@article{irizarry_collazo_pacifici_reich_battle_2018, title={Avian response to shade-layer restoration in coffee plantations in Puerto Rico}, volume={26}, ISSN={["1526-100X"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12697}, DOI={10.1111/rec.12697}, abstractNote={Documenting the evolving processes associated with habitat restoration and how long it takes to detect avian demographic responses is crucial to evaluate the success of restoration initiatives and to identify ways to improve their effectiveness. The importance of this endeavor prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to evaluate their sun‐to‐shade coffee restoration program in Puerto Rico initiated in 2003. We quantified the responses of 12 resident avian species using estimates of local occupancy and extinction probabilities based on surveys conducted in 2015–2017 at 65 restored farms grouped according to time‐since‐initial‐restoration (TSIR): new (2011–2014), intermediate (2007–2010), and old (2003–2006). We also surveyed 40 forest sites, which served as reference sites. Vegetation complexity increased with TSIR, ranging between 35 and 40% forest cover in farms 6–9 years TSIR. Forest specialists (e.g. Loxigilla portoricencis) exhibited highest average occupancy in farms initially classified as intermediate (6–9 years) and old (>10 years), paralleling occupancy in secondary forests. Occupancy of open‐habitat specialists (e.g. Tiaris olivaceus) was more variable, but higher in recently restored farms. Restoring the shade layer has the potential to heighten ecological services derived from forest specialists (e.g. frugivores) without losing the services of many open‐habitat specialists (e.g. insectivores). Annual local extinction probability for forest specialists decreased with increasing habitat complexity, strengthening the potential value of shade restoration as a tool to enhance habitat for avifauna that evolved in forested landscapes.}, number={6}, journal={RESTORATION ECOLOGY}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Irizarry, Amarilys D. and Collazo, Jaime A. and Pacifici, Krishna and Reich, Brian J. and Battle, Kathryn E.}, year={2018}, month={Nov}, pages={1212–1220} }
 @article{battle_foltz_moore_2016, title={Predictors of flight behavior in rural and urban songbirds}, volume={128}, DOI={10.1676/1559-4491-128.3.510}, abstractNote={The urban environment poses novel anthropogenic challenges to wildlife. Some species have been noted for changes in their behavior in response to humans and urban-associated activities. Understanding the anthropogenic factors which influence these behavioral changes would contribute significantly to avian conservation in an increasingly urbanized world. We investigated the flight initiation distances (FIDs) and alert distances (ADs) of wild Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) in urban and rural habitats of southwestern Virginia to determine if wild songbirds' tolerances for human approaches differed by species or habitat type (urban or rural). We found Song Sparrows to be more tolerant than Northern Cardinals of human approaches, and urban birds of both species tended to tolerate closer approaches than did rural birds. We then investigated whether cues such as gaze direction or human figure explain differences in Song Sparrows' approach response behaviors. We found urban Song Sparrows' FIDs to be significantly shorter than rural birds' FIDs in response to treatments using a human approach for both direct and concealed gazes. However, no significant habitat differences were detected in response to the non-human approach treatments using umbrellas with and without eyespots. Our findings demonstrate risk-tolerance behaviors like AD and FID to vary greatly between species, habitats, and characteristics of the approach.}, number={3}, journal={Wilson Journal of Ornithology}, author={Battle, K. E. and Foltz, S. L. and Moore, I. T.}, year={2016}, pages={510–519} }
 @article{foltz_ross_laing_rock_battle_moore_2015, title={Get off my lawn: increased aggression in urban song sparrows is related to resource availability}, volume={26}, ISSN={["1465-7279"]}, DOI={10.1093/beheco/arv111}, abstractNote={Urban animals often show differences in aggression relative to their rural counterparts, but the ultimate and proximate origins of these differences are poorly understood. Here, we compared urban and rural song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), a species for which higher levels of aggression in urban populations have previously been reported. First, we confirmed elevated territorial aggression levels in urban birds relative to rural birds over multiple years. To begin to identify the environmental variables contributing to these differences, we related aggression to features of the social and physical environment, specifically population density and the availability of suitable nesting vegetation. Population distribution and the availability of suitable nest vegetation were not correlated with territorial aggression levels. Subsequently, we conducted a food supplementation experiment to determine whether potential differences in the relative availability of food between the 2 habitats might drive differences in aggression. Food supplementation increased territorial aggression significantly, particularly in rural birds. Thus, it appears that the availability of food could play a role in determining territorial aggression in song sparrows. The specific combination of these features found in urban areas may cause the increased levels of territorial aggression seen in these populations.}, number={6}, journal={BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY}, author={Foltz, Sarah L. and Ross, Allen E. and Laing, Brenton T. and Rock, Ryan P. and Battle, Kathryn E. and Moore, Ignacio T.}, year={2015}, pages={1548–1557} }