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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Potential Of Uncut Patches To Increase The Nesting Success Of Grassland Songbirds In Intensively Managed Hayfields: A Preliminary Study From The Champlain Valley Of Vermont, Roger J. Masse, Allan M. Strong, Noah G. Perlut
The Potential Of Uncut Patches To Increase The Nesting Success Of Grassland Songbirds In Intensively Managed Hayfields: A Preliminary Study From The Champlain Valley Of Vermont, Roger J. Masse, Allan M. Strong, Noah G. Perlut
Environmental Studies Faculty Publications
Changes in land use and intensification of agricultural practices are associated with declines of grassland songbird populations in North America. Hay harvests in the northeastern United States are occurring earlier and more frequently today than 30 years ago, resulting in substantially decreased nesting success of grassland songbirds on early-hayed fields. Few studies have examined whether uncut patches within fields cut during the breeding season can increase the nesting success of grassland songbirds. Twenty-nine artificial nests were placed in 17 uncut patches (mean = 0.337 ha, median = 0.103 ha) on four early-hayed fields in Shelburne, VT. Only one of the …
Simultaneous Incubation By Two Females And Nestling Provisioning By Four Adults At A Savannah Sparrow Nest, Nathan J. Zalik, Noah G. Perlut
Simultaneous Incubation By Two Females And Nestling Provisioning By Four Adults At A Savannah Sparrow Nest, Nathan J. Zalik, Noah G. Perlut
Environmental Studies Faculty Publications
We present the first observations of misdirected parental care by Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) including a rare occurrence of simultaneous incubation. Two females simultaneously incubated eggs, brooded, and fed nestlings, and two males fed nestlings in one nest. These behaviors may have been prompted by strong parental instincts in combination with a stressful breeding environment mediated by hayfield management, as any genetic benefits were unlikely.