Presentation Type
Oral/Paper Presentation
Abstract
Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) are a species of concern in Tennessee due to many factors. Historically, their nests have been found in low-hanging branches at the edge of dense forest (Evans et al. 2020). In 2021, a Wood Thrush nest was found in Warner Parks, a 3100-acre urban park sixteen kilometers south of Nashville, TN nesting eighteen meters off the ground and thirty meters from an active trail. We wanted to learn if this unusual nest height was a common occurrence in an active area of Warner Parks or an anomaly. We decided to compare nesting behavior and habitats at Warner Parks with Timberland Park, a low-traffic 72-acre park in Williamson County, TN. From May through July of 2024, we searched Timberland Park and the Warner Parks for Wood Thrush nests using binoculars and listening for vocalizations. The nest heights in Warner Parks ranged between 11.8 to 18.3 meters above the ground with an outlier of 1.5 meters (n = 5). Nest heights of Timberland ranged between 2.1 to 11.8 meters above the ground (n = 3). Our observations suggest nest height may be affected by human presence in urban parks.
Faculty Mentor
John Lewis
Recommended Citation
Browning, Amelia and Price, Alexandra, "The Nesting Behavior and Habitat Selection of Wood Thrushes" (2025). Student Scholar Symposium. 154.
https://digitalcollections.lipscomb.edu/student_scholars_symposium/2025/Full_schedule/154
Included in
The Nesting Behavior and Habitat Selection of Wood Thrushes
Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) are a species of concern in Tennessee due to many factors. Historically, their nests have been found in low-hanging branches at the edge of dense forest (Evans et al. 2020). In 2021, a Wood Thrush nest was found in Warner Parks, a 3100-acre urban park sixteen kilometers south of Nashville, TN nesting eighteen meters off the ground and thirty meters from an active trail. We wanted to learn if this unusual nest height was a common occurrence in an active area of Warner Parks or an anomaly. We decided to compare nesting behavior and habitats at Warner Parks with Timberland Park, a low-traffic 72-acre park in Williamson County, TN. From May through July of 2024, we searched Timberland Park and the Warner Parks for Wood Thrush nests using binoculars and listening for vocalizations. The nest heights in Warner Parks ranged between 11.8 to 18.3 meters above the ground with an outlier of 1.5 meters (n = 5). Nest heights of Timberland ranged between 2.1 to 11.8 meters above the ground (n = 3). Our observations suggest nest height may be affected by human presence in urban parks.