MS Thesis Defense | Dave Edlund

Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) populations have declined ~70% since 1970. Breeding-season research has grown substantially, but the non-breeding period remains poorly studied. Most individuals are thought to winter in southern Mexico and northern Central America, but some winter in Florida. To assess non-breeding habitat associations, diet, and migratory connectivity in Florida, I surveyed whip-poor-wills statewide, collected insect and fecal samples, and deployed archival GPS tags to identify breeding locations. Multi-season integrated occupancy models combining point counts and eBird data showed occupancy increased with marsh and pine flatwoods habitats and decreased with urbanization. Fecal metabarcoding revealed a moth-dominated diet, primarily erebids and noctuids. Tagged birds migrated to Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama for the breeding season. These findings link Florida’s wintering population to breeding populations and suggest conserving these habitats could benefit a species experiencing steep declines in the eastern United States.