Radio-tracking fledgling Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) to determine post-fledging dispersal

The Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea), a Neotropical migratory songbird, is listed as a ‘Species of Special Concern’ by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is state-endangered in Indiana. We have been monitoring Cerulean Warbler breeding populations in Yellowwood and Morgan-Monroe state forests (Indiana, USA) since 2007 as part of a 100-year project called the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment. This long-term study aims at determining the effects of different forest management techniques on plant and animal communities. Based on previous research, many mature forest-dependent Neotropical migrant fledglings move from mature forest habitat into areas of thick vegetation such as clear-cuts. However, it is believed that fledgling Cerulean Warblers do not follow this pattern. We are interested in determining where fledgling Cerulean Warblers disperse to after leaving their nests, but before migrating to their wintering grounds. Here we present new information on fledgling movements through radio-telemetry studies and discuss upcoming research on Cerulean Warblers in Indiana. Information gathered from our research can potentially be used to suggest forest management prescriptions that provide Cerulean Warblers with all of their required habitat needs throughout the breeding season.