Ornithology Commons^™

Genic Population Structure And Gene Flow In The Northern Flicker (Colaptes Auratus) Hybrid Zone, Thaddeus A. Grudzien, William S. Moore, J. Richard Cook, Danilo Tagle

Biological Sciences Faculty Research Publications

The Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus) and Red-shafted Flicker (C. a. cafer) form a stable, narrow hybrid zone on the western Great Plains of North America. Allozyme data were obtained from 31 structural gene loci for 33 samples representing 246 Northern Flickers from throughout the Great Plains. Flickers were approximately equivalent to other birds in terms of proportion of polymorphic loci (P = 0.207) and average heterozygosity (H = 0.056). There was no concordant variation between plumage characters and allelic frequencies.

Gene-diversity analysis indicated that 92.5% of the genic variation occurred as within-deme heterozygosity ( …

Body Size, Nest Predation, And Reproductive Patterns In Brown Thrashers And Other Mimids, Michael T. Murphy, Robert C. Fleischer

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We describe the breeding biology of Brown Thrashers (Toxostoma rufum) in Kansas, and combine this with data from other temperate-zone breeding Mimidae to characterize reproductive patterns in this group. Brown Thrashers produced clutches of 3 to 6 eggs, but clutches of 4 predominated. Most pairs raised 2 broods per year. Incubation required between 13 and 14 days, and hatching was usually asynchronous. Though sample size was small, asynchrony appeared to increase in frequency towards the end of the breeding season. Nestlings grew rapidly, and in 10 days or less most pre-fledgingg rowthw as completed. Young fledgedn ormallya t 11 days …

Brood Parasitism Of Eastern Kingbirds By Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding why brood parasites lay eggs in the nests of hosts that reject eggs is hampered by insuf-ficient data on the frequency with which parasites lay in rejecter nests, and by ignorance of which in-dividuals practice this seemingly inappropriate be-havior. Parasitism rates of rejecters can be deter-mined only when host nests are observed during egg laying because most parasite eggs are rejected rapidly (e.g. Scott 1977). Even then, however, a certain per-centage of parasitized nests may go undetected. De-termining the selective value of host defense mech-anisms also depends on knowledge of the frequency of parasitism, and the amount of reproductive …

Body Size And Condition, Timing Of Breeding, And Aspects Of Egg Production In Eastern Kingbirds, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Variation in timing of breeding in Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) was correlated only weakly with external morphological characters, but was correlated positively and significantly with estimates of body size based on measurements of skeletons and muscle weights. Small females apparently held a reproductive advantage in being able to mobilize resources for reproduction before large females. Egg weight was independent of all measures of female size, but was directly and significantly (P = 0.03) correlated with standard flight muscle weight, a relative index of body condition. Egg size was thus a function more of female body condition than size. On average, …

Comparative Reproductive Success Of Yellow-Shafted, Red-Shafted, And Hybrid Flickers Across A Hybrid Zone, William S. Moore, Walter D. Koenig

Biological Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Alternative hypotheses of hybrid zones make specific predictions about reproductive components of fitness in the hybrids. The dynamic-equilibrium and reinforcement hypotheses are premised on reduced hybrid fitness, which should be apparent as reduced clutch or brood size or as increased embryonic mortality. The hybrid-superiority and introgression hypotheses predict normal clutch and brood size and embryonic mortality.

Reproductive success was measured at four study sites on a transect across the hybrid zone between the Yellow- (Colaptes auratus auratus) and Red-shafted (C. a. cafer) subspecies of the Northern Flicker. Two additional clutch size samples representing pure Yellow- and …

Sexual Selection In Lekking Sage Grouse: Phenotypic Correlates Of Male Mating Success, Robert M. Gibson, Jack W. Bradbury

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mate choice cues in sage grouse were reinvestigated by analyzing relationships between male mating success and a range of suggested cues. Display cues were implicated by significant relationships between mating status (whether or not a male mated) and lek attendance, display rate (corrected for effects of female proximity and time of day) and an acoustic component related to temporal and frequency measures of a whistle emitted during the strut display. Although display rate and the acoustic component were intercorrelated, both exerted significant partial effects on mating success in multivariate analyses. These display measures also differed significantly between males. In contrast, …

The Analysis And Use Of Methodologies For The Study Of The Diets Of Long-Eared Owls From Three Environments In North Central Oregon, John M. Barss

Dissertations and Theses

Part I of this study presents a procedure for standardization of pellet analysis methodologies which improves estimation of prey biomass and determines the number of pellets needed to estimate prey diversity indices. The procedure was developed to provide a simple, easily replicated methodology for the study of pellets which also retains maximal data recorded from pellet analysis. A sample size of ten Long-eared Owl pellets was found adequate to calculate diversity indices with no significant loss of accuracy when compared to total pellets recovered from beneath a roosting site. Analysis of the total sample of pellets from a specific roost …

Ua66/6 Brigadoon Nature Preserve Survey Phase I, Wayne Mason, Jeff Jenkins, Kenneth Nicely, Herbert Shadowen

WKU Administration Documents

A preliminary report of an ongoing survey on the mammals, birds, vascular plants, and fungi that have been recorded at the Brigadoon Nature Preserve from November, 1983 - September, 1984.

Nest Success And Nesting Habits Of Eastern Kingbirds And Other Flycatchers, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Patterns of nest placement and its relationship to nest success in the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) were studied in populations breeding in New York and Kansas. Data were augmented with information on nest placement in other open-nesting tyrannids in order to examine the hypothesis that these flycatchers place their nests chiefly so as to conceal them from predators. Nesting success was significantly greater in New York than in Kansas but was relatively high in both populations, as is apparently true of North American breeding flycatchers in general. Geographic variation in nest placement in the Eastern Kingbird was relatively small and …

Clutch Size In The Eastern Kingbird: Factors Affecting Nestling Survival, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Observational and experimental procedures were used to evaluate the potential importance of brood size and weather on the evolution of clutch size in the Eastern Kingbird. Modal clutch size was three eggs, yet broods of four were most productive. Nestling size varied inversely with brood size, so that "nestling quality" was lower in broods of four than in broods of three. Asymptotic weight of nestlings in broods of three was directly and significantly correlated with ambient air temperature, followed by hatch order. Because larger broods were being fed during a period of relatively cool and wet weather, the effects of …

Breeding Success And Nest Site Characteristics Of The Western Bluebird On Parrett Mountain, Marcia Diane Sims

Dissertations and Theses

The lack of suitable nest sites may be a limiting factor for Western Bluebird populations inhabiting the upper Willamette Valley. Nest box trails have been established on the hills surrounding the Portland metropolitan area. Since their placement, approximately 25% of the boxes available have been used by Western Bluebirds as nest cavities. This study was undertaken to identify factors which might determine the selection of a nest box by Western Bluebirds and the subsequent nest success or failure.

The breeding biology of Western Bluebirds using the nest box trail located on Parrett Mountain, Oregon in 1979 was investigated. Breeding season, …

Habitat Selection Related To Resource Availability Among Cavity-Nesting Birds, Timothy Brush

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Variation in snag species and abundance appeared to explain most of the habitat selection patterns observed in five cavity-nesting riparian species over a three-year period. All species except Ash-throated Flycatchers were most common in areas with cottonwood or willow snags, which have relatively soft wood and are preferred nest sites. Classification of habitats on the basis of nest-site characteristics was useful and should be considered in other habitat selection studies.

Prostacyclin And Thromboxane A2 In The Atherosclerosis Susceptible And Super Susceptible White Carneau Pigeon, Janet Melvin Royer

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the School of Sciences and Mathematics at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Janet Melvin Royer on July 26, 1982.

Metabolism And Solar Radiation In Dark And White Herons Nesting In Hot Climates, Hugh I. Ellis

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Metabolism, body temperature (Tb), and feather reflectance was measured for dark Louisiana herons (LOU), little blue herons (LB), snowy egrets (SE), and cattle egrets (CE); only LOU nest preferentiallyin shade. The reflectance of LOU and adult LB was 13%-15%; it was 80%-82% for SE, CE, and immature (white) LB. Tb for all four species approximated 40 C; hypothermy was never observed. Basal metabolism (HJb) was 107% of the expected level for LOU, 85% for SE and CE, and 66% for LB. Minimal thermal conductance (C) was calculated as approximately 131% of the expected value for LOU, 115% for SE and …

The Early Life History Of The White And Black Crappie In Rough River Lake, Kentucky, Gary Overmann

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Crappies spawned in Rough River Lake from April 29 to July 9. Larvae were first collected on May 3 when the lake temperature reached 17 C. A total of 7369 crappie was taken from may 3 to August 1. The maximum number of crappies occurred from May 30 to June 20. The developmental chronology was described for specimens 4.75 mm to 29 mm total length. Meristic characters averaged 10.8 for preanal myomere count, 21.1 for postanal myomere count, 31.9 for total myomere count and 0.62 for preanal length to postanal length ratio. Densities of larvae were low early in the …

The Origins Of Spring Migratory Staging By Sandhill Cranes And White-Fronted Geese, Roger S. Sharpe

Biology Faculty Publications

A most unusual avian migratory event takes place each .,pring in the Platte River basin of Nebraska between 98 and 102 degrees longitude (Fig. 1). In suitable habitats throughout this area large concentrations of Sandhill Cranes, Crus canadensis, and White-fronted Geese, Anser albifrons, develop and achieve peak populations in mid to late March. This phenomenon is traditional to the migratory habits of specific populations and occurs during the spring movement from wintering grounds in Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico to breeding grounds far to the north in Canada and Alaska. In both species groups of individuals drift in from wintering …

Breeding Biology Of The Sage Thrasher, John Wayne Gooding

All Master's Theses

The sage thrasher, Oreoscontes montanus (Townsend), is a common bird that breeds throughout the sage brush areas of the Great Basin and from northern Arizona to southern Saskatchewan. Although it is a fairly common and conspicuous bird, almost nothing about its life history has been published. This study was conducted in central Washington during the spring and summer of 1969 and the spring and early summer of 1970. During the 1969 season, emphasis was placed on finding and tracing the phenologies of as many nests as possible in order to determine the timing of the nesting cycle. During the 1970 …

Breeding Biology Of Cassin’S Finch, Carpodacus Cassinii, F. John Erickson Jr.

All Master's Theses

The present study was undertaken in an effort to increase our understanding of this species' life history, with special reference to the functional significance of delayed plumage development in males. Field studies were conducted throughout the breeding season, and efforts were made to determine whether or not sub-adult males were successful in acquiring mates. In conjunction with consideration of the function of delayed plumage development in males of this species, a general review of this phenomenon has been undertaken in the order Passeriformes.

The Social Organization Of Wild Turkeys On The Welder Wildlife Refuge, Texas, Charles Robert Watts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study is of the social organization of the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia Sennett) on the Welder Wildlife Refuge in southern Texas.

The earliest turkey nests hatched in April, with the peak of hatching a month or more later. These poults may remain with their mother until winter. This brood flock, however, often combined with other brood flocks to form composite brood flocks when the poults were a few weeks old. Hens not successful in rearing young combined into broodless flocks.

The juvenile males left the brood flocks in late fall or winter. They remained a distinct unit, …

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.

A Study Of The Respiratory System Of The Sparrow (Passer Domesticus), Ben Peter Arnowitz

Bachelors’ Theses

The respiratory mechanisms of birds, unlike that of mammals, are definitely adapted to the function of flight. Because of this added adaptation, we should expect, therefore, some morphological and perhaps even embryological, physiological, and histological differences. An example of a morphological difference between birds and mammals is the intricate system of air-sacs that are present in birds. This remarkable feature is probably the reason why birds are able to fly as they do.

In this thesis the writer has used the sparrow (Passer domesticus) for the basis of his experiments. This particular bird was chosen in preference to …

A Study Of The Digestive System In The Sparrow (Passer Domesticus), Henry Joseph Wisniewski

Bachelors’ Theses

The digestive tube proper of the Sparrow beings with the Oesophagus. This is a soft tubular organ which serves to convey food rapidly from the pharynx to the stomach. It extends along the median ventral margin of the neck lying dorsal to or to one side of the trachea. Posteriorly, at the base of the neck and shortly in front of the sternum it broadens slightly and gives rise to a dilated region of the oesophagus, namely the Crop, "whose secretion serves to moisten the food or even to initiate digestion." In larger birds as in the pigeon, the crop …

Hiemenz's Study Of The Heron Lake Franklin's Gull Colony, George W. Friedrich

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Report On The Birds Of Minnesota, P. L. Hatch

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.