Ornithology Commons^™

The Influence Of Different Cover Types On American Robin Nest Success In Organic Agroecosystems, John E. Quinn, Amy Oden, James R. Brandle

Biology Publications

There are many opportunities for biodiversity conservation in organic farm systems. Successful and sustainable conservation efforts in organic systems, however, need to measure appropriate outcomes. In particular, data are needed on the breeding success of associated wildlife species. We measured nesting success of the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) in woodlands embedded within eight organic farms in eastern Nebraska. We modeled daily nest survival rate to identify land use and land cover patterns that optimize conservation of birds in organic farm systems. The percentage of a crop in the fields adjacent to linear woodlands best predicted daily survival rate. …

The Effect Of Visual Wulst Lesions And Trigeminal Nerve Sectioning On The Discrimination Of Magnetic Inclination In The Homing Pigeon (Columba Livia), Merissa Acerbi

Honors Projects

The ability of homing pigeons to return to their loft from unknown places has fascinated scientists for centuries. It is well established that homing pigeons, like migratory birds, posses an innate magnetic inclination compass to determine direction by measuring the angle between the magnetic field vector and the Earth's surface. Recent work has indicated that the avian magnetic compass is light mediated and appears to mediate magnetic information to the brain. This occurs via a visual pathway with processing in the visual Wulst area of the forebrain. There is, however, also evidence from other avian species that magnetic direction may …

Wpa News 90 (2013), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2013), number 90

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Annual Review Of The World Pheasant Association, 2012/2013, World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Annual Review of the World Pheasant Association, 2012/2013

Chairman of Trustees' Report, Richard carden

Obituary: John Heyworth (August 21, 1925-November 24, 2012)

Activities of Conservation Breeding Advisory Group, 2012/2013, Nigel Hester

Back Grouse Project, Mieke Zwart

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the World Pheasant Association (September 12, 2012: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)

Treasurer’s Report for the year ended April 30, 2013, Jon Riley

Myanmar Pheasant Survey Programme progress in 2013, Alexander Pack-Blumenau and Karl-Heinz Grabowski

Focus groups, reports

2013 Pipar Pheasant Survey, Laxman Prasad Poudyal

Evaluating The Use Of Autonomous Recording Units To Monitor Yellow Rails, Nelson's Sparrows, And Le Conte's Sparrows, Anna Marie Sidie-Slettedahl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Population status and habitat use of yellow rails (Coturnicops noveboracensis) (YERA), Nelson’s sparrows (Ammodramus nelsoni) (NESP), and Le Conte’s sparrows (Ammodramus leconteii) (LCSP) are poorly known, so systematic surveys of these elusive species are needed to inform conservation planning and guide management. A standardized protocol for monitoring secretive marsh birds exists (Conway 2009, 2011); however, these species call at night and may be missed during early-morning marsh bird surveys. I tested the effectiveness of autonomous recording units (ARUs) to survey these species by analyzing recorded vocalizations using bioacoustics software. I deployed 22 ARUs at 54 sites in northern Minnesota and …

Influence Of Latitude On The Winter Abundance Of Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo Jamaicensis) And American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) In Illinois, Given Harper, Anna Groves, Vic Berardi, Paul Sweet, Jance Sweet, Angelo Capparella

Scholarship

We use five years of data from 18 routes surveyed to determine the temporal stability of a first reported 100 years pattern, and reconfirmed that the abundance of winter 50 years ago tailed Hawk and American Kestrel decreases with increasing latitude, being more high in the central regions of Illinos in the northern regions. Trained volunteers conducted sampling ( n  = 143) a month driving along selected routes from December to February, from 2004-2005 to 2008-2009. We found significant increases in the abundance of both species from the northern regions to the central regions of Illinois. No significant effects of …

Wpa News 92 (2013), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2013), number 92

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Causes And Consequences Of Individual Variation In Parental Care Behavior, Daniel P. Wetzel

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Behavioral traits can be remarkably flexible depending on the conditions in which they are expressed, yet, in spite of this flexibility, persistent differences between individuals appear to limit the potential expression of behaviors. For example, despite evidence that parents provide variable amounts of parental care in response to changing environmental conditions, they also differ in the overall level of care they provide. I used a behavioral reaction norm approach to study individual variation in parental care behavior in free-living house sparrows (Passer domesticus). I investigated the nature of this variation by studying the relationship between different forms of …

Changing Room Cues Reduces The Effects Of Proactive Interference In Clark’S Nutcrackers, Nucifraga Columbiana, Jody L. Lewis, Alan C. Kamil, Kate E. Webbink

Avian Cognition Papers

To determine what factors are important for minimizing interference effects in spatial memory, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana were tested for their spatial memory for two serial lists of locations per day. In this experiment two unique landmark sets were either different between List 1 and List 2 or the same. We found that Nutcrackers were most susceptible to interference when the landmark sets were the same. This study suggests that repeatedly testing animal memory in the same room, with the same cues, can hamper recall due to interference.

Differences In Relative Hippocampus Volume And Number Of Hippocampus Neurons Among Five Corvid Species, Kristy L. Gould, Karl E. Gilbertson, Andrew J. Hrvol, Joseph C. Nelson, Abigail L. Seyfer, Rose M. Brantner, Alan C. Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

The relative size of the avian hippocampus (Hp) has been shown to be related to spatial memory and food storing in two avian families, the parids and corvids. Basil et al. [Brain Behav Evol 1996;47: 156-164] examined North American food-storing birds in the corvid family and found that Clark’s nutcrackers had a larger relative Hp than pinyon jays and Western scrub jays. These results correlated with the nutcracker’s better performance on most spatial memory tasks and their strong reliance on stored food in the wild. However, Pravosudov and de Kort [Brain Behav Evol 67 (2006), 1-9] raised questions …

Different Modes Of Evolution In Males And Females Generate Dichromatism In Fairy-Wrens (Maluridae), Allison E. Johnson, J. Jordan Price, Stephen Pruett-Jones

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sexual dichromatism in birds is often attributed to selection for elaboration in males. However, evolutionary changes in either sex can result in plumage differences between them, and such changes can result in either gains or losses of dimorphism. We reconstructed the evolution of plumage colors in both males and females of species in Maluridae, a family comprising the fairy-wrens (Malurus, Clytomias, Sipodotus), emu-wrens (Stipiturus), and grasswrens (Amytornis). Our results show that, across species, males and females differ in their patterns of color evolution. Male plumage has diverged at relatively steady rates, whereas …

Cooperative Breeding And Long-Distance Dispersal: A Test Using Vagrant Records, Caroline L. Rusk, Eric L. Walters, Walter D. Koenig

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cooperative breeding is generally associated with increased philopatry and sedentariness, presumably because short-distance dispersal facilitates the maintenance of kin groups. There are, however, few data on long-distance dispersal in cooperative breeders-the variable likely to be important for genetic diversification and speciation. We tested the hypothesis that cooperative breeders are less likely to engage in long-distance dispersal events by comparing records of vagrants outside their normal geographic range for matched pairs (cooperatively vs. non-cooperatively breeding) of North American species of birds. Results failed to support the hypothesis of reduced long-distance dispersal among cooperative breeders. Thus, our results counter the conclusion that …

Factors Shaping The Ontogeny Of Vocal Signals In A Wild Parrot, Karl S. Berg, Steven R. Beissinger, Jack W. Bradbury

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Parrots rely heavily on vocal signals to maintain their social and mobile lifestyles. We studied vocal ontogeny in nests of wild green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) in Venezuela. We identified three successive phases of vocal signaling that corresponded closely to three independently derived phases of physiological development. For each ontogenetic phase, we characterized the relative importance of anatomical constraints, motor skills necessary for responding to specific contexts of the immediate environment, and the learning of signals that are necessary for adult forms of communication. We observed shifts in the relative importance of these three factors as individuals progressed from …

Breeding Biology Of Chuck-Will's-Widows: Incubation, Brooding, And Provisioning Behavior And Characteristics Of Nest Sites, Ryan Sean O'Connor

Online Theses and Dissertations

Chuck-will's-widows (Antrostomus carolinensis) are cryptically colored grounding-nesting nightars that breed throughout much of the eastern United States, primarily in mixed-forest habitat. Because of their cryptic plumage and nocturnal habits, little is known about their behavior, particularly their breeding and nesting behavior. Thus, my objectives were to: (1) quantify patterns of incubation behavior (e.g., on bouts vs. off bouts) and the respective roles of males and females, (2) quantify the brooding and provisioning behavior of males and females, and, (3) compare the characteristics of nest sites and randomly selected unused sites to determine those features important in nest site selection.

My …

Wintering White-Throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia Albicollis): Home Ranges, Aggression And Corticosterone, Marissa Ann Buschow

Online Theses and Dissertations

White-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) are songbirds that spend the non-breeding season in southeastern North America, where they form philopatric territorial flocks. Flocks exhibit dominance hierarchies, with dominance rank associated with an individual's age and prior residence in the territory. Although social behaviors within flocks are well studied, few studies have described winter home ranges. I tagged white-throated sparrows (n = 12) in Madison County, Kentucky, with 0.9-g radio transmitters during the winter of 2010-2011. Locations were entered into ArcGIS and home range sizes were estimated with 50% and 95% kernel analysis for individuals with at least five locations. Mean core …

Winter Behavior And Ecology Of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis): Home Ranges, Habitat Use, And Effect Of Weather On Foraging Behavior, Todd J. Weinkam

Online Theses and Dissertations

Eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) are widespread across eastern North America, but populations appear to be susceptible to extreme winter weather. Declines in population following cold winters in states like Kentucky suggest the need to better understand winter-specific habitat requirements and behavioral responses to inclement weather. My objectives were to 1) describe the size and habitat composition of the home ranges of wintering bluebirds, and 2) examine the effects of weather (i.e., temperature, wind speed, and snow presence) on habitat occupancy, group size, and foraging behavior. My study was conducted at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, …

Facultative Adjustment Of Pre-Fledging Mass Recession By Nestling Chimney Swifts (Chaetura Pelagica), Sagan Brianne Goodpaster

Online Theses and Dissertations

In species that are susceptible to mass-dependent flight costs, particularly seabirds and aerial insectivores, mass recession is a crucial aspect of the nestling period, ensuring fledglings will have an appropriate wing loading. My objectives were to determine if mass recession by Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) nestlings is intrinsically controlled or facultatively adjusted by nestlings, and if mass recession is driven by changes in parental behavior (i.e., reduced provisioning rates) or nestling behavior (i.e., reduced solicitation of feedings). Nestling swifts (N = 69) were divided into three groups: controls, half-weighted, or weighted. Half-weighted and weighted nestlings had 0.6-0.7-g or 1.2-1.3-g lead …

Effects Of Variation In Hunger Levels On Begging Behavior Of Nestlings And The Provsioning Behavior Of Male And Female Eastern Phoebes, Christopher Adam Heist

Online Theses and Dissertations

Nestling birds solicit food from their parents using conspicuous vocalizations and visual begging displays and there is considerable empirical evidence suggesting that nestling begging represents honest signals of need, and that adults use these signals to determine provisioning rates. Less is known about how males and females may differ in their response to changes in nestling begging behavior as a result of variation in hunger levels, or how nestling begging and adult provisioning may be influenced by brood number (i.e., first versus second broods).

To examine these parent-offspring interactions, I first manipulated hunger levels of whole broods of nestling Eastern …

Winter Microhabitat Foraging Preferences Of Sympatric Boreal And Black-Capped Chickadees In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Alec R. Lindsay Ph. D., Zach G. Gayk

Faculty Works

We examined differences in microhab- itat use between Boreal (Poecile hudsonicus) and Black- capped chickadees (P. atricapillus) where they co-occur near Marquette, Michigan, USA. Twenty-four Boreal and 37 Black-capped chickadees were followed during 60 hrs of field observation. Boreal Chickadees foraged only in three conifer species, 76% of which were black spruce (Picea mariana), while Black-capped Chickadees foraged widely across six coniferous and three deciduous tree species. Analysis of foraging data categorized by zones within conifer trees indicated high niche overlap (0.676) between Boreal and Black-capped chickadees across all foraging zones. Individual comparisons on a zone-by-zone basis revealed a significant …

Cues Used By The Black Fly, Simulium Annulus, For Attraction To The Common Loon (Gavia Immer), Meggin L. Weinandt, Michael W. Meyer, R. Mac Strand, Alec R. Lindsay Ph. D.

Faculty Works

The parasitic relationship between a black fly, Simulium annulus, and the common loon (Gavia immer) has been considered one of the most exclusive relationships between any host species and a black fly species. To test the host specificity of this blood-feeding insect, we made a series of bird decoy presentations to black flies on loon-inhabited lakes in northern Wisconsin, U.S.A. To examine the importance of chemical and visual cues for black fly detection of and attraction to hosts, we made decoy presentations with and without chemical cues. Flies attracted to the decoys were collected, identified to species, and quantified. Results …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2012) 80(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2012 … 126

Bellevue Fall Field Days ... 158

Notes on a Greater Sage-Grouse Record by Levi L. Mohler ... 162

Index to Volume 80 ... 164

Subscription and Organization Information ... 175

Fall Field Report, August–November 2012, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Some of you may be curious about the sources of sightings I use to compile these reports. The primary sources are reports posted to NEBirds, the Nebraska Listserv, along with the full reports (early and late dates, peak counts for all species) sent by a few faithful reporters around the state. The latter reports are very useful overviews of movements in the reporters' regions. Lately, thanks to a suggestion by Clem Klaphake, I have been receiving the eBird daily rarity report for Nebraska which I find to be an excellent check against reports posted to NEBirds, while providing a few …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2012]

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 (or at the email address listed below).

Memberships in the NOU …

Notes On A Greater Sage-Grouse Record By Levi L. Mohler, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

In Nebraska, Greater Sage-Grouse has been considered an uncommon casual winter visitor in the extreme northwest (Sharpe et al. 2001). This species may now be extirpated in Nebraska due to habitat loss. There have been no known Nebraska observations of Greater Sage-Grouse in the last 25 years. The only documented record accepted by the NOURC of Greater Sage-Grouse in Nebraska (Accession #243) is a description of an adult male in September 1987 in extreme northwest Sioux County by Douglas Kapke (Grenon AG. 1990).

In 2002 Wayne Mollhoff received the following record from Levi L. Mohler and submitted it to the …

Bellevue Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2012 NOU Fall Field Days was held in conjunction with the Inland Bird Banding Association meeting at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in Bellevue on October 26–28. The meeting, organized by Betty Grenon and Rick Schmid, drew a total of 104 attendees, including 33 members of the Inland Bird Banding Association.

On Friday evening, Phil Swanson's photographic presentation "Welcome to Omaha . . . It's for the Birds" included a brief history of Omaha, an overview of area birding hotspots, and photos of many of the birds which can be seen in the area. Following the presentation, a group led …

Index To Volume 80

Nebraska Bird Review

Addy, Darren 47, 75

Albrecht, Jeff 75

Albright, Patty 111

Allen, Edward 128

Allison, Scott 28, 48

American Ornithologists' Union 120

Anderson, Leif 129

Anthony, Courtney 75

Armknecht, Henry 88

Arnett, Gladys 128

Avocet, American 54, 79, 93, 137

. . .

Wren: Bewick's 99; Carolina 13, 36–37, 63, 99, 110, 147, 161; House 63, 81, 99, 106–110, 147; Marsh 13, 36-37, 63, 81, 99, 147, 161; Rock 63, 99, 119, 147; Sedge 63, 81, 99, 108, 147; Winter 13, 36–37, 63, 147, 160

Wright, Rick 48

Yellowlegs: Greater 10, 54, 93, 137, 160; Lesser 46, 54, 79, 93, 137 …

Winter Ecology Of Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canandensis) In Northern Mexico, Ingrid Barcelo

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) are a widespread species in North America and one of the most studied cranes in the world. However, most of the research has focused on the breeding grounds of Canada and Alaska and the staging grounds of Nebraska. Although an important proportion of the Mid-continent Population of Sandhill Cranes winters in northern Mexico, little information exists on distribution, status, and ecology of the species in Mexico. The goal of this dissertation was to provide new information on Sandhill Crane winter ecology from a regional perspective to better understand population trends. I examined the physiological …

Site Selection By Migratory Shorebirds In Oregon Estuaries Over Broad And Fine Spatial Scales, Aileen Kilpatrick Miller

Dissertations and Theses

Many migratory shorebirds rely on estuaries as stop-over sites to refuel during migration, and the loss of stop-over sites is a primary threat to shorebird populations on the West Coast of the United States (e.g. Calidris alpina pacifica, C. mauri). Conservation and research has focused on the largest of these sites; however, smaller estuaries also host thousands of migratory shorebirds. Furthermore, the reasons for site selection are largely unknown. Estuarine inter-tidal microhabitats are non-uniform and both abiotic and biotic factors may serve as predictors of whether an abundance of shorebirds will use a site. I investigated shorebird site selection on …

Stopover Decisions Of Migratory Shorebirds: An Assessment Of Habitat Use, Food Availability, Behavior And Phenology, Ryan Stutzman

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Habitat loss and alteration from land use change, species invasion, and more recently, climate change has reduced biodiversity and ecosystem function worldwide. Habitat decisions have important implications to individual fitness as well as population dynamics and community structure. Resource limitation, predation, competition, and unfavorable abiotic conditions all have the potential to influence survival and future reproductive potential. Understanding how changes to ecosystem structure and function impact species and populations of conservation concern is essential for conservation delivery to be effective. Similar to many migratory species, shorebird populations are declining worldwide and declines may be related to the loss of important …

Ring-Necked Pheasant Hens Select Managed Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands For Nesting And Brood-Rearing, Ty W. Matthews, J. Scott Taylor, Larkin A. Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has provided critical wildlife habitat for many species since 1985. However, the quality of this habitat for early successional species, such as ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), may decrease with field age. Late successional grasslands may lack valuable vegetative and structural diversity needed by pheasants, especially during nesting and brood-rearing stages. Since 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture has required new CRP contracts to include plans for mid-contract management, which could include discing and interseeding. The benefits of such practices have not been assessed, and continuation of current policy could be affected by the lack …