt A. Fesenmyer

Articles

Connecting seasonal ranges of migratory birds is important for understanding the annual template of stressors that influence their populations. Brewer’s sparrows (Spizella breweri) and sagebrush sparrows (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) share similar sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats for breeding but have different population trends that might be related to winter location. To link breeding and winter ranges, we created isoscapes of deuterium [stable isotope ratio (δ) of deuterium; δ ²H] and nitrogen (δ ¹⁵N) for each species modeled from isotope ratios measured in feathers of 264 Brewer’s and 82 sagebrush sparrows and environmental …