DOI: 10.5061/dryad.gmsbcc2w8
title: Data from: Catastrophic storms, forest disturbance, and the natural history of Swainson’s warbler

description: The core breeding range of Swainson's warbler (Limnothlypis
 swainsonii) overlaps a zone of exceptionally high tornado frequency in
 southeastern North America. The importance of tornadoes in creating
 breeding habitat for this globally rare warbler and other
 disturbance-dependent species has been largely overlooked. This paper
 estimates tornado frequency (1950–2021) and forest disturbance in the 240
 counties and parishes in which breeding was documented from 1988 to 2014.
 The frequency of destructive tornadoes (EF1-EF5) varied 6-fold across the
 breeding range with a peak in the Gulf Coast states. Counties from east
 Texas to Alabama experienced the lowest median return interval of
 5.4 years per 1000 km2, resulting in approximately 2477 ha of forest
 damage per 1000 km2 per century, based on current forestland
 cover. Tornadoes were significantly less frequent north and east of the
 core breeding range, with return intervals increasing to 9.1 years per
 1000 km2 for breeding counties on the Atlantic coastal plain,
 10.2 years per 1000 km2 in the Ozark Mountains, and 32.3 years
 per 1000 km2 in the Appalachian Mountains. Breeding counties within 150 km
 of the coastline from east Texas to North Carolina are also subjected to
 the highest frequency of hurricanes in the Western Hemisphere. Hurricanes
 often cause massive forest damage but archived meteorological and forestry
 data are insufficient to estimate the aggregate extent of forest
 disturbance in breeding counties. Nevertheless, the combined impact of
 tornadoes and hurricanes in the pre-Anthropogenic era was likely
 sufficient to produce a dynamic mosaic of early-successional forest
 crucial for the breeding ecology of Swainson's warbler. To ensure the
 long-term survival of this rare warbler, it is advisable to develop
 habitat management plans that incorporate remote sensing data on
 early-successional forest generated by catastrophic storms as well as
 anthropogenic activities. This dataset comprises a catalog of 1717 song
 recordings of male Swainson's warblers (Limnothlypis swainsonii) on
 breeding territories in the southeastern United States.  Songs
 were recorded from 1988 to 2014.  The spreadsheet includes song
 recording field number (GRG), state, county or parish, date, latitude, and
 longitude. Breeding territories were located in 240 counties and parishes,
 which served as the geographic template for storm data analysis. 
 Geographic coordinates were plotted in Fig 1 of "Catastrophic storms,
 forest disturbance, and the natural history of Swainson's
 warbler" (doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11099). Questions or inquiries
 regarding the dataset can be directed to the author.  
description: <strong>Geolocation of territorial Swainson's
 warblers. </strong>From 1988 to 2014, I surveyed breeding
 populations in 15 states as part of a comprehensive study of the warbler’s
 natural history. These surveys targeted Swainson’s warbler and were not
 incidental components of broader community censuses. Territorial males
 were documented in 240 counties and parishes documented by song
 recordings. Surveys were conducted during the breeding period, which began
 on 22 April in the Gulf Coast states and ended on 30 June in the
 Appalachian Mountains. I surveyed a wide spectrum of forestland and
 shrubland habitats, broadly classified as “forest land” by the USDA on
 public and private land and along waterways. Most breeding territories of
 this monogamous species were located using playback of songs, utilizing a
 protocol that was field-tested and fine-tuned in the late 1980s on the
 breeding and wintering ranges. Territorial males respond to playback by
 approaching the song source and delivering agitated “chip” notes, but
 usually refrain from singing until the playback source retreats or
 playback ends. Response to playback, mate-guarding, persistence during
 “playback-and-follow” trials, and counter-singing with other males were
 regarded as evidence of territoriality. Mist-netting or other handling was
 not required to document territoriality. The geographic coordinates of
 territories were recorded on site with Garmin™ GPS receivers (post-1998)
 or with Google Earth Pro from field notes and maps. All fieldwork was
 performed by the author.
description: # Catastrophic storms, forest disturbance, and the natural history of
 Swainson’s warbler
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gmsbcc2w8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gmsbcc2w8) ## Description of the data and file structure The spreadsheet presents the song recording field number, location (state and county or parish), date, and geographic coordinates of 1717 territorial Swainson's warblers (*Limnothlypis swainsonii*) documented from 1986 to 2014 in the southeastern United States. Records are ordered by state, county or parish, date, and song recording field number. All recordings were made by the author.