Habitat selection of Rusty blackbirds during stopover varies with scale and function

The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a widespread, uncommon migrant that has experienced heavy population declines over the last century. This species can spend over a quarter of their annual cycle on migration, so it is important to determine their habitat requirements during stopover events to inform effective conservation planning. Here, we assess their habitat selection at an important stopover site in northern Ohio during both fall and spring migration. Since stopover habitat selection is scale-dependent, we investigate both patch-scale (between patches) and fine-scale (within a patch) selection using radio telemetry to home in on foraging and roosting flocks, and compare habitat variables between used and available points across the study site. At the patch scale, we found that birds preferred dogwood-willow swamp, low-lying forest patches, and areas of greater habitat complexity for foraging in both seasons. At the fine scale, spring migrants foraged closer to habitat edge...