Do Environmental Factors During Nesting Influence the Band Size of Hatching Year Birds?

Authors

• Audrey J. Hicks, Denver Audubon, Littleton, COFollow
• Mark H. Conway, Lower Rio Grande Avian Research, Harlingen, TX
• Timothy Brush, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Abstract

We analyzed the relationship between the band size given to three species of Hatching Year (HY) birds and the average temperature and total rainfall received between May and July of the year they hatched. We selected 3 species that breed locally and each of which are commonly given different band sizes: Long‑billed Thrashers (Toxostoma longirostre), Green Jays (Cyanocorax yncas), and White‑eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus). Data were collected across 18 locations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas between 1999 and 2024. There was a significant relationship between weather and band size given to HY Long‑billed Thrashers. The more rainfall and the cooler the average temperature at a given site and time, the more likely a bird was to receive a larger band size. In the case of Green Jays, the relationship between band size and total rainfall was approaching significance (p = 0.057) but the relationship to average temperature was not significant. Finally, for White‑eyed Vireos neither relationship was significant.

Creative Commons License

Terms of use for work posted in Scholar Commons.

Recommended Citation

Hicks, Audrey J.; Conway, Mark H.; and Brush, Timothy (2026) "Do Environmental Factors During Nesting Influence the Band Size of Hatching Year Birds?," North American Bird Bander: Vol. 51 : Iss. 2 , Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/nabb/vol51/iss2/4