ABSTRACT
The process of finding, identifying, and processing food requires multiple sensory modalities, complex physiological processes that must also account for competition, predation, and anthropogenic pressures. Thus, understanding how and where songbirds forage allows for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of migration, importance of overwintering sites, and will ultimately lead to better management practices. This chapter discusses theoretical simplifications of foraging strategies, and their relevance to real life examples and management tactics, such as the Optimal Diet Model, and the Giving Up Density, among others. Anthropogenic pressures, including urbanization, altered plant communities, climate change, and introduced toxins, have impacted resource availability for all songbird species. Some species have thrived while others have struggled to adapt to these changes. We discuss this phenomenon on two levels, beginning with the overall impact each of these processes has had on resource availability and songbird foraging, and ending with how land managers and conservationists can address these issues through targeted research and mitigation. Mitigation tactics discussed include urban green spaces, native plant restoration, and community-based land stewardship. Finally, emerging technologies such as geolocator tags, MOTUS towers, and eDNA are reviewed as per their uses in both direct, and indirect observations of songbird activities.
