Zoology Commons^™

Left-Sided Directional Bias Of Cloacal Contacts During House Sparrow Copulations, Karen B. Nyland, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe

Peer Reviewed Publications

Most female birds have only a left ovary and associated oviduct. The entry to the oviduct is on the left side of the urodeum of the cloaca. This arrangement may favor males that mount females from the left during copulation if it results in sperm being placed closer to the opening of the oviduct. Therefore, we predicted a left-sided directional bias of cloacal contacts during House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) copulations. Cloacal contacts from the left outnumbered those from the right 74 to 25 (3:1) during 25 bouts of copulation at 11 House Sparrow nests. While this pattern suggests …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2003]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2003) 71(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2003 ... 146

Breeding Black-necked Stilts at Funk Waterfowl Production Area ... 166

Another Sandhill Crane Breeding Record in the Eastern Rainwater Basin ... 167

Halsey Fall Field Days ... 169

Index to Volume 71 ... 173

Subscription and Organization Information ... 183

Breeding Black-Necked Stilts At Funk Waterfowl Production Area, Jeff Drahota

Nebraska Bird Review

On 21 July 2003, I was mapping wetland vegetation on Funk Waterfowl Production Area (WPA), Phelps County, when I encountered two adult Black-necked Stilts and two young on the Teal Unit, NE 1/4 of Section 16, T-6-N, R-17-W. I was using an airboat to map pockets of open water throughout the WPA. When I launched the airboat on the Teal Unit, I immediately noticed an adult Black-necked Stilt flying above the small pool. While driving the perimeter of this pool, I noticed two adult Black-necked Stilts continually flying over a small point of cattails surrounded by shallow water. As I …

Halsey Fall Field Days, Alice Kenitz

Nebraska Bird Review

Forty-one NOU members and friends gathered at the 4-H Camp at Halsey in the Nebraska National Forest on September 26–28, 2003, for the annual Fall Field Days. Fall colors were beautiful and the weather was generally good except for a brisk wind on Friday and Saturday. The ongoing drought was evident in the low level of lakes and ponds, with some of the smaller bodies of water being completely dry.

Fall Field Report, August-November 2003, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

New in this Seasonal Report, direct from the American Ornithologists' Union (along with Wilson's Snipe, Rock Pigeon, etc.), is the modified checklist order, featuring geese, swans, and ducks at the beginning, followed by gallinaceous birds, then resuming the familiar order with loons.

Perhaps the most important use for these reports, in addition to their incorporation into the Southern Great Plains Region summary in North American Birds, is the noting of significant avian events in Nebraska. Some are of obvious importance, but the meaning of others is obscure, perhaps only to be revealed as subsequent reports show a trend, or …

Index To Volume 71

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 71

Another Sandhill Crane Breeding Record In The Eastern Rainwater Basin, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

Jorgensen (2002) recently summarized breeding-season occurrences of the Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) in the Eastern Rainwater Basin (eRWB). Summering birds were first detected in 1992 (The Nebraska Bird Review 60: 145). Breeding first occurred in 1994 with four additional nesting or breeding records in subsequent years. The most recent breeding records were in 1999 when breeding activity was detected at both Kissinger Basin Wildlife Management Area (WMA) (Hoffman 1999) and Harvard Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) (Silcock and Jorgensen 1999), both in Clay County. Since late 1999 the eRWB has experienced persistent drought. This has affected wetland conditions …

Breeding Distribution And Habitat Use Of Audubon's Oriole In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Steven Gerald Monk

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Audubon's Oriole ( Icterus graduacauda ) was known historically throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas, but its breeding range has now declined to mainly riparian habitat in Starr County. Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, and brood parasitism by Bronzed Cowbirds ( Molothrus aeneus ) are likely causes of this decline. Habitat patches where Audubon's Orioles were present were larger, with a larger vertical range of canopy, greater vegetation volume, greater richness of bird and woody plant species, less local deforestation, and less local habitat fragmentation than where Audubon's Orioles were absent. Bronzed Cowbirds showed no numeric correlation …

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2003]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2003) 71(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2003 ... 106

Autumn Roosting Habitat for Chimney Swifts in Eastern Omaha ... 127 [Article not included at the request of the author]

2002 (14th) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 136

Subscription and Organization Information ... 143

Summer Field Report, June-July 2003, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

To begin on a sad note, I want to mention the passing of Roger Sharpe, senior author with Joel Jorgensen and me of Birds of Nebraska. Roger was great to work with, enthusiastic, and, of course, extremely knowledgeable in many areas. Joel and I both learned a lot from Roger, in different ways, not just ornithologically. We miss Roger.

This summer was, of course, hot and waterless. Any spot with water was a hotspot. Lake McConaughy, even more than usual, was worth a look, as were Sandhills ponds that generally fared well waterwise. Joel Jorgensen kept us posted on …

2002 (14th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the NOU Records Committee are described in its bylaws (NOU Records Committee 1986). The committee's purpose is to provide a procedure for documenting unusual bird sightings and to establish a list of all documented birds for Nebraska. "The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska" was first published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and an update was published in 1997 (NOU Records Committee 1997).

The "Official List" has been appended twelve times: (Mollhoff 1989, Grenon 1990, 1991, Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c, Brogie 1997,1998,1999, Jorgensen 2001, 2002, 2003). This report includes all accounts submitted during …

Geographic Variation In The Morphology Of Crotalus Horridus (Serpentes: Viperidae), John Robert Allsteadt

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) occurs in discontinuous populations throughout the eastern and central United States. The species exhibits high levels of polymorphism in morphological traits, especially in coloration and pattern. Previous studies recognized either distinct northern and southern subspecies or three regional morphs (northern, southern, and western), but conflicting data sets and limited geographic sampling of previous studies have left the relationships among those regional variants unclear. In this study, univariate and multivariate statistics, together with a geographic information system, were used to analyze geographic variation in 36 morphological characters recorded from 2,420 specimens of C. horridus …

Mechanical Properties Of The Integument Of The Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis Sirtalis (Serpentes: Colubridae), Gabriel Rivera

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The evolution of the ophidian feeding mechanism has involved substantial morphological restructuring associated with the ability to ingest relatively large prey. Previous studies examining the morphological consequences of macrophagy have concentrated on modifications of the skull and cephalic musculature. Although it is evident that macrophagy requires highly compliant skin, the mechanical properties of the ophidian integument have received limited attention, particularly in the context of feeding. I examined mechanical properties of skin along the body axis in male Thamnophis sirtalis (Colubridae). From each of 11 specimens, I examined nine circumferential strips of skin, each spanning 10 ventral scales, spaced at …

West Indian Mammals From The Albert Schwartz Collection: Biological And Historical Information, Robert M. Timm, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

In the period 1954-1976, Albert Schwartz and several students working with him made extensive collections of mammals (ca. 2,000 specimens), reptiles and amphibians, birds, and butterflies in the West Indies. Schwartz's private collection of mammals from the West Indies is among the most comprehensive and important mammal collections from the region, yet much of it has never been reported in the scientific literature. Schwartz's original intent was to fully document all of the terrestrial mammals of the West Indies. In 1989, Schwartz transferred his mammal collection of some 6,500 specimens to the University of Kansas, and included in that collection …

Comparative Genome Organization Of Human, Murine, And Feline Mhc Class Ii Region, Naoya Yuhki, Thomas W. Beck, Robert M. Stephens, Yoko Nishigaki, Kymberly Newmann, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

To study comparative molecular dynamics in the genesis of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), we determined a complete nucleotide sequence spanning 758,291 bp of the domestic cat (Felis catus) extended and classical class II region. The feline class II MHC includes 44 genes (31 predicted to be expressed) which display DNA sequence homology and ordered gene synteny with human HLA and mouse H2, in extended class II and centromere proximal regions (DM to DO) of the classical class II region. However, remarkable genomic alterations including gene gain and loss plus size differentials of 250 kb are …

2001 (13th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the NOU Records Committee are described in its bylaws (NOU Records Committee 1986). The committee's purpose is to provide a procedure for documenting unusual bird sightings and to establish a list of all documented birds for Nebraska.

THE OFFICIAL LIST OF THE BIRDS OF NEBRASKA was first published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and has been appended eleven times (Moll hoff 1989, Grenon 1990, Grenon 1991, Gubanyi 1996a, Gubanyi 1996b, Gubanyi 1996c, Brogie 1997, Brogie 1998, Brogie 1999, Jorgensen 2001 and Jorgensen 2002).

An update of the OFFICIAL LIST OF THE BIRDS OF NEBRASKA …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review June 2003 Volume 71 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review (http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOUI) is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $14.00 in the United States; $18.00 for all foreign countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4.00 each, postpaid, in the United States, and $5.00 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Prichard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in NOU (on a calendar year basis only): Active, $ 15.00; Sustaining, $25.00; Student, $ 10.00; Family Active, $20.00; …

Spring Field Report, March-May 2003, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This spring was characterized by a lack of significant ornithological events, although readers will find tidbits of interest under the following species: Greater White-fronted Goose, Mandarin Duck (believe it or not), Common Merganser, Peregrine Falcon, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Great Horned Owl, and Blue-winged Warbler. A significant concentration of warblers and flycatchers was detected at Walnut Grove Park in Omaha in late May; check the species accounts for details. The restoration of prairie grasslands at Boyer Chute NWR seems to be paying off; Henslow's Sparrows were found there this spring for the first time. There were several new high counts, with perhaps …

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue June 2003 Volume 71 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Spring Field Report, March-May 2003
Compiled by W. Ross Silcock ..........................58

Species Accounts ..........................62

2001 (13th) Report of the NOU Records Committee
Compiled by Joel G. Jorgensen..........................97

An Unusually Colored Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinerus) From Northern Virginia, Joseph C. Mitchell, Thomas K. Pauley, C. Todd Georgel

Virginia Journal of Science

We describe an orange-pink, patternless, translucent morph of the Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) found in northern Virginia on 27 September 2001. This is the first description of this unusual phenotype in this terrestrial salamander.

Hybridization Between The Watersnakes Nerodia Sipedon And Nerodia Fasciata, In The Carolinas: A Morphological And Molecular Approach, Konrad Mebert

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A few traditionally applied diagnostic characters of color pattern were compared with an additional set of morphological and genetic characters to evaluate differences between Nerodia sipedon and N. fasciata and to study the dynamics across their hybrid zone in the Carolinas. Many of the morphological characters exhibited significant interspecific differences, although only the number of dorsally complete crossbands (CBa) was diagnostic by itself. A discriminant function analysis of morphological characters was successful in separating both taxa. Species-specific nuclear markers, identified by the AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) technique were nearly fixed and served as diagnostic markers. They revealed extensive introgression …

Keys To The Mammals And Mammal Skulls Of The Northern Coastal Plain Of Virginia, John F. Pagels, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell

Virginia Journal of Science

This publication is designed to function as a tool for the identification of mammal species that occur on the Coastal Plain of northern Virginia. We provide whole-body and skull keys to the 40 species that occur in this region. Baseline data for this work were collected during several studies conducted on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County. The intended audience includes interested naturalists, teachers, students, field biologists, and natural resource managers.

The Xenarthrans Of Nicaragua, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert M. Timm

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The mammalian fauna of Nicaragua includes seven species in the order Xenarthra, including the brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) in the family Bradypodidae, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) in the family Megalonychidae, the northern naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous centralis) and nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) in the family Dasypodidae, and the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) and northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) in the family Myrmecophagidae. Additionally, the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the family Myrmecophagidae is (or was) certainly part of the fauna of Nicaragua but has yet to …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review March 2003

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review (http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOUI) is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $ 14.00 in the United States; $ 18.00 for all foreign countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4.00 each, postpaid, in the United States, and $5.00 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Prichard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in NOU (on a calendar year basis only): Active, $ 15.00; Sustaining, $25.00; Student, $ 10.00; Family …

2002 Christmas Bird Counts

Nebraska Bird Review

2002 Christmas Bird Counts compiled by Janis Paseka

The 2002 Christmas Bird Count period included 11 counts, down one from the previous year, as no count was held in Harlan County. Ten of these counts took place in Nebraska, and one, which includes the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge and Boyer Chute, straddles the Nebraska-Iowa border. A total of 237 counters participated in this year's count, 208 in the field and 29 at feeders.

The overall weather this year was balmy, with over half the counts ending their day in the 50's or 60's. The weather had also been mild in …

Winter Field Report, December 2002 To February 2003, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Overall, this winter season was pretty quiet. There were no major weather events, no major invasions Gust one minor incursion), and, with one big exception, no real rarities. Indeed, one observer (JJ) said: "I don't think I've ever had such a poor winter with bird sightings." Thus I stoop to the point of mentioning the presence of a kangaroo in Crawford, dutifully recorded on the CBC there on 28 December (BW). It was not identified to species, unfortunately.

On a more serious note, it is important to keep in mind that what we do as birders can make a significant …

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue March 2003 Volume 71 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Fall Field Report, August-November 2002 Compiled
by W. Ross Silcock ............... 2

Species Accounts ...............6

Newspaper Bird History Of Miles Greenleaf,
An Omaha Newsman by James E. Ducey ...............25

2002 CBC, compiled by Janis Paseka...............31

Ecology Of The Missouri River: Missouri River Creel Survey, Bellevue Bridge To Camp Creek, 30 March Through 11 October 2002. Supplement I, Gerald Mestl

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This report describes Missouri River activities and results related to a channelized Missouri River creel survey conducted from 30 March through 11 October 2002. This is the third of a planned annual creel survey to be conducted on alternating sections of the channelized Missouri River to measure changes in recreational fishing activity, especially those changes due to large scale habitat restoration efforts. Future reports will contain additional analyses of these data. Anglers spent over 42,000 hours fishing the Missouri River from Bellevue (rkm 967.7) to Camp Creek (rkm 883.5) during the survey period. Effort was steady from late spring (4/27 …