Ornithology Commons^™

Black & White Photographs, Paul A. Johnsgard

Grouse and Quails of North America by Paul A. Johnsgard

1–4. Sage Grouse • 5–12. Blue Grouse • 13–17. Spruce Grouse • 18–22. Willow Ptarmigan • 23–26. Rock Ptarmigan • 27–31. White-tailed Ptarmigan • 62–65. Ruffed Grouse • 66–69. Sharp-tailed Grouse • 70–79. Pinnated Grouse • 80. Buffy-crowned Tree Quail Habitat • 81. Bearded Tree Quail • 82–84. Barred Quail • 85–87. Scaled Quail • 88. Mountain Quail • 111. Hybrid Barred × Scaled Quail • 112. Hybrid Mountain × California Quail • 113. Hybrid California × Scaled Quail • 114. Hybrid Scaled × Gambel Quail • 115. Hybrid Bobwhite × Gambel Quail • 116. Hybrid Bobwhite × California Quail …

The Bobwhite Quail, Norm Dey, Jack Sinn

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

A Year with the Bobwhite

Population Dynamics—Managing the Variables

The Way to Quail Abundance

The Ring-Necked Pheasant In Nebraska, William L. Baxter, Carl W. Wolfe

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Ringneck—Its Past and Prospects: A most successful exotic, pheasant numbers are declining

Nuptial Rites and Nesting: Spring recoups winter’s losses

Summer Broods: While cocks undergo their annual moult, hens enter the brooding period; for eight weeks, hens attend chicks

Hunting the Ring-necked Pheasant

Season of Testing: Nebraska’s winters test a pheasant’s mettle, but given good cover and an adequate food supply, the ringneck is almost impervious to the elements

Methods of Management

Life History And Ecology Of The Ring-Necked Pheasant In Nebraska, William L. Baxter, Carl W. Wolfe

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Table of Contents

The Study … 6

Population Studies … 8 ...

Methods … 8 ...

Results and Discussion … 9

Nesting Studies … 13 ...

Methods … 13 ...

Results and Discussion … 14 ...

Nest Parasitism … 16 ...

Effects of Nest Searching on Nest Fate ... 17 ...

Nesting Chronology ... 18 ...

Roadside Nests ... 21 ...

Nesting in Experimental Alfalfa ... 22 ...

Pheasant Production in Wetlands ... 23

Brood Studies … 26 ...

Methods ... 26 ...

Sampling Problems ... 26 ...

Results and Discussion ... 27

Cover Utilization by Pheasant Broods ... 29 …

Proximate And Ultimate Determinants Of Clutch Size In Anatidae, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

In a stimulating analysis, Lack (1967, 1968a) reviewed waterfowl clutch size and egg size data, and concluded that interspecific variations in average clutch size are generally inversely related to those of relative egg size. Thus, he suggested that the average clutch size of each waterfowl species has evolved in relation to the average availability of food to the female around the time of nesting. He hypothesized that in waterfowl, relatively large eggs have probably evolved to provide the newly-hatched young with a large food supply (an idea he subsequently (1968b) questioned) or with an adequate insulating layer of fat. He …

The Elusive Tree Quails Of Mexico, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

The three species of tree quails or wood-partridges, genus Dendrortyx, of Mexico and Central America are all surprisingly large — weighing up to one pound in the case of the largest species — and have relatively long tails that result in an overall body length of from 9 to 16 inches. Their beaks are large and heavy, and are related to their abilities to tear apart and consume fruits, flower buds, and similar materials.

Three species of tree quails have been described, all of which occur in moist montane forests, especially the mist-shrouded cloud forests that occur at elevations …

Torrent Ducks Of The Andes, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

Throughout the world there is probably no more rigorous environment for waterfowl than that provided by the Andean streams in South America. Rushing down the mountains from an altitude of 18,000 feet or more, tumbling over precipices, the streams eventually merge and grow into such giants as the Orinoco, Amazon, and Rio de la Plata on the Atlantic slope, or empty direct into the Pacific on the west side. In the intermediate elevations, mainly between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, a remarkable duck, fittingly called the torrent duck (Merganetta armata) makes its home among the rapids and cataracts. This …

Proceedings Of The First National Bobwhite Quail Symposium (April 23-26, 1972 : Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma), John A. Morrison, James C. Lewis

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

Panel Session I: Trends in Principal Management Themes

Bobwhite Quail on Shooting Preserves, Edward L. Kozicky

The Traditional Southern Bobwhite Quail Plantations, Leon Neel

Bobwhite Quail Management on State Controlled Wildlife Areas, Ralph J. Ellis

Trends In Management of the Bobwhite Quail on Commercially Owned Forest Land and National Forests of the Southern Region, Dale H. Arner

Panel Session II: Heretical Ideas about Bobwhite Ecology and Management

The One Quail Per Acre Myth, Forest E. Kellogg, Gary L. Doster, Edwin V. Komarek, Sr., and Ray Komarek

Second Broods in Bobwhite Quail, Jack A. Stanford

Changes of Covey Affiliation by Bobwhite …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (June 1971) 39(2)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Turkey Vulture Nesting Records for Nebraska - A New Record for Sheridan County ................19

A Lancaster County Record for the Surf Scoter ................21

1970 (Thirteenth) Fall Occurrence Report................22

The Seventieth Annual Meeting................ 36

Notes ................37

Book Review ................40

Experimental Hybridization Of The New World Quail (Odontophorinae), Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Hybridization experiments among six species of New World quail currently placed in four genera (Colinus, Callipepla, Lophortyx, and Oreortyx) involved the establishment of nine mixed-pair combinations. Seven of these combinations resulted in the production of F₁ offspring, and individuals representing five intergeneric crosses have been reared to maturity. These F₁ individuals exhibited a hatchability at least as high as occurred in parental species matings. In four of five intergeneric crosses, the hybrid females have laid smaller-than-normal eggs in spite of average or higher-than-average egg production, and a high proportion of eggs females laid have been …

Observations On Sound Production In The Anatidae, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

It has been known for a long time that, among non-passerine birds, the Anatidae are remarkable for the diversity of specializations in the trachea and syrinx, associated with sound production. It has also been recognised that these variations have taxonomic significance (Heinroth 1911; Johnsgard 1961), but virtually no attempts have been made to correlate the complex tracheal structures with the sounds produced. Yet the group offers many fascinating problems such as the adaptive significance of the looping of the trachea, either outside the body cavity as in the Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata, or inside the sternum as in the …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (Dec 1970) 38(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1970 (Forty-fifth) Spring Migration and Occurrence Report ................74

1970 Fall Field Day ................87

Book Review ................88

Notes ................88

Index of Volume XXXVIII ................93

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (Sept 1970) 38(3)

Nebraska Bird Review

CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................................... 43

Description of Gage County ................................................................ 43

Check-list of Gage County Birds-Introduction ............................ 44

Definitions of Terms ................................................................................ 45

Loons; Grebes ............................................................................................ 45

Pelicans; Cormorants; Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns; Geese ........................................................................ 46

Ducks .............................................................. 47

Mergansers; Vultures; Kites and Hawks ............................................ 48

Eagles and Harriers; Osprey; Falcons ................................................ 49

Grouse; Quail and Pheasants; Turkeys; Cranes; Rails, Gallinules and Coots; Plovers and Killdeer; Woodcock ........................................................ 50

Snipe, Curlews, Sandpipers, and Godwits ........................................ 51

Avocets; Phalaropes; Gulls and Terns; Doves; Cuckoos; Barn Owl ............................................................................................ 52

Typical Owls; Poor-will and Nighthawks; Swifts; Hummingbirds; Kingfishers .......................................................... 53

Woodpeckers; Kingbirds and Flycatchers …

A Summary Of Intergeneric New World Quail Hybrids, And A New Intergeneric Hybrid Combination, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

The exceedingly close affinities of the quail genera Colinus, Callipepla, and Lophortyx have been recognized for some time and have recently been emphasized by additional morphological (Holman 1961; Hudson et al. 1966), biochemical (Sibley 1960), and pterylographic (Ohmart 1967) evidence. Indeed, Holman has suggested that these three taxa might best be regarded as subgenera. Phillips et al. (1964) pragmatically merged Lophortyx with Callipepla; and Delacour (1961-1962) synonymized not only Lophortyx, but also Oreortyx and Philortyx, with Callipepla, yet retained Colinus as a separate genus. Although Ohmart (1967) questioned the validity of generically separating Lophortyx and …

Review Of Waterfowl In Australia By H. J. Frith, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

Our dearth of knowledge concerning Australian waterfowl has, until recently at least, been so severe as to once stimulate Ernst Mayr to write a paper (Emu, 45:229-232, 1946) reminding Australians how little was then known about their native waterfowl. The situation was especially serious in view of the fact that no fewer than six of Australia’s 19 species of indigenous waterfowl represent monotypic genera that are largely or entirely restricted to that continent. Furthermore, these include such phylogenetically significant and taxonomically controversial genera as Anseranas, Cereopsis, Malacorhynthus, and Stictonetta, the last two of which have never been available …

The Masked Duck In The United States, Paul A. Johnsgard, Dirk Hagemeyer

Papers in Ornithology

Reports on the first-known accounts of masked duck breeding in the United States.

Some Observations On Maccoa Duck Behaviour, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

The recent comprehensive review of Maccoa Duck Oxyura maccoa biology by Clark (1964) has provlded the first detailed summary of the species' reproductive behaviour patterns and other aspects of breeding in this little-studied stiff-tail. It has been evident that the evolutionary relationships of the Maccoa Duck to the other southern hemisphere stiff-tails and the northern species of Oxyura are still uncertain at best, as evidenced by the varied taxonomic treatment that the Maccoa has received from Delacour and Mayr (1945), who regarded it as a race of O. australis, from Boetticher (1952), who consldered it as a race of O. …

A Review Of Parental Carrying Of Young By Waterfowl, Paul A. Johnsgard, Janet Kear

Papers in Ornithology

A review of literature reveals that published accounts of parental carrying among waterfowl are numerous and of diverse origins. Parental carrying on the back while swimming has been reliably seen in three species of swans, two sheldgeese, and at least seven species of ducks. Parental carrying of young in flight has also been reported for at least 16 species representing seven of the generally recognized waterfowl tribes. The majority of such accounts have involved carrying the young in the bill, a possibility that is somewhat substantiated by reliable observations of egg or eggshell carrying by females of several species. In …

Foraging Dives By Surface-Feeding Ducks, Janet Kear, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Recently, R. I. Smith (1966. Wilson Bull., 78:483-484) questioned, among other things, the occurrence of foraging dives by Pintails (Anas acuta). The authors note observations and published accounts of diving behavior of wild Pintails as well as a number of other surface-feeding species.

Distributional Changes And Interaction Between Prairie Chickens And Sharp-Tailed Grouse In The Midwest, Paul A. Johnsgard, Robert E. Wood

Papers in Ornithology

The "prairie grouse" of North America present an interesting example of the effects of human activities on breeding distribution patterns of birds, with resulting changes in geographic distribution and spacial isolation. Thus, the Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido) was one of the most familiar birds to the early colonists, who relied heavily on it for food. Ultimately, loss of habitat caused the Heath Hen's extinction. When the vast tall-grass prairies west of the Appalachians were settled, Greater Prairie Chickens (T. c. pinnatus) were probably more plentiful, and greatly increased as woods were cleared and grain crops supplemented native grasses. With …

The Evolution Of Duck Courtship, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

The courtship of ducks is unusual in several aspects. In temperate zones it generally begins very early, usually on the wintering grounds, so courtship is not a manifestation of territorial proclamation and defense as is the case with many songbirds. Nor, because of its early initiation, is courtship closely correlated with gonad growth and fertilization; rather, pair formation is normally completed prior to the period of maximum gonadal activity. Therefore, reproductive behavior in ducks may be conveniently divided into an early phase of conspicuous displays associated with actual pair formation, followed by the later and less elaborate behavior patterns concerned …

The Role Of Adventitious Reinforcement In Operant Discrimination, Alan Kamil, John W. Davenport

Avian Cognition Papers

Rats were trained in 2 S^D-S^Δ discrimination experiments in which the effects of an S^D-postponement contingency during S^Δ and temporal regularity of S^Δ duration were assessed. Experiment I showed that discrimination is markedly facilitated by the presence of an S^D-postponement contingency of either fixed or variable duration. Experiment II showed that variable-duration S^Δ periods in a noncontingent schedule can also greatly enhance formation of an operant discrimination. These effects were attributed to differences in the probability of adventitious reinforcement of S^Δ behavior by S^D events.

Some Putative Mandarin Duck Hybrids, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

Prestwich (1960) and Gray (1958) have concluded, mirroring Delacour and Mayr (1945) and Seth-Smith (1922), that the Mandarin Duck is unable to hybridize, even with its nearest living relative the Wood Duck. After reviewing the literature, however, I listed (1960) the Mandarin Duck as having probably hybridized with the Wood Duck, and also mentioned the possibility of hybridization with one or more species of Anas. Since then I have been hopeful that actual specimens of Mandarin Duck hybrids might be located to substantiate this vulnerable position, and it is now possible to report on some probable hybrids.

Nebraska Bird Review (January 1967) 35(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1966 (Forty-first) Spring Migration and Occurrence Report ... 2

Addition to 1965 Fall Record Report ... 22

1966 Fall Field Day ... 22

1966 Winter Meeting ... 22

Notes ... 23

In Memoriam—George W. Keim ... 24

—William G. Youngworth ... 24

Sympatry Changes And Hybridization Incidence In Mallards And Black Ducks, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Changes in general fall and winter distributions of Mallards and Black Ducks over the past century have resulted in markedly increased sympatric contact during pair formation between these two forms, and have been responsible for increased opportunities for hybridization. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife records of hybrids from 34 states indicate a minimal current hybridization rate that is about 4% of the frequency expected on the basis of mating according to mathematical probabilities of chance contact. Thus, hybridization is most frequent where both forms are almost equally abundant, indicating that no reinforcement of differences reducing hybridization in the primary …

Behavior Of The Australian Musk Duck And Blue-Billed Duck, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Sexual displays of the Musk Duck and Blue-billed Duck are described and illustrated. The displays of male Musk Ducks comprise a series of three forms exhibiting increasing ritualization, complexity, and time-interval constancy. All of them have conspicuous auditory characteristics as well as variously conspicuous visual features. Displays in the species appear to have evolved under the influence of intense sexual selection resulting from what is probably a more completely promiscuous mating system than occurs in any other species of Anatidae. These selective pressures have also probably promoted the evolution of such features as large size and extreme sexual dimorphism that …

Inheritance Of Behavioral Characters In F2 Mallard X Pintail (Anas Platyrhynchos L. X Anas Acutas L.) Hybrids, Roger S. Sharpe, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

The present study was undertaken to compare the inheritance of behavioral and morphological features of two closely related species of Anas, and to attempt to establish whether any significant degree of behavioral variation occurs in the second generation which could be attributed to these genetic processes.

Two closely related species of Anas, the Common Mallard (A. p. platyrhynchos) and the Common Pintail (A. a. acuta), were selected for study. Both species have been repeatedly hybridized in captivity (GRAY, 1958; PHILLIPS, 1915, 1921), and occasionally hybrids occur in the wild. MAYR (1963) has commented on the …

Symposium O Koroptvi / Symposium On Partridge: Výzkumný Űstav Lesniho Hospodářství A Myslivosti Československý Myslivecký Svaz, Czechoslovak Forestry And Game Management Research Institute, Czechoslovak Hunting Union

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

English abstract

The Symposium on Partridge was organized by the Forestry and Czechoslovak Game Management Research Institute and the Czechoslovak Hunting Union and held in Prague, Czechoslovakia in October 1965. Participants in the symposium were specialists and scientific workers from Czechoslovakia and some scientists from abroad. There were two major themes: 1. the present state of partridge research and 2. conservation issues, including the problems and prospects of partridge stocks.

Papers concerned biology of partridges, ecology, population dynamics, migration, nestng, food, influence of predators, health, helminths, gapes, hemogram, rearing of partridges, rearing of chicks, penning, wintering in pens, protection during …

The Elusive Musk Ducks, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

If one were to try to choose the most remarkable duck in the world, serious consideration would have to be given the Australian Musk Duck (Biziura lobata) of the family Anatidae. Among its unusual features are the great dimorphism of the sexes (males weigh eight pounds or more and are about three feet from bill to tail; females weigh two to three pounds and measure about two feet), the leathery pendent lobe that is located on the lower mandible, the strong odor of musk that is prominent in males during the breeding season, and the remarkably large eggs (averaging one-half …

The Breeding Population Of Waterfowl On The Chippewa National Forest, John Mathiesen

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics of the breeding waterfowl population on the Chippewa National Forest in north central Minnesota.