| The San Clemente Bell's sparrow (Artemisiospiza belli clementeae) is a federally threatened non-migratory subspecies endemic to San Clemente Island, California. The US Navy has monitored the breeding population over a decade, but until 2013, no formal research was conducted during the non-breeding season. Published accounts of similar mainland species and previous anecdotal non-breeding season observations from San Clemente Island described sparrows ceasing singing and leaving breeding territories to form loose roaming flocks. From July-December, 2013-2015 we monitored non-breeding season behavior on 402 study plots ranging in size from 4-22 ha. We recorded data including frequency and timing of singing, flocking, and territorial behaviors, as well as locations of banded adults. We recorded 3,366 encounters of Bell's sparrows. We found 202 (6%) in flocks of ~4 and 150 (4.5%) singing males. We found no relationship between frequency of these behaviors and date, rainfall, or relative Bell's sparrow density. We found 78% (91 of 116) of banded adult observations were <350m from their breeding season locations. Our findings suggest less flocking behavior, greater seasonal philopatry, and more singing during the non-breeding season than expected. This information will be used to inform future monitoring and population recovery efforts. |