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Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Ornithology
American Kestrels (Falco Sparverious) In Row Crop Agriculture Of The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Of Northeast Arkansas: Factors Influencing Nest And Roost Box Use, Nest Success, And Effects On Agricultural Pests, Ty Spencer Sharrow
Student Theses and Dissertations
Utilizing birds of prey for pest control is a sustainable, environmentally friendly approach to pest management that can benefit not just the environment and human health but also the birds themselves. The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius; hereafter ‘kestrel’) is one such species that can provide pest management services while benefiting from nest boxes used to attract them in agricultural areas. I examined how box and habitat characteristics influenced kestrel box use for nesting, winter roosting, and nest success in the row crop-dominated landscape of northeast Arkansas’ Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. In addition, I assessed kestrel impact on pests by systematically …
Does Bergmann’S Rule Apply To North American Birds In The Context Of Climate Change?, Peridot Derrin Galloway
Does Bergmann’S Rule Apply To North American Birds In The Context Of Climate Change?, Peridot Derrin Galloway
Student Theses and Dissertations
Over the past half century, birds have changed, including in their morphology. Biogeographic rules including Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules have been used to try to elucidate morphological changes; however, there has been dispute over the rules’ applicability. Thus, I aimed to identify 1) morphometric trends over time of 15 North American bird species, including eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis); 2) if these morphometric trends follow Bergmann’s rule; and 3) if the observed morphometric trends are associated with life history and other traits, as well as climatic variables (e.g., average, maximum and minimum temperatures, and total precipitation). Using short- and long-term morphological …
An Ecological And Physiological Assessment Of Feather Mite-Bird Symbioses, Kevin James Krajcir
An Ecological And Physiological Assessment Of Feather Mite-Bird Symbioses, Kevin James Krajcir
Student Theses and Dissertations
Feather mites are ectosymbiotic arthropods that reside primarily on the wing and tail feathers of most birds. Despite our growing understanding of feather mite biology, previous studies of the nature of the feather mite-avian host relationship report mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism. Such inconsistencies are likely due to narrow study designs that fail to capture the possibility of context dependency in this interaction. To provide some clarity surrounding the nature of this symbiotic system, we explored how geographical, climatic, and ecological contexts relate to variation in feather mite abundance and how that abundance, consequently, associates with multiple metrics of host condition …
Non-Breeding Ecology Of Loggerhead Shrikes In An Intensive Agricultural Region, Emily Rose Donahue
Non-Breeding Ecology Of Loggerhead Shrikes In An Intensive Agricultural Region, Emily Rose Donahue
Student Theses and Dissertations
As intensive agriculture has transformed much of the landscape across central North America, many grassland species have had to learn to adjust these new, highly homogeneous habitats while facing steep population declines. The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus; hereinafter shrike) is one such declining species that persists in these agricultural landscapes. However, we lack information on the sustainability of these populations, and shrike non-breeding ecology, as for most passerines, remains understudied. Specifically, little is known about non-breeding behavior, diet, survival, site fidelity, and habitat selection. If survival, space use, and habitat selection metrics differ between demographic groups within non-breeding populations also …
A Test Of The Sexually Selected Egg Color Hypothesis In Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Annabelle Mckie-Voerste
A Test Of The Sexually Selected Egg Color Hypothesis In Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Annabelle Mckie-Voerste
Student Theses and Dissertations
The broad array of colors represented in avian eggshells has promoted extensive investigations into its evolutionary significance. Although many hypotheses exist that explain conspicuous egg colors, including egg recognition against brood parasitism, protection from UV rays, and thermoregulation, they fail to adequately explain the adaptive function of vivid blue eggs. The Sexually Selected Egg Color Hypothesis (SSECH) states that blue-green eggshell coloration is a post-mating, sexually selected signal that conveys female quality, and male birds that observe more pigmented eggs would increase their care accordingly, resulting in higher quality chicks. Using a population of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) in northeast …
Exploring The Effects Of Geographic And Landscape Variation On Avian Communities And Species, Joseph Youtz
Exploring The Effects Of Geographic And Landscape Variation On Avian Communities And Species, Joseph Youtz
Student Theses and Dissertations
Ongoing and intensive anthropogenic change has modified the globe across multiple scales, yet the influence of these modifications on wildlife communities and individuals remain region and species specific. Here I explored the influence of a biogeographical pattern as it relates to climate and geography, and the effects of historic habitat loss and fragmentation on a diverse avian community. I first explored the adherence to Bergmann’s rule within a migratory songbird, the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), across all life stages and time. The pattern was present from the young nestling stage through adulthood, although contemporary eggs followed a reverse relationship with …
Cerulean Warbler Habitat Selection, Breeding Biology, Survival, And Space Use In The Ozark Region, Jacob Louis Wessels
Cerulean Warbler Habitat Selection, Breeding Biology, Survival, And Space Use In The Ozark Region, Jacob Louis Wessels
Student Theses and Dissertations
For many declining migratory birds, gaps in information on their ecology can impede conservation efforts. Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea; hereinafter ceruleans) are one such rapidly declining species and have regional ecological variation, so more comprehensive information may benefit their effective conservation. We studied ceruleans in the Ozark region of Arkansas to increase the scientific knowledge of this species in an understudied region that likely supports a ‘natural population’ of ceruleans. We assessed habitat selection, breeding biology, survival, and space use of ceruleans. Consistent with other regions, ceruleans at our study sites selected areas with large trees across spatial scales. Males …
Climatic Variability And Climate Change: U.S. College Freshmen Attitudes And Spatio-Temporal Effects On Cavity-Nesting Passerines, Sara Elizabeth Harrod
Climatic Variability And Climate Change: U.S. College Freshmen Attitudes And Spatio-Temporal Effects On Cavity-Nesting Passerines, Sara Elizabeth Harrod
Student Theses and Dissertations
Despite the scientific consensus that human activities are the primary cause, many people deny the problem of climate change. If mitigation efforts are to be successful, we need to determine young individuals’ attitudes toward and knowledge of climate change. Successful mitigation efforts are important for humans, as well as wildlife and the environment. Wildlife populations are already being affected, with many documented cases of negative impacts. Effects on populations can occur through impacts on demographic parameters, and if parameters are synchronized across species or populations, this could prove disastrous if climate change negatively affects these parameters. Here, I surveyed first-semester …
Emulating Natural Disturbance Using Variable Retention Harvest Regimes: Measuring Short-Term Changes In The Avian Community And Understory Nest Survival, Jennifer L. Wilcox
Emulating Natural Disturbance Using Variable Retention Harvest Regimes: Measuring Short-Term Changes In The Avian Community And Understory Nest Survival, Jennifer L. Wilcox
Student Theses and Dissertations
Over the last 200 years, forests of the eastern United States were largely cleared for industrial and agricultural purposes, and subsequent regrowth has resulted in mostly even-aged, closed canopy stands. Furthermore, dynamic ecological conditions including windthrow, ice storms, floods, fires, tree senescence, and insect outbreaks, which are necessary for maintaining healthy forest ecosystem functions and biodiversity, have become infrequent and/or do not have the same effects in contemporary forests as they did in old growth systems. This has partially led to declines in a number of disturbance-dependent and early-successional avian species, and a need for harvest prescriptions that emulate these …
Causes And Consequences Of Range Expansion In The Genus Tyrannus, Alexander Joseph Worm
Causes And Consequences Of Range Expansion In The Genus Tyrannus, Alexander Joseph Worm
Student Theses and Dissertations
Investigating factors that influence species’ ranges and the potential consequences arising from expansion is vital in successfully predicting future distributions. Species-habitat associations are considered to be fixed, but if they are variable, inaccurate forecasts may occur. Additionally, hybridization with heterospecifics can affect species’ ranges, possibly preventing successful expansion. Here, I used two expanding bird species, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forticatus) and Western Kingbird (T. verticalis), to assess how differential habitat selection and hybridization may influence range expansion. First, I explored variation in habitat selection behavior of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers by comparing habitat selection patterns at the periphery with the historic core of …
Prothonotary Warbler Nest Selection, Nest Survival, Demographic Parameters, And Spatial Plumage Color Variation, Morgan Christopher Slevin
Prothonotary Warbler Nest Selection, Nest Survival, Demographic Parameters, And Spatial Plumage Color Variation, Morgan Christopher Slevin
Student Theses and Dissertations
(I) To aid conservation efforts for the declining Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), we studied warblers breeding in White River NWR to assess relationships between nest site microhabitat variables and both habitat selection patterns and nest survival; furthermore, we estimated demographic parameters of individuals breeding in natural cavities vs. nest boxes. Prothonotary Warblers preferred nesting in relatively high, shallow cavities in dead trees; however, canopy cover was negatively related to nest survival. Demographic parameters generally did not differ between nest type. (II) To explore how carotenoid-derived coloration and associated signaling vary spatially, we compared warblers breeding in Arkansas and Virginia, USA. …
Ecological And Evolutionary Relationships Between Feather Mites And Parulid Warblers, Alix Elizabeth Matthews
Ecological And Evolutionary Relationships Between Feather Mites And Parulid Warblers, Alix Elizabeth Matthews
Student Theses and Dissertations
Host-symbiont relationships are ubiquitous in nature, yet the evolutionary and ecological processes that have shaped these intricate associations are not well understood. Here, I explored the complex symbiosis between feather mites and their warbler hosts. I first considered how ecological context may influence feather mite abundance on two ecologically dissimilar warbler species, and how feather mite abundance may in turn influence the current reproduction and annual survival of hosts. Ecological context of hosts does play a role in feather mite abundance, and even though current reproduction may not be influenced by feather mite abundance, annual survival may be at a …
Migration And The Post-Fledging Period: Examining Two Critical Stages Of The Cerulean Warbler Life Cycle, Douglas William Raybuck
Migration And The Post-Fledging Period: Examining Two Critical Stages Of The Cerulean Warbler Life Cycle, Douglas William Raybuck
Student Theses and Dissertations
To reverse declining population trends for migratory birds, a full annual and life cycle conservation approach is necessary. However, two life history stages of relatively high mortality—the migratory and the post-fledging periods—are not well-understood for most declining bird species, including the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea), a declining species considered vulnerable to extinction. Here, I explored the possibility of using geolocators to obtain migration data for Cerulean Warblers and examined potential negative effects of applying these devices to this species, finding no effects during the breeding season of deployment but lowered annual return rates compared with color-banded control counterparts. I also …
The Foraging Behaviors And Decision-Making Strategies Of Overwintering Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo Jamaicensis) And American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) In Relation To Prey Density And Patch-Site Characteristics In Northeastern Arkansas, Melissa Marie Bobowski
Student Theses and Dissertations
I observed the wintering foraging behaviors of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) to determine the efficiency of their foraging strategies in relation to prey density and patch-site characteristics. The three cover-types (i.e., short rice stubble, soybean stubble, and fallow areas and roadsides) differed in densities of small mammals and vegetation cover. Cover-type was the most important predictor for the probability of making an attempt at prey for both species with the greatest probability at attempting was in fallow roadsides. Perch-type only influenced the probability of being successful at capturing a prey item for Red-tailed hawks with …