Student Program

Since receiving initial seed funding in 2016, from Bird Protection Quebec and the Kenneth M. Molson Foundation, the MBO research program has continued to grow, expanding its contributions to avian science. Led by Dr. Barbara Frei in collaboration with Dr. Kyle Elliott from McGill University, MBO has conducted groundbreaking research on migration timing, the discovery of new hybrid warblers, spatial patterns in migration connectivity, blood metabolites as indicators of bird health, feathers for assays of stable isotopes, and molt migration in neotropical species.

Since 2016, the MBO research team has supported ten undergraduate and graduate student theses, contributing to the advancement of avian science.

Research Topics

McGill Bird Observatory collaborates with academic and government researchers, as well as university students, across various fields.

Our involvement ranges from sharing banding and observation data to assisting in the sampling process or actively contributing to the development, analysis, and publication of primary research.

Below is a list of peer-reviewed publications authored by our team and students, as well as collaborative studies that have utilized our banding data.

Number of projects per research area

Publications

  • Cousineau A-M., McGill University (Master) in progress – Movement of Northern Cardinals in urban landscapes during the non-breeding season (with Dr. Kyle Elliott)
  • Guest M., Concordia University (Master) in progress – Residential backyards as resources of avian conservation (with Dr. Carly Ziter and Dr. Barbara Frei)
  • Goudreau N., McGill University (Master) in progress – Full annual life cycle time movement through urban green spaces by two wood warblers (with Drs. Barbara Frei and Kyle Elliott)
  • Poirier, V., McGill University (Master) 2023 – Stopover ecology of two moult migrating passerines: Tennessee warblers (Leiothlypis peregrina) and Swainson’s thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) in a large urban park (with Drs. Barbara Frei and Kyle Elliott)
  • Morales, A., McGill University (Master) 2020 – Stopover ecology of moult migrant Swainson’s thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) (with Drs. Barbara Frei and Kyle Elliott)

  • Guest M., Concordia University (Honours)

    2024

    – Assessing bird nest vulnerabilities across an urban gradient (with Dr. C Ziter and Dr. Barbara Frei)

  • Blanc-Benigeri A., McGill University (Honours)

    2023

    – Fecal DNA dietary analyses of moult migrant neotropical songbirds during fall migration in an urbanized landscape (with Dr. Kyle Elliott)

  • Depolla J., McGill University (Honours) 2023 – Spatial analysis to understand how urban tree planting can benefit avian biodiversity and sequester atmospheric carbon on the island of Montreal (with Dr. Kyle Elliott)
  • Goudreau N., McGill University (Honours) 2023 – Using historical banding data from the McGill Bird Observatory and the Tadoussac Bird Observatory, to investigating wing length and body mass trends of short- and long-distance migrant passerines (with Dr. Kyle Elliott)
  • Freitag G., McGill University (Honours) 2022 – Quantifying daily energetic levels for moult migrant songbirds from telemetry data (with Dr. Kyle Elliott)
  • Lefvert M., McGill University (Honours) 2022 – Home range and stopover duration of boreal breeding moult migrants (with Dr. Kyle Elliott)
  • Tranze-drabinia E., McGill University (Honours) 2022 – Energetics of molt migrants in relation to stopover habitat quality (with Dr. Kyle Elliott)

  • Blanc-Benigeri A., Poirier V., Narango D., Elliott K.H., and Frei B. 2024. Diet of moulting Swainson’s Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) and Tennessee Warblers (Leiothlypis peregrina) at a stopover site during fall migration measured with fecal DNA metabarcoding. Scientific Reports. 14(1): 9913.
  • Poirier V., Elliott K.H., and Frei B. 2024a. Peri-urban forest margins are important stopover sites for moult-migrating songbirds. Journal for Nature Conservation. 77: 126539.
  • Poirier V., Frei B., Lefvert M., Morales A., and Elliott K.H. 2024b. Moult migrant Tennessee Warblers undergo extensive stopover in peri-urban forests of southern Quebec. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 102(3): 272-285.
  • Morales A., Frei B., Mitchell G.W., Begin Marchand C., Elliott K.H. 2022. Reduced diurnal activity and increased stopover duration by molting Swainson’s Thrushes. Ornithology. 139(2): ukab083
  • Junda J.H., Duval S., and Gahbauer M.A. 2020. Use of discrete molting grounds by migrant passerines undergoing prebasic molt in southern Quebec. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 132(1): 72-82.

  • Nip E.J., Frei B, and Elliott K.H. 2018. Seasonal and temporal variation in scaled mass index of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Canadian Field-Naturalist 132(4): 368-377.
  • Jarjour C., Frei B., and Elliott K.H. 2017. Associations between sex, age and species-specific climate sensitivity in migration. Animal Migration. 4: 23-36.
  • Hobson K.A., Van Wilgenburg S.L., Dunn E.H., Hussell D.J.T., Taylor P.D., and Collister D.M. 2015. Predicting origins of passerines migrating through Canadian migration monitoring stations using stable-hydrogen isotope analyses of feathers: a new tool for bird conservation. Avian Conservation and Ecology. 10(1): 3.
  • Confer J.L., Kanda L.L, and Li I. 2014. Northern Saw-whet Owl: regional patterns for fall migration and demographics revealed by banding data. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 126: 305-320.

  • Hudon J., and Mulvihill R. 2017. Diet-induced plumage erythrism as a result of the spread of alien shrubs in North America. North American Bird Bander. 42: 95-103.
  • Hudon J., Derbyshire D., Leckie S., and Flinn T. 2013. Diet-induced plumage erythrism in Baltimore Orioles as a result of the spread of introduced shrubs. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 125: 88-96.
  • Wolfe J., and Pyle P. 2011. First evidence for eccentric prealternate molt in the Indigo Bunting: possible implications for adaptive molt strategies. Western Birds. 42: 257-262.
  • Hudson M.-A., Gahbauer M.A., Leckie S., and Frei B. 2008. Unusually extensive preformative molt in hatching-year Song Sparrows. North American Bird Bander. 33: 1-6.
  • Flinn T., Hudon J., and Derbyshire D. 2007. Tricks exotic shrubs do: When Baltimore Orioles stop being orange. Birding. 39(5): 62-68.

  • Morales A., Frei B., Leung C., Titman R., Whelan S., Benowitz-Fredericks Z.M., and Elliott K.H. 2020. Point-of-care blood analyzers measure the nutritional state of eighteen free-living bird species. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. 240.
  • Mackenzie S.A., and Gahbauer M.A. 2014. Guidelines for prioritizing bird safety during high capture events. North American Bird Bander. 39: 61-65.
  • Kerr K.C.R. 2011. Searching for evidence of selection in avian DNA barcodes. Molecular Ecology Resources. 11: 1045-1055.
  • Crewe T.L., McCracken J.D., Taylor P.D., Lepage D., and Heagy A.E. 2008. The Canadian Migration Monitoring Network-Réseau canadien de surveillance des migrations: Ten-year Report on Monitoring Landbird Population Change. CMMN-RCSM Scientific Technical Report #1. Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan ON. 69 pp.

  • Brennan C.L., Boulanger E., Duval S, Frei B., Gorbet A., Head J., Shieldcastle M., and Jones A.W. 2020. Two cases of a previously undocumented New World warbler hybrid (Setophaga magnolia × S. ruticilla) in eastern North America. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 132(3): 537-547.

  • Scott J.D., McGoey E., Morales A., and Pesapane R.R. 2022. Molecular detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia odocoilei, Babesia species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in songbirds. Journal of Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences ISSN. 2766-2276.
  • Scott J.D., Clark K.L., Coble N.M., and Ballantyne T.R. 2019. Detection and transstadial passage of Babesia species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in ticks collected from avian and mammalian hosts in Canada. Healthcare. 7: 155.
  • Scott J.D., Clark K.L., Foley J.E., Anderson J.F., Bierman B.C., and Durden L.A. 2018. Extensive distribution of the Lyme Disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, in multiple tick species parasitizing avian and mammalian hosts across Canada. Healthcare. 6: 131.
  • Scott J.D., Clark K.L., Foley J.E., Bierman B.C., and Durden L.A. 2018. Far-reaching dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato-infected Black-legged ticks by migratory songbirds in Canada. Healthcare. 6: 89.
  • Scott J.D., and Durden L.A. 2015. New records of the Lyme disease bacterium in ticks collected from songbirds in central and eastern Canada. International Journal of Acarology. 41: 241-249.
  • Scott J.D., Anderson J.F., and Durden L.A. 2012. Widespread dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks collected from songbirds across Canada. Journal of Parasitology. 98: 49-59.
  • Ogden, N.H., Lindsay L.R., Hanincova K., Barker K., Bigras-Poulin M., Charron D.F., Heagy A., Francis C.M., O’Callaghan C.J., Schwartz I., and Thompson R.A. 2008. Role of migratory birds in introduction and range expansion of Ixodes scapularis ticks and of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Canada. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 74: 1780-1790.

Posters

MOTUS

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an innovative, collaborative research network that uses automated radio telemetry to study the movements of small flying animals, including birds, bats, and insects, over vast distances. Tiny radio transmitters, called nanotags, are attached to the animals, emitting signals detected by a global network of receiving stations.

These strategically placed stations track migration routes, stopover sites, and behaviour, providing researchers with valuable data. Motus is a powerful tool for understanding migration patterns, guiding conservation efforts, and promoting international collaboration in wildlife research.

Key Findings

  • Boreal breeding molt migrants, such as Swainson’s Thrush and Tennessee Warblers are spending extended stopovers at MBO, up to 46-47 days, representing 13% of their annual cycle (Morales et al. 2022; Poirier et al. 2024b)

  • Forest margins and other shrubby habitats can be critical for migratory birds during stopover, including molt migrants (Poirier et al. 2024a)

  • With warmer temperatures in the spring and fall, we see a significant shift in migration over time, with birds arriving earlier in the spring and later in the fall (Jarjour et al. 2017)

  • Migratory birds have varying dietary needs during stopovers, with active migrants favoring plant-based food items and molting birds relying on protein rich insect food sources (Blanc-Benigeri et al. 2024)

Highlights of 2024

We have currently two projects using the MOTUS technology.

Two warbler species were tagged to study their movements during the fall migration period and look broadly at their migration patterns along the highly urbanized Atlantic Flyway

  • Chestnut-sided Warbler : 15 birds tagged
  • Yellow Warbler : 16 birds tagged

Northern Cardinals were tagged and relocated within Montreal to areas with varying levels of urbanization, where researchers tracked their movements weekly through the winter to learn how they are using urban green spaces during this cold season.

  • Northern Cardinal : 38 birds tagged

Total in 2024 : 69 birds tagged

How Can You Help

Our research is made possible through the generous support of donors, volunteers, and partners. Your donations help keep our observatory running, allowing us to conduct vital studies on bird migration, stopover behaviors, and habitat conservation. Contributions directly fund research equipment, banding efforts, and outreach initiatives.

You can also support our work by volunteering, participating in community science projects, or simply spreading awareness about the importance of bird conservation. Every effort makes a difference in protecting migratory species and their habitats