"Journal" Autumn Stopover Near The Gulf Of Honduras By Nearctic - Neorotopic Migrants

The Southrastern Yucatan Peninsula hosts High Number Of Transient Nearctic - Neorotopic Migrants during autumn migration. But The importance of this region During Migratory stopover has not been addressed. We studied Autumn stopover body mass gains among passerine migrant in tropical lowland forest 20Km inland From the gulf of Honduras. Most Individual Captured had some subcutaneous fat. Ten of 15 Taxa with sufficient sample size significant positif diel (24Hr) gains in body condition index. Estimates of net mass gains in this 10 taxa suggested they all were depositing fat:Average individuals in four of these taxa were depositing sufficient fuel to undertake an entire night of migration after only i day Fattening: Empidonax spp.. Red-eye Vireo (Vireo Oliveceus), Gray catbird (Dumettela Carolinesis), and Northern watertrusht (seiurus noveboracensis), Two (Wood Thrush (Hylochicla Mustelina) and Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) Of the four Species Apparentely not gaining mass at the study site migrate late in the season and occurred only after Hurricane Iris Severely altered The habitat. Four other species (Gray catbird, Magnolia Warbler). American Redstart. And Indigo Bunting Had Significant gains in mass after the hurricane. These data demonstrate the importance of the region as an autumn stopover site for some species and suggest that stopover areas father north are also important to migrants passing through the southeastern part of the Yucatan peninsula. Andrew B Johnson and Kevin Winker
DOWNLOAD HERE