days later . Each time we located a bird , we logged the GPS coordinates of its location ( basically like dropping a pin on a Google map ), recorded the plant species it was using , and noted the type and height of the bird ’ s activity ( e . g . nesting , singing , feeding fledglings , etc .). A total of 58 buntings , representing all age and sex classes were successfully tracked , giving us a better understanding of their livelihood on Kiawah Island .
What We Learned What we learned from the buntings is that they often used areas with dense understory vegetation near the marsh , dunes , and ponds on Kiawah Island . The birds were most frequently seen in live oaks , wax myrtle , slash and loblolly pines , Eastern red cedar , sea ox-eye , and yaupon holly . Females were more often seen in wax myrtle and Eastern red cedar than males , likely due to the extra protection these dense shrubs provide . Males were more likely found on high branches in slash and loblolly pines , possibly because these pines provided an ideal perch for watching over their territory , attracting females , and distracting predators from nests . Finally , we found the territories of painted buntings were less than one acre , meaning that what you do to your personal landscape can impact essentially the entire territory of a nesting pair .
How Can You Help ? Needless to say , you as one homeowner can do a lot to help the buntings . Remember , habitat loss is the leading cause of
their decline , but YOU can create more . Here ’ s how :
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Preserve the understory . Painted buntings use dense , shrubby understory vegetation ( 1 – 15 feet in height ) like wax myrtle and Eastern red cedar . Planting or preserving this type of vegetation will provide much needed protection and nesting sites .
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Plant native plants . Not only do native plants require less maintenance and incur lower ongoing costs , but natives were also used more often by the buntings in our study than were non-native plants .
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Lose the lawn . In our study , the buntings were rarely seen using open areas of grass and sod . Maintaining green lawns takes a lot of time , money , fertilizers , pesticides , and loads
of water , which can contribute to noise , air , and water pollution . Additionally , the chemicals you may put on your lawn can kill some insects , thus reducing food availability for the buntings ( and other species ), or leading to toxicity . Insects are an important part of their diet when building up fat reserves for migration , and are the sole source of food for bunting nestlings .
If you already have good or even excellent bunting habitat , there are other ways you can help these feathered jewels
survive and thrive :
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Prune less and not during the nesting season . As mentioned before , dense vegetation is often used for protection and nesting . Therefore , pruning certain plants can make them less secure . When possible , allow vegetation to grow and prune itself naturally . In areas where pruning is necessary , do it when the buntings are not nesting , meaning do any pruning between September and April . This will prevent potentially pruning a branch with a nest , as the females in our study tended to build nests on outside edges of shrubs .
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Prevent window injuries . The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that 100 million to one billion birds are killed each year after flying into windows . Glass often reflects what is outside , confusing birds that think they are flying toward trees , shrubs , etc . Even those that fly off after the impact may die later from internal bleeding . You can do some simple things to prevent the death of painted buntings ( and other birds ) from window strikes . Especially important is placing feeders far away from windows or as close to them as possible (> 30 feet or < three feet )>
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Become a citizen scientist . You can also help monitor the painted bunting population by becoming a citizen scientist for the Painted Bunting Observer Team ( PBOT ). Many of our buntings had unique color band combinations that identify them uniquely . By reporting this band combination on the PBOT website , you can help biologists learn more about the buntings ’ abundance , distribution , and movement patterns . This information can also help to determine differences in feeder use between males and females or adults and juveniles , and will let us understand how important these feeders are to the buntings overall . NK
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