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Nebraska Bird Review (January 1965) 33(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Bird Records from Northern Nebraska during the Breeding Season...................2

Two Species of Ibis Seen in Nebraska in May, 1964 ...................6

Nesting Report, 1964 ...................9

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Nesting in Clay County................... 14

Song Sparrow Nesting at Plattsmouth ...................14

A Changed Habitat ...................15

General Notes................... 18

Excerpts from Letters ...................19

Fall Field Day ...................20

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Frontmatter And Introduction, Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Illustrations
Background and Objectives of This Study
Value and Limitations of Behavior as a Taxonomic Tool
Biological Characteristics of the Family Anatidae

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Anseranatini (Magpie Goose), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The first subfamily and tribe of the Anatidae consists of the single genus and species Anseranas semipalmata, or magpie goose. This species deviates in almost every respect from the rest of the Anatidae, and anatomical evidence indicates that it has some affinities with the South American family of screamers, the Anhimidae (Delacour, 1954; Woolfenden, 1961). The screamers are a group of semiterrestrial birds which in turn have some of the characteristics of gallinaceous birds. It appears that the screamers and the magpie goose represent major stages in the evolution of the typical waterfowl from a gallinaceous ancestor. Besides the …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior, Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The present study was undertaken to test and evaluate the various taxonomic arrangements of the family, to discover some of the trends of behavioral evolution, and to provide a basis for future workers to use in naming, describing, and evaluating the behavioral patterns observed in waterfowl.

The major sexual behavior patterns of the species of Anatidae are reviewed and summarized, for the purpose of clarifying evolutionary relationships in the family, tracing the evolution of behavior patterns through various taxa, and evaluating the importance of certain behavior patterns as potential isolating mechanisms.

Species treated include:
Magpie Goose, Fulvous and Cuban Whistling …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Dendrocygnini (Whistling Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The whistling, or "tree," ducks comprise a group of eight species of world-wide, though primarily tropical, distribution. A single genus, Dendrocygna, is generally accepted, and indeed the species form such a homogeneous group that it is extremely difficult to establish intrageneric differences upon which to judge probable species relationships. In most respects, whistling ducks are very gooselike, differing from geese mainly in their more specialized tracheal structure, their whistling voices, and their distinctive downy plumage patterns. They possess relatively long legs and large feet, and they can dive remarkably well.

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Anserini (Swans And True Geese), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The swans and true geese of the present tribe include about 21 species which are primarily temperate and arctic in distribution, with most forms occurring in the Northern Hemisphere. They are generally large grazing or dabbling birds, and all are highly social and have strong family bonds. Plumage patterns are the same in both sexes and tend to be relatively simple, with visual signal characteristics generally restricted to the bill, head, and rump. For the most part the species are very vocal, and in the true geese vocalizations probably reach the highest degree of development in the entire family.

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Stictonettini (Freckled Duck), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

I include the Australian freckled duck, as the only member of a proposed tribe Stictonettini, as I originally suggested in 1960 on a tentative basis. Previously the freckled duck had been generally considered an aberrant dabbling duck with several primitive features, such as a reticulated tarsus, simple tracheal structure (illustrated in Johnsgard, 1961c), and absence of metallic plumage coloration or distinct plumage dimorphism. No hybrids have been recorded involving this species, which occurs widely but infrequently over the southern half of Australia.

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Tadornini (Sheldgeese And Shelducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The tribe includes the 16 species of sheldgeese and shelducks ("Lophonetta" and Tachyeres are here excluded from the tribe) which provide such a smooth transition from the true geese to the true ducks that it is difficult to establish a dividing line between the two groups. I believe that the line is best placed between Cereopsis on the anserine side and Cyanochen on the anatine side. Cyanochen is clearly a sheldgoose, but the plumages and voices of the sexes are practically alike, as are also their displays. Cyanochen and the other Tadornini are characterized by a downy plumage that is …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Tachyerini (Steamer Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

I consider the three species of steamer ducks of the genus Tachyeres to constitute a separate tribe. These authorities agree that although steamer ducks are perhaps most closely related to the true shelducks, the steamers are sufficiently different to warrant removing them from the shelduck tribe. Their downy young lack the strongly contrasting coloration typical of shelducks, and the adult plumage pattern is distinct both from that of the shelducks and from that of the other anatine groups. There is a slight sexual dimorphism in bill color, head color, and possibly in the degree of tail-feather curling. Pair bonds appear …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Cairinini (Perching Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

Delacour and Mayr (1945) placed the perching duck tribe after the pochards (Aythyini) and adjacent to the sea ducks (Mergini), but hybridization evidence (Johnsgard, 1960a) clearly indicates that the group belongs between the shelducks and the dabbling ducks and closely adjacent to the latter. There is other evidence to support this arrangement. The tracheae of shelducks, perching ducks, and dabbling ducks are all very similar, possessing bullae which in most species are osseous and rounded, and lacking enlargements of the tracheal tube. The downy young of perching ducks and dabbling ducks are very similar, and are usually patterned with dark …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Anatini (Surface-Feeding Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The tribe of surface-feeding, or dabbling, ducks is the largest single tribe in the family. There are 40 species in the tribe as it is constituted here. Contrary to the arrangement of Delacour (1956), the ringed teal is included in the Cairinini; and the crested duck, included in the Tadornini by Delacour, is here considered a typical dabbling duck. In addition, the pink-headed duck has been removed from the Anatini and placed in the Aythyini with the pochards, and the freckled duck has been removed from the tribe and is considered a primitive species having anserine relationships. The marbled teal …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Aythyini (Pochards), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The dabbling ducks grade almost imperceptibly into the pochard group considered here, and whether Marmaronetta and Rhodonessa should be included in one tribe or the other may be open to some question. As here constituted, the tribe includes 16 species of almost world-wide distribution which differ from the preceding group in several minor details. The hind toe has a larger lobe than occurs in the dabbling ducks, and it presumably aids in diving. The feet are also correspondingly larger and are set farther apart and more to the rear than in Anas. One of the most clear-cut differences is …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Mergini (Sea Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The tribe includes 20 species of which two are extinct. Except for two Southern Hemisphere species, the group is of northern and arctic distribution. All species consume a high proportion of animal material, although they are by no means all "sea" ducks. All dive extremely well, although the manner of diving varies in that some species usually open their wings when diving and others never do. All the species except the isolated Southern Hemisphere forms exhibit considerable sexual dimorphism in plumage, voice, and behavior, and there is much sympatry of ranges. Some genera (Somateria, Polysticta, Clangula, …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Tribe Oxyurini (Stiff-Tailed Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The stiff-tailed ducks constitute a unique section of the Anatidae that is possibly the most isolated of all the tribes with the exception of the Anseranatini. There are eight species which almost certainly belong in the group, plus one more that is only very tentatively included. The tribe is of worldwide occurrence. Seven of the species have long, narrow, and stiffened tail feathers that function as rudders in underwater swimming, at which all species are very adept. These species also have a dense and shiny body plumage much like that of grebes, but lack metallic coloration altogether. The typical species …

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Summary And Synopsis Of The Family Anatidae, Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

The major sexual behavior patterns of the species of Anatidae may now be reviewed and summarized, for the purpose of clarifying evolutionary relationships in the family, tracing the evolution of behavior patterns through various taxa, and evaluating the importance of certain behavior patterns as potential isolating mechanisms.

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Works Cited, Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

Approximately 150 works cited. (7 pages)

Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior: Indexes, Paul A. Johnsgard

Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior by Paul A. Johnsgard

General index: The principal page reference for each species or group is indicated by boldface type. Subordinate page references for each species are listed only under the standardized English names used in this book, as shown in the Appendix. Commonly used alternate names, or names referring to certain races or species groups, are included in the index but only principal page references are listed under these names. Page references to illustrations of species or of specific displays are indicated by italics. The Appendix and Summary have not been indexed.

Scientific Names: This index provides a reference only to the page …

Comparative Behavior And Relationships Of The Eiders, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Pair-forming and copulatory displays of the four species of eiders are described and illustrated, based on observations of captive and wild specimens. Behavioral differences indicate that two genera (Polysticta and Somateria) of eiders should be recognized, and that Lamponetta should be considered a synonym of Somateria. Racial differences in the displays of Somateria mollissima mollissima and S. m. v. nigra are explained on the basis of sympatry between the latter and S. fischeri, producing selection for display divergence that has not affected S. m. mollissima. Similarities in the behavior patterns of the eiders and the …

Comparative Behavior And Relationships Of The Eiders, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

One of the more controversial systematic problems existing in the family Anatidae concerns the taxonomic rank and evolutionary relationships of the four species of eiders, which are currently considered by the American Ornithologists’ Union (1957) to comprise three genera (Somateria, Lampronetta, and Polysticta) in the diving duck subfamily Aythyinae. In 1945, however, Delacour and Mayr included the eiders in a single genus (Somateria) within the sea duck tribe Mergini. At present, Delacour (1959) considers the eiders a separate tribe, Somateriini, distinct from the other sea ducks, and placed near the dabbling duck tribe Anatini. The erection …

Behavioral Isolating Mechanisms In The Family Anatidae, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

The ducks, geese, and swans present a host of species-recognition and isolating-mechanism problems that are equaled by few other groups of birds. As a family, the Anatidae have provided the greatest number of interspecific hybridization records of any avian family (see Gray, 1958, and Johnsgard, 1960a) both in captivity and under natural conditions. A surprising number of these hybrids have proved to be fertile, even when obtained between what appear to be well-marked genera. This remarkable capacity for hybridization indicates that isolating mechanisms must be operating effectively if species are to retain their integrity under natural conditions. Since genetic isolation …

Review Of Sex Ratios And Age Ratios In North American Ducks, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

This bulletin is by far the most elaborate and comprehensive of any of the publications dealing with waterfowl age and sex ratios that have appeared to date, and represents the presentation and analysis of sex and age ratio data accumulated by the Illinois Natural History Survey over the last 24 years. The several people concerned are to be congratulated for bringing this material into publishable form, and it is commendable that the National Science Foundation undertook the printing costs of this extensively tabulated and illustrated bulletin.

The Sexual Behavior And Systematic Position Of The Hooded Merganser, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

It has been over 15 years since Delacour and Mayr (1945) first urged that the mergansers (Mergus)and the goldeneye-Bufflehead group (Bucephala) be merged into a single tribe (Mergini) rather than being maintained in separate subfamilies (Aythyinae and Merginae). Their reasons for this change were several, and included such points as the similarities in the downy young, female color patterns, occurrence of wild hybrids between the two genera, and tracheal structure. Indeed, except for the shape of the bill in these two groups there is no good means of distinguishing the two subfamilies. As Delacour and Mayr pointed out, bill shape …

Correspondence About "Evolutionary Relationships Among The North American Mallards", Allan R. Phillips, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

The confusing leading article of the 1961 Auk calls for comment. Despite his title, "Evolutionary Relationships among the North American Mallards," the author discusses primarily geographic distributions, population sizes, egg-white proteins( !), and certain behavioral patterns. Maps are based on ". . . the literature, personal communications, and the major United States collections," " . and from additional sight and specimen records available to me"; yet only two museums other than Cornell University are mentioned in the acknowledgments. These maps show many records of platyrhynchos far to the south; sometimes (Figure 1) the reader must search hard for any hint …

The Taxonomy Of The Anatidae—A Behavioural Analysis, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

Delacour & Mayr's (1945) classic revision of the Anatidae took waterfowl behaviour into account to a much larger degree than had any previous classifications of the group. However, their utilization of behaviour was primarily at the tribal and generic levels, and no real attempt was made to use behaviour for determining intrageneric relationships. Thus far only Lorenz (1941, 1951-1953) has seriously attempteq this with waterfowl, and his analysis of the relationships within the genus Anas (sensu Delacour & Mayr) has provided a remarkable insight into the evolution of this group. I have attempted to expand Lorenz's behavioural delineation of relationships …

Wintering Distribution Changes In Mallards And Black Ducks, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Through the use of data compiled by the Audubon Society's annual Christmas Counts, an attempt has been made to trace the distributional changes of wintering Mallards and Black Ducks in the eastern states from 1900 to the present. During this period the Black Duck has increased relative to the Mallard in few if any states (the Great Lakes region), whereas the Mallard has increased nearly everywhere else (except in the extreme northeast), particularly in the southern coastal states. Deforestation and changes in land use are sug- gested as probable reasons for this trend, which is not likely to be reversed.

Evolutionary Relationships Among The North American Mallards, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

A comparative morphological, behavioral, and electrophoretic study was undertaken on six populations of North American mallards that are currently considered by the A.O.U. Check-list to comprise four species and two additional subspecies. These include Anas p. platyrhynchos, A. d. diaxi, A. d. novimexicana, A. f. fulvigula, A. f. maculosa, and A. rubripes. These forms are essentially allopatric in their breeding distributions, with the major exception of A. p. platyrhynchos and A. rubripes, which overlap throughout a several-hundred-mile zone in east-central United States.

Geographic ranges and population sizes are estimated, and evidence is presented to indicate that the …

Pair-Formation Mechanisms In Anas (Anatidae) And Related Genera, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

Although the" courtship" behaviour of waterfowl has attracted widespread interest and has been the subject of several major papers (e.g. Heinroth 1911, Lorenz 1951-1953), the actual means by which pairs are formed in most species of waterfowl remains unknown. We may conclude by inference that the females of most species of ducks must actively "select" their mates, for the elaborate male displays and plumage patterns present in the group can only be reconciled in terms of sexual selection. In addition, any observer of waterfowl will soon realize that it is the males which actively " court" the females, and that …

A Quantitative Study Of Sexual Behavior Of Mallards And Black Ducks, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

In recent years an increased interest in the use of behavioral characteristics in evolutionary studies has developed, and this is particularly true in the case of waterfowl. The classical studies of Heinroth (1911), who was one of the first to apply knowledge of waterfowl behavior to systematics, have been elaborated on by Lorenz (1941; 1951-1953) in his important contribution toward the understanding of relationships in the Anatinae. These, and other, studies have stressed the qualitative behavioral differences occurring among different species as providing possible isolating mechanisms through their presumed function of conveying species-specific recognition signals. To the present, no extensive …

Hybridization In The Anatide And Its Taxonomic Implications, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

Without doubt, waterfowl of the family Anatidae have provided the greatest number and variety of bird hybrids originating from both natural and captive conditions. The recent compilation by Gray (1958) has listed approximately 400 interspecies hybrid combinations in this group, which are far more than have occurred in any other single bird family. Such a remarkable propensity for hybridization in this group provides a great many possibilities for studying the genetics of speciation and the genetics of plumage and behavior, and it also provides a valuable tool for judging species relationships. It may generally be said that the more closely …

Nebraska Bird Review (January 1960) 28(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

"Twin nests" of House Wren, picture ... 2

Trees and Shrubs of Value as a Food Source to Migratory and Non-Migratory Bird Life in the Sandhill Region of Central Nebraska ... 3

Summer Birds of Camp Opal Springs, 1958-1959 ... 5

Some Observations of Bird Behaviorisms in and Near Traps and Nets ... 7

Nesting Study of Long-Eared Owls in Box Butte County ... 10

General Notes ... 11

Excerpts from Letters ... 13