In early May the segment of the total suitable habitat within which a Bell Vireo restricts its activities is not rigidly defined and the first male of the season ranges over an area too large to be maintained permanently—one that seems greatly to exceed the needs of breeding. Male 1 (1960), for instance, was first seen foraging over an area of approximately seven acres. With the influx of other males, portions of this large tract were usurped and the territory of the original male was gradually reduced to an area of little more than an acre.
In this initial period, a male becomes identified with a large area but is restricted to an area of nearly typical size by the encroachment of other males. Territorial disputes in this period often involve physical contact, as well as protracted sessions of high-intensity singing at rates exceeding three hundred song-phrases per hour.
Eventually the carrying capacity of the habitat is reached and no further partitioning occurs. The beginning of nestbuilding coincides with this relative stabilization of the territorial boundaries. Through the remainder of the cycle of behavior associated with any one nest, all activity is that of the occupant pair within its territory.
Size of Territories
The nine original territories established in 1960 varied in size from 0.26 acre to 3.1 acres (Table 2). Fitch (1958:270) found the territories of several pairs of Bell Vireos at the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation to vary from 0.4 to 1 acre. Hensley (1950:243) estimated the size of the territory of a pair of Bell Vireos observed in Piatt County, Illinois, at 3.1 acres. Nolan (1960:227) records home ranges of 2 to 3 acres. The pairs that he studied were sole occupants of fields several acres larger than the portions actually utilized. His description of the vegetation indicates that most of the second growth was not much taller than 7 feet. As indicated elsewhere, the second-growth in my tract averaged 15 feet tall. The smaller average size of territory (1.25 acres) that I found is probably a function both of this greater vertical range of available foraging area and the much higher gross density of birds (40 pairs per 100 acres).
Permanence of Territories
Most pairs remain in their original territories throughout the summer, although some shift certain territorial boundaries. In 1960 pairs 2 and 6, in the course of selecting a site for a replacement nest, annexed adjacent areas previously occupied by other pairs. Pair 2 relocated in a space that originally included territories 1 and 4, and pair 6 built a nest in an area formerly occupied by pair 7. Males 1 and 4 were sacrificed for specimens and pair 7 probably was destroyed by a predator. Owing to the presence of a nest, the annexed area becomes the focal point of the activities of a pair, but the original area is regularly visited and may be returned to in a later renesting.
Table 2. Size of the Nine Original Territories Occupied in 1960.
| Territory | Date first occupied | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | May 3, 1960 | 1.6 acres |
| 2. | May 5, 1960 | 0.6 acre |
| 3. | May 7, 1960 | 0.26 acre |
| 4. | May 11, 1960 | 1.03 acres |
| 5. | May 12, 1960 | 2.07 acres |
| 6. | May 14, 1960 | 3.1 acres |
| 7. | May 13, 1960 | 1.7 acres |
| 8. | May 14, 1960 | 0.46 acre |
| 9. | May 14, 1960 | 0.4 acre |
| Average 1.25 acres | ||