Life Sciences Commons^™

Some Observations On Maccoa Duck Behaviour, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

The recent comprehensive review of Maccoa Duck Oxyura maccoa biology by Clark (1964) has provlded the first detailed summary of the species' reproductive behaviour patterns and other aspects of breeding in this little-studied stiff-tail. It has been evident that the evolutionary relationships of the Maccoa Duck to the other southern hemisphere stiff-tails and the northern species of Oxyura are still uncertain at best, as evidenced by the varied taxonomic treatment that the Maccoa has received from Delacour and Mayr (1945), who regarded it as a race of O. australis, from Boetticher (1952), who consldered it as a race of O. …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 44, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Parental Carrying Of Young By Waterfowl, Paul A. Johnsgard, Janet Kear

Papers in Ornithology

A review of literature reveals that published accounts of parental carrying among waterfowl are numerous and of diverse origins. Parental carrying on the back while swimming has been reliably seen in three species of swans, two sheldgeese, and at least seven species of ducks. Parental carrying of young in flight has also been reported for at least 16 species representing seven of the generally recognized waterfowl tribes. The majority of such accounts have involved carrying the young in the bill, a possibility that is somewhat substantiated by reliable observations of egg or eggshell carrying by females of several species. In …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 44, No. 3), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Nesting Ecology Of The Great Horned Owl Bubo Virginianus In Central Western Utah, Dwight Glenn Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Information was collected on the nesting ecology of the Great Horned Owl, with particular emphasis placed on aspects of its population and distribution, territoriality and predation. The study was conducted for the two years, 1967 and 1968 in the Thorpe and Topliff hills of central western Utah. Nesting densities on the study area were .36 pairs per square mile in 1967 and .40 pairs per square mile in 1968. Nests averaged one mile apart and were distributed in the periphery of the hills, overlooking the desert valleys. Favorite nest sites were cliff niches, but abandoned quarries and junipers were also …

Nesting Ecology Of The Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo Regalis) In West-Central Utah, John Bradford Weston

Theses and Dissertations

During the spring seasons of 1967 and 1968 ecological studies were made of nesting Ferruginou.s Hawks (Buteo regalis) in a 325 square mile area in west-central Utah. In the springs of 1967 and 1968 a systematic search was conducted throughout the study area for Ferruginous Hawk nests. When active nests were located they were kept under observation throughout the study. The density of nesting pairs in 1967 and 1968 ranged from 7 to 15.4 square miles per pair. An annual seasonal displacement was exhibited, with Ferruginous Hawks being present in the study area only during the nesting season, which lasted …

Niche Differentiating Mechanisms In Two Sympatric Species Of Swallows, David Thomas Moody

All Master's Theses

The present study considers certain aspects of the ecologies of cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and bam swallows (Hirundo rustica) in an area of overlap, where both species are found nesting together and foraging over the same fields. Careful attention was given to foraging flight patterns, foraging elevations, and food consumed by each species in an effort to determine whether or not there is any evidence of competition for food resources. Aggressive interactions between the species were recorded, and the general timing of their nesting cycles was noted.

Foraging Dives By Surface-Feeding Ducks, Janet Kear, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Recently, R. I. Smith (1966. Wilson Bull., 78:483-484) questioned, among other things, the occurrence of foraging dives by Pintails (Anas acuta). The authors note observations and published accounts of diving behavior of wild Pintails as well as a number of other surface-feeding species.

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 44, No. 2), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Distributional Changes And Interaction Between Prairie Chickens And Sharp-Tailed Grouse In The Midwest, Paul A. Johnsgard, Robert E. Wood

Papers in Ornithology

The "prairie grouse" of North America present an interesting example of the effects of human activities on breeding distribution patterns of birds, with resulting changes in geographic distribution and spacial isolation. Thus, the Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido) was one of the most familiar birds to the early colonists, who relied heavily on it for food. Ultimately, loss of habitat caused the Heath Hen's extinction. When the vast tall-grass prairies west of the Appalachians were settled, Greater Prairie Chickens (T. c. pinnatus) were probably more plentiful, and greatly increased as woods were cleared and grain crops supplemented native grasses. With …

The Evolution Of Duck Courtship, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

The courtship of ducks is unusual in several aspects. In temperate zones it generally begins very early, usually on the wintering grounds, so courtship is not a manifestation of territorial proclamation and defense as is the case with many songbirds. Nor, because of its early initiation, is courtship closely correlated with gonad growth and fertilization; rather, pair formation is normally completed prior to the period of maximum gonadal activity. Therefore, reproductive behavior in ducks may be conveniently divided into an early phase of conspicuous displays associated with actual pair formation, followed by the later and less elaborate behavior patterns concerned …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 44, No. 1), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Adventitious Reinforcement In Operant Discrimination, Alan Kamil, John W. Davenport

Avian Cognition Papers

Rats were trained in 2 S^D-S^Δ discrimination experiments in which the effects of an S^D-postponement contingency during S^Δ and temporal regularity of S^Δ duration were assessed. Experiment I showed that discrimination is markedly facilitated by the presence of an S^D-postponement contingency of either fixed or variable duration. Experiment II showed that variable-duration S^Δ periods in a noncontingent schedule can also greatly enhance formation of an operant discrimination. These effects were attributed to differences in the probability of adventitious reinforcement of S^Δ behavior by S^D events.

The Red-Whiskered Bulbul, John L. Long

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Widely distributed in both Africa and Asia, Bulbuls are a largely tropical group of fruit eating birds ranging in size from that of a house sparrow to a blackbird.

Some Putative Mandarin Duck Hybrids, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

Prestwich (1960) and Gray (1958) have concluded, mirroring Delacour and Mayr (1945) and Seth-Smith (1922), that the Mandarin Duck is unable to hybridize, even with its nearest living relative the Wood Duck. After reviewing the literature, however, I listed (1960) the Mandarin Duck as having probably hybridized with the Wood Duck, and also mentioned the possibility of hybridization with one or more species of Anas. Since then I have been hopeful that actual specimens of Mandarin Duck hybrids might be located to substantiate this vulnerable position, and it is now possible to report on some probable hybrids.

Studies On Blood Parasites Of Birds In Coles County, Illinois, Edward G. Fox

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Studies On The Avifauna Of Burgner Acres, An Upland Stream-Side, Ash-Elm Forest And Its Edge, Kerry Lee Bryan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Aerodynamics Of Flapping Birdflight, Carol Coughlin, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

Survey Of Albino Birds In Arkansas, Earl L. Hanebrink

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Indian Mynah, John L. Long

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Common or Indian Mynah (Acridotheres tristis) inhabits Afghanistan, Baluchistan, southern Russian Turkestan, India, Ceylon and the Andaman Islands.

The Spice Finch, John L. Long

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Spice Finch (Lonchura punctulata) is also known as Nutmeg Finch or Mannikin, Spice bird, Spotted Munia, Common Munia, Ricebird and Scaly-breasted Munia.

It is an east and south east Asian species inhabiting Malaya, Singapore, Penang, India, Ceylon, Burma, Indo-China, Yunnan, Formosa and the Philippines.

The dangers associated with such a species being introduced to Western Australia are great.