Wood-warblers of the prairie: nonbreeding distribution and migratory routes of Ovenbirds breeding at range periphery in the Great Plains

There is limited information on migratory ecology, nonbreeding grounds, and return rates from populations at distributional limits of species’ ranges. Assuming uniform ecology from core areas to range periphery may limit understanding of potential migratory routes, nonbreeding distribution, and connectivity, complicating conservation actions and assessing species-level management. We tracked a relatively well-studied Nearctic-Neotropical migratory wood-warbler, the Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla), breeding in atypical habitats at their distributional limit in northwestern Nebraska. Individuals wintered in northwestern Mexico and migrated through the southwestern U.S., western and central Great Plains. Compared to previous studies of birds breeding in core range, the migration routes and nonbreeding areas used by western Nebraska Ovenbirds also represent the seasonal distributional limits for this species. Despite a small sample size, male return rates were also relatively high and comparable to populations breeding in large, contiguous forest regions of the core range. Overall, this study adds novel data from range periphery for a well-studied species, further reinforcing the importance of full annual cycle data and studying birds across all parts of their distribution.