Animal Sciences Commons^™

The Ornithogeography Of The Great Plains States, Paul A. Johnsgard

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It has long been recognized that the Great Plains represent a major transition zone in the distribution patterns of North American birds; field guides traditionally have treated the 100° W.longitude meridian as a convenient dividing line between eastern and western faunas. Furthermore, this line rather neatly bisects the political subdivisions of the Great Plains, namely the "plains states" extending from North Dakota southward through South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Of these, Texas is the least typical, its climate and fauna is strongly influenced by the Gulf Coast on the east and the Chihuahuan desert on the west. As a …

Sixty-Five Years Of Whooping Crane Records In Nebraska, Paul A. Johnsgard, Richard Redfield

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In 1933, Myron Swenk determined the status of the Whooping Crane in Nebraska by summarizing all of the records then available to him, and established the general pattern of timing and geographic distribution of Whooping Crane occurrence in this state. Although the population of this species has remained very low since that time, a sufficient number of observations have been made to warrant updating his analysis and comparing the more recent records with these earlier ones. During the summer of 1977 the junior author undertook such a summary as a class project, by extracting such records from all of the …

The Taxonomy And Relationships Of The Northern Swans, Paul A. Johnsgard

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The recent (1972) publication of the Wildfowl Trust's book The Swans has brought together an unprecedented array of information on all of the swans of the world, and makes it desirable to raise once again the question: how many species of northern swans are there, and what are their evolutionary relationships to one another? Delacour (1954) suggested the comprehensive vernacular name 'northern swans' to distinguish 'the various knobless white swans which breed in or near the Arctic parts of the northern hemisphere' from the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) and the three southern hemisphere swans. The northern swans have …

How Many Cranes Make A Skyful?, Paul A. Johnsgard

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Every year thousands of lesser sandhills congregate along the Platte River in Nebraska on their spring migration northwards. Mainly because of local damage caused by the birds during their fall migration, they have been legally hunted since 1961. Can the population survive such persistent destruction?

One may ask the question “How many cranes are enough?” This is perhaps analogous to the rhetorical question as to how many redwood trees are needed to make a viable forest; for a remnant crane population is not only unimpressive but also seemingly does not survive or reproduce well, judging from population trends in the …

Proximate And Ultimate Determinants Of Clutch Size In Anatidae, Paul A. Johnsgard

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In a stimulating analysis, Lack (1967, 1968a) reviewed waterfowl clutch size and egg size data, and concluded that interspecific variations in average clutch size are generally inversely related to those of relative egg size. Thus, he suggested that the average clutch size of each waterfowl species has evolved in relation to the average availability of food to the female around the time of nesting. He hypothesized that in waterfowl, relatively large eggs have probably evolved to provide the newly-hatched young with a large food supply (an idea he subsequently (1968b) questioned) or with an adequate insulating layer of fat. He …

The Elusive Tree Quails Of Mexico, Paul A. Johnsgard

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The three species of tree quails or wood-partridges, genus Dendrortyx, of Mexico and Central America are all surprisingly large — weighing up to one pound in the case of the largest species — and have relatively long tails that result in an overall body length of from 9 to 16 inches. Their beaks are large and heavy, and are related to their abilities to tear apart and consume fruits, flower buds, and similar materials.

Three species of tree quails have been described, all of which occur in moist montane forests, especially the mist-shrouded cloud forests that occur at elevations …

Torrent Ducks Of The Andes, Paul A. Johnsgard

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Throughout the world there is probably no more rigorous environment for waterfowl than that provided by the Andean streams in South America. Rushing down the mountains from an altitude of 18,000 feet or more, tumbling over precipices, the streams eventually merge and grow into such giants as the Orinoco, Amazon, and Rio de la Plata on the Atlantic slope, or empty direct into the Pacific on the west side. In the intermediate elevations, mainly between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, a remarkable duck, fittingly called the torrent duck (Merganetta armata) makes its home among the rapids and cataracts. This …

Observations On Sound Production In The Anatidae, Paul A. Johnsgard

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It has been known for a long time that, among non-passerine birds, the Anatidae are remarkable for the diversity of specializations in the trachea and syrinx, associated with sound production. It has also been recognised that these variations have taxonomic significance (Heinroth 1911; Johnsgard 1961), but virtually no attempts have been made to correlate the complex tracheal structures with the sounds produced. Yet the group offers many fascinating problems such as the adaptive significance of the looping of the trachea, either outside the body cavity as in the Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata, or inside the sternum as in the …

Review Of Waterfowl In Australia By H. J. Frith, Paul A. Johnsgard

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Our dearth of knowledge concerning Australian waterfowl has, until recently at least, been so severe as to once stimulate Ernst Mayr to write a paper (Emu, 45:229-232, 1946) reminding Australians how little was then known about their native waterfowl. The situation was especially serious in view of the fact that no fewer than six of Australia’s 19 species of indigenous waterfowl represent monotypic genera that are largely or entirely restricted to that continent. Furthermore, these include such phylogenetically significant and taxonomically controversial genera as Anseranas, Cereopsis, Malacorhynthus, and Stictonetta, the last two of which have never been available …

Some Observations On Maccoa Duck Behaviour, Paul A. Johnsgard

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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. …

Some Putative Mandarin Duck Hybrids, Paul A. Johnsgard

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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.

Inheritance Of Behavioral Characters In F2 Mallard X Pintail (Anas Platyrhynchos L. X Anas Acutas L.) Hybrids, Roger S. Sharpe, Paul A. Johnsgard

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The present study was undertaken to compare the inheritance of behavioral and morphological features of two closely related species of Anas, and to attempt to establish whether any significant degree of behavioral variation occurs in the second generation which could be attributed to these genetic processes.

Two closely related species of Anas, the Common Mallard (A. p. platyrhynchos) and the Common Pintail (A. a. acuta), were selected for study. Both species have been repeatedly hybridized in captivity (GRAY, 1958; PHILLIPS, 1915, 1921), and occasionally hybrids occur in the wild. MAYR (1963) has commented on the …

Behavioral Isolating Mechanisms In The Family Anatidae, Paul A. Johnsgard

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The ducks, geese, and swans present a host of species-recognition and isolating-mechanism problems that are equaled by few other groups of birds. As a family, the Anatidae have provided the greatest number of interspecific hybridization records of any avian family (see Gray, 1958, and Johnsgard, 1960a) both in captivity and under natural conditions. A surprising number of these hybrids have proved to be fertile, even when obtained between what appear to be well-marked genera. This remarkable capacity for hybridization indicates that isolating mechanisms must be operating effectively if species are to retain their integrity under natural conditions. Since genetic isolation …

The Taxonomy Of The Anatidae—A Behavioural Analysis, Paul A. Johnsgard

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Delacour & Mayr's (1945) classic revision of the Anatidae took waterfowl behaviour into account to a much larger degree than had any previous classifications of the group. However, their utilization of behaviour was primarily at the tribal and generic levels, and no real attempt was made to use behaviour for determining intrageneric relationships. Thus far only Lorenz (1941, 1951-1953) has seriously attempteq this with waterfowl, and his analysis of the relationships within the genus Anas (sensu Delacour & Mayr) has provided a remarkable insight into the evolution of this group. I have attempted to expand Lorenz's behavioural delineation of relationships …

Pair-Formation Mechanisms In Anas (Anatidae) And Related Genera, Paul A. Johnsgard

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Although the" courtship" behaviour of waterfowl has attracted widespread interest and has been the subject of several major papers (e.g. Heinroth 1911, Lorenz 1951-1953), the actual means by which pairs are formed in most species of waterfowl remains unknown. We may conclude by inference that the females of most species of ducks must actively "select" their mates, for the elaborate male displays and plumage patterns present in the group can only be reconciled in terms of sexual selection. In addition, any observer of waterfowl will soon realize that it is the males which actively " court" the females, and that …

An Electrophoretic Study Of Egg-White Proteins In Twenty-Three Breeds Of The Domestic Fowl, Charles G. Sibley, Paul A. Johnsgard

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A "conservative" taxonomic character is one which preserves evidence of evolutionary relationships. As Mayr (1942: 296) points out such characters are rare because structures are usually lost quickly when no longer needed and selection seldom neglects a functional structure for very long but continually modifies it as adaptive fitness is increased. However, because different characters evolve at different rates it is possible to find some characters which have changed more slowly than others and to use these as phylogenetic indicators. In birds, for example, plumage color and structure apparently change more rapidly than the skeleton or the muscular system. This …

The Relation Of Spring Bird Distribution To A Vegetation Mosaic In Southeastern Washington, Paul A. Johnsgard, W. H. Rickard

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Climax vegetation is of particular interest for study since it is the oldest and most stable vegetation of a region and should be expected to have a distinctive complement of animals. The purpose of this investigation was to observe the predilection of birds for stands representing climax plant associations in a remnant of native grassland in southeastern Washington.

The grasslands of this region were rapidly converted from grazing use to wheat production beginning about 65 years ago (Daubenmire 1942) and as a result only a few scattered remnants of native vegetation remain today. Associated with changes in vegetation there have …

Effects Of Water Fluctuation And Vegetation Change On Bird Populations, Particularly Waterfowl, Paul A. Johnsgard

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In recent years reclamation activities in the Columbia Basin of Washington have resulted in profound changes in the character of the entire landscape throughout this region. The present study is an attempt to clarify some of the biological effects of impoundment behind O'Sullivan Dam in the Potholes area, Grant County (Johnsgard 1955b). In this area, a large expanse of moving sand dunes and a high water table are responsible for causing the formation of numerous small water areas, or "potholes," between the dunes. The physical nature of the area and its limited potentialities have made it of little value to …

Fall Distribution Of Birds In A Palouse River Canyon, Frank B. Golley, Paul A. Johnsgard

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During the fall and winter of 1953 the writers undertook a general ecological study of a portion of the Palouse River valley, near Armstrong, Whitman County, Washington. During the course of these investigations records were kept on the numbers of birds observed and the vegetation in which they were located. It was anticipated that these observations might indicate bird-use of the major vegetational types found in the area. Several investigators (Dumas 1950; Wing 1949) have published distributional data for birds of the Palouse grassland during the nesting, period, but few have been concerned with distribution patterns during the fall migration.