Where Do Migratory Birds Winter?
In order to determine how tropical deforestation affects migratory bird species, Rubenstein et al. (Science vol. 295, page 1062, 2002) studied the migration pattern of Black-throated Blue Warblers by following the stable isotope signature inthe feathers. These studies showed that birds from the northern part of the breeding range New York state north into Canada and west to Michigan generally wintered in Cuba and Jamaica while those from the southern parts of the breeding range West Virginia, south to Georgia along the Appalachians wintered in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. There is some mixing between the two populations in their wintering grounds. Habitat loss in the wintering grounds will greatly affect the survival of the different populations of these warblers.
