Pollen on feathers: unlocking the potential to study avian life histories through palynology

Abstract

Capsule Bird-associated pollen can be effectively retrieved from single-use gloves worn during ringing to reveal patterns in habitat use and migratory ecology.Aims We compared abundance and richness of bird-associated pollen retrieved from ringers’ gloves, bird bags, feather swabs and feather clippings from Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca to establish optimal methods for avian palynological research. We also highlight real-world applicability through proof-of-concept analysis.Methods Thirty females from three sites were handled during routine ringing using new cotton gloves and bird bags. Feathers were swabbed and clipped under licence endorsement. Pollen was retrieved, identified and counted.Results More pollen (number of grains, greater richness) was retrieved from gloves, and bags were also effective, but other methods were poor. Most pollen was from plant taxa found at the breeding grounds, both arboreal and non-arboreal. Non-breeding-ground pollen (all arboreal) was sympatric with Pied Flycatcher wintering areas in West Africa and/or migratory routes. There were differences in UK and non-UK pollen assemblages, and between breeding sites, demonstrating the value of the approach for studying habitat and migratory connectivity.Conclusion Feathers are a rich source of pollen that can be quantified non-invasively by analysing ringer’s gloves or bird bags, which has wide applicability both taxonomically and geographically.