Ornithology Commons^™

2017 (29th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (NOURC) are described in its bylaws (NOURC 2010). The committee’s purpose is to provide a procedure for documenting unusual bird sightings and to establish a list of all documented birds for Nebraska. Accidental and casual species for which the NOURC seeks documentation (NOURC Review List) can be found at the NOU website www.NOUbirds.org. All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), Lincoln, NE. Interested parties should contact the current NOU Librarian, whose address can be found …

Bird Hazard Mitigation Training For General Aviation Pilots - A Prospective Research Study, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Thomas Q. Carney

Publications

• General aviation industry
• 446,000 aircraft worldwide
• 211,000 in the U.S.
• Supports $219 billion in total economic output and 1.1 million jobs in the U.S
• Flies approximately 25 million flight hours (U.S.)
• Flies to more than 5,000 public airports
• Primary training ground for most commercial airline pilots

Mitigating The Risk: An Analysis Of Wildlife-Strike Data From São Paulo International Airport (Sbgr) [2011-2017], Flavio A. C. Mendonca Ph.D., Julius C. Keller Ph.D.

Publications

São Paulo (Guarulhos) International Airport;

• Busiest airport in South America;
• Major hub in Latin America;
• Commercial Operations - 93%;
• International Commercial Operations - 27.1%;
• Major routes – Argentina, Chile, and U.S;
• LATAM, GOL, Azul, American Airlines, Copa, Aerolineas Argentinas, TAP, United Airlines – Most International Flights.

2018 Bird Strike Committee Usa Meeting, Flavio A. C. Mendonca Ph.D., Carlos F.G. Schönhardt

Publications

Offshore Aviation in Brazil Since1980

Air passenger and cargo transport to offshore platforms began in the 1980s. The largest customer in Brazil is PETROBRAS, which ranked fifth in 2011 among the largest publicly traded oil companies in the world.

• Air passenger and Cargo Transport
• Medical Evacuation
• Helicopter Maintenance
• Helicopter Transport of External Cargo.

General Aviation Pilots’ Strategies To Mitigate Bird Strikes, Flavio A. C. Mendonca Ph.D., Thomas Q. Carney Ph.D.

Publications

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has partnered with the FAA since 1995.

USDA has assisted the FAA with production of yearly and special reports on wildlife hazards to aviation:

• Develop or enhance existing wildlife hazard management programs (including pilots)
• Create refinements in the development and implementation of integrated research and operational efforts to mitigate the risk of bird strikes

Parasitic Indicators Of Foraging Strategies In Wading Birds, Sarah Gumbleton

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Feeding ecology and trophic interactions of six species of wading birds were explored through a combined analysis of stable isotope profiles and endoparasite communities. Stable isotopes broadly characterize the feeding preferences and geographic information, while parasite communities reflect long-term trends in feeding ecology. Deceased birds were obtained from four South Florida wildlife rehabilitation organizations. Of the 81 birds dissected, 73 contained parasites. Parasites were predominately found within the gastrointestinal tract. Host and range extensions were noted for several parasite taxa. Bird host species had a significant effect on the parasite community (P=0.001) while wildlife center location and maturity status did …

Follow The Rain? Environmental Drivers Of Tyrannus Migration Across The New World, Maggie P. Macpherson, Alex E. Jahn, Michael T. Murphy, Daniel H. Kim, Victor R. Cueto, Diego T. Tuero, Elliot D. Hill

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Predictable seasonal changes in resources are thought to drive the timing of annual animal migrations; however, we currently understand little about which environmental cues or resources are tracked by different migratory bird species across the planet. Understanding which environmental cues or resources birds track in multiple migratory systems is a prerequisite to developing generalizable conservation plans for migratory birds in a changing global environment. Within the New World, climatic differences experienced by Nearctic–Neotropical migratory (NNM; i.e. breed in North America and spend the nonbreeding period in the Neotropics) and Neotropical austral migratory (NAM; i.e. breed and spend the nonbreeding period …

The Birds Of Nebraska, Paul Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This annotated list of the birds of Nebraska grew gradually out of research associated with my writing of the Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distribution (Johnsgard, 1979a). It expands and updates an earlier version that was published in 2013 by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries DigitalCommons’ Zea Books (Johnsgard, 2013a). It has been updated and modified in its current revision to conform with the most recent (2017) major revision of the American Ornithologists’ Society’s Checklist of North American Birds (Chesser et al., 2017). It has also been modified in its current revision to conform very closely …

Wpa News 106 (2018), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2018), number 106

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Ecology Of The Usambara Double-Collared Sunbird (Cinnyris Usambaricus), Sarah Lueder

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The ecology of the endemic Usambara Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris usambaricus) was investigated in the surrounding areas of and within Mazumbai Forest Reserve in the Lushoto District of Tanzania. As there is little known concerning the ecology of the species, this study sought to illuminate multiple aspects of their behavior and interactions. Over fourteen days (November 2nd-November 21st), the abundance of the species, their nesting behavior, their habitat preferences, their vocalizations, their diet, and their aggressive behaviors were observed and then analyzed. It was determined the species’ activity likely peaks in the early morning, their nesting is similar to other species …

Plasticity Of Foraging Behaviors In Response To Diverse Environmental Conditions, Morgan Gilmour, José Castillo‐Guerrero, Abram Fleishman, Salvador Hernández‐Vázquez, Hillary Young, Scott Shaffer

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Due to rapidly changing global environmental conditions, many animals are now experiencing concurrent changes in both resource availability and the foraging cues associated with finding those resources. By employing flexible, plastic foraging strategies that use different types of environmental foraging cues, animals could adapt to these novel future environments. To evaluate the extent to which such flexibility and plasticity exist, we analyzed a large dataset of a clade (Sulidae; the boobies) of widespread aerial tropical predators that feed in highly variable marine habitats. These surface foragers are typical of many ocean predators that face dynamic and patchy foraging environments and …

Common Loons Respond Adaptively To A Black Fly That Reduces Nesting Success, Walter H. Piper, Keren B. Tischler, Andrew Reinke

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Nesting birds must often cope with harassment from biting insects, but it is difficult to ascertain what effect such pests might have on breeding success and population dynamics. We tested the hypothesis that a black fly (Simulium annulus) that feeds on the blood of nesting Common Loons (Gavia immer) causes nest abandonment in this charismatic diving bird. In addition, we measured effects of fly-induced abandonment on a loon population, and examined potential predictors of fly abundance and nest abandonment. We also tested a second hypothesis, which holds that loon pairs that abandon a nest owing to …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Ft. Robinson, May 18-20, 2018, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Annual Meeting and Spring Field Days, organized by Robin Harding, Jan Johnson and Ruth Stearns, was held at Ft. Robinson State Park in Dawes and Sioux Counties on May 18-20, 2018, with 82 in attendance. Our lodgings and meeting room were in reconstructed buildings of the old Fort. The weather was perfect on Friday and Sunday but perfectly awful on Saturday, with rain all day and a high of 44°F. Finding birds and driving on unpaved roads was challenging on Friday, but the total species list for the meeting is 180. Field trips were led by Kathy DeLara, …

Spring Field Report, March - May 2018, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This spring will be remembered for Nebraska’s first unequivocal record of Swainson’s Warbler, unfortunately a “one day wonder”, but well-photographed. Another mega was a Band-tailed Pigeon, Nebraska’s fourth. The old sports saying “wait until next year” was applicable in spades to woodwarblers; last year was noted for its paucity of most species of wood-warblers, but this year, incredible record numbers occurred for several migrant species: Magnolia, Baybreasted, Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, and Palm. Other amazing numbers were the 598,000 Sandhill Cranes counted at peak migration in the Central Platte Valley and the 598 Great Egrets reported within the amazing 414 reports. Several …

First Record Of Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna Bicolor) For Nebraska, Matthew T. Haugen

Nebraska Bird Review

On the afternoon of 5 June 2018, I was scouting local Salt Valley lakes to get an estimate of goose numbers for annual Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) banding operations. At approximately 2:30 p.m. I was tallying my goose counts in the northwest corner of Wagon Train Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County, when I noticed four ducks on a nearby vegetated mud flat. After closer examination, I recognized the ducks as Fulvous Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna bicolor). I spent a few years working in Louisiana in that state’s waterfowl program, and I am familiar with the species and its identification. I was …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 86 June 2018 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2018, by W. Ross Silcock …50-89

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting at Ft. Robinson, May 18-20, 2018, by Janis Paseka … 89-95

First Record of Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) for Nebraska, by Matt Haugen … 96-98

Subscription and Organization Information … 99

Song Recognition And Heterospecific Associations Between 2 Fairy-Wren Species (Maluridae), Allison E. Johnson, Christina Masco, Stephen Pruett-Jones

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Although heterospecific associations beneficial to one or both species involved (e.g. commensalisms or mutualisms) are common, it is generally assumed that interactions between species are transient and not particular to individuals. However, long-term interactions between individuals of different species do occur. In such heterospecific social groups, discrimination between heterospecific individuals may be beneficial, allowing individuals to direct beneficial or aggressive behaviors towards appropriate targets. Here, we describe heterospecific groups composed of splendid and variegated fairy-wrens (Malurus splendens and M. lamberti) and provide the first experimental evidence that recognition of heterospecific group members occurs across species. In these species, …

Examination Of Photographic Evidence Of Disturbance On Interior Least Tern Breeding Behavior And Reproductive Success, Stephanie M. Nefas

Theses and Dissertations from 2018

The colonial ground nesting interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos,) is an example of a species that requires frequent monitoring in order to estimate population size and determine long-term trends. Modifications in nesting habitat such as flooding, predation, and disturbances to colonies severely reduce reproductive success each year. I continued long-term monitoring efforts by identifying colonies and recording breeding activity along the Arkansas River. To improve the way that we understand factors that contribute to survival rates of nests and chicks, I examined survival at several colonies during the 2017 breeding season. Then to improve current monitoring techniques I tested …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 94, No. 2), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Gulls, Martin S. Lowney, Scott F. Beckerman, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Abundant gull (Figure 1) populations in North America have led to a variety of conflicts with people. Gulls cause damage at aquaculture facilities and other properties, and often collide with aircraft. Their use of structures on and near water results in excessive amounts of bird droppings on boats and docks. Their presence near outdoor dining establishments, swimming beaches, and recreational sites can lead to negative interactions with people. Large amounts of gull fecal material pollutes water and beaches resulting in drinking water contamination and swim bans. A combination of dispersal techniques, exclusion and limited lethal control may reduce damage to …

Persistent Annual Migration Patterns Of A Specialist Seabird, Rachael Orben, Nobuo Kokubun, Abram Fleishman, Alexis Will, Takashi Yamamoto, Scott Shaffer, Rosana Paredes, Akinori Takahashi, Alexander Kitaysky

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Specialization can make animals vulnerable to rapid environmental changes. For long-lived seabirds, foraging specialization may make individuals especially sensitive, as climatic changes are currently occurring over the course of one lifetime. The Bering Sea is a dynamic subarctic and arctic ecosystem where windblown sea ice mediates annual productivity and subsequent pathways to upper trophic levels. Red-legged kittiwakes Rissa brevirostris are endemic surface foraging seabirds specializing on myctophid fishes during reproduction. Their degree of specialization outside the breeding season is less understood. We examined their non-breeding ecology (migration, distribution, isotopic niche) during 4 winters with varying sea ice extent. Although we …

Effects Of Eggshell Coloration On Egg Cannibalism Among Glaucous-Winged Gulls, Isabelle Hwang

Honors Theses

A common source of reproductive loss in gulls is egg cannibalism. At a large Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) colony on Protection Island, Washington, cannibalism accounts for 55% of egg loss. Because cannibalism is a form of predation and birds have a highly developed sense of vision, I hypothesized that visible light coloration of Glaucous-winged Gull eggs plays a role in determining whether they are cannibalized. I used logistic regression to test whether egg fate was related to egg brightness, specific coloration, specific spot coverage, coloration relative to the most common coloration, and spot coverage relative to the most common spot …

A Note On The Onset Of Synchronous Egg Laying In A Seabird Behavior Model, Dorothea Gallos, Christiane Gallos

Honors Theses

Protection Island, Washington hosts a large colony of Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens). These birds are known to exhibit every-other-day egg-laying synchrony in dense areas of the colony in response to egg cannibalism, which is the main source of egg loss. Here we present an equilibrium analysis of a discrete-time animal behavior model for egg laying. We use Jury Conditions to find the stability criteria for the equilibrium as a function of the colony density and show that a 2-cycle bifurcation occurs when the equilibrium loses stability. The 2-cycle pattern in egg laying becomes increasingly synchronous as the colony density increases. …

Fisheries Exploitation By Albatross Quantified With Lipid Analysis, Melinda Conners, Chandra Goetsch, Suzanne Budge, William Walker, Yoko Mitani, Daniel Costa, Scott Shaffer

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Mortality from incidental bycatch in longline fishery operations is a global threat to seabird populations, and especially so for the albatross family (Diomedeidae) in which 15 out of 22 species are threatened with extinction. Despite the risks, fisheries remain attractive to many species of seabird by providing access to high-energy foods in the form of discarded fish and offal, target fish, and baited hooks. Current policy regarding fisheries management is increasingly aimed at discard reform, exemplified by a discard ban initiated in the European Union Common Fisheries Policy in 2014. While there is global agreement on the importance of minimizing …

Transcriptomic Response To Immune Challenge In Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata) Using Rna-Seq, Cassandra Scalf

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite the convergence of rapid technological advances in genomics and the maturing field of ecoimmunology, our understanding of the genes that regulate immunity in wild populations is still nascent. Previous work to assess immune function has relied upon relatively crude measures of immunocompetence. However, with next-generation RNA-sequencing, it is now possible to create a profile of gene expression in response to an immune challenge. In this study, captive zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata; adult males) were challenged with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (2 mg/Kg BW; dissolved in 0.9% saline) or vehicle (0.9% saline) to stimulate the immune system. Two hours after injection, birds …

Wpa News 105 (2018), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2018), number 105

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Using Computer Algorithms To Elucidate Zebra Finch Reproductive Behaviour, Tanya T. Shoot, Sophie C. Edwards, Robert J. Martin, Susan D. Healy, David F. Sherry, Mark J. Daley

Western Research Forum

Birds that experience variation in climatic conditions must maintain a stable nest temperature during incubation for successful hatching of offspring. Varying nest structure and incubation behaviour may be the methods birds use to regulate nest temperature. We used a modeling approach to investigate how birds adjust incubation behaviour to ambient temperature.

Hidden Markov Models (HMM) have been used previously to predict the spatial distribution of animals based on the models’ ability to classify movement behaviour. We used a HMM to predict zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) incubation behaviour and nest structure from a nest temperature data set. The full …

P-46 A Periodic Matrix Model Of Seabird Behavior And Population Dynamics, Mykhaylo M. Malakhov, Benjamin Macdonald, Shandelle M. Henson, J. M. Cushing

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

Rising sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Pacific Northwest lead to food resource reductions for surface-feeding seabirds, and have been correlated with several marked behavioral changes. Namely, higher SSTs are associated with increased egg cannibalism and egg-laying synchrony in the colony. We study the long-term effects of climate change on population dynamics and survival by considering a simplified, cross-season model that incorporates both of these behaviors in addition to density-dependent and environmental effects. We show that cannibalism can lead to backward bifurcations and strong Allee effects, allowing the population to survive at lower resource levels than would be possible otherwise.

Bulletin No. 43: Birds Of The Connecticut College Arboretum: Eighty Years Of Change, Robert Askins

Bulletins

No abstract provided.

Annual Color Photo Section 2018

Nebraska Bird Review

American White Pelican, Wildlife Safari Park, Cass Co., 17 April 2018. Photo by Sheryl Cooley

Trumpeter Swans, Carter Lake, Douglas Co., 1 Jan. 2016. Photo by Brian Peterson.

Bonaparte's Gull, Pawnee Lake SRA, Lancaster Co., 20 June 2018. Photo by Esa Jarvi.

Adult male Longtailed Duck in winter plumage, Carter Lake, Douglas Co., 20 Nov 2017. Photo by Phil Swanson.

Reddish Egret, Platte River bridge, Alda, Hall Co., 24 June 2018. Photo by John Carlini.

Adult Blackcrowned Night Heron, northeast of Lakeside, Sheridan Co., 3 July 2017. Photo by Thomas Gannon.

Juvenile Yellowcrowned Night Heron, Holmes Lake, Lancaster Co., 24 …