Habitat selection and interspecific competition between Sylvia warblers in Cyprus following the rapid expansion of a recent colonizer

Many island endemics around the world have evolved from populations of colonists. Further colonizations may lead to interactions between older and newer colonists. Little is known, however, regarding the impact of more recent island colonizers on incumbent congeners, partly because of a dearth of examples of natural colonizations in the recent past. Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala) recently colonized Cyprus and has rapidly expanded its breeding range. We examined the impact of the Sardinian Warbler colonization on the endemic Cyprus Warbler (S. melanothorax) and on another congener, the Spectacled Warbler (S. conspicillata). We performed 402 population surveys in 32 sample plots across the island, covering five different habitat types and variation across three seasons. Our results show that Cyprus Warbler has undergone a significant decline during the five years of the study, especially in disturbed habitats, while Sardinian and Spectacled Warbler populations have remained stable. Although the longer established Spectacled Warbler clearly segregated habitat with Cyprus Warbler, Sardinian Warbler numbers were negatively associated with Cyprus Warbler abundance, suggesting its presence may contribute to the endemic's decline. Maquis scrub was favored by both Cyprus Warbler and Sardinian Warbler, but the latter also occurred in high densities in disturbed habitats. The colonizer's prevalence in disturbed, mixed habitat, suggests it may replace the endemic in parts of its former range following anthropogenic perturbations. Natural colonizations may contribute to rapid population declines in island endemics in a similar way to introduced species, especially when combined with strong effects of habitat disturbance.