Ornithology Commons^™

Harvest Demographics Of Temperate-Breeding Canada Geese In South Dakota, 1967–1995, Jeffrey S. Gleason, Jonathan A. Jenks, David E. Naugle, Paul W. Mammenga, Spencer J. Vaa, Jennifer M. Pritchett

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

In South Dakota, breeding giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) have increased substantially, and harvest management strategies have been implemented to maximize hunting opportunity (e.g., special early-September seasons) on local, as well as molt-migrant giant Canada geese (B. c. interior) while still protecting lesser abundant Arcticbreeding Canada geese and cackling geese (e.g., B. hutchinsii, B. minima). Information on important parameters, such as survival and recovery rates, are generally lacking for giant Canada geese in the northern Great Plains. Patterns in Canada goose band recoveries can provide insight into the distribution, chronology, and harvest pressures to which a given goose population …

Experimental Shifts In Intraclutch Egg Color Variation Do Not Affect Egg Rejection In A Host Of A Non-Egg-Mimetic Avian Brood Parasite, Rebecca Croston, Mark E. Hauber

Publications and Research

Avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and impose the costs associated with rearing parasitic young onto these hosts. Many hosts of brood parasites defend against parasitism by removing foreign eggs from the nest. In systems where parasitic eggs mimic host eggs in coloration and patterning, extensive intraclutch variation in egg appearances may impair the host’s ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs, but experimental investigation of this effect has produced conflicting results. The cognitive mechanism by which hosts recognize parasitic eggs may vary across brood parasite hosts, and this may explain variation in experimental …

Now You See It, Now You Don’T: Flushing Hosts Prior To Experimentation Can Predict Their Responses To Brood Parasitism, Daniel Hanley, Peter Samas, Josef Heryán, Mark E. Hauber, Tomáš Grim

Publications and Research

Brood parasitic birds lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, leaving hosts to raise their offspring. To understand parasite-host coevolutionary arms races, many studies have examined host responses to experimentally introduced eggs. However, attending parents often need to be flushed from their nests to add experimental eggs. If these birds witness parasitism events, they may recognize and reject foreign eggs more readily than parents who did not. We found that, after being flushed, female blackbirds, Turdus merula, remained close to their nests. Flushed females were more likely to eject foreign eggs and did so more quickly than females that …

Nebraska Bird Review (March 2015) 83(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Treasurer’s Report, December 31, 2014 … 2

Winter Field Report, December 2014 to February 2015 … 3

In Memory of William F. Rapp, Jr. … 21

Color Photo Section (Birds in flight) … 23

A Hybrid Cliff × Barn Swallow from Western Nebraska … 31

2014–2015 Christmas Bird Counts … 36

Subscription and Organization Information ... 51

Subscription And Organization Information [March 2015]

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 William F. Rapp, Jr.

Nebraska Bird Review

Former NOU president and Nebraska Bird Review editor William F. Rapp, Jr., passed away on March 13, 2013, in Rochester, New York. Rapp was born in 1918 in Newark, New Jersey, and his interest in birds began during his junior high years. He attended Rutgers University and graduated in 1944 with a degree in entomology and geology. He was on the faculty of Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, where he taught various biology courses and ornithology for nonscience students. He attended his first Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union meeting in 1947. By the next year, he was the editor of the Nebraska …

2014–2015 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Fourteen counts were held during the 2014–15 Christmas Bird Count season, which is one less than last season. Although the Beaver Valley and Harrison counts were not done this season, the Harlan County count was resumed after a twelve-year hiatus and produced several noteworthy species counts. It also should be noted that the Grand Island count was held on December 13, which is one day before the official Audubon sanctioned count period begins, but its results are included in this discussion.

Following a very mild first week of November, the second week started with a sudden cold snap which persisted …

Winter Field Report, December 2014 To February 2015, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As with last winter, this was a rather ordinary winter ornithologically speaking, if indeed there is such a thing. There were a couple of genuine rarities to spice it up, but most of the interest was in unusual phenomena shown by a range of species. Ducks and swans and native sparrows seem to be more in evidence in mid-winter than in previous years, but it is difficult to relate winter occurrence to weather in any given year, except for isolated extreme events. There are, however, some trends showing up, as suggested by the ducks, swans, native sparrows, and a few …

A Hybrid Cliff × Barn Swallow From Western Nebraska, Charles R. Brown, Catherine E. Page

Nebraska Bird Review

The Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) occupy sympatric breeding ranges across much of North America, often nesting at colony sites that contain both species. Mixed-species nesting aggregations typically occur in box-shaped concrete culverts underneath roads or railways. Cliff Swallows’ enclosed mud nests can be as close as 1 m to Barn Swallows’ open mud nests, and at such sites Cliff Swallows regularly usurp both inactive and active Barn Swallow nests. The close proximity of these two ecologically similar species leads to at least occasional social interaction among them, such as during …

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Treasurer’S Report, December 31, 2014

Nebraska Bird Review

One-page spreadsheet constituting the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union treasurer's report at year end (December 31) of 2014. The grand total is $59,882.03.

Birds In Flight, Color Photo Section [March 2015, Pp. 23–30]

Nebraska Bird Review

Photographs of Ring-billed Gull with fish, Arctic Tern, Bonaparte’s Gull, and Least Tern (p. 23); American Golden-Plovers, Great Blue Heron, Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin and Stilt Sandpiper (p. 24); Great Egret, Sandhill Cranes, White-faced Ibis, and Glossy Ibis (p. 25); immature Bald Eagle with Snow Goose, Turkey Vulture, Common Goldeneye, Mute Swan and cygnet, and Red-tailed Hawk (p. 26); Upland Sandpiper, Northern Bobwhite, Eastern Meadowlark, female Dickcissel, and Grasshopper Sparrow (p. 27); Barn Owl chicks, adult Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Northern Saw-whet Owl in nest box with eggs, chicks, deer mice, and voles (p. 28); adult Bald Eagle, Snow Geese, …

Global Warming And Population Responses Among Great Plains Birds, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

Based on an analysis of 47 years (1967–2014) of Audubon Christmas Bird Counts (CBC), evidence for population changes and shifts in early winter (late December) ranges of nearly 150 species of birds in the Great Plains states is summarized, a region defined as including the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas panhandle. The rationale for this study had its origins in Terry Root’s 1988 Atlas of North American Wintering Birds. Root’s landmark study provided a baseline for evaluating the nationwide winter distributions of 253 North American birds in the mid-20th century, using data from the National Audubon Society’s …

Ectoparasitism Shortens The Breeding Season In A Colonial Bird, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

When blood-feeding parasites increase seasonally, their deleterious effects may prevent some host species, especially those living in large groups where parasites are numerous, from reproducing later in the summer. Yet the role of parasites in regulating the length of a host’s breeding season—and thus the host’s opportunity for multiple brooding—has not been systematically investigated. The highly colonial cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), a temperate-latitude migratory songbird in the western Great Plains, USA, typically has a relatively short (eight to nine week) breeding season, with birds rarely nesting late in the summer. Colonies at which ectoparasitic swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius) were experimentally …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 91, No. 1), Kentucky Library Research Collection

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

The Critical Importance Of Large Expanses Of Continuous Forest For Bird Conservation, Robert A. Askins

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Standard Dna Procedures On Feathers Of Late 19th To Late 20th Century Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus), Alia A. Hamdan, Catherine B. Viverette, Rodney J. Dyer

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Species with well-documented demographic histories and well known perturbations to gene flow provide good models for understanding how historic events impact contemporary population genetic structure1,2. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), a marine bird-of-prey, experienced steep declines after widespread organochloride pesticide (e.g. DDT) use in the mid-twentieth century 3, however, population genetic consequences remain unknown. Use of historic specimens can aid population genetic studies4,5, however, these samples can degrade over time impacting quantity and quality of extracted DNA5. We compared the concentrations of extracted DNA of Osprey feathers from museum and research collections to those of contemporary samples collected according to standard field …

Communicating The Overall Experience Of Research Through Various Approaches Using Art: A Case Study Of The Prothonotary Warbler, Hannah Huddle, Lesley P. Bulluck, Sarah E. Faris

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Recommended Citation

In general, scientific research has publication of data as the end goal. The process and experience, which are of great importance in art disciplines, is not necessarily represented or valued. However, science has an inherent element of art to it, which deserves to be shown. I have been studying Prothonotary Warblers with a team from the VCU Biology Department to learn how I can reinterpret the research in a way that bridges the gap between the experience and typical scientific products. The research team measured spatial and temporal variation in warbler prey abundance (caterpillars and mayflies) and assessed …

Brood Provisioning And Nest Survival Of Ardea Herodias (Great Blue Heron) In Maine, Margaret M. Meserve Auclair, Kathryn A. Ono, Noah G. Perlut

Marine Sciences Student Publications

From 1983–2009, the number of coastal breeding pairs of Ardea herodias (Great Blue Heron [GBHE]) in Maine declined by 64%, and the number of occupied islands on which these birds bred declined by 40%. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife listed the GBHE as a species of special concern in 2007, and expanded its annual monitoring to include inland colonies in 2009. To assess regional demographic differences, we compared the relationship between brood provisioning and nest survival of GBHEs in 1 coastal and 1 inland colony. In terms of brood-provisioning within the 2 colonies, the inland colony had …

Behavioral Observations: Foraging And Aggression Of Neotropical Migrants And Resident Birds In Panama, Jessica M. Johnston, Samuel B. King, Ryan A. Levering

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Lyons suggests that foraging data in songbirds can be an indicator of food abundance, with higher attack rate= higher habitat quality; higher foraging speed= lower habitat quality (2005). Territorial behavior such as interspecific aggression among songbirds may also be related to food availability. Previous studies have documented variation in the extent of territorial and aggressive behaviors among resident and Neotropical migratory species on tropical wintering grounds. This research gathered foraging and aggression data at two coastal angroves sites in central Panama, one on the Caribbean Coast (Galeta) and one on the Pacific Coast (Juan Diaz-East). Foraging data was used an …

2015 Interior Least Tern And Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, And Outreach Report For The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mary Bomberger Brown, Lauren R. Dinan, Joel G. Jorgensen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Abstract:

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2014–2015). 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 …

Wpa News 98 (2015), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2015), number 98

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Foraging Behavior Of Swainson's Thrushes (Catharus Ustulatus) During Spring Migration Through Arkansas, S. Wiley, R. Kannan, D. A. James, A. Deshwal

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Foraging behavior of Swainson’s Thrushes on spring migration was studied in western Arkansas in the spring of 2013 and 2014. Observations were made in two forested field sites, one of them urban and the other suburban. The former had a significantly higher woody stem area (cm2) than the latter. For each foraging observation, the following three parameters were noted: Foraging Stratum (Ground, Shrub, Sapling, Sub canopy, and Canopy); Foraging Substrate (Ground/Litter, Herb, Foliage, Bark, and Air); and Foraging Maneuver (Glean, Probe, Dive/Glean, Hover, Jump Hover, and Hawking). We tested the hypotheses that these foraging variables differed significantly between the urban …

Red Crossbill Invasion Of Northwestern Arkansas During 2012-2013, K. G. Smith, J. C. Neal, M. A. Young

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

An irruption of Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) occurred in primarily northwestern Arkansas starting in November of 2012 and lasting to the end of May of 2013. Based on recordings of call notes, most birds around Fayetteville were Type 2, the large-billed ponderosa pine crossbill, associated with a variety of conifer species. Birds recorded in Carroll County were Type 3, the small-billed western hemlock crossbill, and they were associated with small cones on shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata). One recording was obtained in Fayetteville of Type 5, the lodgepole pine crossbill, only the third recording east of the Great Plains. Crossbills at …

Daily Activity Patterns In Three Migratory Bird Species At A Stopover Site On The Northern Coast Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Lynn Schofield

Masters Theses

CHAPTER I: A Comparison of Diel Movement Patterns in Three Bird Species at a Stopover Site on the Northern Coast of the Gulf of Mexico

During migration, birds require stopover habitats where they stop en route to rest, refuel, and prepare for the next stage of their migration. For songbirds, many short movements made within a stopover habitat are known to be costlier than a single long migratory flight, as it takes a considerable amount of energy to initiate flight. This indicates that migrating birds should strive to balance the energy expenditure made in movement during stopover and energy gains …

Adaptive Significance Of Aberrant Chickadee Song In Illinois, Evan Andrew Glynn

Masters Theses

I studied the behavioral responses of Black-capped (Poecile atricapilus) and Carolina (P. carolinensis) chickadees to playback of Black-capped, Carolina, and aberrant chickadee songs throughout the state of Illinois. These two species are parapatrically distributed throughout the eastern United States, including Illinois. Some areas exist where the ranges of the two species overlap. Individuals in these contact zones often sing aberrant vocalizations. This study focused on the two parental vocalizations (i.e., Black-capped and Carolina song), and two of the most common aberrant vocalizations (the 'Greenville' and 'Vandalia' aberrant dialects), in an attempt to understand the adaptive significance of these aberrant songs. …

Manual For Ageing And Sexing Birds Of Bosque Fray Jorge National Park And Northcentral Chile, With Notes On Range And Breeding Seasonality, Peter Pyle, Andrew Engilis, Douglas A. Kelt

Special Publications of the Museum of Natural Science

Bosque Fray Jorge National Park (hereafter "Fray Jorge") comprises 9,959 ha on the coast of Chile’s Region IV (Coquimbo), approximately 400 km north of Santiago and 100 km south of La Serena (30°41’S, 71°40’W) (Fig. 1). It is a Biosphere Reserve and has been protected from grazing and disturbance since 1941 (Squeo et al. 2004). As such, it is a biotic oasis surrounded by agricultural and increasingly disturbed terrain (Bahre 1979). The climate is Mediterranean, with ca. 130 mm of annual precipitation measured since 1989 at an on-site meteorological station, 90% falling in winter (May-Sept). Summers are warm and dry, …

Manual Para Estimar Edad Y Sexo En Aves Del Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge Y Chile Central, Con Notas Sobre Rangos De Distribución Y Estación Reproductiva, Peter Pyle, Andrew Engilis Jr., Douglas A. Kelt

Special Publications of the Museum of Natural Science

El Parque Nacional Fray Jorge (en adelante "Fray Jorge") comprende 9.959 ha. en la costa de la IV Región de Chile (Coquimbo), a unos 400 km al norte de Santiago y a 100 km al sur de La Serena (30 ° 41'S, 71 ° 40'W) (Fig. 1). Se trata de una Reserva de la Biosfera que se ha protegido del pastoreo y las perturbaciones antrópicas desde 1941 (Squeo et al. 2004). Como tal, es un oasis biótico rodeado de áreas agrícolas cada vez más intervenidas por el hombre (Bahre 1979). El clima es mediterráneo, con 130 mm de precipitación anual, …

Muscle Mass, Wing Morphology, And Related Flight Mechanics In Passeriforme Birds, Bradley Adam Weinstein

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Birds are an interesting field of study for a number of reasons, many of which are related to conflicting evolutionary demands. Birds are required to produce more lift than the downward force of gravity acting upon them. To this end birds have evolved in a number of ways, both in mass reduction and increased lift production. This paper looks into different variables associated with contrasting styles of flight, and how morphological differences allow for these different styles to occur, as well as variables associated with weight minimization.

Female Breakfast Skippers Display A Disrupted Cortisol Rhythm And Levated Blood Pressure, Megan Witbracht, Nancy L. Keim, Shavawn Forester, Adrianne Widaman, Kevin D. Laugero

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Chronic stress and over-activity in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis may link breakfast skipping and poor cardiometabolic health. Missing the first major meal of the day in rodents prolongs elevated circulating corticosterone at a time when it's normally decreasing. To extend these findings to humans, we hypothesized that habitual breakfast skippers would display a similar pattern of circulating cortisol and alterations in meal and stress-induced cortisol reactions. Normal weight to obese women aged 18–45 years old who were strictly defined as either breakfast skippers (n = 30) or breakfast eaters (n = 35) were invited to participate in our …

Shorebird Foraging Habitat In Southeast Arkansas, J. E. Aycock, C. G. Sims

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Approximately 500,000 shorebirds travel through the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) each spring and fall. During migration, the average 45g shorebird needs to eat approximately 8g of invertebrates per day. While shorebird stopover habitat guidelines for the MAV are based on an expert estimate of 2g of invertebrates/m2, this estimate has not been quantified in Arkansas. Invertebrate biomass available for shorebird foraging was examined on five properties in southeastern Arkansas during spring and fall migration (fall 2010, spring and fall 2011, and spring 2012). Macroinvertebrate biomass was less than the estimated 2 g/m2 in three of the four sampled seasons. Further …