Ornithology Commons^™

Can The Food Preparation Hypothesis Account For Anting Behavior In Birds?, Ella Brady

2023 REYES Proceedings

This report discusses the food preparation hypothesis, one of several proposed hypotheses to explain anting behavior in birds. A brief review of the theory’s history and development, as well as an assessment of evidence for and against such a function of anting, is provided. Although there are indeed experimental data supporting food preparation as the purpose of anting behavior, there is also conflicting evidence which complicates the theory. Ultimately, it is suggested that food preparation is a secondary function of anting – a pleasant but latent “side effect” achieved alongside the behavior’s primary purpose, which is still unknown.

Hypotheses Related To Anting By Birds, Helena Flores

2023 REYES Proceedings

“Anting” is a widespread behavior among bird species and mammals. Due to the various characteristics of this behavior, numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain it. This behavior can be classified as “active”, in which birds take a bill full of ants and rub them into their feathers, or “passive” when birds let ants wander through their plumage. The hypotheses state that anting may be performed as an (1) antiparasitic behavior, for (2) feather grooming, as a way of (3) food preparation or to (4) decrease skin irritation during molt, even as a (5) sensory stimulation tool. This review compiles …

The Effects Of Chemical Secretions By Millipedes On Anting Behaviour In Birds And Other Animals, Theo Fraser

2023 REYES Proceedings

Birds perform a behavior known as anting in which they actively rub ants in their feathers or allow ants to crawl over their bodies. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this behavior, but no one hypothesis can account for all cases of anting that have been observed. Anting behavior has been recorded in species other than birds including primates, and substances other than ants such as millipedes may be used. This paper explores the use of millipedes in anting by birds, capuchin monkeys and lemurs. The three hypotheses supported by these studies include 1) anting serves as food preparation …

Potential Effect Of The Proposed R-Project Transmission Line On The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Crane Population, Jeb A. Barzen, J. Michael Engels, Lisa H. Elliott, Douglas H. Johnson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) frequently encounter electrical transmission or distribution lines located throughout most of their range. We estimated the probability of at least 1 whooping crane being killed by colliding with a proposed transmission line (the R-project) planned to cross the primary whooping crane migration corridor in Nebraska. We also estimated the number of individuals that might be killed by the line. We used telemetry data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners, collected from 2009 to 2018, as well as published data, to estimate: 1) the probability that a migrating whooping crane would stop within the …

Thirteen-Year Status Of The Louisiana Nonmigratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction, Eva K. Szyszkoski, Sara E. Zimorski, Hillary L. Thompson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

During 2011–2023, 167 captive-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) were released in the Louisiana Nonmigratory Population: 157 were costume-reared and 10 were parent-reared. There were 5 additional whooping cranes translocated to Louisiana from the Florida Nonmigratory Population. Approximately 68.7% of released cranes survived 1 year post-release and 51.3% survived 3 years following release. During 2011–2017, large cohorts of captive-reared cranes were released and the population size increased rapidly. The population grew more slowly during 2018–2023 when cohort sizes were smaller but there were more wild-hatched cranes that fledged. There were 114 mortalities, and of the 85 where remains were recovered, the …

Releases Of After Hatch Year And Adult Whooping Cranes In The Reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population, Stephanie M. Schmidt, Hillary L. Thompson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) experiences low recruitment and high mortality. To support and supplement this population’s growth, ex-situ breeding and release programs prioritizing the release of juvenile whooping cranes (121.1 ± 2 days after hatch) are used. However, extenuating circumstances have resulted in the release of 4 after-hatch-year and 1 adult whooping crane between 2018 and 2022. Although the sample size is small, these unique cases are informative for future management and release, revealing lower survival 1 year after release (20%) than traditional release methods (parent-reared: 69.0%; costume-reared: 64.4%), and average post-release survival of …

Comparisons Of Habitat Use Between Parent-Reared And Costume-Reared Whooping Cranes In The Eastern Migratory Population, 2012–2023, Mary Anderson, Glenn H. Olsen, Susie Dunham, Hillary L. Thompson, Marianne M. Wellington

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Different rearing and release methods have been used to introduce captive-raised whooping cranes (Grus americana) into eastern North America. One method, parent-rearing, coupled with direct release into the wild, offers several benefits over costume-rearing cranes coupled with guided migration by ultralight aircraft. However, little research has compared how these different rearing methods may influence post-release behavior of cranes in the wild. We compare habitat use between costume and parent-reared cranes. Habitat use is an expression of behavior, where cranes choose which habitats in which to spend their time. Using leg-band-mounted satellite transmitters, we documented habitat use patterns of costume-reared and …

Maximum Daily Dispersal Distance Of Wintering Whooping Cranes At Goose Pond Fish And Wildlife Area, Indiana, Alicia M. Ward, Hillary M. Thompson, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet, Amy J. Kearns, Andrew J. Caven

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) are an endangered species consisting of 4 populations, including the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP), a reintroduced experimental population that is not yet self-sustaining. The EMP breeds in Wisconsin and winters primarily in Indiana and Alabama. The International Crane Foundation and its partners release captive-reared chicks into the EMP annually to support the growth of the population. This population continues to face multiple threats throughout its flyway, including habitat loss and degradation, and collision mortalities. By analyzing global positioning system (GPS) data from whooping cranes at a primary wintering site, Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area (FWA, …

The Diets Of Wild And Reintroduced Whooping Cranes, Heather A. Neri, Glenn H. Olson, Eric C. Kindahl, Susan L. Carney

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We characterized the diets of the recently established Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) and the extant Aransas-Wood Buffalo population (AWBP). Starting in 2013, frozen proventriculus and ventriculus contents from previously collected dead whooping cranes from both populations were examined to identify dietary items and quantity. EMP whooping cranes (n = 29) consumed benthic macro-invertebrates, beetles, crabs/crayfish, vegetation, seeds, mollusks, and unidentifiable vertebrates. The diets of AWBP whooping cranes (n = 7) examined included all the same food items except benthic macro-invertebrates. Both populations also consumed a variety of non-food items, including plastic and metal. Our data suggests that the wild and …

Lead And Mercury Exposure In Eastern Whooping Cranes: Cause For Concern?, Barry K. Hartup, Anne E. Lacy, Hillary L. Thompson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The dietary uptake of lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) risks limiting population growth of reintroduced whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP). We evaluated these potentially toxic trace elements in blood and marginal covert feathers of wild-hatched juvenile and adult cranes sampled in the Wisconsin breeding range between 2016 and 2023. Samples were obtained at live capture events, and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry for Pb and Total Hg (THg). Blood Pb concentrations from adults were greater than those of juveniles, but feather Pb concentrations were similar between age classes. Blood and feather THg concentrations were …

Evidence Of Polygyny In A Greater Sandhill Crane, Gary L. Ivey, Chad W. August

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

No abstract provided.

Sandhill Crane Lead Poisonings Linked To A Wetland Restoration, Andrew J. Caven, Joshua D. Wiese

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Toward the end of the 2018 spring sandhill crane migration on the Platte River in Nebraska, we detected 7 dead cranes near a recently restored wetland within 200 m of the river’s main channel. Topographic recontouring of the soils had occurred in January of 2018 and the area was not yet revegetated. The area had formerly hosted an excavated pond where hunting occurred for many years prior to the 1991 ban on lead ammunition for waterfowl harvest. Two of the cranes with no physical signs of trauma were submitted for necropsy. The cause of death in both cases as lead …

Predators And Scavengers Of Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane Eggs, Hillary L. Thompson, Nicole M. Gordon

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Eastern Migratory Population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) is not yet self-sustaining, primarily due to low recruitment. We deployed 81 cameras on whooping crane nests in Wisconsin during 2019–2024 to determine the fate of each nest. We identified 7 instances of depredation of crane eggs and 10 of abandoned eggs that were later scavenged. Coyotes (Canis latrans, n = 3 nests) and raccoons (Procyon lotor, n = 2) were the primary predators of crane eggs. We documented common ravens (Corvus corax, n = 2 nests), American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos, n = 2), a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, n = …

Correlates Of Sandhill Crane Off-Channel Roosting Behavior In The Platte Valley, Bethany L. Pstrom, Andrew J. Caven

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

During spring migration, more than 1 million sandhill cranes stage along the Platte River in central Nebraska. Appropriate river flows can support ideal depths for roosting and provide protection from terrestrial predators. Cranes and other waterbirds occasionally roost outside of the river channel or reduce diurnal activity therein but conditions under which this occurs remain poorly defined. Despite the ability to influence flows in this highly managed river system, many hydrological factors remain outside of managers’ control. We examine the proportion of sandhill cranes detected in nonriverine habitat during weekly aerial surveys from mid-February to mid-April from 2016 to 2023. …

Population Status Of Pacific Coast Canadian Sandhill Cranes Along The Lower Columbia River, Oregon And Washington, Usa, Mark A. Stern, Alex Chmielewski, Ginny A. Stern, Kenneth J. Popper, Jen L. Newlin, Mark A. Nebeker, Gary L. Ivey, Gary L. Ivey

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Pacific coast Canadian sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis rowani) breed in coastal regions of British Columbia and southeast Alaska and are considered a unique population within the Pacific Flyway. These cranes stage during fall migration along the Lower Columbia River at Sauvie Island Wildlife Area (SIWA), Oregon, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (RNWR), Washington, and on adjacent lands. Peak numbers of cranes congregate here in late September through mid-October, with most of these cranes continuing south to winter in the Central Valley of California. During 2003–2024, we conducted single-day counts annually of cranes during peak fall migration as cranes flew into their …

Mississippi Sandhill Crane Conservation Update 2020–2023, Scott G, Hereford, Angela J. Dedrickson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Mississippi sandhill crane is an endangered non-migratory subspecies that primarily occurs on its namesake national wildlife refuge. To manage crane habitat on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge during 2020–2023, 8,885 ha were treated with prescribed burns, 648 ha of woody vegetation was removed, 234 ha of invasive plants were chemically treated, and 400 ha were mowed. There were 368 target predators removed, including coyotes and bobcats. Forty-six captive-reared juveniles were released. We detected an average of 64 nests per year, with a range of 63–69, the latter a record high. A total of 37 chicks fledged for …

Nocturnal Winter Roost Site Use By Whooping Cranes In The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population, Matti R. Bradshaw, Carter G. Crouch, Katrina M. Fernald, Andrew J. Caven, Dorn M. Moore, Sundas Rehman

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Evaluating site use and fidelity is vital to understanding roosting area needs for individual birds. We used data from wintering Aransas-Wood Buffalo population whooping cranes tracked with Platform Transmitting Terminals to identify roost sites in Texas. We analyzed 86 unique winters across 42 individuals and used a hierarchical clustering approach to group roost locations that were within 100 m of each other to identify unique roost sites by individual (n = 2,608). We found that on average, whooping cranes used 30.3 ± 1.71 SE roost sites per winter (range 8–70; 30 September and 2 May) and spent on average 4.4 …

Over-Summering Of Migratory Whooping Cranes On Their Wintering Grounds, Paityn C. Macko, Stephanie M. Schmidt, Carter G. Crouch, Arianna N. Barajas, Alicia M. Ward, Hillary L. Thompson, Matti R. Bradshaw, Elizabeth H. Smith

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Over-summering of migratory bird populations on wintering grounds may occur when individuals forgo migration and remain in non-breeding or wintering habitats. We summarized all reported instances of migratory whooping cranes (Grus americana) over-summering on the wintering grounds during 1891–2024. We report 9 individuals over-summering from the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP), 4 reports from Texas during 1891–1941, and between 1–4 individuals over-summering across 23 summers from the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) post-1941. Although there were many instances of over-summering without clear proximate causes, some documented causes or contributing factors across both populations include injury, disease, death or injury of a mate, …

Galliformes Specialist Group Annual Report 2023, John P. Carroll, Rahul Kaul

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Annual report of the IUCN SSC Galliformes Specialist Group, 2023.

An Analysis Of Department Of The Air Force Bird Strikes And Precipitation, Jason Powell Mas, Cfmei, Atp

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This study explored the relationship between precipitation, the amount of time between precipitation events, bird strike risk, and the agricultural zone related to Department of the Air Force (DAF) aircraft operations. Certain bird species demonstrated a relationship between agricultural zones, precipitation, and length of time after a precipitation event and when an aircraft strike occurred. The types and frequency of bird strikes depend highly on the region and species struck. The Poisson regression revealed Cathartiformes as significantly struck by the DAF aircraft more often and can be predicted based on agricultural zone and precipitation. A binary regression did not demonstrate …

Wpa News 122 (2023), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2023), number 122

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Quantifying Insect Emergence In Tidal Freshwaters And The Importance Of Aquatic Prey In Wetland-Dependent Songbird Diet, Samantha L. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Insectivorous birds and their arthropod prey are experiencing widespread population declines, driven largely by anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. For wetland-dependent insectivores that consume a mixture of terrestrial and aquatic insects, understanding the availability, consumption, and nutritional qualities of aquatic diet subsidies is important for conservation. I use prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea) as a model species throughout this work, because their breeding season aligns with aquatic insect emergence and they include aquatic insects when provisioning nestlings. In the first chapter, I estimate aquatic insect emergence from tidal freshwaters, which are understudied compared to nontidal systems. Using continuous field …

Telomeres: A Tool To Assess The Impacts Of Mining Contaminants On Riparian Songbirds, Lillian Krach, Bridger Creel, Megan Fylling, Zac Cheviron, Creagh Breuner

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Mining has left massive environmental and physical scars across the landscape. Aquatic and riparian landscapes in particular have been significantly impacted by traditional mining practices. Waste products left over from hard-rock mining leech heavy metals onto the landscape and these metals spread from headwater streams to major waterways (Lottermoser 2010). Heavy metals have been shown to cause physiological stress and challenges to organisms depending on the metal and the concentration (Baos et al. 2019, Boyd & Rajakaruna 2013). While some mining-impaired areas have undergone restoration efforts, is it enough? Typical restoration methods replace the contaminated floodplain, but not the riverbed …

Determining Species-Specific False-Positive Rates Using Visual And Auditory Cues: A Case Study With Sagebrush Steppe Songbirds, Amelia K. Evavold

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Errors in wildlife field data threaten to bias resulting abundance and occupancy estimates if not properly accounted for or minimized. Methods to account for false-positive errors in wildlife data have not been as thoroughly developed as those for false-negative errors despite false-positives being present across diverse wildlife taxa and study systems. The calibration method to account for false-positives involves assessing the field detection method to determine how often false-positive errors occur in the field data. Rates can then be incorporated into estimations based on the field data to improve estimation accuracy. This study presents an application of the calibration approach …

Habitat Use By Sandhill Cranes Wintering In The Agricultural Landscape Of The Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta 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 Delta region of California is an important wintering region for sympatric greater (Grus canadensis tabida) and lesser (G. c. canadensis) sandhill cranes. Basic information about sandhill crane use of habitats in their winter landscape is needed to design a biologically driven conservation strategy. We monitored a sample of radio-tagged birds of each subspecies for 2 winters and conducted foraging counts to document their habitat use. Cranes used the major crops and habitat types that were available in the landscapes surrounding their roost sites and focused most of their foraging in grain crops. We examined habitat selection surrounding …

Whooping Crane Nesting Behavior, Parental Care, And Ecology At Wood Buffalo National Park, Andrew J. Caven, Michael J. Forsberg

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied Whooping crane (Grus americana) nesting behavior and movement patterns at Wood Buffalo National Park using an instantaneous scan sampling approach. We also photo-documented important behavioral and ecological observations. Data were collected from 2 to 9 June 2023 from before 3:00 to after 22:00 hours. We completed 88 hours of observation and documented nest swapping about every 3.2 hours. The female incubated/brooded 3.3-10.9% more than the male, and the probability of incubation/brooding declined by 49% after the second chick began pipping and by 99% after both chicks had hatched. The eldest chick was successfully provisioned 16 hours and 33 …

Inland Habitat Selection Model For Wintering Whooping Cranes, Karen Tyrell, Kristin Brightwell, Matthew Crane, Wade Harrell, Rosa Palmer, Aaron T. Pearse, Ted Owen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Inland habitat use by wintering Aransas-Wood Buffalo whooping cranes (Grus americana) is expected to increase given projected population growth and observations of some whooping cranes using inland winter habitat in addition to coastal marshes. We developed resource utilization functions using ‘random forests’ to model whooping crane use as a function of environmental covariates considered important for whooping crane use. Covariates associated with distance to cropland, distance to development, and wetness or standing water were the most influential in model prediction. The model estimated that the 50% predicted use contour encompassed 34,925 hectares (ha) and the 95% predicted use contour encompassed …

Mortality Of Fledged Whooping Cranes In The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population, Kristin Brightwell, Matt Rabbe, Aaron T. Pearse, Ben Bainbridge, Karen Tyrell, Clayton Derby

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Maintaining accurate mortality records for endangered species is important for guiding management and conservation actions. Mortalities of whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) are documented in published records from 1950 through 2010. This paper documents publicly available records of known mortalities from 2011 through 2023, and updates historic records from 1950 to 2010. Public sightings and telemetry carcass records were restricted to fledged whooping cranes from the AWBP and stratified by confirmed, suspected, and unknown causes across the annual range (i.e., summer, migration, and winter). This mortality update provides more certainty associated with available carcass data …

Differential Habitat Use Of Wintering Whooping Cranes Throughout The Range Of The Eastern Migratory Population, Hillary L. Thompson, Anne E. Lacy, Robert F. Baldwin, Patrick G. R. Jodice

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In 2001, a reintroduced population of whooping cranes (Grus americana), the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP), was established in the eastern United States. There has been no assessment of habitat use of the EMP across the current winter distribution. During 2 winters, we used radio-telemetry to track groups of cranes each for 1 day. We grouped sites into 3 regions, based on natural clustering: north (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky), central (Tennessee, Alabama), and south (Georgia, Florida, Louisiana). Home ranges decreased in size from north to south (4.9 ± 2.8, 3.1 ± 1.0, and 2.3 ± 0.5 km2, respectively). In the north and …

Comparisons Of Migration Patterns Between Parent-Reared And Costume-Reared Whooping Cranes In The Eastern Migratory Population, 2012–2023, Mary Anderson, Glenn H. Olsen, Susie Dunham, Hillary L. Thompson, Marianne M. Wellington

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) have been raised and released into the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) since 2001. Cranes either were costume-reared and learned their migration route by following an ultralight aircraft, were costume-reared and released in fall near adult cranes (known as direct autumn release), or were parent-reared by captive adult whooping crane pairs and released in the fall near adult whooping cranes. Compared to costume-rearing, parent-rearing encourages conspecific learning prior to release, but needs further research to understand how it may influence post-release behaviors including migration. This study compared the migratory timing and length of parent-reared whooping cranes and …