Ornithology Commons^™

Detecting Prescribed Fire, Haying And Grazing Events Via Remote Sensing To Create Grassland Disturbance Landcovers For The Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus Colchicus), Megan Amy Baldissara

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation developed disturbance detection models to fulfill the need for remote sensing landcover products describing grassland structure. The use of landcover products derived from remote sensing is increasing over time in pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) research. Such landcover, however, does not provide relevant pheasant structural habitat information (Chapter 1). Pheasants require tall, high-density grassland for nesting, tall grassland with medium density for brood rearing, and tall grassland for wintering. Time since disturbance can serve as a proxy for structure, as it shapes vegetation by removing biomass and resetting succession. Disturbance is easier to detect than structure with current …

Spatial Conservation Planning In The Southeastern United States: Alignments And Opportunities, Bradly Stewart Thornton

Theses and Dissertations

Conservation managers and planners need the ‘best available science’ to support robust and defensible decisions, ensuring that public resources are appropriately allocated. Spatial planning products and decision-support tools developed for this purpose should enable partner organizations to achieve focus, coordination, and increased effectiveness in their investments and actions. Whereas conservation partnerships have historically created distinct planning tools, there is increasing interest for improved coordination, communication, and unifying biological datasets to improve the cohesiveness of regional management activities. We sought to inform spatial conservation planning efforts in the southeastern United States through the development of species distribution models for focal avian …

A Subspecies-Level Database Of Amazonian Bird Distributions, With Inferences On Suture Zones And Conservation, Marco Antonio Rego

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Amazonia has the largest and most biodiverse tropical forest on the planet. However, the distributions of its species are still poorly understood, even for well-studied vertebrates such as birds. Available distribution maps for Amazonian birds often lack accuracy in delimiting the area where species occur. Existing distributional information for Amazonian birds is often limited to species-level level taxonomy, even though many Amazonian bird subspecies represent biological species. Here, I investigate the geographic distributions of 4,148 bird taxa (species and subspecies) using museum scientific specimens as the primary source of data. To build the data base I use more than 600,000 …

Vertebrate Scavenger Diversity And Ecosystem Services Along An Elevational Gradient In Central Nepal, Aishwarya Bhattacharjee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A growing number of studies recognize the ecological significance of vertebrate scavengers, and several species belonging to this diverse, functional guild are of high conservation importance around the globe. Studies on taxonomic and functional components of biodiversity often use elevation gradients to comprehensively examine patterns and drivers across multiple spatial scales. Yet, there are relatively few elevational studies on large vertebrates or multi-taxa guilds, and the related variation of their ecosystem services. In particular, scavenger research has largely focused on local-scale studies or regional/global comparisons of local-scale investigations. Moreover, these studies primarily consider taxonomic community characteristics and the patterns of …

Bird Community Monitoring At Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas, Status Report 2001–2018, David G. Peitz, Kathleen A. Kull

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

In 2001, the Heartland I&M Network initiated breeding bird surveys on Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas, to assess the ecological integrity of the preserve’s habitat. Birds are an important component of ecosystems and can serve as good indicators of habitat change in an ecosystem. In the 17 years of bird surveys at the preserve (2001 to 2018, excluding 2003), there were 2,089 plot visits and 119 different bird species recorded, 96 of which have the potential to breed within the preserve. These 96 species represent approximately 81% of the total species one would reasonably expect to have breeding …

Wyoming Wildlife: A Natural History, Paul Johnsgard, Thomas D. Mangelsen

Zea E-Books Collection

This book surveys Wyoming’s mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian faunas. In addition to introducing the state’s geography, geology, climate, and major ecosystems, it provides 65 biological profiles of 72 mammal species, 195 profiles of 196 birds, 9 profiles of 12 reptiles, and 6 profiles of 9 amphibians. There are also species lists of Wyoming’s 117 mammals, 445 birds, 22 reptiles, and 12 amphibians. Also included are descriptions of nearly 50 national and state properties, including parks, forests, preserves, and other public-access natural areas in Wyoming. The book includes a text of more than 150,000 words, nearly 700 references, a glossary …

Bird Monitoring At Homestead National Monument Of America, Nebraska, Status Report 2009–2017, David G. Peitz, Lloyd W. Morrison, Kristen L. Mecke

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

In 2009, the Heartland Inventory Monitoring Network initiated breeding bird surveys on Homestead National Monument of America, Nebraska, to address two objectives: (1) to monitor changes in bird community composition and abundance, and (2) to improve our understanding of relationships between breeding birds and habitat, and the effects of management actions on those relationships. This report evaluates trends in the park’s breeding bird populations in the context of trends observed within the North American Bird Conservation Initiative’s (NABCI) Central Mixed Grass Prairie Bird Conservation Region, the region in which the park is located. By doing so, we can …

Bird Monitoring At Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Iowa, Status Report 2005–2017, David G. Peitz, Lloyd W. Morrison, Kristen L. Mecke

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

In 2005, the Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network initiated breeding bird surveys on Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Iowa, to address two objectives: (1) to monitor changes in bird community composition and abundance, and (2) to improve our understanding of relationships between breeding birds and habitat, and the effects of management actions on those relationships. This report evaluates trends in the park’s breeding bird populations in the context of trends observed within the North American Bird Conservation Initiative’s (NABCI) Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region , the region in which the park is located. By doing so, we …

Bird Monitoring At Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa, Status Report 2009–2017, David G. Peitz, Lloyd W. Morrison, Kristen L. Mecke

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

In 2009, the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Network) initiated breeding bird surveys on Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM), Iowa, to address two objectives: (1) to monitor changes in bird community composition and abundance, and (2) to improve our understanding of relationships between breeding birds and habitat and the effects of management actions on such relationships. This report evaluates trends in the park’s breeding bird populations in the context of trends observed within the North American Bird Conservation Initiative’s (NABCI) Prairie Hardwood Transition Bird Conservation Region, the bird conservation region in which the park is located. By doing …

Anthropogenic Influence On Falco Sparverius Populations Within Washington State, Jesse Squibb

Undergraduate Honors Theses

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) populations have been fluctuating throughout the United States. A primary focus in studying these birds has been on the decline of the small raptor along the East Coast of the United States. This project focuses on the American Kestrel populations within Washington State between 2005 and 2011. The goal of this project was to determine whether or not the trend in Washington are similar to those along the East Coast. This study uses data from Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Christmas Bird Count, and North American Breeding Bird Survey for American Kestrel Sightings. The United …

A Comparison Of Land Use And Land Cover In Public Lands Of The Northwestern Great Plains And High Plains Ecoregions And The Implications For Grassland Birds, Dawn L. Siemonsma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Loss and degradation of grassland habitat are driving forces that contribute to widespread declines of grassland birds in the United States. Many studies have evaluated habitat needs for the conservation of grassland birds, but the relative contribution of public lands in representing and maintaining avian biodiversity remains poorly understood. Having a better understanding of the role that publicly managed grasslands play in the conservation of grassland bird habitat is important for assessing the value of the investment the American public makes in these lands. Therefore, I investigated spatial relations among variations in amounts and distributions of publicly owned and managed …

Habitat Quality Modeling For Bird Species At Furman University, Emma Cook

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

In rapidly urbanizing areas, such as Greenville County in Upstate South Carolina, it is important to study habitat use and quality across land cover types in order to maximize conservation. Habitat fragmentation is a threat to many species of birds in areas with increasing development, especially those species that utilize larger forest patches for nesting and foraging. While land cover type and patch size are extremely important factors in determining habitat quality for birds, recent research has shown that the matrix of surrounding landscape proves to be very important as well. The landscape matrix, sometimes called landscape mosaic, considers the …

New Data On Feeding Ecology Of Bubo Bubo And Asio Otus (Aves: Strigidae) In Mongolia, Michael Stubbe, Nayamsuren Batsaikhan, Oliver Lindecke, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

New materials of 10 Eagle owl Bubo bubo localities from Mongolia were analyzed. The feeding ecology of Long-eared owl Asio otus was studied by the investigation of pellets from 4 roosting or nesting places in S-Mongolia. All together in the prey of Bubo bubo were analyzed 1098 vertebrates (1017 mammals, 39 birds, 41 reptiles, 1 fish), involving about 22 mammal species. The pellets were dominantly those of Lagomorpha with 23.3% in SW-Mongolia, Dipodidae in W-, SW- and S-Mongolia (37.3%, 23.4%, 30.2%), Cricetidae in SW- and S-Mongolia (13.6%, 17.6%), Gerbillidae in W- and S-Mongolia (19%, 32.1%) and Arvicolidae in W- and …

Der Mönchsgeier Aegypius Monachus (L., 1766) Und Seine Mallophagen (Insecta, Phthiraptera) In Der Mongolei = Cinereous Vulture Aegypius Monachus (L., 1766) And Its Chewing Lice (Insecta, Phthiraptera) In Mongolia, Eberhard Mey, Michael Stubbe, Davaa Lchagvasuren, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

During a series of studies on the population, ecology, and biology of the Cinereous Vulture in Mongolia, fully feathered nestlings of the species from 9 nests were examined, without the use of chemical methods, for Mallophaga infestation from 2010 to 2015. The collection resulted in several first records for Mongolia of three species: Laemobothrion vulturis (J. C. FABRICIUS, 1775) sensu lato (Amblycera, Laemobothriidae), Neocolpocephalum aegypii (TENDEIRO, 1989) (Amblycera, Menoponidae s. l.) sp. inq., and Falcolipeurus quadripustulatus (BURMEISTER, 1838) (Ischnocera, Philopteridae s. l.). Despite being expected, there has still been no record of Agypoecus brevicollis (BURMEISTER, 1838) in Mongolia.

Chewing louse …

Predicting Toucan Locations In Panama Using Arcgis, Daniel J. Herrera

Geography: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Toucans are omnivorous birds native to southern Latin America and South America. They are non-migratory, and their range is disputed among experts. In an attempt to develop a better understanding of the range and behavior of toucans, correlations between toucan presence and geographic features of the area were analyzed to create a location probability map.

Avian Diversity Across Three Distinct Agricultural Landscapes In Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama, Jarred Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Deforestation of tropical forest for agricultural purposes threatens habitat loss of native species. The value of various agricultural landscapes in conserving avian populations is useful in determining diversity-conscious development plans. However, generalized results from regionalscale studies cannot be implemented to insular avian habitats. This study serves as the only current avian diversity study of the Chiriquí Highlands. To determine the effect of agricultural land use within an insular avian habitat, I compared avian diversity and site population similarity in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands of the Talamanca Range, Panama. I hypothesized that avian diversity is greatest at forest edge followed by forest …

The Effect Of Visual Wulst Lesions And Trigeminal Nerve Sectioning On The Discrimination Of Magnetic Inclination In The Homing Pigeon (Columba Livia), Merissa Acerbi

Honors Projects

The ability of homing pigeons to return to their loft from unknown places has fascinated scientists for centuries. It is well established that homing pigeons, like migratory birds, posses an innate magnetic inclination compass to determine direction by measuring the angle between the magnetic field vector and the Earth's surface. Recent work has indicated that the avian magnetic compass is light mediated and appears to mediate magnetic information to the brain. This occurs via a visual pathway with processing in the visual Wulst area of the forebrain. There is, however, also evidence from other avian species that magnetic direction may …

Review Of Birds Of Southwestern Nebraska: An Annotated Check-List Of Species In The North And South Platte River Valleys And At Lake Mcconaughy. By Mary Bomberger Brown, Stephen J. Dinsmore, And Charles R. Brown., Wayne Mollhoff

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Opening with a map of the region under study, Birds of Southwestern Nebraska proceeds, in its introduction, to a summary of the presettlement landscape and a description of the large-scale habitat changes occurring since then, along with avian responses to those changes. While crediting previous avian studies in southwestern Nebraska, often not readily available to the public, the authors note this area initially received little attention from ornithologists, who tended to focus on other biologically unique parts of the state, such as the Sandhills, forests, and Pine Ridge. The body of the book consists of a list of species reported …

Review Of Conspecific Attraction And Area Sensitivity Of Grassland Birds, David R.W. Bruinsma, Nicola Koper

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Many species of grassland birds are area sensitive, which may exacerbate the ecological effects of the extensive loss and fragmentation of grasslands that has taken place across the northern Great Plains. However, the reasons for this area sensitivity are unclear, as vegetation structure, matrix composition, and restriction of movements among patches do not seem to provide viable explanations for species native to grasslands. Con specific attraction, whereby species are behaviorally stimulated to select habitat or establish territories near individuals of the same species, may help explain this area sensitivity. We review and discuss theoretical and empirical research on avian conspecific …

Channel Width And Least Tern And Piping Plover Nesting Incidence On The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Joel G. Jorgensen, Mary Bomberger Brown, Andrew J. Tyre

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Endangered interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and threatened northern Great Plains piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) nest together on midstream sandbars in large rivers in the interior of North America. We investigated the relationship between river channel width and tern and plover nesting incidence on the lower Platte River, Nebraska, using a model-based logistic regression analysis. Multiple channel width measurements and a long-term nesting data set were used in the analysis. Nesting incidence was positively associated with increasing river channel width proximal to the nesting site. At a greater distance, up to 802 m away from …

Wetland Hydrodynamics And Long-Term Use Of Spring Migration Areas By Lesser Scaup In Eastern South Dakota, Sharon N. Kahara, Steven R. Chipps

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis [Eyton]) populations remain below their long-term average despite improved habitat conditions along spring migration routes and at breeding grounds. Scaup are typically associated with large, semipermanent wetlands and exhibit regional preferences along migration routes. Identifying consistently used habitats for conservation and restoration is complicated by irregular wetland availability due to the dynamic climate. We modeled long-term wetland use by lesser scaup in eastern South Dakota based on surveys conducted during below-average (1987-1989) and above-average (1993-2002) water condition years. Wetland permanence, longitude, and physiographic region were all significant determinants of use (P < 0.01). Long-term use was best described by a quadratic equation including wetland surface area variability, an index of wetland hydrodynamics that is linked to productivity, biodiversity, and value to waterfowl. Contrary to previous findings, our study shows that over the long term, lesser scaup are more than twice as likely to use permanent wetlands as they are semipermanent wetlands. The northern region of South Dakota's Prairie Coteau, which holds the highest density of hydrologically dynamic permanent wetlands, should be considered an area of conservation concern for lesser scaup. The criteria we identified may be used to identify important lesser scaup habitats in other regions of the Prairie Pothole Region.

Bird Red List And Its Future Development In Mongolia, Sundev Gombobaatar, D. Samiya, Jonathan M. Baillie

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

With the involvement of the World Bank, Zoological Society of London, Dutch Government and National University of Mongolia, the volumes of Mongolian Red Lists of Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds and Mammals were completed, and Mongolia is now among the few nations that have up-to-date conservation assessments for all vertebrates. Of the 476 assessed native bird species of Mongolia, 10% were categorized as regionally threatened including Near Threatened. A further 0.6% were categorized as Critically Endangered (CR), 1.7% as Endangered (EN), 3.3% as Vulnerable (VU), and 4.4% as Near Threatened (NT). Almost 90% of Mongolian birds are categorized as Least …

Nestling Food In The Desert Wheatear Oenanthe Deserti In The Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia, Ueli Rehsteiner

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The quality and size of nestling food of the Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti ssp. atrogularis were investigated in the spring of 2001 in the Dzungarian Gobi in Mongolia. Data are based on observations of nine pairs. Nestling food consisted of several taxa caught on the ground and in the air. Diptera, Coleoptera larvae, and Hymenoptera were the most frequent prey, that is, they contributed 17 to 30% of all food items each. The food composition changed with nestling age and season.

Food item size decreased with date. A higher proportion of multiple prey loadings were brought to nestlings in the …

Ecology And Behaviour Of The Black-Billed Capercaillie (Tetrao Urogalloides Stegmanni) In The Khentej Mountains, Mongolia, Siegfried Klaus, Karl-Heniz Schindlatz, Alexander V. Andreev, Hans-Heiner Bergmann

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Introduction

A common inhabitant of East Siberian larch forests, the Siberian or black-billed capercaillie (Tetrao urogalloides) ranges south to the limits of the boreal forests in the northern Mongolian mountains and east to the very coast of the Asian continent (KLAUS et al. 1989). Tetrao urogalloides MIDDENDORF (1851) has priority over T. parvirostris BONAPARTE (1856). Therefore, we prefer the T. urogalloides.

The subspecies T.u. stegmanni was first described on the basis of morphological differences by POTAPOV (1985) using specimens collected during Russian expeditions by KOZLOVA (1930). This description was based on 18 males in the collection at …

Lidar Remote Sensing Variables Predict Breeding Habitat Of A Neotropical Migrant Bird, Scott J. Goetz, Daniel Steinberg, Matthew G. G. Betts, Richard T. Holmes

Dartmouth Scholarship

A topic of recurring interest in ecological research is the degree to which vegetation structure influences the distribution and abundance of species. Here we test the applicability of remote sensing, particularly novel use of waveform lidar measurements, for quantifying the habitat heterogeneity of a contiguous northern hardwoods forest in the northeastern United States. We apply these results to predict the breeding habitat quality, an indicator of reproductive output of a well-studied Neotropical migrant songbird, the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens). We found that using canopy vertical structure metrics provided unique information for models of habitat quality and spatial patterns of …

Im Gedenken An Den Mongolischen Ornithologen Ajurzana Bold (1936-2007), M. Stubbe, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Obituary of Mongolian ornithologist Ajurzana Bold (1936-2007).

Verzeichnis Der In Den „Beiträgen Zur Gefiederkunde Und Morphologie Der Vögel“ Hefte 1-14 Beschriebenen Und Der Vom Verfasser Im Übrigen Schrifttum Publizierten Federbestimmungsmerkmale Von Mongolischen Vögeln, W.-D. Busching

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

First paragraph:

Seit der ersten Mongolisch-Deutschen Biologischen Expedition im Jahre 1962 hat die Erforschung der Avifauna große Fortschritte gemacht, wobei im Zoologischen Institut der Martin Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg, der Mongolischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und dem Biologischen Institut der Nationaluniversität der Mongolei in Ulaanbaatar umfangreiche Balgund Skelettsammlungen angelegt wurden. Nicht wenige Vogelfunde lagen aber in Form von Nahrungsresten der Greifvögel, Eulen und des Haarraubwildes vor und waren damit nur schwer anzusprechen. So gingen die aufgesammelten Rupfungen und Säugetierrisse zumeist an den Autor, in der Hoffnung, dass sie bestimmt werden können.

Waterbirds Of Uvs-Nuur Depression, T. P. Archimaeva-Ozerskaya, V. I. Zabelin

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This report provides an overview of water birds (Non-Passeriformes) inhabiting the lakes of Uvs- Nuur Depression. The article includeds material obtained during field work in the Uvs-Nuur Depression during 1999-2006, unpublished observations of rare vagrant species of birds, and data from the literature. Altogether we and others recorded 81 bird species from ten families on the lakes within the basin. The list we provide does not include sparrows or birds from habitats closely associated with the basin. The following non-Passeriformes bird families were noted (with the number of species in parentheses): Gaviidae (1), Podicipedidae (2), Phalacrocoracidae (1), Ardeidae (5), Anatidae …

In Memoriam, Academician Prof. Dr. Osor Shagdarsuren (1929-2010), Sundev Gombobaatar, D. Sumiya, R. Samiya, B. Bayartogtokh, S. Shar, Nyamsuren Batsajchan, M. Altantsetseg, Ch. Uuganbayar, D. Usukhjargal, P. Amartuvshin, P. Jargalsaikhan, Sh. Boldbaatar, N. Tseveenmyadag, G. Mainjargal, B. Nyambayar, E. R. Potapov, Michael Stubbe, Annegret Stubbe, Andrew Dixon

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Academician, Professor Osor Shagdarsuren passed away due to apoplexy on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at the age of 81. He was one of the most respected Mongolian ornithologists, biologists, and educators. The Mongolian scientific community has lost one of its greatest members, the premier Mongolian ornithologist.

Ecology Of Eurasian Black Vultures (Aegypius Monachus) In Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia, Richard P. Reading, David Kenny, John Azua, Travis Garrett, Mary Jo Willis, Tsolmonjav Purevsuren

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

We studied the nesting ecology and movement patterns of Eurasian black vultures (Aegypius monachus) nesting in and near Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogobi Aimag, Mongolia. From 2003 till 2009, we monitored nesting pairs from incubation to fledging and compared nesting success for pairs nesting on rocks and trees. We captured chicks just prior to fledging to apply leg bands and wing tags. We also captured adults in June and attached solar-powered global positioning system (GPS)/satellite telemetry units, leg bands, and wing tags. We collected resighting data on marked birds opportunistically and telemetry data on tagged birds. We monitored …