Animal Sciences Commons^™

2007 Nebraska Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey, Joel E. Jorgensen, Sarah E. Rehme

Nebraska Bird Review

Bald and Golden Eagles are species of conservation concern that regularly winter in Nebraska (Sharpe et al. 2001). The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NCJPC) has conducted an annual statewide Midwinter Eagle Survey (MWS) since 1980. The Nebraska MWS is done in conjunction with a national survey coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey. The purpose of the MWS is to determine the number and distribution of eagles wintering in Nebraska. Here we present results from the 2007 Nebraska MWS.

Lpe Center News, June 2008

Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center Newsletters

In this issue:

• Ammonia: The Air-Water Interface

• Federal Air Regulations for Animal Feeding Operations

• USGS Report Focuses on Research About Water Consumed by Livestock Production

• Water Quality Credit Trading is the Focus of August Workshop

• Great Lakes Manure Handling Expo

• Want to Reduce Ammonia Emissions from Layers? Feed Them Fiber!

Subscription And Organization Information [June 2008]

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 (June 2008) 76(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, Mar.–May 2008 ... 50

Endangered Species Responses to Natural Habitat Declines: Nebraska's Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers Nesting in a Human-created Habitat ... 72

2007 Nebraska Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey ... 81

Book Review [of John Kirk Townsend: Collector of Audubon's Western Birds and Mammals] ... 84

Annual Meeting at Scottsbluff ... 85

Subscription and Organization lnformation ... 91

Annual Meeting At Scottsbluff

Nebraska Bird Review

The 109th Annual Meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union was held in Scottsbluff on May 16-18, 2008. Gatherings and meals took place at the Jane Fliesbach Retreat Center at the Trails West YMCA Camp on the North Platte River at the base of Scotts Bluff National Monument. The meeting was hosted by members of Wildcat Audubon, who arranged the speakers, field trips, lodging, meeting facility, and meals.

Field trips were led by Alice Kenitz, Helen Hughson, Kathy DeLara, and Wayne Mollhoff to Wildcat Hills SRA, Kiowa WMA, Winters Creek Lake, Lake Minatare, Chilibaba Pond in Scotts Bluff Co., and various …

Book Review [Of John Kirk Townsend: Collector Of Audubon’S Western Birds And Mammals], Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

A review of John Kirk Townsend: Collector of Audubon's Western Birds and Mammals. Barbara and Richard Mearns. 2007. Published by the authors, Dumfries, UK. 389 pp., with 18 appendices, and a bibliography of nearly 150 entries. No price given. ISBN 978-0-9556739-0-0

This large (9 x 12 inches) and sumptuously illustrated book details the life and biological contributions of John Townsend, one of the earliest biologists after Lewis and Clark (1804) and Prince Maximilian (1832) to visit what is now Nebraska, preceding John J. Audubon's visit (1843) by nearly a decade. Townsend ascended the upper Platte Valley during an 1834 …

Endangered Species Responses To Natural Habitat Declines: Nebraska’S Interior Least Terns (Sternula Antillarum Athalassos) And Piping Plovers (Charadrius Melodus) Nesting In A Human-Created Habitat, Mary Bomberger Brown, Joel G. Jorgensen, Sarah E. Rehme

Nebraska Bird Review

Formerly, state and federally endangered Interior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and state and federally threatened Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) nested on sandbars in rivers as well as on other sandy beach habitat (Hardy 1957; Haig 1992; Kirsch 1992; Ziewitz et al. 1992; Thompson et al. 1997). In Nebraska, the birds primarily used sandbars in the Platte, Loup, Elkhorn, Niobrara, and Missouri rivers (Sharpe et al. 2001). These sandbars were created and maintained by river flow and regular flooding events. Despite the frequent scouring, reshaping, and relocation of the sandbars, nesting habitat was consistently available to …

Spring Field Report, March–May 2008, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Despite this cool, wet spring, warbler enthusiasts were thrilled by one of the best showings in years, with Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, and Mourning Warblers leading the charge. Swallows also as a group arrived early, including a record early Barn Swallow, and record early Western Tanagers (yes, more than one) appeared, surprisingly, in the east. There were no reports of mortality due to cold or excessive moisture; apparently food sources were unaffected. The large incursion of Purple Finches and the smaller one of Mountain Chickadees continued into the spring period, with impressive totals.

Identification of Catharus thrushes is more …

Stable Yellowhead Virus (Yhv) Rna Detection By Qrt-Pcr During Six-Day Storage, Hongwei Ma, Robin M. Overstreet, Jean A. Jovonovich

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Storage conditions of haemolymph samples which contain yellowhead virus (YHV) may result in a decline of YHV RNA concentration or false-negative results in the detection of YHV. We evaluated the stability of YHV RNA in haemolymph stored at different temperatures for 6 d with conventional RT-PCR and TaqMan qRT-PCR. Specific pathogen-free individuals of Litopenaeus vannamei were challenged with YHV92TH isolate, and haemolymph samples of 3 groups of 10 pooled moribund shrimp were aliquoted and stored at 4 and 25°C for 0, 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, and 144 h. All samples were evaluated by conventional RT-PCR and …

8 Aviculture And Propagation, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

The rearing of grouse and quail for enjoyment, profit, or stocking in the wild has been an important aspect of grouse and quail biology. The very presence of chukar and gray partridges in North America, the occurrence of ruffed grouse in Newfoundland and Nevada, the presence of bobwhites, scaled quail, and California quail in Washington, and many other examples are ample testimony to the potential value of careful propagation and release programs. Between 1938 and 1968 a total of 110,663 bobwhites, 18,136 other native quails, 7,977 grouse, and 50,568 chukar partridges were released under Pittman-Robertson programs in the United States …

9 Hunting, Recreation, And Conservation, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

There can be little doubt that the grouse and quail provide the most important and most popular targets for more than ten million small-game hunters every year in North America (National survey, 1965). In much of the southeast, to go "bird" hunting simply means a day in pursuit of bobwhites, and likewise in New England "pa'tridge" hunting is regarded as the premier sport of all upland game hunting. These two species, the bobwhite and ruffed grouse, in 1970 were hunted in forty-seven states and eight provinces and are without question the most important of all North American upland game species …

1 Evolution And Taxonomy, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

The modern array of grouse-, quail-, and partridge-like species occurring in North America is the result of three processes: evolution and speciation within this continent, range expansion or immigration from Central America and Eurasia, and recent introductions by man. The last category accounts for the presence in North America of the chukar and gray partridges, which are both natives of Europe or southern Asia and typical representatives of the quail-like and partridge-like forms that have extensively colonized those land masses. It is still necessary to account for the presence of the nine or so species of grouse-like forms that are …

6 Population Ecology And Dynamics, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Like other animals, grouse and quail exist as natural populations dependent upon particular habitats and vary in population density between the absolute minimum populations that have permitted past survival to fairly dense populations that may approach or even temporarily exceed the carrying capacity of the habitat. Each species may also have an upper limit on the density of the population, or a saturation point, which is independent of the carrying capacity of the habitat but is determined by social adaptations. Within the population as a whole, individual birds or coveys may have home ranges, geographical areas to which their movements …

10 Sage Grouse, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Centrocercus urophasianus (Bonaparte) 1827
Other vernacular names: Sage hen, spiny-tailed pheasant, sage cock, sage chicken
Range: From central Washington, southern Idaho, Montana, southeastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and western North Dakota south to eastern California, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, and southeastern Wyoming

5 Reproductive Biology, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

The reproductive potentiaI of animal species is a compound result of numerous behavioral and physiological characteristics, most of which can be considered species-typical. These include such things as the time required to attain reproductive maturity, the number of nesting or renesting attempts per year once maturity is attained, the number of eggs laid per breeding attempt, and the number of years adults may remain reproductively active. These traits place an upper limit on the reproductive potential of a species, which is never actually attained. Rather, the actual rate of increase will only approach the reproductive potential, being limited by such …

2 Physical Characteristics, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

All of the grouse, quails, and introduced partridges of North America share a number of anatomical traits which provide the basis for their common classification within the order Galliformes. Among these are the facts that they all have fowl-like beaks and four toes. In all the North American species the hind toe is elevated and quite short, thus is ill-adapted for perching. There are always ten primaries, thirteen to twenty-one secondaries, and twelve to twenty-two tail feathers (rectrices). Aftershafts on the contour feathers are well developed, especially in the grouse, and true down feathers are infrequent. A large crop is …

14 Rock Ptarmigan, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Lagopus mutus (Montin) 1776
Other vernacular names: Arctic grouse, barren-ground bird, Chamberlain ptarmigan, Dixon ptarmigan, Nelson ptarmigan, Reinhardt ptarmigan, rocker (in Newfoundland), snow grouse, Townsend ptarmigan, white grouse.
Range: Circumpolar. In North America from northern Alaska, northwestern Mackenzie, Melville Island, northern Ellesmere Island, and northern Greenland south to the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak Island, southwestern and central British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, Keewatin, northern Quebec, southern Labrador, and Newfoundland (A. 0 . U.)

12 Spruce Grouse, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Dendragapus canadensis (Linnaeus) 1758 [also Canachites canadensis]
Other vernacular names: Black partridge, Canada grouse, cedar partridge, fool-hen, Franklin grouse, heath hen, mountain grouse, spotted grouse, spruce partridge, swamp partridge, Tyee grouse, wood grouse.
Range: From central Alaska, Yukon, Mackenzie, northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, and Cape Breton Island south to northeastern Oregon, central Idaho, western Montana, northwestern Wyoming, Manitoba, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, Michigan, southern Ontario, northern New York, northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia

18 Sharp-Tailed Grouse, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Tympanuchus phasianellus (Linnaeus) 1858
Other vernacular names: Brush grouse, pintail grouse, prairie grouse, prairie pheasant, sharptail, speckle-belly, spike-tail, spring-tail, whitebelly, white-breasted grouse.
Range: Currently from north central Alaska, Yukon, northern Mackenzie, northern Manitoba, northern Ontario, and central Quebec south to eastern Washington, extreme eastern Oregon, Idaho, northeastern Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado, and in the Great Plains from eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming across Nebraska, the Dakotas, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and northern Michigan.

22 Scaled Quail, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Callipepla squamata (Vigors) 1830
Other vernacular names: Blue racer quail, blue quail, Cordorniz Azul, Codorniz Escamosa, cottontop quail, Mexican quail, scaled partridge, top-knot quail, Zollin.
Range: From southern Arizona, northern New Mexico, eastern Colorado, and southwestern Kansas south to central Mexico. Introduced into central Washington and eastern Nevada.

19 Tree Quails, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Includes:
Long-tailed Tree Quail, Dendrortyx macroura (Jardine & Selby) 1828
Bearded Tree Quail, Dendrortyx barbatus (Gould) 1846
Buffy-crowned Tree Quail, Dendrortyx leucophrys (Gould) 1844

21 Mountain Quail, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Oreortyx pictus (Douglas) 1829
Other vernacular names: Cordoniz de Montana, mountain partridge, painted quail, plumed quail, San Pedro quail.
Range: Resident in the western United States from southern Washington and southwestern Idaho east to Nevada and south to Baja California. Also introduced in western Washington and western British Columbia (Vancouver Island). Introduced but of uncertain status in western Colorado

17 Pinnated Grouse, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Tympanuchus cupido ( Linnaeus) 1758
Other vernacular names: prairie chicken, prairie cock, prairie grouse, prairie hen

SUBSPECIES
T. c. cupido (Linnaeus): Heath hen or eastern pinnated grouse. Extinct since 1932. Formerly along the East Coast from Massachusetts south to Maryland and north central Tennessee.
T. c. pinnatus (Brewster): Greater prairie chicken. Currently limited to several small isolated populations in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois and to the grasslands of extreme southern Manitoba, northwestern Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and western Missouri.
T. c. attwateri Bendire: Attwater prairie chicken. Currently limited to a few isolated populations along the coast of …

11 Blue Grouse, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Dendragapus obscurus (Say) 1823
Other vernacular names: dusky grouse, fool hen, gray grouse, hooter, mountain grouse, pine grouse, pine hen, Richardson grouse, sooty grouse.
Range: From southeastern Alaska, southern Yukon, southwestern Mackenzie, and western Alberta southward along the offshore islands to Vancouver and along the coast to northern California, and in the mountains to southern California, northern and eastern Arizona, and west central New Mexico

23 Elegant Quail, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Callipepla douglasii (Vigors) 1829
Other vernacular names: Benson quail, Codorniz Gris, crested quail, Douglas quail, Lesson quail, Yaqui quail.
Range: Western Mexico from Sonora and Chihuahua to Nayarit and Jalisco

Grouse And Quails Of North America — Frontmatter, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction

3 Molts And Plumages, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

An understanding of the molts and plumages of the quails and grouse is of great importance to the applied biologist, for they provide clues that are valuable for determining age and sex of individual birds without resorting to internal examination. They thus offer a means of analyzing wild populations as to sex and age composition, which are basic indices to past and potential reproductive performances and probable mortality rates. Additionally, molts and plumages are generally speciesspecific traits, which have resulted from pressures of natural selection over a long period of time in a particular habitat and climate. The ecology of …

4 Hybridization, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

The study of hybridization between species, under either natural or artificial conditions, provides information of value for a variety of reasons. In general, it may be expected that the incidence of crossbreeding between populations existing under natural conditions will be related to their nearness of relationship, and information of taxonomic interest may be obtained from such study. Furthermore, the relative survival and fertility of the resulting hybrids should provide an indication of the degree of genetic difference between the parental types, and thus genetic information may be available through experimental hybridization studies. Hybrids provide favorable material for studying the chromosomal …

7 Social Behavior And Vocalizations, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

One of the most complex and fascinating aspects of grouse and quail biology is their social behavior, particularly that related to reproduction. Natural selection in the quail group has seemingly favored the retention of a monogamous mating system with the associated advantages of maintaining the pair bond through the breeding season. This system allows the male to participate in the protection of the nest, possibly participate in incubation, and later care for the brood. It also provides the possibility, if not the frequent actuality, that the male might undertake the entire incubation or rearing of the first brood, while the …

13 Willow Ptarmigan, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

Lagopus lagopus (Linnaeus) 1758 Other vernacular names: Alaska ptarmigan, Alexander ptarmigan, Allen ptarmigan, Arctic grouse, red grouse (Scotland form), Scottish grouse, white grouse, white-shafted ptarmigan, willow grouse, willow partridge.
Range: Circumpolar. In North America from northern Alaska, Banks Island, Melville Island, Victoria Island, Boothia Peninsula, Southampton Island, Baffin Island, and central Greenland south to the Alaska Peninsula, southeastern Alaska, central British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, central Ontario, central Quebec, and Newfoundland