Life Sciences Commons^™

Asynchronous Movement Patterns Between Breeding And Stopover Locations In A Long-Distance Migratory Songbird, Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Andrea Contina, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Leanne K. Kuwahara, Daniel C. Allen, Kristen M. Covino

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The species-specific migratory patterns and strategies of many songbirds remain unknown or understudied, as research in animal ecology is biased toward the breeding period, with the fewest studies on the migratory period across taxa. Identifying large-scale spatiotemporal migratory patterns is challenging, as individuals within a species may vary in their migratory behavior and strategies. The Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) is a Nearctic-Neotropical migrant that is relatively well studied during the breeding season, but its species-wide migratory patterns remain understudied. Our aim in studying Yellow Warbler movement ecology was to characterize temporal migration patterns during fall migration. We sought …

Eviction-Driven Infanticide And Sexually Selected Adoption And Infanticide In A Neotropical Parrot, Steven R. Beissinger, Karl S. Berg

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Significance

Infanticide and adoption are puzzling forms of sexual conflict and cooperation, respectively. However, both may be explained by sexual selection, where an individual later reproduces with the parent whose offspring it killed or adopted. While sexually selected infanticide is well known, evidence for sexually selected adoption is anecdotal. Our long-term study of a parrotlet in Venezuela found infanticide attacks were mostly enacted by nonbreeding pairs attempting to evict parents from their nests to usurp the cavity. Infanticide attacks occurred less often at nests where a parent died, and adoption by stepparents was as common as infanticide. Becoming an adoptive …

Habitat Use And Winter Site Fidelity Of Lincoln’S Sparrow (Melospiza Lincolnii) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Timothy Brush, Hugh E. Conway, Catherine C. Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Strength Of Migratory Connectivity In Painted Buntings Is Spatial Scale Dependent And Shaped By Molting Behavior, Andrew J. Sharp, Andrea Contina, Viviana Ruiz-Gutiérrez,, T. Scott Sillett, Eli S. Bridge, Elizabeth M. Besozzi, John A. Muller, Jeffrey Kelly, Aaron M. Given, Clark S. Rushing

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

As migratory species move through the stages of their annual cycle, individuals often display variation in the degree to which they remain in proximity to one another, a phenomenon called migratory connectivity. We show scale dependence in the strength of migratory connectivity in Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris), a North American passerine with disjunct eastern and interior breeding populations. Based on light-level geolocator data from 112 individuals at 11 breeding sites, migratory connectivity between breeding and wintering grounds was strong at the range-wide scale, with interior and eastern Painted Buntings remaining separated throughout the annual cycle. Conversely, migratory connectivity …

Winter Connectivity And Leapfrog Migration In A Migratory Passerine, Rafael Rueda‐Hernández, Christen M. Bossu, Thomas B. Smith, Andrea Contina, Ricardo Canales Del Castillo, Kristen Ruegg, Blanca E. Hernández-Baños

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Technological advances in migratory tracking tools have revealed a remarkable diversity in migratory patterns. One such pattern is leapfrog migration, where individuals that breed further north migrate to locations further south. Here, we analyzed migration patterns in the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) using a genetic‐based approach. We started by mapping patterns of genetic variation across geographic space (called a genoscape) using 386 individuals from 25 populations across the breeding range. We then genotyped an additional 230 samples from 31 migration stopover locations and 178 samples from 16 wintering locations to map patterns of migratory connectivity. Our analyses of …

Genetic And Ecological Drivers Of Molt In A Migratory Bird, Andrea Contina, Christen M. Bossu, Daniel Allen, Michael B. Wunder, Kristen Ruegg

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The ability of animals to sync the timing and location of molting (the replacement of hair, skin, exoskeletons or feathers) with peaks in resource availability has important implications for their ecology and evolution. In migratory birds, the timing and location of pre-migratory feather molting, a period when feathers are shed and replaced with newer, more aerodynamic feathers, can vary within and between species. While hypotheses to explain the evolution of intraspecific variation in the timing and location of molt have been proposed, little is known about the genetic basis of this trait or the specific environmental drivers that may result …

Application Of Stable Isotopes To Study Movement Ecology And Diet Variation In A Migratory Songbird, Andrea Contina, Allison K. Pierce, Scott W. Yanco, Eli S. Bridge, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Michael B. Wunder

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Whether and how migratory organisms exhibit interindividual behavioral and/or physiological variation across movement strategies remains an open question. The Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) is a migratory songbird known for its intraspecies variation displayed in relation to morphology, song repertoires, and migration. Thus, studies focusing on juncos can reveal how migratory strategy may covary with other individual-scale factors and, therefore, identify the selective forces driving intraspecies variations throughout its distribution. We used Dark-eyed Junco hydrogen stable isotope feather values (δ²H) and implemented a Bayesian framework to infer the breeding and molting origin of migratory juncos captured on their winter grounds in …

Habitat Loss Exacerbates Pathogen Spread: An Agent-Based Model Of Avian Influenza Infection In Migratory Waterfowl, Shenglai Yin, Yanjie Xu, Mingshuai Xu, Mart C M De Jong, Mees Rs Huisman, Andrea Contina, Herbert H T Prins, Zheng Y X Huang, Willem F. De Boer

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Habitat availability determines the distribution of migratory waterfowl along their flyway, which further influences the transmission and spatial spread of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). The extensive habitat loss in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) may have potentially altered the virus spread and transmission, but those consequences are rarely studied. We constructed 6 fall migration networks that differed in their level of habitat loss, wherein an increase in habitat loss resulted in smaller networks with fewer sites and links. We integrated an agent-based model and a susceptible-infected-recovered model to simulate waterfowl migration and AIV transmission. We found that extensive habitat loss …

A Tail Of Plumage Colouration: Disentangling Geographic, Seasonal And Dietary Effects On Plumage Colour In A Migratory Songbird, Sean M. Mahoney, Matthew W. Reudink, Andrea Contina, Kelly A. Roberts, Veronica T. Schabert, Emily G. Gunther, Kristen M. Covino

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plumage ornamentation in birds serves critical inter- and intra-sexual signaling functions. While carotenoid-based plumage colouration is often viewed as a classic condition-dependent sexually selected trait, plumage colouration can be influenced by a wide array of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Understanding the mechanisms underlying variation in colouration is especially important for species where the signaling function of ornamental traits is complex or when the literature is conflicting. Here, we examined variation in the yellow/orange tail feathers of American redstarts Setophaga ruticilla passing through two migratory stopover sites in eastern North America during both spring and fall migration to assess the …

Filling The Gap: Molting Behavior Of Colima Warblers And Research Opportunities For Understudied North American Songbirds, Benjamin Gochanour, Jose L. Alcantara, Paula Cimprich, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Andrea Contina

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We implemented stable isotope analysis to evaluate the molt behavior of the Colima warbler (Leiothlypis crissalis), an understudied migratory songbird occurring in Mexico and recently discovered breeding in the southern part of Texas, USA. We built a geostatistical model showing variation in deuterium precipitation values (d2Hp) across a latitudinal gradient within the Colima warbler breeding range in northeastern Mexico. Then, based on stable isotope ratios of deuterium in feathers (d2Hf), we assigned wintering Colima warblers captured in Central Mexico to possible molting areas near the southwestern portion of the species' breeding range. To the best of our knowledge, this is …

Home Range Dynamics And Juvenile Dispersal Of Gray Hawks In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Michael Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Using GPS-GSM transmitters I determined when 14 juvenile Gray Hawks (Buteo plagiatus) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas fledged from their natal areas and how far they traveled once they dispersed. These transmitters also allowed me to calculate home range sizes for 22 adults. Additionally, with the GPS-GSM transmitters and 15 VHF transmitters, I discovered that adult Gray Hawks in the study area remained in their territories year-round. Home range sizes were calculated using the minimum convex polygon estimator, the estimation of kernel home-range, and the estimation of kernel Brownian bridge home-range. The same three methods allowed me …

Duet Phonology And Syntax Of The Red-Crowned Parrots In South Texas, Abigail Pozulp

Theses and Dissertations

Bird behavioral interaction systems show a preference for temporal precision. This preference is exemplified in the way many species avoid masking of vocal signals. Antiphonal duetting in songbirds suggest that overlapping notes are a sign of poor temporal coordination which can signify a weak pairbond, a possible cue for conspecifics seeking to usurp territories or mates. However, parrots (Psittacidae) are accomplished yet understudied duetters in nature. I recorded antiphonal duets produced by a wild population of red-crowned parrots (Amazona viridigenalis) in Brownsville, Texas. Temporal and acoustic variation of signals was assessed within and across a sample of mated …

Effects Of Early Corticosterone Treatment On Vocal Babbling In Wild Green-Rumped Parrotlets (Forpus Passerinus), Celia Rose Mclean

Theses and Dissertations

The stress axis of the endocrine system allows for animals to respond to environmental stressors in contextually appropriate ways. Elevated levels of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in male songbirds can result in compromised song learning ability. Parrots form a sister group to songbirds, but it is unknown whether CORT affects vocal development in parrots. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of CORT supplements in green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus), a free-ranging parrot species in Venezuela. Bouts of vocal babbling were extracted from nest box videos and analyzed. CORT supplementation resulted in differences in babbling …

Organizational Effects Of Exogenous Corticosterone On Vocal Development In A Wild Parrot, Rory Eggleston

Theses and Dissertations

Songbirds learn songs during a plastic phase in vocal development, similar to human vocal babbling. Research has focused on male song learning, a process influenced by gonadal steroids. Like humans, parrots are very plastic vocal learners and both sexes learn vocalizations throughout life. It is unclear how the endocrine system mediates environmental information with developing phenotypes in parrots. Corticosterone (CORT) is a sex-neutral hormone that can affect cognitive development, but its role in vocal development has not been experimentally tested in wild parrots. I quantified vocal babbling from nestling Green-rumped Parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) recorded in Venezuela. Nestlings received oral CORT-oil …

Social Influences On Vocal Development In A Wild Parrot, Caleb Michael Mand Arellano

Theses and Dissertations

The Social Intelligence Hypothesis (SIH) proposes that navigating complex societies requires increased neural processing to monitor shifting relationships. SIH evolutionary focus of brain size variation in adults originally ignored the developmental frameworks leading to increased sociality. I studied the ontogeny of early sibling interactions in wild Green‐rumped Parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) in a Venezuelan population that exhibited large variation in brood size and engaged in elaborate social interactions and complex social learning during nestling development. To test if nests of varying brood sizes exhibit differences in social complexity, I quantified the number and strength of sibling play partnerships, as a proxy …

Genetic Structure Of The Painted Bunting And Its Implications For Conservation Of Migratory Populations, Andrea Contina, Jose L. Alcantara, Eli S. Bridge, Jeremy D. Ross, William F. Oakley, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Kristen Ruegg

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Painted Bunting Passerina ciris is a Neotropical songbird which breeds primarily in the USA during the summer and migrates to Mexico, Central America, southern Florida and the Caribbean over the winter. Male Painted Buntings are brightly coloured, which makes them highly sought after as pets, particularly in Mexico, Central America and Europe. We used short sequence repeats (microsatellite DNA) to investigate the population genetic structure of the Painted Bunting and its implications in conservation management of migratory populations. We found a detectable level of population differentiation as revealed by pairwise FST and RST comparisons and Bayesian clustering …

Varying Dataset Resolution Alters Predictive Accuracy Of Spatially Explicit Ensemble Models For Avian Species Distribution, Claire M. Curry, Jeremy D. Ross, Andrea Contina, Eli S. Bridge

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Species distribution models can be made more accurate by use of new “Spatiotemporal Exploratory Models” (STEMs), a type of spatially explicit ensemble model (SEEM) developed at the continental scale that averages regional models pixel by pixel. Although SEEMs can generate more accurate predictions of species distributions, they are computationally expensive. We compared the accuracies of each model for 11 grassland bird species and examined whether they improve accuracy at a statewide scale for fine and coarse predictor resolutions. We used a combination of survey data and citizen science data for 11 grassland bird species in Oklahoma to test a spatially …

Impacts Of Habitat Attributes And Community Gardens On Urban Bird Communities, Samuel Glenn Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations

The Rio Grande Valley of Southern Texas is a major agricultural region yet has some of the highest hunger rates in the USA. Urbanization and agriculture affect biodiversity, which is well studied, but little is known about how agriculture affects biodiversity in urban areas. We investigated how different urban attributes, including those related to urban farming, impact bird communities in Brownsville and Harlingen, TX, and compared sites that have community gardens to those that do not. To study three key urban habitat characteristics, we identified sites that exhibited all possible combinations of these factors, quantified land cover classes related to …

Winter Site Fidelity Of Orange-Crowned Warblers (Oreothlypis Celata) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Mark H. Conway, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract—We documented between-winter site fidelity of orange-crowned warblers (Oreothlypis celata) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, between 2004 and 2017. Overall, we recaptured 13.9% of the 201 banded birds in ‡1 subsequent winter season: 20.8% of the 101 birds banded in urban natural areas, and 7.0% of the 100 banded in rural areas. We recaptured 8 birds ‡3 winters after their initial capture, indicating extended winter site fidelity.

Resumen—Documentamos la fidelidad al sitio invernal de los chipes olivaceos (Oreothlypis celata) en el Valle del R´ıo Grande Baja de Texas entre 2004 y 2017. En general, se …

Examination Of Clock And Adcyap1 Gene Variation In A Neotropical Migratory Passerine, Andrea Contina, Eli S. Bridge, Jeremy D. Ross, J. Ryan Shipley, Jeffrey F. Kelly

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Complex behavioral traits, such as those making up a migratory phenotype, are regulated by multiple environmental factors and multiple genes. We investigated possible relationships between microsatellite variation at two candidate genes implicated in the control of migratory behavior, Clock and Adcyap1, and several aspects of migratory life-history and evolutionary divergence in the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), a species that shows wide variation in migratory and molting strategies across a disjunct distribution. We focused on Clock and Adcyap1 microsatellite variation across three Painted Bunting populations in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and North Carolina, and for the Oklahoma breeding population we …

Temporal Migration Patterns Between Natal Locations Of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus Colubris) And Their Gulf Coast Stopover Site, Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Andrea Contina, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Frank R. Moore

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Autumn latitudinal migrations generally exhibit one of two different temporal migration patterns: type 1 where southern populations migrate south before northern populations, or type 2 where northern populations overtake southern populations en route. The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species with an expansive breeding range, which allows opportunities to examine variation in the timing of migration. Our objective was to determine a relationship between natal origin of ruby-throated hummingbirds and arrival at a Gulf coast stopover site; and if so, what factors, such as differences in body size across the range as well as the …

The Vocal Babbling Behavior And Its Sibling Effects In A Wild Parrot, Tatiana Dolgushina

Theses and Dissertations

Vocal learning is a rare trait in the animal kingdom, defined as the sensorimotor imitation of sounds, and is only found in select groups of birds and mammals. Parrots are a behaviorally complex group of birds, famous for their ability to mimic social companions, but how they develop this ability in the wild has received little attention. The vocal learning period consists of a complex vocal babbling stage, a crucial developmental precursor for imitation of adult vocalizations in humans and songbirds, but has not been described in any of the 360+ parrot species. This project quantifies potential individual variation in …

The Breeding Bird Community Of A Remnant Urban Woodland In Mcallen, Texas, John S. Brush, Alexis Racelis, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We conducted a breeding bird survey of a remnant thorn-forest at McAllen Nature Center in 2015 and 2016 to assess the breeding bird community and compare it to that of a larger, exurban refuge. We recorded 37 territorial species in McAllen Nature Center, including 15 species not reported at the exurban tract. Thirteen of these predominantly used the more open, human -maintained habitats in the northern and western sides of the park. The presence of many common thorn-forest birds, including a subset of the regions “South Texas specialty” species, is encouraging. Small remnant woodlands such as McAllen Nature Center may …

Foraging Patterns And Population Density Of The Buff-Bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia Yucatanensis) In Hidalgo County, Tx, Megan I. Villarreal

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to examine the foraging patterns and population density of the Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis ) in Hidalgo County, TX. Previous studies showed that hummingbirds use flowers displaying traditional bird pollination (ornithophilous) characteristics: reddish coloration, tubular corolla, and extended anthers. Observation sessions noted type and frequency of flowering species utilized for nectar, characteristics, and number of individuals seen in each area. Amazilia yucatanensis showed higher use of ornithophilous flowers. Significant results found: f-ratio 5.45 > p-value (0.05) 3.24. Two highly utilized species showed the expected 20–40% sucrose content expected in ornithophilous flowers. Population density per …

Nesting Ecology Of The Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma Imberbe) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Usa, Scott M. Werner, Sallie J. Hejl, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

During 2002–2003, we studied the breeding ecology of the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe), a poorly known and rare permanent resident in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, United States of America. We found 28 nests in clusters of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) or ball moss (T. recurvata), 93% of which were in cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia) trees. Nest-building, incubation, and nestling periods averaged 7.0, 14.0, and 18.5 days, respectively. Of the 28 nests, 43% were successful, while 38% of the failed nests showed obvious signs of depredation. Nests were located in …

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park Breeding Bird Monitoring Data Fy 2014, Kenneth D. Pruitt

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Data are part of the GULN Inventory and Monitoring Program Land bird monitoring project for PAAL. Data were collected by Kenneth Pruit through a cooperative agreement with GULN and UT Brownsville in 2014. A separate reference is available for the Field Sheets that accompanies this data set.

https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2218507

Painted Redstarts In South Texas, 2013-2014, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Factors Shaping The Ontogeny Of Vocal Signals In A Wild Parrot, Karl S. Berg, Steven R. Beissinger, Jack W. Bradbury

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Parrots rely heavily on vocal signals to maintain their social and mobile lifestyles. We studied vocal ontogeny in nests of wild green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) in Venezuela. We identified three successive phases of vocal signaling that corresponded closely to three independently derived phases of physiological development. For each ontogenetic phase, we characterized the relative importance of anatomical constraints, motor skills necessary for responding to specific contexts of the immediate environment, and the learning of signals that are necessary for adult forms of communication. We observed shifts in the relative importance of these three factors as individuals progressed from …

Great Curassow And Crested Guan Near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Great Curassow (Crax rubra) and Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens) were rediscovered in the Ciudad Victoria area of southwestern Tamaulipas, Mexico for the first time since 1909. Birds were found in low elevation canyons containing permanent running water, with riparian forest dominated by Montezuma bald-cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) and steep scrub-covered slopes. These records represent the northernmost known points of the ranges of both species. Additional field work will be needed to determine whether these small populations are isolated from the nearest known populations in the El Cielo/Gómez Farías area of southern Tamaulipas.

Additions To The Breeding Avifauna Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The breeding avifauna of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas has experienced many changes during the 20th century, primarily because of declines in native habitats due to land being converted to agriculture and urban habitats. This paper summarizes changes in breeding avifauna from 2003–2007 in the area. Breeding has been confi rmed for Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), and Mangrove Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia oraria) for the fi rst time, and for Gray-crowned Yellowthroat (Geothlypis poliocephala) and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) after periods of apparent absence. Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus) is a possible breeder, based …