Ornithology Commons^™

The Role Of Elevation In The Migration, Physiology, And Genomic Diversification Of Birds, Jessie L. Williamson

Biology ETDs

Elevational gradients cause profound eco-climatic variation across short distances. Partial pressure of oxygen (PO₂) is a severe challenge that organisms face at high elevations; due partly to specialization on PO₂, most Neotropical bird species have narrow elevational ranges. However, a small fraction are elevational generalists that span sea level to high elevations, and a subset undertake extreme migratory journeys from low to high elevations biannually. My dissertation combines diverse approaches across levels of biological organization to understand how elevation impacts the ecology, evolution, physiology, and migration of montane birds. I examined ‘extreme’ elevational …

Avian Communities Monitored Along A Successional Chronosequence In Bottomland Hardwood Forests In The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Eamonn Alasdair Thurmond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bottomland hardwood forests in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley have been extensively reduced due to agriculture conversion and altered hydrology. Remnant forests have undergone further degradation from sources such as a lack of forest management, invasive species, and reduced regeneration of oaks (Quercus spp.). Recent restoration efforts of bottomland hardwood forests have focused on implementing wildlife forestry practices that prioritize restoring wildlife habitat while retaining profitable timber harvests. In this study I surveyed bird communities in bottomland hardwood forests in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley along a successional chronosequence. Birds were sampled using automated recording units over 10 days …

Hybridization Between The Rare Gray-Headed Chickadee And The Abundant Boreal Chickadee In The Midst Of Shifting Climate, Matthew R. Armstrong

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As species respond to changing climate, distributions and abundances may shift and alter species interactions. Hybridization, a relatively widespread phenomenon becoming more common with climate change, can have beneficial and detrimental effects on population growth rates and genetic integrity. Beneficial effects due to the introduction of advantageous alleles and increased genetic diversity may result from hybridization. Species may also accrue fitness costs associated with changing climates if mismatches occur between environmental variables and phenotypes. The gray-headed chickadee, Poecile cinctus lathami, is an extremely rare songbird that has experienced marked declines in recent decades within its restricted distribution in Alaska …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, 125th Anniversary Of The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Birding Bowl Kickoff Weekend, Lincoln, Mary 3–5, 2024, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Annual Meeting and Spring Field Days were held in Lincoln on May 3-5, 2024, with 80 in attendance. This year is the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, and this meeting also served as the kickoff of the Nebraska Birding Bowl.

Field trips were led by Olivia DaRugna, Thane Dinsdale, Joe Gubanyi, Thomas Labedz, Jason St. Sauver, T. J. Walker, and Michael Willison. Destinations included Wilderness Park, Bluestem Lake SRA, Killdeer WMA, Cottontail WMA, Pawnee Lake SRA, Branched Oak Lake, Butler County Prairie-Chicken lek, Marsh Wren Saline Wetland, Spring Creek Prairie, and Conestoga Lake …

The Early Years Of The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union: People And Publications, Daniel W. Leger

Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska once boasted that it had the greatest avian biodiversity of any state. Today, such a claim seems preposterous, but when it was made, back in 1899, it was serious. The antecedents of that claim underlie the objective of this article, namely to describe the early history of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union (NOU), its founding members, and its publications, one of which, the Nebraska Bird Review, you are reading today.

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To say that many changes have occurred in ornithology and birding since the NOU started in 1899 would be a severe understatement. Most of these changes have …

The Nebraska Bird Review (June 2024) 92(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March–May 2024, by W. Ross Silcock

The Early Years of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union: People and Publications, by Daniel W. Leger

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting, 125th Anniversary of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Birding Bowl Kickoff Weekend, Lincoln, May 3–5, 2024, by Janis Paseka

Subscription and Organization Information

Spring Field Report, March–May 2024, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

A major concern this spring was the widely lamented shortfall in numbers of migrant warblers and the shortened duration of the migration, with most sightings relatively early. Numbers of migrant warblers east of the 100th meridian were investigated by Joel Jorgensen and Stephen Brenner and the scarcity was indeed found to be supported by eBird data; see the “News and Updates” section in Birds of Nebraska-Online (BONO). At Oliver Reservoir in the Panhandle, however, Steven Mlodinow found that migration was at least normal for a range of common migrants, with some migrants above the levels of the last four years. …

Crossing The Ocean: The Importance Of Gene Flow In Island Evolution, Ethan F. Gyllenhaal

Biology ETDs

Islands have long been a critical arena for the development of ecological and evolutionary theory, particular due to persistent open-water gaps between them. In this dissertation I demonstrates how these caps are permeable, which can be leveraged to understand evolution on islands and more broadly. The first chapter develops this connection between ongoing, overwater gene flow and island biogeographic theory, and tests it on an archipelago species. The second take a three-pronged approach in demonstrating how over-water gene flow can bias phylogenetic inference, and how many phylogeographic metrics in islands are likely shaped by long-term gene flow. The final two …

Changes In Animal Vocalizations In Response To A Total Solar Eclipse, Colton W. Morris

ATU Scholars Symposium

My proposed research project will study the changes in animal vocalizations in response to the total solar eclipse that will take place in Russellville, Arkansas, on April 8, 2024. I will use audio recordings before, during, and after the eclipse to quantify changes in animal vocalizations. Most recordings will be in the range of normal hearing, and will primarily detect birds, frogs, and insects. Additionally, I will deploy one ultrasonic recorder capable of detecting bats. From these recordings I will be able to quantify overall and species-specific call rates. Audio recordings will be paired with continuous measurements of light intensity …

Socioecological Assessment Of Birds In Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, Eli Taub

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Effective management of natural resources requires consideration of the environment through both a physical and a sociological lens. In this study, the birds in Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve were examined through both a biological mist-net survey and a socioecological series of interviews with people living in the surrounding villages. The mist-net survey compared the understory species in undisturbed and disturbed area of the forest, as well as analyzing birds caught for biologically meaningful information on subspecies and sexual dimorphism. While the mist-net survey was largely unsuccessful, highlighting the need for alternative bird capture methods in Ngezi, it found a decrease …

Avian Diversity And Abundance Among Agricultural Land, Forested Land, And Their Ecotone In Guadalupe, Cerro Punta, Chiriquí Province, Republic Of Panamá., Stella Rae Kinard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the human population increases, finding the balance between modifying land use for resources and protecting areas to preserve species that are threatened by anthropogenic disturbance is an ever growing problem. Guadalupe is a town in the Western Highlands of Panamá that struggles in this balance as its primary income source is agriculture, but it is located on the border of two protected areas, Parque Nacional La Amistad and Parque Nacional Volcán Barú. By understanding the unique ways in which avifauna utilize distinct vegetative landscapes, recommendations can be made for management styles of farms in Guadalupe to implement practices that …

The Effects Of Phenological Shifts On The Reproductive Success Of Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo) And Arctic Terns (Sterna Paradisaea) In The Gulf Of Maine, Jamie W. Dinella

Student Publications

Climate change is resulting in ecosystem-wide consequences, including shifts in the geographical distribution of species and the timing of biological events, or phenology. The rapidly warming Gulf of Maine hosts breeding populations of migratory common terns (Sterna hirundo) and Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea). I used nest check data (2013-2022) and eggshell membrane stable isotope data (2022) from Petit Manan Island in the Gulf of Maine to examine the causes and consequences of variation in phenology in common and Arctic terns. I hypothesized that the timing of an individual’s breeding was impacted by their foraging behavior and that female terns that …

Demographic Consequences Of Off-River Nesting For Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) And Interior Least Tern (Sternula Antillarum Athalassos) In The Lower Platte River System, Nebraska, Elsa M. Forsberg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; hereafter, plovers) and interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos; hereafter, terns) are two avian species that nest along the Lower Platte River system (LPRS) in Nebraska. In the LPRS, river sandbars provide natural nesting habitat, but off-river sites provide substantial nesting habitat especially when sandbar habitat is scarce. Although presumed to be important for the persistence of plovers and terns, off-river habitat is not self-sustaining and predicted to decline. Understanding the vital rates of plovers and terns in the LPRS will inform the role of off- river sites in the future conservation …

Influences Of Sex, Morph, And Weather On Roosting Distributions In Overwintering White-Throated Sparrows (_Zonotrichia Albicollis_), Rebecca Stephens

Honors Theses

Habitat choice influences survival by affecting access to resources, shelter from predators, mating opportunities, and numerous other costs and benefits. As such, habitat conservation is crucial, especially for migratory songbirds which are declining primarily due to habitat destruction. White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) are a well-studied migratory songbird, but little is known about their roosting behaviors or how those behaviors are affected by sex, color morph, or weather. To determine this, we tracked White-throated Sparrows to their roosts, determined core home ranges, and analyzed the average distances of roost sites to the home range centroids according to these factors. …

Interior Least Terns (Sternula Antillarum Athalassos) In A Landscape Of Fear: Explaining Predator Frequency On Sandbars Using Habitat Features, Carice N. Kimbrell

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Causes of colony failure in interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) have been a prevalent topic for researchers investigating this previously endangered species. In Arkansas, these colonies are primarily located on sandbars formed along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Reduction in nesting site quality may put this sensitive species at a greater risk for predator encounters. In my first chapter, I identified which sandbar characteristics resulted in higher frequencies of predator encounters at interior least tern colonies. In my second chapter, I investigated how those predators influenced colony production and whether interior least tern colonies exhibited similar …

The Nebraska Bird Review (March 2024) 92(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Winter Field Report, December 2023–February 2024, by W. Ross Silcock

Birds and the People They Were Named For

Annual Color Photo Section

2023–2024 Christmas Bird Counts, by Don Paseka

Annual Treasurer’s Report for 2023, by Jan Johnson

Subscription and Organization Information

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Treasurer's Report, December 31, 2023, Jan Johnson

Nebraska Bird Review

No abstract provided.

Annual Color Photo Section

Nebraska Bird Review

Annual color photograph section (the first six pages show examples of this year’s theme: species whose common names include the names of people):

Cassin’s Finch
Cassin’s Kingbird
Steller’s Jay
Cooper’s Hawk
Baird’s Sandpiper
Baird’s Sparrow
Bullock’s Oriole
Hybrid Baltimore × Bullock’s Oriole
Clark’s Grebes
Sprague’s Pipit
Forster’s Tern
Brewer’s Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow
Swainson’s Hawk
Swainson’s Thrush
Clark’s Nutcracker
Ross’s Goose
Sabine’s Gull
LeConte’s Sparrow
Harris’s Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow
Townsend’s Solitaire
Wilson’s Warbler
Wilson’s Snipe
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Wilson’s Phalarope
Franklin’s Gulls
Pine Grosbeak
Bald Eagle
Pine Siskin
Piping Plover
Ovenbird
Blackheaded Grosbeak
Red Crossbill
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Long-eared Owl
Horned Grebes

Birds And The People They Were Named For

Nebraska Bird Review

This year the theme for our color photo section was birds named for people. For the purposes of our selections, we looked only at the common names of birds, although some species also reflect the names of people in their scientific names. Many species are named for people, but photos of the ones listed here are on the first six pages of this year’s color section.

Baird’s Sandpiper, Baird’s Sparrow Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887) was the first curator and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and was instrumental in expanding the Institution’s natural history collections. John James Audubon named the …

Winter Field Report, December 2023–February 2024, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As was the case for winter 2022–2023, the big general story was the large number of reports of tardy fall migrants and unexpectedly northerly occurrences in midwinter, an apparent residue of relatively mild early winter temperatures. These reports involved at least 50 species, many of them waterbirds and native sparrows, but including several other passerines as well. Notable were about 12 waterfowl species, five grebe species, an interesting late Dec peak in each of the last three years of Sandhill Cranes, record late Whooping Cranes, a 4th winter record of Dunlin, high numbers of Double-crested Cormorants, a wintering Rock Wren, …

2023–2024 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

With the resurrection of the Kearney count, twenty CBCs [Christmas Bird Counts] were run in the 2023–2024 season. This is four more than last year and one more than the previous high number of nineteen from 2021. Although the Crawford, Harrison, and Scottsbluff counts were postponed because of snow, the weather on count days was mild with an average high of 43°F and an average low of 27°F, resulting in mostly open water. Rain and mud eliminated access to several normally productive areas of the Harlan County count which still produced the highest number of species (94). Lake McConaughy produced …

Avian Symbionts Of Sulawesi: Identifying And Correlating Malaria Parasites And The Microbiome In Communities Of Endemic Avian Hosts, Rachael Joakim

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the evolution of complex organisms, there have been communities of symbionts inhabiting them. Thanks to the development of parallel sequencing techniques, DNA of entire microbial communities can be sequenced from a single sample. Some microbes can be parasitic in nature, such as Haemosporida, an order of eukaryotes causing malaria. While most symbionts form a more commensal host relationship in wild systems, host-symbiont dynamics can vary in pathogenicity based on biotic and abiotic factors. In vertebrates, microbial communities in the gut play a major role in host function, including immune responses to Haemosporida. Though this relationship is most commonly explored …

Effects Of Habitat Selection And Individual Quality On The Reproductive Success Of Barn Owls (Tyto Furcata), Jaime E. Carlino

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The hypothesis of adaptive breeding habitat selection proposes congruence between the evolved selection of habitats and fitness components such as reproductive success. However, mismatches between habitat selection and observed fitness outcomes are not unusual and can arise for multiple reasons. Variation in individual qualities of animals has also been found to affect reproduction and survival. I examined associations between barn owl nest box selection, reproductive output, and plumage characteristics previously shown to correspond to individual quality. I found that barn owls selected tall nest boxes made of wood, mounted high off the ground, and with increased proportions of grassland around …

Rapid Point-Of-Care Testing For Detection Of Antibodies To Toxoplasma Gondii In Black Vultures And Ring-Billed Gulls From Pennsylvania, Alexa Rosypal Von Dohlen, Sydney Randall, Jordyan Grays, Mark A. Dugo, Brian J. Hunt, Justin Brown, Kyle Van Why, Sawsan Ammar, Richard Gerhold

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects most warm-blooded animals, including birds. Scavenging birds are epidemiologically important hosts because they can serve as indicators of environmental T. gondii levels. A rapid point-of-care (POC) test that detects antibodies to T. gondii in humans is commercially available. In this research, we assessed the ability of the human POC test to detect anti–T. gondii antibodies in 106 black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and 23 ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) from Pennsylvania, USA. Serum samples were tested with the POC test and compared to the modified …

Relationships Between Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon Pyrrhonota) And Feather Coloration, Morphological Characteristics, And Colony Size, Sonja M. Brandt

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Environmental stressors such as drought and roadways can strongly affect breeding birds. Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon Pyrrhonota) are aerial insectivores that experience mortality from car collisions, because they often nest and hunt under bridges and road culverts. Individual traits that may convey social information, such as body condition, or feather coloration, might be associated with better coping around cars and other environmental stressors. Few studies have investigated relationships between coloration and other environmental stressors, such as water loss due to drought near the colony and foraging areas. Colony size can be heavily affected by various environmental factors such as water level …

Migration-Associated Variation In Blood Parasitism, Body Condition, And Stress In Gambel’S White-Crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia Leucophrys Gambelii), Julianna Deibel

Scripps Senior Theses

Migration is a widespread behavior in animals which both causes and is motivated by fluctuations in nutrient availability. Migration is ecologically important, as it connects areas of differing primary productivities and carries pathogens over distance. The relationship between migration and disease is complex, sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance, and influenced by ecological cycles as well as host, vector and parasite life cycles. Four central migration-infection mechanisms have been proposed: migratory susceptibility, migratory exposure, migratory escape, and migratory culling. These mechanisms may yield increased or decreased infection post-migration, based on migration’s physiological tax and the concentration of pathogens along migratory pathways.

To …

The Influence Of Genes On The Migratory Timing Of Great Reed Warblers, Emily Fackler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Many organisms migrate; however, there is a lack of knowledge on the mechanisms that drive migration timing, including which genes play a role. The great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a migratory bird that breeds in Eurasia and overwinters in sub-Saharan Africa, is an excellent model to study the genetics of migration. Each season, some individuals migrate early, whereas others migrate later in the season. In other words, they exhibit differences in their migratory chronotypes. Past research has identified three candidate genes (TOP1, PEAK1, and CPNE4) that influence the migratory chronotypes of another avian species, …

Divergent Response To Anthropogenic Change Within The Songbird Taxon: Insights From The Range Expansion Of The Northern Cardinal And Mitigation Mechanisms For Migratory Bird-Building Collisions, Jenna Brewer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Anthropogenic activities have impacted ecosystems across the globe. However, wildlife species have exhibited heterogenous responses to these novel changes, with some species experiencing population growth, and others succumbing to population decline. I studied examples of both within the songbird taxon, focusing on drivers of range expansion in the Northern Cardinal and acoustic mitigation mechanisms for migratory bird-building collisions, a source of decline for many songbird species. I found that the Northern Cardinal’s range was primarily a function of climatic stress, which was supported by the modulation of the molt process across latitudes. Specifically, Northern Cardinals exhibited faster feather growth rates …

Mitochondrial Metabolism In Blood More Reliably Predicts Whole-Animal Energy Needs Compared To Other Tissues, Stefania Casagrande, Maciej Dzialo, Lisa Trost, Kasja Malkoc, Edyta T. Sadowska, Michaela Hau, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Ulf Bauchinger

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding energy metabolism in free-ranging animals is crucial for ecological studies. In birds, red blood cells (RBCs) offer a minimally invasive method to estimate metabolic rate (MR). In this study with European starlings Sturnus vulgaris, we examined how RBC oxygen consumption relates to oxygen use in key tissues (brain, liver, heart, and pectoral muscle) and versus the whole-organism measured at basal levels. The pectoral muscle accounted for 34-42% of organismal MR, while the heart and liver, despite their high mass-specific metabolic rate, each contributed 2.5-3.0% to organismal MR. Despite its low contribution to organismal MR (0.03-0.04%), RBC MR best predicted …

Fall Field Report, August–November 2023, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As in the last few fall seasons, late departure dates continue to increase in number. This is often attributed to a warming climate but may also result from increased observer activity and usage of eBird. Late dates are probably the most important aspect of this report, most prominent the record late fall dates for Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sanderling, Bank Swallow, and Cassin’s Sparrow. Although these species are taxonomically diverse, there were species group concentrations of late dates, notably among shorebirds. Examples were Marbled Godwit for which the four latest reports this fall were four of the latest six fall dates on …