Ornithology Commons^™

The Junco Called Cassiar, Rick Wright

Nebraska Bird Review

A well-marked male Cassiar Junco is subtly distinctive. In its overall grayness, the bird closely recalls a Slate-colored Junco, but the darkness of the head, breast, and nape approaches that of a male Oregon Junco, creating a more striking contrast between the "hood" and the rest of the upperparts than is visible in any but the very blackest of male Slate-coloreds. More significant than the colors themselves is their distribution: the blackish nape is sharply set off from the grayer or brownish back, and the dark of the breast meets the paler gray of the flank and the white of …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 2013) 81(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March–May 2013 ... 50

Status of Black-billed Magpie in Nebraska ... 79

Photo Documentation by Ron and Anne Kruse of Black-billed Magpie Nest Cycle in Hall County … 81

The Junco Called Cassiar … 87

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting at Central City, May 17–19, 2013 ... 94

Subscription and Organization Information ... 99

Subscription And Organization Information [June 2013]

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 Study Of The Niche Structure And Habitat Utilization Of Urban Dwelling Winter Birds, Thomas Huff

Honors Theses

A study was conducted to evaluate the distribution of urban birds relative to differences in habitat as determined by zoning type. A total of 1,948 individual birds and a total of 33 species were sampled across the four different zones (industrial, commercial, residential, and public use.) The industrial use zone contained the highest number of individuals whereas commercial zones contained the fewest. However, the four zones contained approximately equal species richness.

Industrial zones supported the greatest number of cavity nesting and seed eating species. Residential and public use zones contained greater numbers of insectivorous and cup nesting species. In the …

Fluctuating Viability Selection On Morphology Of Cliff Swallows Is Driven By Climate, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown, Erin A. Roche

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The extent to which fluctuating selection can maintain evolutionary stasis in most populations remains an unresolved question in evolutionary biology. Climate has been hypothesized to drive reversals in the direction of selection among different time periods and may also be responsible for intense episodic selection caused by rare weather events. We measured viability selection associated with morphological traits in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in western Nebraska, USA, over a 14-year period following a rare climatic event. We used mark-recapture to estimate the annual apparent survival of over 26 000 individuals whose wing, tail, tarsus, and bill had been …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 89, No. 2), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene M46, In The Pathogenic Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Davida Lashaundra Crossley

Dissertations

Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a dimorphic fungus that is the etiologic agent for the respiratory infection histoplasmosis. The fungus is found in the environment in contaminated soils of birds and bat excreta as a multi-cellular saprophytic mold. Once the soil is disturbed, spores are released and are inhaled into the lungs. In the lungs, the fungus converts to uni-cellular parasitic yeast (Maresca & Kobayashi, 1989). The conversion from mold to yeast is a requirement for pathogenesis. Previously, several mold specific genes have been isolated by our laboratory from a subtracted cDNA library. One such gene, is M46. M46 is a …

Interrelationships Between Testosterone, Aggression, And Parental Care Of A Temperate-Zone, Resident Songbird, The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis), Margaret Susan Devries

Dissertations

Interrelationships among testosterone (T), aggression, and parental care have received much investigative attention. Within birds, many studies have focused on examining such relationships using species characterized by relatively brief periods of territoriality and breeding. Few have investigated links between circulating T and reproductive behavior in birds that are year-round territorial residents and have lengthy breeding seasons, such as the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). The following six chapters report and discuss findings from this dissertation’s examination of aspects of T production and potential interconnections with circulating T, aggression, and parental care in male and female cardinals. This work suggests …

A Bird In The Binoculars: Understanding Birdwatchers' Potential To Contribute To Sustainable Development And Biological Conservation, Sheri Lynn Glowinski

Dissertations

The three studies comprising this research drew from local economic development and environmental sociology to understand aspects of human dynamics that influence the conservation of birds. Using survey data collected from birdwatchers visiting coastal Alabama, the first study examined the local economic impact of birdwatching tourism and the factors that participants deemed important with respect to their recreation. Birdwatchers spent $103,305 during the four month study period. The total annual economic impact of this recreation on the area was estimated at $937,470, producing a multiplier of 1.48 and the equivalent of 20.3 full time jobs. Infrastructural variables (parking, bathrooms, site …

Sprague's Pipit In Clay County, Philip Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Wpa News 91 (2013), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2013), number 91

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Migration Timing And Wintering Areas Of Three Species Of Flycatchers (Tyrannus) Breeding In The Great Plains Of North America, Alex E. Jahn, Victor R. Cueto, James W. Fox, Michael S. Husak, Daniel H. Kim, Diane V. Landoll, Jesús Pinto Ledezma, Heather K. Lepage, Douglas J. Levey, Michael T. Murphy, Rosalind B. Renfrew

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Descriptions of intra- and interspecific variation in migratory patterns of closely related species are rare yet valuable because they can help assess how differences in ecology and life-history strategies drive the evolution of migration. We report data on timing and location of migration routes and wintering areas, and on migratory speed and phenology, of Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) from Nebraska and Oklahoma and of Western Kingbirds (T. verticalis) and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (T. forficatus) from Oklahoma. Eastern Kingbirds primarily departed the breeding site in September, migrating to the Amazon Basin (Bolivia and Brazil), >6,400 km …

Melanin Concentration Gradients In Modern And Fossil Feathers, Daniel J. Field, Liliana D’Alba, Jakob Vinther, Samuel M. Webb, William Gearty, Matthew D. Shawkey

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In birds and feathered non-avian dinosaurs, within-feather pigmentation patterns range from discrete spots and stripes to more subtle patterns, but the latter remain largely unstudied. A ,55 million year old fossil contour feather with a dark distal tip grading into a lighter base was recovered from the Fur Formation in Denmark. SEM and synchrotron-based trace metal mapping confirmed that this gradient was caused by differential concentration of melanin. To assess the potential ecological and phylogenetic prevalence of this pattern, we evaluated 321 modern samples from 18 orders within Aves. We observed that the pattern was found most frequently in distantly …

An Experimental Investigation Of Nest Reuse And Nest Site Selection In An Open-Cup Nesting Passerine, Sarah A. Cancellieri

Dissertations and Theses

Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) breed from coast to coast in North America and build open-cup nests in trees. They have been extensively studied across most of their range and have only on occasion been documented to reuse a nest from a previous season. However, at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR), located in southeastern Oregon, ~10 % of female Eastern Kingbirds reuse old nests of mainly American Robins (Turdus migratorius). In an attempt to address why nest reuse is so common at MNWR, I used artificial nests to evaluate two hypotheses as to why nest reuse is common in this breeding …

The Search For The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker: Sara Barker And A Team Of Researchers Find Conclusive Evidence That Brings The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Back From 'Extinction', Gerry Boyle

Colby Magazine

An extinct ivory-billed woodpecker in an Arkansas swamp? Sara Barker '94 coordinated the team that quietly searched the swamp to see if the "grail bird" lives.

Where Has All The Road Kill Gone?, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

An estimated 80 million birds are killed by colliding with vehicles on U.S. roads each year [1], and millions more die annually in Europe [2] and elsewhere. Losses to vehicles are a serious problem for which various changes in roadway design and maintenance have been proposed [3]. Yet, given the magnitude of the mortality reported for some species [4], we might expect natural selection to favor individuals that either learn to avoid cars or that have other traits making them less likely to collide with vehicles. If so, the frequency of road kill should decline over time. No information is …

Winter Field Report, December 2012 To February 2013, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This winter was notable for its lack of snow cover and above-normal temperatures, which allowed a large variety of species to remain in the state for at least the first half of the period. Notable among these species were waterfowl and native sparrows, but additional observations tended to confirm the mildness of the winter: Blue-winged Teal lingering into Dec, Sandhill Cranes wintering again in central Nebraska, a record early egg date for Great Horned Owl, a Sandhills midwinter Loggerhead Shrike, and wintering Green-tailed Towhee and Dickcissel.

The most significant event was the Common Redpoll invasion; these birds were reported statewide …

2012–2013 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Fifteen counts were held during the 2012–2013 season. The weather was seasonable and mostly dry with some open water. The total species count of 139 was the same as last year, but less than the record total of 149 counted in 2010–2011. In all, 23 species set new or tied previous high counts, including a new species for Nebraska counts, a single Bewick's Wren at Scottsbluff. The incredible number of European Starlings (250,444) found in the North Platte circle was largely responsible for the new high count (268,232) of that species and pushed the overall number of individuals for all …

An Unexpected Sandhill Crane Experience, Clem Klaphake

Nebraska Bird Review

On April 24, 2012, I spent some time birding in Saunders County at Memphis SRA, Lake Wanahoo, and various other lakes in the Malmo, Nebraska, area. . . . I headed over to Redtail WMA in Butler County. While watching . . . activity, I was facing north on a north-facing hillside. I briefly stopped to turn around and look behind me to the south, and I saw a large bird . . . and realized it was a Sandhill Crane. It came in on quite a high flight, and I quickly put my spotting scope on it. I realized …

Color Photo Section [March 2013, Pp. 21–28]

Nebraska Bird Review

Photographs of Hoary Redpolls, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Sage Thrashers (p. 21); Red Crossbills, Hooded Oriole, Golden-winged Warbler (p. 21); Double-crested Cormorant, Burrowing Owl, American Kestrel, Grasshopper Sparrow, Eared Grebes (p. 23); Western Kingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Cliff Swallows, Say’s Phoebe (p. 24); Northern Flicker (nest scenes), Eastern Screech Owl, House Wren (p. 25); Wilson’s Snipe, White-rumped Sandpiper, Willet, Piping Plover, Least Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper (p. 26); Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Glaucous-winged Gull, Laughing Gull, Sabine’s Gull (p. 27); Canada Geese (one leucistic), hybrid Canada/domestic Greylag Goose, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Eastern-Screech Owl (p. 28).

First Documented Nebraska Record Of Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus Alexandri), Kathy Delara, Marie Smith

Nebraska Bird Review

On the morning of May 7, 2012, I . . . saw a post on Jane's Greenhouse [Facebook] wall about a hummingbird that was in one of their greenhouses. . . . Jane's Greenhouse is a small retail greenhouse located on the west edge of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Fully expecting to see a Broad-tailed Hummingbird, I went inside to see if it was still there. . . . and saw the hummingbird flitting around the flowers in the hanging baskets that were for sale. . . . I watched it for a minute or so and saw that it was a …

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Treasurer’S Report, December 31, 2012

Nebraska Bird Review

One-page spreadsheet constituting the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union treasurer's report at year end (December 31) of 2012. The grand total is $56,779.43.

Subscription And Organization Information [March 2013]

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): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 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 …

Nebraska Bird Review (March 2013) 81(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Winter Field Report, December 2012–February 2013 ... 2

An Unexpected Sandhill Crane Experience … 29

First Documented Nebraska Record of Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) … 30

2012–2013 Christmas Bird Counts in Nebraska ... 32

NOU Annual Treasurer’s Report for 2012 ... 46

Subscription and Organization Information ... 47

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus): Species Conservation Assessment, Melissa J. Panella

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The primary goal in the development of at-risk species conservation assessments is to compile biological and ecological information that may assist conservation practitioners in making decisions regarding the conservation of species of interest. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project recognizes the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) as a Tier I at-risk species. Here, I provide some general management recommendations regarding Loggerhead Shrikes. However, conservation practitioners will need to use professional judgment for specific management decisions based on objectives, location, and site-specific conditions. This resource provides available knowledge of Loggerhead Shrikes that may aid in the decision-making process or in identifying research needs …

Birds Of The Central Platte River Valley And Adjacent Counties, Mary Bomberger Brown, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

The central Platte River Valley region of Nebraska is described ecologically, and defined as encompassing 11 counties and nearly 10,000 square miles, and extending about 120 miles from the western edge of Lincoln County to the eastern edge of Merrick County. At its center is the Platte River, the historic spring staging area for Sandhill and Whooping cranes, five species of geese, and millions of waterfowl and water-dependent birds, in addition to providing the breeding habitats for more than 100 other bird species. Collectively, at least 373 bird species have been reported from the Central Platte Valley, making it the …

Assessing Regional And Interspecific Variation In Threshold Responses Of Forest Breeding Birds Through Broad Scale Analyses, Yntze Van Der Hoek, Rosalind Renfrew, Lisa L. Manne

Publications and Research

Background: Identifying persistence and extinction thresholds in species-habitat relationships is a major focal point of ecological research and conservation. However, one major concern regarding the incorporation of threshold analyses in conservation is the lack of knowledge on the generality and transferability of results across species and regions. We present a multi-region, multi-species approach of modeling threshold responses, which we use to investigate whether threshold effects are similar across species and regions.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We modeled local persistence and extinction dynamics of 25 forest-associated breeding birds based on detection/non-detection data, which were derived from repeated breeding bird atlases for the state …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 89, No. 1), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Fight Or Flight: Parental Decisions About Predators At Nests Of Northern Bobwhites (Colinus Virginianus), Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Jonathan S. Burnam, William E. Palmer, D. Clay Sisson, John P. Carroll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Patterns of nest defense against predators by ground-nesting bird species in the wild are poorly understood, largely because of a historical inability to directly monitor nests. Most nest-defense studies have observed responses elicited from artificial predators or human observers presented to nesting birds, and few have attempted to present these events in the context of predator–prey relationships found in the wild. We hypothesized that predator threat level (e.g., the threat posed to the clutch or to the clutch and the attending adult), parental characteristics, clutch investment, and future reproductive opportunities would influence avian nest-defense decisions. During 1999–2006, we examined predation …

2013 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 (2012–2013). 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 …