Ornithology Commons^™

Current Status Of The Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadicus) In Arkansas, Mitchell L. Pruitt, Kimberly G. Smith

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The secretive Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is believed to be much more widespread during fall and winter than previously thought. Of the few places in the southern United States conducting research on this species, all have been successful at capturing birds. A total of 12 historic records existed for Arkansas until our work began in fall of 2014. The first confirmed record was in 1959 and the most recent, prior to this research, was in 2010. Over the course of two field seasons, we captured and banded 24 Northern Saw-whet Owls in rural Madison County. All birds were mist-netted …

Cognition And Problem Solving Using Detour Reaching And Novel Object Tasks In The Budgerigar, Mollie E. Kemp

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

As animal cognition is a complex and multifaceted issue, our understanding of the topic is still incomplete. Particularly, our understanding of what factors may drive the development of intricate and costly behaviors relating to cognition, like bird call or song, are not well understood. One possible explanation is the cognitive capacity hypothesis which states that song complexity is a signal of cognitive abilities and thus an indication of a mate’s ability to problem solve and thus effectively provide for offspring and mates. However, previous research of this hypothesis has yielded mixed results and has 1) focused solely on male song …

Hawks And Owls, Brian E. Washburn

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Hawks and owls can negatively impact a variety of human interests, including important natural resources, livestock and game bird production, human health and safety, and companion animals. Conflicts between raptors and people generally are localized and often site-specific. However, the economic and social impacts to the individuals involved can be severe. Despite the problems they may cause, hawks and owls provide important benefits and environmental services. Raptors are popular with birdwatchers and much of the general public. They also hunt and kill large numbers of rodents, reducing crop damage and other problems.

Damage Identification

Management Methods

Economics

Species …

History And Fall Migration Of Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius Acadicus) In Arkansas, M. L. Pruitt, K. G. Smith

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The secretive Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is believed to be much more widespread during fall and winter than previously thought in the southern United States. To see if they occur more frequently in Arkansas, we initiated a banding study in fall of 2014 in northwestern Arkansas. Prior to that, only 12 historic records existed for Arkansas between 1959 and 2010. Over the course of two field seasons, we captured and banded 24 Northern Saw-whet Owls in rural Madison County. All birds were mist-netted along a trail, in woodland composed of pine and cedar with fairly dense undergrowth. Two were …

An Experimental Test Of Response By Common Ravens To Nest Exclosures, Teresa R. King

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Common ravens (Corvus corax) are intelligent generalists and a principal predator affecting population recovery of several threatened and endangered species, including the threatened western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus). In Humboldt County, raven predation is a primary cause of low nest survival. Nest exclosures, cages around eggs that preclude entry by predators but allow plovers access to incubate, are known to increase nest success. However, speculation exists that exclosures may attract predators. The aims of this study were to summarize corvid distribution on Clam Beach County Park and Little River State Beach, evaluate habitat features associated …

Molt In Individuals: A Description Of Prealternate Molt Phenology In A Population Of Snowy Plovers In Humboldt County, California, Alexa Dejoannis

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Molt in birds is an essential physiological process. Intrinsic and extrinsic conditions, such as age, sex, location, or food stress, may cause individual variation in molt phenology. This study describes the timing of prealternate molt in western snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) wintering in Humboldt County, California, USA. Between July 2014 and April 2015, I photographed uniquely marked plovers twice a month and assigned dates of initiation and completion. I modeled sex, age, hatch date, and breeding location as predictors of molt phenology. I observed prealternate molt from October to April, which is earlier than previously described. Males …

Winter Habitat Quality But Not Long- Distance Dispersal Influences Apparent Reproductive Success In A Migratory Bird, Clark S. Rushing, Peter P. Marra, Michele R. Dudash

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Long- distance breeding and natal dispersal play central roles in many ecological and evolutionary processes, including gene flow, population dynamics, range expansion, and individual responses to fluctuating biotic and abiotic conditions. However, the relative contribution of long- distance dispersal to these processes depends on the ability of dispersing individuals to successfully reproduce in their new environment. Unfortunately, due to the difficulties associated with tracking dispersal in the field, relatively little is known about its reproductive consequences. Furthermore, because reproductive success is influenced by a variety of processes, disentangling the influence of each of these processes is critical to understanding the …

Context-Dependent Seed Dispersal By A Scatter-Hoarding Corvid, Mario B. Pesendorfer, T. Scott Sillett, Scott A. Morrison, Alan C. Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

1. Corvids (crows, jays, magpies and nutcrackers) are important dispersers of large-seeded plants. Studies on captive or supplemented birds suggest that they flexibly adjust their scatter-hoarding behavior to the context of social dynamics and relative seed availability. Because many corvid-dispersed trees show high annual variation in seed production, context-dependent foraging can have strong effects on natural corvid scatter-hoarding behavior.

2. We investigated how seed availability and social dynamics affected scatter-hoarding in the island scrub jays (Aphelocoma insularis). We quantified rates of scatter-hoarding behavior and territorial defense of 26 colormarked birds over a three-year period with variable acorn crops. …

A New Feather Mite Species Of The Genus Trouessartia Canestrini (Acariformes: Trouessartiidae) From The Northern Rough-Winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx Serripennis (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) In Pennsylvania, S. V. Mironov, R. M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new feather mite species, Trouessartia stelgidopteryx sp. n. (Astigmata: Trouessartiidae), is described from the Northern rough-winged swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Newton (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) in Pennsylvania, USA. The new species is close to the minutipes species group and differs from its representatives and all other known species of the genus Trouessartia in having a unique combination of features in males: the opisthosomal lobes are much longer than wide, they are separated by a large semi-ovate terminal cleft, and their lobar apices bear semi-ovate terminal lamellae with a smooth margin.

Stopover Ecology Of Neotropical Migratory Songbirds In The Northern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Lauren E. Solomon

Masters Theses

Chapter I. Full-service hotels, convenience stores or fire escapes? Evaluating function of stopover sites for Neotropical migrants in the northern Yucatan Peninsula

Nearctic-Neotropical migratory songbirds incur the highest mortality rates during their annual migrations. Migratory songbirds use a network of stopover sites to rest, refuel, or seek refuge during times of poor weather conditions; and the time and energy expended at these sites exceeds that of migratory flight. In order to conserve stopover sites with the highest value to Neotropical migrants, a conceptual framework was developed to classify stop over sites into three functional categories based on their function for …

2016 International Symposium On Galliformes (Beijing, China: October 21-23, 2016): Programme And Abstracts, World Pheasant Association, China Ornithological Society

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

Evolutionary relationships among galliforms using 1000’s of unlinked loci, Rebecca Kimball

Ecology, behaviour and conservation problems in Siberian grouse Falcipennis falcipennis (Hartlaub 1855), Siegfried Klaus

Taxonomy, genetics and evolution in a highly subspecies-rich pheasant Phasianus colchicus, Yang Liu

Survey of the Blyth’s tragopan Tragopan blythii in western Myanmar, Nan Wang

Activity rhythm of green peafowl (Pavo muticus) in Konglonghe Nature Reserve based on camera-trap data, Pengfei Shan

Studies on unusual incubation behavior and embryonic tolerance of hypothermia by the Sichuan partridge (Arborophila rufipectus), Yiqiang Fu

The breeding behavior and nest selection of Sclater’s monal ( …

Data For Henson Et Al. 2016, Shandelle Henson, James Hayward, J Cushing, Gordon Atkins, Sumiko Weir, Ashley Reichert, Wayanne Watson, Wadenerson Saint Martin, Amanda Sandler

Faculty Publications

These data are archived for the paper "Adaptation to short-term ENSO fluctuations may provide tipping points for populations subjected to long-term climate change" by Henson et al., submitted. Additional files: Supplementary Figure 1 | Sample plots on Violet Point, Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, USA. The larger colony extends throughout much of the spit.

Henson Et Al Supplementary Figure 1.Pdf, Shandelle Henson

Faculty Publications

Supplementary Figure 1 | Sample plots on Violet Point, Protection Island National WildlifeRefuge, Washington, USA. The larger colony extends throughout much of the spit.

Linking Vital Rates Of Landbirds On A Tropical Island To Rainfall And Vegetation Greenness, James F. Saracco, Paul Radley, Peter Pyle, Erin Rowan, Ron Taylor, Lauren Helton

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and …

Factors Influencing Pre-Fledging Mass Recession Of Nestling Tree Swallows, Katrina Deann Reeda Moeller

Online Theses and Dissertations

Fledglings of some aerial insectivores experience pre-fledgling mass recession, possibly to achieve an optimum wing loading by the time of fledging. However, studies of aerial insectivores to date have been limited to two species of swifts (Apodidae), and additional studies of species of aerial insectivores are needed to determine if factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession vary among species. Thus, my objective was to examine factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession by nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). My study was conducted during the 2015 breeding season at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. Nestling Tree Swallows (n …

American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) May Use Tail-Pumping To Maintain Balance, Joshua Suich

Online Theses and Dissertations

When perched, several species of small falcons, including American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), often pump their tails, but the possible function of this behavior is unknown. My objective was to use observations and experiments to examine the possible function(s) of tail-pumping by American Kestrels. Fieldwork was conducted from March 2015 to December 2015 at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. During observations of focal kestrels, I noted their behavior (e.g., landing on a perch, hunting, or consuming prey), including when and how often they pumped their tails (i.e., rapid movement of the tail down, then back up to …

Characteristics, Contexts, And Possible Functions Of The Vocalizations Of Blue Jays, Dustin Eric Brewer

Online Theses and Dissertations

Many species in the family Corvidae, including Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), are known to have large vocal repertoires. However, perhaps due to its perceived complexity, few investigators have attempted to describe the vocal repertoire of Blue Jays. Therefore, my objectives were to describe the vocal repertoire of Blue Jays, determine the characteristics of their calls, and suggest possible functions. During 2015 and 2016, I studied free-living Blue Jays in and near Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky. I observed Blue Jays at 17 different locations, recorded their vocalizations, and noted the behavioral contexts during which calls were uttered. I also conducted playback …

The Nutritional Value Of Fecal Sacs: Testing The Parental Nutrition Hypothesis, Amanda W. Burns

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Nest sanitation is an important aspect of parental investment in birds with altricial nestlings. Passerine nestlings produce fecal matter that is encased in a mucous membrane for easy disposal. These fecal sacs are either removed from the nest and transported a distance away or they are ingested by the adult. A decline in fecal sac ingestion rates as nestlings age has been observed in several species. The parental nutrition hypothesis posits that this pattern can be attributed to increasing digestive efficiency as nestlings age. The parental nutrition hypothesis makes three predictions: fecal sac consumption rates should decrease as nestlings age, …