Animal Sciences Commons^™

2017-2018 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Sixteen counts were held during the 2017-18 Christmas Bird Count season, which is one more than has ever been done in the past. Although the Crawford count was not done this season, the new Lower Platte River count, centered at the junction of Platteview Road and 204th St. south of Gretna, was added. A total 236 observers took part in at least one count, 26 did two counts, four did three counts, five did four counts and four persons did six counts. However, special recognition goes to Gary Roberts, who did eight counts this season. I am not aware of …

Annual Color Photo Section 2018

Nebraska Bird Review

American White Pelican, Wildlife Safari Park, Cass Co., 17 April 2018. Photo by Sheryl Cooley

Trumpeter Swans, Carter Lake, Douglas Co., 1 Jan. 2016. Photo by Brian Peterson.

Bonaparte's Gull, Pawnee Lake SRA, Lancaster Co., 20 June 2018. Photo by Esa Jarvi.

Adult male Longtailed Duck in winter plumage, Carter Lake, Douglas Co., 20 Nov 2017. Photo by Phil Swanson.

Reddish Egret, Platte River bridge, Alda, Hall Co., 24 June 2018. Photo by John Carlini.

Adult Blackcrowned Night Heron, northeast of Lakeside, Sheridan Co., 3 July 2017. Photo by Thomas Gannon.

Juvenile Yellowcrowned Night Heron, Holmes Lake, Lancaster Co., 24 …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Taylor Readyhough

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Life in a zoo brings a score of stressors into the lives of captive animals, including artificial light, crowds of visitors, and increased noise levels. Stress especially impacts captive birds, and continued exposure to these stressors can negatively affect birds’ reproductive success and overall well-being. Staff at the Denver Zoo noticed increased aggression between a male and female pair of great Indian hornbills during the winter of 2016. This behavioral shift coincided with Zoo Lights, a holiday event that results in the hornbills’ exhibit remaining open to the public for approximately four extra hours through the entire month of December. …

Integrating Morphology And Kinematics In The Scaling Of Hummingbird Hovering Metabolic Rate And Efficiency, Derrick J. E. Groom, M. Cecilia B. Toledo, Donald R. Powers, Bret W. Tobalske, Kenneth C. Welch Jr.

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Wing kinematics and morphology are influential upon the aerodynamics of flight. However, there is a lack of studies linking these variables to metabolic costs, particularly in the context of morphological adaptation to body size. Furthermore, the conversion efficiency from chemical energy into movement by the muscles (mechanochemical efficiency) scales with mass in terrestrial quadrupeds, but this scaling relationship has not been demonstrated within flying vertebrates. Positive scaling of efficiency with body size may reduce the metabolic costs of flight for relatively larger species. Here, we assembled a dataset of morphological, kinematic, and metabolic data on hovering hummingbirds to explore the …

Ainsworth Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2018 NOU Fall Field Days took place in and around Ainsworth on Sep. 14 – 16, with 48 in attendance. It was a hot and windy weekend, but 137 species were located. Two Sandhill Cranes in the Niobrara River at the Carns Bridge attracted birders, especially since the two cooperatively moved from one side of the river to the other, allowing county listers to count them in both. The bird of the weekend, however, was the Red-naped Sapsucker at Plum Creek Valley WMA. It was a county bird for everyone, a state bird for many and a life bird …

Effect Of Exogenous Enzymes On Apparent Metabolizable Energy Value Of Barley In Swine And Broiler Chickens, Brian L. Bryson

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effect of exogenous enzyme supplementation, phytase and xylanase-glucanase, on AME value of barley in poultry and swine. In the first study, 280 broilers were assigned 1 of 8 treatments. Barley inclusion in the diet resulted in decreased (P < 0.05) performance. There was a treatment × phytase × xylanase-glucanase interaction for dry matter retention with birds fed the corn-SBM-barley diet supplemented with phytase and xylanase-glucanase having higher (P < 0.05) DM retention compared to birds fed corn-SBM-based diet with only xylanase-glucanase supplementation. AME and AMEn of corn-SBM-based diets were greater (P < 0.05) than the corn-SBM-barley-based diets. Energy metabolizability and AMEn of barley significantly increased with xylanase-glucanase supplementation. In the second study, 24 pigs (12 pigs/phase) were assigned to 1 of 4 treatments with xylanase-glucanase and phytase. After a 7-d adaption period, urine and feces were quantitatively collected for 5 d. DE of the barley-based diet supplemented with xylanase-glucanase (3,578 kcal/kg) and phytase and xylanase-glucanase in combination (3,617 kcal/kg) were significantly different. Compared to control diets, exogenous enzymes either significantly improved or had a tendency to improve AME and AMEn value of barley in broilers, but not in growing pigs.

The Effect Of Early Life Photoperiod Manipulation On Cocaine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization In Male And Female Japanese Quail, Shannon Elizabeth Eaton

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Estrogens seem to play a role in the locomotor activating effects of cocaine. Japanese quail provide a good model for hormonal manipulation as alterations of their photoperiod controls hormone levels. The current study aims to examine the role of early life photoperiod manipulation in cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization in quail. It was expected that if quail were raised on a short photoperiod, they would have a reduction in gonadal hormones and this reduction in hormones would affect the acquisition of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization. Quail were raised on an 8L:16D or a 16L:8D light cycle. Following 2 days of habituation, quail were …

Hunter Harvest Effect On The Breeding Bird Population Of Northern Pintail Anas Acuta In North America, Matthew Wang

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Hunter harvest and the effects that it can have on population dynamics is a relationship used by wildlife professionals when making management decisions. Hunter harvest can be compensatory or additive on wildlife populations and instances where hunter harvest has been a key role in a population decline, and sometimes demise, is an occurrence studied in wildlife management. Waterfowl numbers in North America have increased 17% since 1960, but during that same time frame the Northern Pintail population has decreased 40%. Hunter harvest data has been recorded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1961, while they have simultaneously been …

Analysing Intonation Of The Pied Butcherbird, Jean-Michel Maujean

Theses : Honours

Native to Australia, the Pied Butcherbird has been extensively studied and transcribed by previous composers, notably including Olivier Messiaen. This may be due to richness and diversity in each bird’s repertoire, along with parallels drawn from Western Tonality. Hollis Taylor has conducted extensive study in this field, notably with an analysis of a transcription made by Messiaen, that was incorporated in his piece Éclairs sur l'au- delà (1988-91). Coupled with the original field recording, Taylor’s analysis and Messiaen’s score, this study will reanalyse the original recording from which Messiaen made his transcription.

Zoomusicology is a practice that represents the …

Nocturnally-Migrating Birds Traverse Earth's Most Light-Polluted Regions, And Bright Lights Confound Their Habitat Use En Route, Jeffrey J. Butler, James D. Mclaren, Sergio A. Cabrera-Cruz, Jaclyn A. Smolinsky, Timothy D. Schreckengost, Matthew E. Boone, E. Emiel Van Loon, Deanna K. Dawson, Eric L. Walters

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Official List Of The Birds Of Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The last published “Official List” of the NOURC (NOURC 2009) included 454 species. Since then the following species have been added:

Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) Accidental I-P 2010

Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) Accidental I-P 2011

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) Accidental I-P 2012

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Casual I-P 2012

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) Accidental I-P 2013

Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) Accidental I-P 2014

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) Accidental I-P 2014

Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Accidental I-P 2016

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) Accidental I-P 2017

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 December 2017 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August - November 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 146-178

The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska, compiled by Mark A. Brogie …179-197

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Sept. 15 - 17, 2017, by Janis Paseka …198-203

Index to Volume 85 …204-218

Subscription and Organization Information … 219

Index To Volume 85

Nebraska Bird Review

Abreu, Shanin 58 ...

through

Ziegelbauer, Amanda 147

(15 pages)

Fall Field Report, August - November 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This fall season will be remembered as the fall with the mega-rarities. There were five, one of which, Pacific Wren, is a first Nebraska record. Based on occurrence dates, Hurricane Irma appears to have influenced the appearance of two of the megas, Black Vulture and Magnificent Frigatebird, neither of which provided opportunities for observers to view them, but both well-documented with photographs. There were an extraordinary TWO sightings of Harris’s Hawk, which together with the presence as of this writing (December 19) of one in northeast Kansas and a view of the species map in eBird strongly suggest a single …

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Sept. 15 - 17, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2017 NOU Fall Field Days took place in and around Ogallala on Sept. 15 - 17 with 55 in attendance. The weather on Friday was hot and windy, making finding birds a challenge. Overnight a cold front came through causing birders to shiver on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but the payoff was easier birding and some interesting species. Field trips were led by William Flack, Clem Klaphake, Wayne Mollhoff, Don Paseka, Ross Silcock and T. J. Walker. Locations included Cedar Point Biological Station, Lake Ogallala SRA, various beaches along the shore of Lake McConaughy SRA, Ash Hollow State Historical …

Identifying Genetic Factors Influencing Sperm Mobility Phenotype In Chicken Using Genome Wide Association Studies, Primordial Germ Cell Transplantation, And Rnaseq., Sohita Ojha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sperm mobility is a major determinant of male fertility in chicken. In spite of low heritability of reproductive traits, sperm mobility has high heritability index which suggests presence of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) governing the trait. Our research focused on three objectives: i) to identify the QTLs affecting low mobility phenotype in chicken, ii) to understand the impact of Sertoli-cells and germ cells interactions in influencing the mobility phenotype and iii) to identify the genes and gene networks differentially expressed in male and female PGCs. To detect the QTLs, genome wide association studies (GWAS) was conducted which revealed the presence …

Experimental Approaches To Understand And Control Salmonella Infection In Poultry, Yichao Yang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella is a major foodborne pathogen around the world and chickens are the major reservoir to transmit Salmonella into the human food chain. For decreasing the infection of Salmonella, we developed six attenuated live vaccines based on Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) and Typhimurium (ST) for testing the cross-serovar and cross-serogroup protection from the challenge of Salmonella Heidelberg and Campylobacter jejuni. One of the constructed vaccine strain showed ability to protect against challenge from Salmonella Heidelberg. Even though some preventive approaches are able to decrease Salmonella colonization in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens or other farm animals, Salmonella transmission mechanisms remain unclear. …

Time Series Forecast Analysis In Wholesale Broiler Markets, Christopher R. Sims

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2016 the chicken industry provided nearly 1.2 million jobs, 68 billion dollars in wages, 313 billion dollars in economic activity and 24 billion dollars in government revenue (John Dunham & Associates, Inc., 2016). Broiler production has changed dramatically from the early 90’s to the turn of the 21st century. Technological advancements, continuous improvements, production efficiencies and industry changes have made the industry the global market it is today. The poultry industry is an extremely volatile market with prices constantly fluctuating in response to input price volatility and demand and supply changes. These changes are often driven by world economic …

Evaluating The Impact Of Two Contrasting Tillage Practices On Soil Properties In Central Kentucky, Emily Cook

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Farming practices such as no tillage and plowing can institute change on soil physical and chemical characteristics. In this research, the effects of long-term conventional and no-tillage systems on the selected soil properties were determined in a continuous corn system on a farm with Maury silt loam soil. These samples were taken from University of Kentucky's Research Farm (Spindletop Farm). The field used was tilled in 1969 from bluegrass sod and the first time research was conduced was in 1970. Each plot is 20 ft. by 40 ft. and for many years each plot was split with winter cover crop …

Growth And Development Of Two Broiler Strains With Low Protein And Crystalline Amino Acid Supplemented Diets, Chaoyang Li

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this research was to compare the growth performance of broilers from two commercial breeds with control, low protein and low protein supplemented with crystalline amino acids diets. This was a randomized block design, and identical experiments were conducted on successively in two years. In each experiment, day-old chicks, Ross 708 broilers and Cobb 405 broilers, were randomly assigned into three dietary treatments: 1) positive control, 2) low crude protein (LP), and 3) LP + crystalline amino acids (CAA). A three phase feeding program was used. Feed and water were provided ad-libitum. On d 12, 19, 26, 33, …

Evaluating Long-Term Direct And Correlated Selection Response In White Plymouth Rock Chickens Selected For High Or Low 8-Week Body Weight, Sylvia J. Harrison

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The increasing demand for poultry meat has led animal breeders to engage in artificial selection of chickens as a way to increase the productivity of poultry. Long-term experiments have been designed to measure rates of genetic response to a trait under selection, and correlated traits, as well as gauge possible selection limits.

Two studies were conducted to evaluate response to selection for body weight (BW) in chickens. The chickens were selected for high or low BW at 8 weeks of age. Those that met the criterion were selected as parents for the subsequent generation. In the first study the population …

The North American Quails, Partridges, And Pheasants, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This book documents the biology of six species of New World quails that are native to North America north of Mexico (mountain, scaled, Gambel’s, California, and Montezuma quails, and the northern bobwhite), three introduced Old World partridges (chukar, Himalayan snowcock, and gray partridge), and the introduced common (ring-necked) pheasant. Collectively, quails, partridges, and pheasants range throughout all of the continental United States and the Canadian provinces. Two of the species, the northern bobwhite and ring-necked pheasant, are the most economically important of all North American upland game birds. All of the species are hunted extensively for sport and are highly …

Rehabilitation Of An Injured Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos): A Case Study, Fida Muhammad Khan, Fakhar-I- Abbas, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Habitat destruction and anthropogenic activities cause wild birds to migrate towards urban areas in search of food and sometimes nesting in high-roof buildings, where they are caught by local people using different techniques and are further used for hunting or recreational purposes. An injured Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) was found entangled in bushes near the vicinity of Balkasar Research Complex, Chakwal, Pakistan. After complete physical examination, a wound on the right wing and closed leg fracture was diagnosed. The successful treatment was done by anti-parasitic and anti-bacterial drugs with careful monitoring. Splint was adjusted after aligning the fractured …

Diet And Habitat Analysis Of Barn Owls (Tyto Alba) Nesting At Ponca State Park, Ann Spilker, Joseph A. Gubanyi

Nebraska Bird Review

In 2015 Barn Owls (Tyto alba) nested on the floor of a grain bin in Ponca State Park, Dixon County. Seven nestlings were observed (Figure 1). It is believed that 6 fledged (one carcass was found on the floor of the bin September 26). Barn Owls were not observed the following spring (Jan Johnson, personal communication). Because there are few records of Barn Owls in the region, we collected data to better understand the Barn Owl nesting in Ponca State Park. Barn Owl prey and their importance to reproductive success has been well documented (Marti et al. 2005; Gubanyi et …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 September 2017 Number 3

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June - July 2017, by W. Ross Silcock …94

Diet and Habitat Analysis of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) Nesting at Ponca State Park, by Ann Spilker and Joseph Gubanyi … 121

2016 (28th) Report of the NOU Records Committee, by Mark A. Brogie …128

Subscription and Organization Information … 143

Summer Field Report, June - July 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes in breeding ranges and numbers of Nebraska breeding birds are the primary focus of a Summer Seasonal Report. Every year there are changes to be noted; this year is no exception. Although most of the phenomena listed below are examples of dispersing individuals without breeding evidence, these often indicate breeding range expansion. White-winged Doves are becoming numerous in southern and western Nebraska, although breeding in far eastern Nebraska was only the 5th report for the state. Chuckwill’s- widow continues to creep westward in the south; the westernmost report to date was of one that crossed the 100-mile gap from …

2016 (28th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (NOURC) are described in its bylaws (NOURC 2010). 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. Accidental and casual species for which the NOURC seeks documentation (NOURC Review List) can be found at the NOU website: www.NOUbirds.org. All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), Lincoln, NE. Interested parties should contact the current NOU Librarian, whose address can be found …

Transcriptional Analysis Of Abdominal Fat In Chickens Divergently Selected On Bodyweight At Two Ages Reveals Novel Mechanisms Controlling Adiposity: Validating Visceral Adipose Tissue As A Dynamic Endocrine And Metabolic Organ, Christopher W. Resnyk, Wilfrid Carré, Xiaofei Wang, Tom E. Porter, J. Simon, Elisabeth Le Bihan-Duval, Michel J. Duclos, Sammy E. Aggrey, Larry A. Cogburn

Biology Faculty Research

Background

Decades of intensive genetic selection in the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) have enabled the remarkable rapid growth of today’s broiler (meat-type) chickens. However, this enhanced growth rate was accompanied by several unfavorable traits (i.e., increased visceral fatness, leg weakness, and disorders of metabolism and reproduction). The present descriptive analysis of the abdominal fat transcriptome aimed to identify functional genes and biological pathways that likely contribute to an extreme difference in visceral fatness of divergently selected broiler chickens.

Methods

We used the Del-Mar 14 K Chicken Integrated Systems microarray to take time-course snapshots of global gene transcription …

Characterization Of The Thermal Environment During Transport Of Commercial Broiler Chickens, Douglas J. Aldridge

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transport of commercial broiler chickens from the farm to the processing plant is perceived to compromise welfare under some circumstances. Research has been conducted using European standard equipment to characterize the environment experienced by poultry during broiler transport. In contrast no studies have been reported on the environment experienced by broilers under United States standard industry practices during transport. Moreover, microenvironment temperatures within industry trailers have not been reported.

The present study characterized the thermal micro-environment experienced by broiler chickens during transport across different seasons. The temperatures were influenced by temperature mitigation practices (plastic wrap, double side board, single side …

A Comparative Analysis Of Feed And Environmental Factors On Broiler Growth In The United States, Alexandra Gulli

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broiler production in the United States has become an important industry within the last half century. As the demand for poultry continues to increase and the concern of climate change also increases, it will become an important part of the industry to become more sustainable. This study uses a feed optimization model, a broiler growth model, and a life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine how feed ingredients and the barn environment can affect the broiler’s growth and production emissions. A multi-criteria ration optimization model is used to produce feeds based on carbon footprint and cost. A growth model is used …