Hot Birds Research Project

Even small human settlements provide increased resource availability (water and food-sources) that may provide relief for some desert specialists that would otherwise suffer from the effects of climate change –– however, these oases also attract more generalist invader species.  Using the ground-breaking technology available through the high-throughput ATLAS tracking system, I will examine behavior and reproductive success of a desert-specialist bird in a mosaic of human-dominated and natural habitats in the Israeli Negev. The ATLAS system allows for a unique understanding of the interactions between daily habitat use, behavioral patterns, environmental conditions, and the resulting effects on reproductive success. Over a two-year period, I will tag and monitor group-living Arabian babblers during their reproductive season, combining tracking data with direct observations of reproductive success. While some of these groups do not regularly access the human-modified areas, those that do face competition from invasive species attracted by the additional resources. I will thus provide links between behavior, reproductive success, and habitat-use in the presence or absence of human-modified habitat and their accompanying invader species. This research will result in further understanding of whether human-modified increases in resources are beneficial to desert species facing the most extreme predicted impacts from climate change.