During their biannual migrations, many birds stop to rest and refuel at areas known as stopover sites.  A number of these stopover sites are being threatened by human development and so are small islands of forest located amidst urban sprawl.  Currently, little is known about migratory bird use of stopover sites in urban areas and even less is known about the foods available in these areas.  In this study we determine the macronutrient composition and energy density of wild fruits found in a small urban fragment in Connecticut (CT), as well as the macronutrient composition and energy density of four grains commonly found in the birdfeeders around this forest fragment.  We then compare these estimates of nutrient composition and energy densities to those found in a previously published study of fruit available at an important stopover site in Rhode Island (RI).  Preliminary evidence suggests that birds eating a diet comprised solely of wild fruits would be unable to satisfy their daily energy requirements and would have to supplement their diets with grains and/or insects to obtain their protein requirements.  Current results from our study will be presented.  We suggest that urban forest fragments with shrub habitat where birds have access to wild fruits as well as local bird feeders may be as important to migrating birds as larger, more rural stopover sites such as that in RI.

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