Sexual habitat segregation during the wintering period is a widespread phenomenon and has important implications for the ecology and conservation of migratory birds. We studied Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia) wintering in second-growth scrub and old-growth mangrove forest in Jamaica to quantify sexual habitat segregation and explore whether patterns of habitat occupation have consequences on physical condition. We used this information along with a body size analysis and simulated territorial intrusions to assess whether behavioral dominance or habitat specialization was responsible for habitat segregation. Based on standardized capture data, we found that females were more abundant than males in both scrub and mangrove forests. Foraging observations, however, suggested vertical segregation within each habitat, with females foraging primarily near the ground and males in the mid-canopy and canopy, indicating that our sex ratio estimates may be biased. Using 2 measures of body condition, we show that males were in better body condition than females, regardless of habitat. We found that males were on average slightly larger than females, and home range analysis and simulated territorial intrusions indicated that males were more territorial than females. We argue that the observed vertical sexual habitat segregation is likely caused by behavioral dominance rather than habitat specialization. Winter body condition is known to carry over to affect migration timing, reproductive success, and annual survival in other songbirds, and therefore sexual habitat segregation may have important implications for year-round population dynamics in Black-and-white Warblers.

中文翻译：

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越冬候鸟鸣禽的垂直性栖息地隔离

越冬期间的性栖息地隔离是一种普遍现象，对候鸟的生态和保护具有重要意义。我们研究了在牙买加的次生灌木丛和古老的红树林中越冬的黑白莺 (Mniotilta varia)，以量化有性栖息地隔离并探索栖息地占用模式是否会对身体状况产生影响。我们使用这些信息以及体型分析和模拟领土入侵来评估行为优势或栖息地专业化是否对栖息地隔离负责。根据标准化的捕获数据，我们发现在灌木林和红树林中，雌性比雄性多。然而，觅食观察表明，每个栖息地都存在垂直隔离，雌性主要在地面附近觅食，雄性在树冠中部和树冠中觅食，这表明我们的性别比例估计可能存在偏差。使用 2 种身体状况测量方法，我们表明无论栖息地如何，雄性的身体状况都比雌性好。我们发现男性平均略大于女性，家庭范围分析和模拟领土入侵表明男性比女性更具有领土意识。我们认为，观察到的垂直性栖息地隔离可能是由行为优势而不是栖息地专业化引起的。众所周知，冬季身体状况会影响迁徙时间、繁殖成功率和其他鸣禽的年存活率，