Ornithology Commons^™

Using Pentosidine And Hydroxyproline To Predict Age And Sex In An Avian Species, Brian S. Dorr, Randal S. Stahl, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Carol A. Furcolow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

All living organisms are subject to senescence accompanied by progressive and irreversible physiological changes. The error damage and cross-linking theories suggest that cells and tissues are damaged by an accumulation of cross-linked proteins, slowing down bodily processes and resulting in aging. A major category of these cross-linked proteins are compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We investigated the relationship between accumulation of the AGE, pentosidine (Ps), and hydroxyproline (HYP) a post-translationally modified amino acid, with age, sex, and breeding status (breeder/ nonbreeder) from skin samples of known age (i.e., banded as fledglings), free-ranging Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus, …

Galliformes Specialist Group Annual Report 2016-2017, John P. Carroll, Simon D. Dowell

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Annual report of the IUCN SSC Galliformes Specialist Group, 2017.

Guidelines For Successful Gamebird And Songbird Feeding, C. Sánchez García, Francis Buner

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

The key points of this research are:

• We studied the use of 259 feeders by wildlife using camera traps during early and late winter in 2012 and 2013, taking over 160,000 photographs.
• We worked on three farms in southern England where pheasants, grey and red-legged partridges were present and feeding was part of the existing game management programme.
• We used a feeder model consisting of a spiral feed dispenser attached to the bottom of a drum, suspended within a cylindrical iron armature clad with wire sheep netting.

Quail 8: Proceedings Of The Eighth National Quail Symposium (July 26-28, 2017 : Knoxville, Tennessee), Thomas V. Dailey, Roger D. Applegate

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

In memoriam: Robert "Bob" J. Robel, 1933-2013

PLENARY

Translocation as a population restoration technique for northern bobwhites: A review and synthesis, James A. Martin, Roger D. Applegate, Thomas V. Dailey, Michelle Downey, Beth Emmerich, Fidel Hernández, Mark M. McConnell, Kelly S. Reyna, Dale Rollins, Rebekah E. Ruzicka, and Theron M. Terhune II

A focused habitat approach for northern bobwhite restoration in Kentucky, John J. Morgan, John M. Yeiser, Danna L. Baxley, Gary Sprandel, Ben A. Robinson, and Keith Wethington

Progress of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, Donald F. McKenzie, John J. Morgan, and Thomas V. Dailey

The initial stages of …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2016]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

In Memory Of Elizabeth Grenon, Neal Ratzlaff

Nebraska Bird Review

On November 11, 2016 cancer claimed the life of longtime member and friend of NOU Betty Grenon, perhaps best remembered as our very intelligent, personable, meticulous treasurer and tenacious guardian of organization funds. Our records indicate Betty became a member in 1991. Her talents and qualifications (CPA and Nebraska's first female Certified Management Accountant) were soon recognized. She became NOU Treasurer in 1994, a position held until her death, except for a 3-year hiatus when her employment with Enron took her to Houston, Texas. NOU has benefited in a number of other ways from Betty's organizational skills and attention to …

Index To Volume 84

Nebraska Bird Review

Adams, R. J. 95
Aguillon, Stepfanie 62
Allen: Brian 60; Edward 4, 61, 156
Allin, C. C. 95
Anderson: Brayden 53; Chris 60; Jon 61, 94
Appell, Roger A. 62
Arthur, Noah 5, 147
Atkins, Gordon 4
Aubushon: Cathy 52; Dorothy 52
Avery, Mele 157
Avocet, American 69, 104, 110, 118, 164

. . .

Yellowlegs: Greater 2, 12, 69, 100, 104, 119, 165; Lesser 70, 100, 104, 119, 165, 184
Yellowthroat, Common 80, 106, 128, 175, 186
Young: E. A. 95, 137; Lowell 157; Matthew 62

Zeilinger, Ray 163
Zimmerman, Jerald 53

Fall Field Report, August–November 2016, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As usual, there was quite a bit to chew over in the Fall Seasonal Report, although it was generally a pretty uneventful season, especially among waterfowl and shorebirds. The mild fall allowed some good counts to occur, such as the 20+ Surf Scoters, 465 meadowlarks in Garfield Co, and at least 11 White-winged Doves.

First State Records are hard to come by; amazing was an Anna's Hummingbird that showed up in the Manning Family's central Omaha yard. How many pass through the yards of non-birders undetected? Always a mind-boggling thought. A 3rd state record Costa's Hummingbird came to light from …

Burwell Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The meeting of2016 NOU Fall Field Days took place at the Burwell Legion Club on Sept. 30–Oct. 2, 2016. There were about 50 in attendance at the meeting, which was organized by Robin Harding, Lanny Randolph, and Betty Grenon.

On Friday evening Chad Christiansen, who works for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Fort Niobrara/Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Complex, spoke about the goals of the Natural Legacy Project to identify a set of priority landscapes that, if properly managed, would conserve the majority of Nebraska's biological diversity. These landscapes, called Biologically Unique Landscapes, were selected based on …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2016) 84(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2016 ... 154

In Memory of Elizabeth Grenon … 180

Burwell Fall Field Days ... 182

Index to Volume 84 … 187

Subscription and Organization Information ... 203

Distribution, Abundance, And Migration Timing Of Greater And Lesser Sandhill Cranes Wintering In The Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta Region Of California, Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, Joseph P. Fleskes

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region of California (hereafter, Delta region) is an important wintering region for the Central Valley Population of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) and lesser sandhill cranes (G. c. canadensis), but basic information about the ecology of these birds is lacking to design a biologically sound conservation strategy. During the winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09, we conducted roost counts, roadside surveys, aerial surveys, and tracked radio-marked birds to define the geographic area used by sandhill cranes in the Delta region, document migration chronology, and estimate subspecies-specific abundance. Radio-marked sandhill cranes arrived in our study area …

The North American Sea Ducks: Their Biology And Behavior, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

The 21 species of sea ducks are one of the larger subgroups (Tribe Mergini) of the waterfowl family Anatidae, and the 16 species (one historically extinct) that are native to North America represent the largest number to be found on any continent, and also the largest number of endemic sea duck species native to any continent.

Although generally not important as game birds, the sea ducks include some economically important birds such as the eiders, the basis for the Arctic eiderdown industry and a historically important food source for some Native American cultures. They also include what is probably the …

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2016]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

A Documented Occurrence Of Black Rail (Laterallus Jamaicensis) In Nebraska, Cody Mcgregor, Eric Bruster, Mary Bomberger Brown, Lauren R. Dinan, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis) are the smallest of the rails found in North America. Even though they are broadly distributed in coastal tidal and inland freshwater marshes, they are rarely seen and consequently are poorly known. They prefer areas of moist soil interspersed with scattered small pools of shallow water surrounded by fine-stemmed rushes, grasses, and sedges for use during migratory stopover and nesting. All populations of Black Rail have declined precipitously over the past century due to the draining of marshes and wetlands and demands on water resources. In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated …

Summer Field Report, June–July 2016, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was a routine summer, if there is such a thing. Items of interest involved some rarities, most of which were distributional and temporal, some range changes, and a few issues that triggered more discussion than usual.

The only mega-rarity was Nebraska's second Swallow-tailed Kite; this species has apparently moved northward on the Great Plains in the last couple of years. Distributional rarities included the 3rd record for the east of Long-billed Curlew, a White-eyed Vireo in Cherry Co, the 2nd fall Yellow-throated Vireo record for the Panhandle, the 6th Cherry Co record for Purple Martin, and the 5th and …

2015 (27th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The “Official List of the Birds of Nebraska” was first published in 1988 (NOU 1988) and has been updated three times (NOURC 1997, 2004, 2009). The “Official List” has been appended twenty-five times: (Mollhoff 1989; Grenon 1990, 1991; Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c; Brogie 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009a, 2009b, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015; Jorgensen 2001, 2002, 2003).

The American Ornithologists' Union Checklist of North American Birds, Seventh Edition (1998) and its following supplements (AOU: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) contain many taxonomic changes affecting …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2016) 84(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2016 ... 110

A Documented Occurrence of Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) in Nebraska … 132

2015 (27th) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 138

Subscription and Organization Information ... 151

The North American Geese: Their Biology And Behavior, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

The eight currently recognized species of North American geese are part of a familiar group of birds collectively called waterfowl, all of which are smaller than swans and generally larger than ducks. They include the most popular of our aquatic gamebirds, with several million shot each year by sport hunters. Our two most abundant waterfowl, the Canada goose and snow goose, have populations collectively totaling about 15 million individuals. Like swans, the lifelong pairbonding of geese, their familial care, and prolonged social attachment to their offspring are legendary. Their seasonal migratory flights sometimes span thousands of miles, and the sight …

Wpa News 100 (2016), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2016), number 100

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Maintenance Of Phenotypic Divergence Through Sexual Selection: An Experimental Study In Barn Swallows Hirundo Rustica, Rebecca Safran, Yoni Vortman, Brittany R. Jenkins, Joanna K. Hubbard, Matt Wilkins, Rachel J. Bradley, Arnon Lotem

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Previous studies have shown that sexual signals can rapidly diverge among closely related species. However, we lack experimental studies to demonstrate that differences in trait-associated reproductive performance maintain sexual trait differences between closely related populations, in support for a role of sexual selection in speciation. Populations of Northern Hemisphere distributed barn swallows Hirundo rustica are closely related, yet differ in two plumage-based traits: ventral color and length of the outermost tail feathers (streamers). Here we provide experimental evidence that manipulations of these traits result in different reproductive consequences in two subspecies of barn swallow: (H. r. erythrogaster in North …

Range-Wide Patterns Of Geographic Variation In Songs Of Golden-Crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia Atricapilla), Daizaburo Shizuka, Glen Chilton, M Ross Lein

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Discrete geographic variation, or dialects, in songs of songbirds arise as a consequence of complex interactions between ecology and song learning. Four of the five species of Zonotrichia sparrows, including the model species White-crowned Sparrow (Z. leucophrys), have been studied with respect to the causes and consequences of geographic variation in song. Within White-crowned Sparrows, subspecies that migrate farther have larger range size of dialects. Here, we assessed geographic patterns of song variation in the fifth species of this genus, the Golden-crowned Sparrow (Z. atricapilla). We analyzed field-recorded songs from 2 sampling periods (1996–1998 and 2006–2013) covering most of its …

The North American Grouse: Their Biology And Behavior, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

The ten currently recognized species of grouse in North America have played an important role in America’s history, from the famous but ill-fated heath hen, a primary source of meat for the earliest New England immigrants, to the ruffed grouse, currently one of the most abundant and soughtafter upland game birds in more than 40 states and provinces. This book summarizes the ecology, reproductive biology, and social behavior of all ten of the extant North American grouse species. It also describes the current status of grouse populations, some of which are perilously close to extinction. The social behavior of grouse …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Kimball, May 20–22, 2016, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The annual meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union was held at the Kimball Event Center on May 20–22, 2016, and was organized by Robin Harding and Betty Grenon. Although it was a long drive for most, 75 birders attended, including guests from Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas.

On Friday evening, President Dan Leger presented a Michael Forsberg photograph of Burrowing Owls to Betty Grenon in appreciation for her many years of service as Treasurer. The evening program continued with a presentation by Angela Dwyer and Larry Snyder of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, formerly known as the …

Answers To The Photo Quiz (The Nebraska Bird Review, March 2016, Page 29), Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

These four photos were published in color in the previous issue of The Nebraska Bird Review without identification. All are birds commonly found in Nebraska, and they are identified and described here.

Spring Field Report, March 2016 To May 2016, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

In contrast to the fairly routine spring of 2015, this year saw an almost unbelievable parade of early arrivals. About 49 species, including virtually all taxonomic groups, had arrival dates at the early end of expected arrival dates, and a few species set record early dates. Notable early birds were Calidris shorebirds, flycatchers, and swallows, species which depend on available insect and pond-edge life, suggesting that organisms are "waking up" earlier than in previous years, helped, of course, by the mild 2015–2016 winter. On the other hand, there was only one late species: Purple Finch, which remained into mid-May at …

The Mute Swan In Nebraska: History And Current Status, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

Mute Swans (Cygnus alar) were introduced into North America during the late 1800s as decorative waterfowl and have established feral populations (Ciaranca et al. 1997). Currently, the range of wild populations of Mute Swans in North America includes the Atlantic Coast from Maine to South Carolina and the Great Lakes, with the exception of Lake Superior where it is not established (Baldassarre 2014). The current total North American population is estimated to be 22,000–25,000 (Baldassarre 2014), and populations continue to increase (Petrie and Francis 2003). Indeed, the growing concern over burgeoning numbers has resulted in many states and …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 2016) 84(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March 2016 to May 2016 ... 58

The Mute Swan in Nebraska: History and Current Status … 86

Gyrfalcon in Boyd County, Nebraska … 96

The Second Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas, Wayne J. Mollhoff [book review] … 97

Answers to the Photo Quiz (The Nebraska Bird Review, March 2016) … 100

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting, Kimball, May 20–22, 2016 … 102

Subscription and Organization Information ... 107

Gyrfalcon In Boyd County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie, David Heidt

Nebraska Bird Review

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is considered in Nebraska to be a "rare casual winter visitor statewide" (Sharpe et al. 2001). Since 1990, there has been only one NOURC (Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee) accepted record (Class III) for Gyrfalcon in Nebraska (Jorgensen 2003). This bird was a gray morph adult observed below Keystone Dam, Keith Co., 01 January 2001 (Silcock 2001). Nebraska has no April dates for Gyrfalcon, although South Dakota has several April records: 10 Apr 2001, Jones Co., and 23 Apr 1955, Pennington Co., (Tallman et al. 2002). Additionally, an immature Gyrfalcon was photographed 5 April 2010 …

Subscription And Organization Information [June 2016]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

The Second Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas, Wayne J. Mollhoff, Bulletin Of The University Of Nebraska State Museum, Vol. 29, 2016 [Book Review], W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As suggested by its title, this book (“Second Atlas”) presents the results of a follow-up to the first Nebraska breeding bird atlas, The Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas 1984–89 (“First Atlas”), also authored by Wayne Mollhoff. In this Second Atlas, Mollhoff acknowledges the foresight of John J. Dinan, Nongame Bird Program Manager at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission during the time of the First Atlas, in working toward a “follow-up project.” As Mollhoff says in the foreword to the Second Atlas, "His persistence in pursuing that goal ultimately led to the current project.”

The best feature of the Second Atlas is …