ABSTRACT
E ffective conservation of migratory birds requires an understanding of geographical connections between breeding and nonbreeding populations, and migratory stopover
sites used en route (Webster and Marra 2005). Information on migratory connectivity serves to highlight critical habitats used by a species during most of the annual cycle and to integrate
conservation efforts across hemispheres and political boundaries (Faaborg et al. 2010). For Neotropical-Nearctic migrants, habitat requirements and biogeography of populations are better understood at the breeding grounds, although it remains generally unclear which breeding areas produce the most recruits into the adult breeding population (Hobson et al. 2006, 2009). In contrast, the distribution and habitat needs of migratory birds at nonbreeding sites in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America remain poorly known, despite considerable loss of forest and other vital cover types in those areas (FAO and JRC 2012). Establishing key migratory connections between breeding and nonbreeding populations and identifying which areas make the greatest contributions to continental breeding populations are two vital goals in migratory bird conservation. However, these goals have remained largely elusive due to the practical dif- culties in tracking movements of small songbirds (Hobson and Norris 2008).
