Study Shows Songbirds Switch From Bugs To Berries To Fuel Fall...( -and how our conservation tactics for t...)

While many songbirds breed in forests, they often use coastal shrubland habitats during fall migration. Rich in ripe berries during autumn, coastal shrublands may be especially critical in providing some migrants with the fruit-laden diet they desire. Yet today, these coastal habitats are under intense development pressure. More than half of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas, and that percentage is rapidly growing. Conservation biologists may need to add loss of stopover sites to their list of concerns for migrating songbirds. Parrish's study suggests that the importance of fruit-rich habitats along coastal migration routes should be considered in land-management and conservation decisions.

But Parrish urges private coastal land owners to be good land stewards too. "Conserving native habitat in a backyard is simple and inexpensive," he said. "Native shrubs, such as bayberry, provide natural beauty, thrive in coastal areas and are simple to maintain. Many songbirds will even use small, yard-sized patches of these natural landscapes during migration, providing people with exciting opportunities for bird observation--and providing the birds with the critical fuel for a long journey south."

Parrish recently received his doctorate from Brown in ecology and evolutionary biology. He is now a diplomacy fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is working on environmental issues in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

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Contact: Scott Turner
Scott_Turner@Brown.edu
401-863-2476
Brown University
12-Sep-1996