Ornithology Commons^™

Subscription And Organization Information [March 2014]

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 Global Analysis Of The Impacts Of Urbanization On Bird And Plant Diversity Reveals Key Anthropogenic Drivers, Myla F.J. Aronson, Frank A. La Sorte, Charles H. Nilon, Madhusudan Katti, Mark A. Goddard, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Paige S. Warren, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce Clarkson, Cynnamon Dobbs, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcus Hedblom, Stefan Klotz, Jip Louwe Kooijmans, Ingolf Kühn, Ian Macgregor-Fors, Mark Mcdonnell, Ulla Mörtberg, Petr Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, Jessica Sushinsky, Peter Werner, Marten Winter

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Urbanization contributes to the loss of the world's biodiversity and the homogenization of its biota. However, comparative studies of urban biodiversity leading to robust generalities of the status and drivers of biodiversity in cities at the global scale are lacking. Here, we compiled the largest global dataset to date of two diverse taxa in cities: birds (54 cities) and plants (110 cities). We found that the majority of urban bird and plant species are native in the world's cities. Few plants and birds are cosmopolitan, the most common beingColumba livia and Poa annua. The density of bird and …

Variable Facial Plumage In Juvenile Cliff Swallows: A Potential Offspring Recognition Cue?, Allison E. Johnson, Steven Freedberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Although the ability to recognize related offspring is essential in the evolution of social behavior, the cues that birds use to identify their own offspring are not fully understood. The Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a highly social species that nests in large colonies and exhibits a high incidence of both conspecific brood parasitism and extrapair fertilization, behaviors that can potentially lead to parents investing energy and resources in unrelated offspring, which reduces the parents’ genetic fitness. Because parents continue to feed offspring after they leave the nest, parents also risk investing in unrelated offspring by misidentifying their …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 90, No. 1), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

2014 Interior Least Tern And Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, And Outreach Report For The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mary Bomberger Brown, Joel G. Jorgensen, Lauren R. Dinan

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2013–2014). We prepared it to inform our partners, cooperating agencies, funding sources, and other interested parties of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of our results.

The lower Platte River and its major tributaries provide important nesting and migratory stopover habitat for two bird species of special conservation concern: the state and federally endangered Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership (TPCP), based at the University of …

New Host And Location Record For The Bat Bug Cimex Adjunctus Barber 1939, With A Summary Of Previous Records, M. E. Grilliot, J. L. Hunt, C. G. Sims, Chris E. Comer

Faculty Publications

In June 2009, 14 Rafinesque’s big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) were collected from an abandoned house near Shepherd, San Jacinto County, Texas. Three individuals harbored bat bugs which were subsequently identified as Cimex adjunctus Barber 1939. This is the first record of this species from C. rafinesquii. In August 2013, 10 C. rafinesquii were collected from a maternity colony in Drew County in southeastern Arkansas. Four of the bats harbored bat bugs, which were identified as C. adjunctus. This is the first record of this bat bug from Arkansas. A summary of previous state and host records of the insect is …

Proceedings Of The Twelfth North American Crane Workshop, David A. Aborn, Richard Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

CONTENTS

PREFACE iii

RESEARCH PAPERS

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, and Joseph P. Fleskes 1

CHARACTERISTICS OF SANDHILL CRANE ROOSTS IN THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA OF CALIFORNIA - . Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, and Joseph P. Fleskes 12

EFFECTS OF WIND FARMS ON SANDHILL CRANE PLAYA OCCUPANCY ON THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS - Laura Navarrete and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle 20

EVALUATION OF …

Responses Of Forest Bird Populations To Long-­‐Term Changes In Local Vegetation And Regional Forest Cover, Mary Buchanan

Biology Honors Papers

Bird and vegetation surveys have been conducted periodically in the Connecticut College Arboretum since the 1950s, permitting analysis of long-term relationships of bird populations with the structure and floristic composition of the vegetation and with forest cover changes in the surrounding region. Principal component analyses created vegetation factors encompassing variables such as total basal area, basal area of common tree species, and tree diversity, and created a forest fragmentation factor based on GIS analysis of the landscape within 2 kilometers of the study site. Poisson regression models revealed relationships between these factors and population changes for twenty individual species and …

As The Egg Turns: Monitoring Egg Attendance Behavior In Wild Birds Using Novel Data Logging Technology, Scott A. Shaffer, Corey Clatterbuck, Emma Kelsey, Alex Naiman, Lindsay Young, Eric Vanderwerf, Pete Warzybok, Russell Bradley, Jaime Jahncke, Geoff Bower

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Egg turning is unique to birds and critical for embryonic development in most avian species. Technology that can measure changes in egg orientation and temperature at fine temporal scales (1 Hz) was neither readily available nor small enough to fit into artificial eggs until recently. Here we show the utility of novel miniature data loggers equipped with 3-axis (i.e., triaxial) accelerometers, magnetometers, and a temperature thermistor to study egg turning behavior in free-ranging birds. Artificial eggs containing egg loggers were deployed in the nests of three seabird species for 1–7 days of continuous monitoring. These species (1) turned their eggs …

Abstracts From Proceedings Of The Twelfth North American Crane Workshop, 13–16 March 2011, Grand Island, Nebraska, Usa (Published 2014)

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

ASSESSMENT OF THE EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANE FALL SURVEY, 1979-2009 Courtney Amundson, Douglas Johnson, Sean Kelly, and Tom Cooper 80

FACTORS INFLUENCING GREATER SANDHILL CRANE NEST SUCCESS IN NEVADA .Chad August, James Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 80

INFLUENCE OF FOOD AND PREDATOR ABUNDANCE ON STRESS LEVELS OF SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN NORTHERN MEXICO Ingrid Barcelo and Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 81

A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR CROP DAMAGE BY CRANES AND OTHER BIRD SPECIES TO PLANTED SEED Jeb Barzen and Anne Lacy 81

MODELLING THE EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON SANDHILL CRANE DISTRIBUTION IN THE CENTRAL PLATTE RIVER VALLEY OF …

The History And Reintroduction Of Whooping Cranes At White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area, Louisiana, Gay M. Gomez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

On 16 February 2011, whooping cranes (Grus americana) were reintroduced in the wetlands of southwest Louisiana, after an absence of 61 years. This brief communication provides background on the historical presence of whooping cranes in this region, describes the long road to reintroduction, presents observations from the reintroduction’s first day, and offers thoughts on its future prospects.

On 15 May 1939, biologist John J. Lynch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service observed 13 whooping cranes in the remote freshwater marsh north of White Lake in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. He not only confirmed what local residents and trappers had long …

G@Llinformed: Newsletter Of The Iucn-Ssc Galliformes Specialist Group 8-13 (2014-2017), Iucn Species Survival Commission Galliformes Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 8 (April 2014)

From the Co-chairs, Peter Garson and Ilse Storch

Co-chairs advisory board members

G@llinformed letters and reports

The EAZA Cracid TAG: What about it? Cathy King

The EAZA Galliformes TAG update, Jan Dama

The last indigenous black-necked pheasant population of Europe, Christos Sokos and Periklis Birtsas

The ecological requirements of the spotted wood-quail Odontophorus guttatus in Noj K'a'ax Meen Elijio Panti National Park, Roni Martinez and Jack Clinton Eitniear

Honduran Ornithological Society-Ocellated Quail Conservation Project, Jack Clinton Eitniear

Venezuelan wood-quail: Request for information, Jack Clinton Eitniear

Hume’s pheasant in Nagaland, Lansothung Shitiri

Strategic conservation planning workshop for …

Wpa News 95 (2014), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2014), number 95

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Variations In Intra- And Interspecific Response To Mobbing Calls By The Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile Atricapillus), Katerina M. Faust

Honors Theses

Mobbing calls are produced by a variety of bird species in response to predator sightings. These mobbing calls often function in intraspecific recruitment, but have recently been shown to have an interspecific response component as well. The mobbing calls produced by the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) are distinct and encode information about the threat level of the predator. Conservation biologists often use playbacks of chickadee mobbing calls to detect species of birds and numbers of individuals in an area with higher accuracy than counts conducted without the use of playbacks. In this study, the factors that could potentially …

Relative Importance Of Male Song On Female Mate Selection In The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata), Casey Sprague

Scripps Senior Theses

In the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), song and its social context play an important role in female mate selection. The song of the zebra finch is unique in that it can only be produced by males, which makes the species ideal for analyzing the components of male song that influence female song preference and mate selection. There are three consistent features of zebra finch song that affect female mate preference: 1) the amount of time a male sings, 2) the size and complexity of his song repertoire, and 3) the structural conformation to species or population norms (reviewed …

Experimental Analysis Of Nest-Site Choice And Its Relationship To Nest Success In An Open-Cup–Nesting Passerine, Sarah Cancellieri, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nest placement presumably reflects selection for secure sites to minimize failure. Most tests of this hypothesis, however, have failed to support it. We used artificial nests (ARTs) to experimentally evaluate nest-site-choice behavior by an open-cup–nesting bird, the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). In 2010 and 2011, we placed ARTs in trees in the riparian zone at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, USA, to test whether (1) characteristics describing the physical location in trees of used and unused ARTs differed, (2) used ART sites more closely resembled naturally chosen sites, (3) successful natural nests (NATs) and successful ARTs were similarly …

Insights From Project Feederwatch: Changes In The Abundance And Occurrence Of Birds In New Hampshire Over The Past 24 Years, Lee A. Sutcliffe

Honors Theses and Capstones

Changes in the climate and land use over time can lead to changes in the composition of wildlife communities. Using data from Project FeederWatch, we examine trends in the abundance and occurrence of birds documented in the winters from 1988 to 2012 in New Hampshire. Changes in abundance and occurrence are summarized for individual bird species as well as across species based on life history traits. In addition, we examined trends for the state as a whole as well as in subregions. We discuss these changes with regards to the variations of climate and land use that are occurring throughout …

Nest Destruction Elicits Indiscriminate Con- Versus Heterospecific Brood Parasitism In A Captive Bird, Rachel C. Shaw, William E. Feeney, Mark E. Hauber

Publications and Research

Following nest destruction, the laying of physiologically committed eggs (eggs that are ovulated, yolked, and making their way through the oviduct) in the nests of other birds is considered a viable pathway for the evolution of obligate interspecific brood parasitism. While intraspecific brood parasitism in response to nest predation has been experimentally demonstrated, this pathway has yet to be evaluated in an interspecific context. We studied patterns of egg laying following experimental nest destruction in captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, a frequent intraspecific brood parasite. We found that zebra finches laid physiologically committed eggs indiscriminately between nests containing conspecific eggs …

Air Sac Nematode Monopetalonema Alcedinis In A Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle Alcyon) In Maryland, Usa, Ellen Bronson, Kathleen Kelly, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Sporadic and geographically widespread reports of parasites affecting the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) have been published but few have described details of the pathology. A female, adult kingfisher was found dead in a heavily wooded area of a zoo in Maryland, USA. At necropsy, numerous sexually dimorphic, 4.4–40.5-cm adult Monopetalonema alcedinis nematodes were found tightly wound within the coelomic cavity between organs and completely filling the caudal thoracic and abdominal air sacs. Abundant, 30–60-mm diameter, larvated, thick-walled ova were found in the bronchi and parabronchi, within the mesentery, and in the serosa of multiple coelomic organs. Monopetalonema alcedinis …

Nesting Ecology Of White-Throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia Albicollis) : The Effects Of Variation In Clutch-Initiation Date And The Application Of Prescribed Fire On Nesting Success, Melissa Olmstead

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The study of nesting success is one of the most widely-used methods for examining the factors governing recruitment in birds. Many ecological influences act together to increase or decrease nesting success, and knowledge of these mechanisms is crucial for determining the habitat or conservation requirements of a given species. One ecological influence is the timing of breeding, which in many species is related to a decline in nest success later in the breeding season. Much of the research on this subject has focused on cavity-nesting species, and the hypothesis that this seasonal decline is caused by a mismatch between clutch-initiation …

Painted Redstarts In South Texas, 2013-2014, Timothy Brush

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

No abstract provided.

Landsat Evaluation Of Trumpeter Swan Historical Nesting Sites In Yellowstone National Park, Laura Elizabeth Cockrell

Online Theses and Dissertations

The trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) has historically nested in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Declines in habitat quality may be limiting the growth of the Tri-State Flock. The purpose of this study was to map historical nesting areas for trumpeter swans in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and evaluate Landsat images for changes to habitat. Historical nesting sites were evaluated through image classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and compared to field conditions. Swan nesting records were analyzed in comparison to drought index and human visitation rates to determine if these factors may contribute to the …

Vocal Responses Of Adult Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis) To Potential Nest Predators And The Behavioral Responses Of Nestlings, Erin E. Grabarczyk

Online Theses and Dissertations

The alarm calls of some birds are functionally referential and may provide nestlings with information about the threat posed by potential predators. However, few investigators have examined the responses of nestlings in cavity nests to the anti-predator vocalizations of adults. Therefore, the objectives of my study of cavity-nesting Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) were to examine (1) the vocal responses of adult Eastern Bluebirds to different predators, and (2) the behavioral responses of nestlings to those adult vocalizations. My study was conducted from April - July 2013 at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. Pairs of Eastern Bluebirds …