Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Timing Of Family Dissociation Does Not Affect Long-Term Survival Estimates Of Sandhill Crane Chicks, Matthew A. Hayes, Jeb A. Barzen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) chicks depend on their parents beyond fledging, but timing of chick separation from their parents has rarely been quantified and reported. We color-banded and radio-tagged sandhill crane chicks on known natal territories in south-central Wisconsin and monitored family groups to determine age of chick independence. Using a Cormack-Jolly-Seber open population model in program MARK, we estimated survival for chicks that dissociated from their parents prior to fall migration, over winter (including migration), and following spring migration. Of 96 chicks with a known timing of dissociation from their parents, 11 (12%) became independent from their …

Distribution, Densities, And Ecology Of Siberian Cranes In The Khroma River Region Of Northern Yakutia In Northeastern Russia, Inga P. Bysykatova, Gary L. Krapu, Nicolai I. Germogenov, Deborah A. Buhl

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus) is the third rarest crane species in the world with a breeding range now centered on 3 core areas and a buffer zone in the arctic of northern Yakutia in northeastern Russia. During 16 July-2 August 2009, we undertook ground surveys within the Khroma River core breeding area, surrounding buffer zone, and lands lying to the west of the known breeding range to estimate densities and determine habitat use and social status of Siberian cranes. A total of 142 Siberian cranes were sighted (including 55 pairs) at 54 locations with 32 cranes (including 13 pairs) …

Proceedings Of The 13th North American Crane Workshop Abstracts

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

AGE-SPECIFIC SURVIVAL OF GREATER SANDHILL CRANE COLTS IN NEVADA Chad August, Jim Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 111

WHOOPING CRANE DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT USE: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE? Jane Austin, Matthew Hayes, and Jeb Barzen 111

BEHAVIORAL MOVEMENTS OF ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES: ANOMALIES OR INDICATIONS OF WAYS TO FURTHER ENHANCE SPECIES RECOVERY. David Baasch, Mark Bidwell, Wade Harrell, Kris Metzger, Aaron Pearse, and Mary Harner 112

ON NEST SUCCESS IN A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES .Jeb Barzen, Sarah Converse, Peter Adler, Elmer Gray, Anne Lacy, Eva Szyszkoski, and Andrew Gossens 113

DETERMINING DIET COMPOSITION AND INGESTION RATE OF CRANES …

Proceedings Of The Thirteenth North American Crane Workshop, 14–17 April 2014, Lafayette, Louisiana, Usa, David A. Aborn, Richard P. Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

RESEARCH PAPERS

HABITAT SELECTION BY BREEDING SANDHILL CRANES IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN. Tamara P. Miller and Jeb A. Barzen 1

HIGH NEST DENSITY OF SANDHILL CRANES IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN.Jeb A. Barzen, Liying Su, Anne E. Lacy, Andrew P. Gossens, and Dorn M. Moore 13

DIFFERENTIAL DETECTION OF TERRITORIAL AND NON-TERRITORIAL GREATER SANDHILL CRANES IN SUMMER. Lindsey F. McKinney, Jeb A. Barzen, Jason D. Riddle, Shelli A. Dubay, and Tim F. Ginnett 25

TIMING OF FAMILY DISSOCIATION DOES NOT AFFECT LONG-TERM SURVIVAL ESTIMATES OF SANDHILL CRANE CHICKS Matthew A. Hayes and Jeb A. Barzen 33

A REVIEW OF FALL SANDHILL CRANE MIGRATION …

Nesting Activity Budgets And Antipredator Behaviors Of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, Jerome J. Howard, Rose Butler Wall, Lauren Billodeaux Mowbray, Scott G. Hereford

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied activity budgets and antipredator behaviors of Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) to determine if parental behavior influenced nest outcomes. We used infrared motion-activated cameras to capture behavioral sequences from 21 nests over a 2-year period. Overall activity budgets were similar among crane pairs regardless of nest outcome. Specific activity patterns did predict nest outcomes; pairs at unsuccessful nests spent more time away from the nest and more time manipulating nest contents than successful pairs, while pairs at nests that were lost to predation cooperated poorly and started the nest a month later on average than …

Voluntary Food Sharing In Pinyon Jays: The Role Of Reciprocity And Dominance, Juan F. Duque, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Food sharing offers a clear example of prosocial behavior, in which one individual’s actions benefit another. Researchers have proposed a range of hypotheses that explain why food sharing may occur among unrelated individuals. Two such hypotheses, reciprocity and dominance, have been tested in many species, including fish, corvids, rats, bats, and primates, showing that (1) recipients sometimes reciprocate sharing back to previous donors and (2) dominant individuals share more than subordinates. Although primates dominate the study of prosocial behavior, active donation of food is actually quite rare in primates. In contrast, several corvid species spontaneously share food much more frequently. …

The Domain Specificity Of Intertemporal Choice In Pinyon Jays, Jeffrey R. Stevens, Bryce Kennedy, Dina Morales, Marianna Burks

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

When choosing between a piece of cake now versus a slimmer waistline in the future, many of us have difficulty with self-control. Food-caching species, however, regularly hide food for later recovery, sometimes waiting months before retrieving their caches. It remains unclear whether these long-term choices generalize outside of the caching domain. We hypothesized that the ability to save for the future is a general tendency that cuts across different situations. To test this hypothesis, we measured and experimentally manipulated caching to evaluate its relationship with operant measures of self-control in pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus). We found no correlation …

Measuring The Robustness Of Network Community Structure Using Assortativity, Daizaburo Shizuka, Damien R. Farine

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The existence of discrete social clusters, or ‘communities’, is a common feature of social networks in human and nonhuman animals. The level of such community structure in networks is typically measured using an index of modularity, Q. While modularity quantifies the degree to which individuals associate within versus between social communities and provides a useful measure of structure in the social network, it assumes that the network has been well sampled. However, animal social network data is typically subject to sampling errors. In particular, the associations among individuals are often not sampled equally, and animal social network studies are often …

The Behavioral Ecology Of Amblypygids, Kenneth J. Chapin, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Arachnologists have uncovered tantalizing details about amblypygid behavioral ecology—the study of the fitness consequences of their behavior. Thus, it is the aim of this review to position Amblypygi as a useful system in which to investigate the principles of animal behavioral ecology. We synthesize amblypygid habitat preference and navigation modalities; predator, prey, parasite, parasitoid, cannibal, and commensal interactions; resource contests and territoriality; mating systems and mate choice; parental investment and sociality; and genetics and genomics as they relate to behavioral ecology. We present ideas for future research in each of these areas and discuss future directions for Amblypygi behavioral ecology …

Absence Of Mate Choice And Postcopulatory Benefits In A Species With Extreme Sexual Size Dimorphism, Marie Claire Chelini, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Most hypotheses related to the evolution of female-biased extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) attribute the differences in the size of each sex to selection for reproduction, either through selection for increased female fecundity or selection for male increased mobility and faster development. Very few studies, however, have tested for direct fitness benefits associated with the latter – small male size. Mecaphesa celer is a crab spider with extreme SSD, whose males are less than half the size of females and often weigh 10 times less. Here, we test the hypotheses that larger size in females and smaller size in males …

Absence Of Mate Choice And Postcopulatory Benefits In A Species With Extreme Sexual Size Dimorphism, Marie-Claire Chelini, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Most hypotheses related to the evolution of female-biased extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) attribute the differences in the size of each sex to selection for reproduction, either through selection for increased female fecundity or selection for male increased mobility and faster development. Very few studies, however, have tested for direct fitness benefits associated with the latter – small male size. Mecaphesa celer is a crab spider with extreme SSD, whose males are less than half the size of females and often weigh 10 times less. Here, we test the hypotheses that larger size in females and smaller size in males …

Evidence Of Rock Kangaroo Seed Dispersal Via Faecal Seed Storage In A Tropical Monsoon Community, Chris Martine, Ally Boni, Elizabeth Capaldi, Gemma Lionheart, Ingrid E. Jordon-Thaden

Faculty Journal Articles

While some of the plant species of the ‘Sandstone Country’ along the escarpment of western Arnhem Land produce fleshy fruits and appear to rely on biotic methods of seed dispersal, little is known about the methods by which this is achieved – and few potential dispersers co-occur in the sandstone outcrop communities. For the present study, scat collections were made on outcrops in the northeastern area of Kakadu National Park with the hope of uncovering relationships between local frugivores and fruit-producers, and providing evidence for seasonal storage of mammal-dispersed seeds in scat prior to germination. The goals of the present …

Analyzing Winter Migration Fidelity And Movement Of The Wild Taimyr Reindeer Herd, Rangifer T. Tarandus, Emily T. Francis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Taimyr Reindeer Herd (TRH) is the largest wild reindeer population in the world, and is located in the northern central region of Arctic Russia. Previous detailed research on the spatiotemporal dynamics of this herd have been conducted involving aerial population censuses for two of the three seasons for reindeer: calving (Meerdink, 2012) and summer (Cooney, 2014). The first part of this study continues with the methods of the previous studies, analyzing the spatiotemporal fidelity of the TRH in the winter season. This was completed using geospatial analysis of digitized historical aerial census data of reindeer locations, and analyzing areas …

Cognitive Phenotypes And The Evolution Of Animal Decisions, Tamra C. Mendelson, Courtney L. Fitzpatrick, Mark E. Hauber, Charles H. Pence, Rafael L. Rodríguez, Rebecca J. Safran, Caitlin A. Stern, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Faculty Publications

Despite the clear fitness consequences of animal decisions, the science of animal decision making in evolutionary biology is underdeveloped compared with decision science in human psychology. Specifically, the field lacks a conceptual framework that defines and describes the relevant components of a decision, leading to imprecise language and concepts. The ‘judgment and decision-making’ (JDM) framework in human psychology is a powerful tool for framing and understanding human decisions, and we apply it here to components of animal decisions, which we refer to as ‘cognitive phenotypes’. We distinguish multiple cognitive phenotypes in the context of a JDM framework and highlight empirical …

Characteristics Of Sandhill Crane Roosts In The Sacramento–San Joaquin 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 (Delta) region of California is an important wintering region for 2 subspecies of Pacific Flyway sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis): the Central Valley Population of the greater sandhill crane (G. c. tabida) and the Pacific Flyway Population of the lesser sandhill crane (G. c. canadensis). During the winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09 we conducted roost counts, roadside surveys, aerial surveys, and tracked radio-marked birds to locate and assess important habitats for roosting cranes in the Delta. Of the 69 crane night roosts we identified, 35 were flooded cropland sites and 34 were wetland sites. We found that …

Ten-Year Status Of The Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction, Richard P. Urbanek, Sara E. Zimorski, Eva K. Szyskoski, Marianne M. Wellington

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

From 2001 to 2010, 132 costume-reared juvenile whooping cranes (Grus americana) were led by ultralight aircraft from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in central Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast of Florida on their first autumn migration (ultralight-led or UL), and 46 juveniles were released directly on Necedah NWR during autumn of the hatch year (direct autumn release or DAR). Return rate in spring was 90.5% for UL and 69.2% for DAR, the lower value of the latter attributable to 1 cohort with migration problems. Overall population survival 1 year and from 1 to 3 years post-release was 81% and 84%, …

Observations Of Molt In Reintroduced Whooping Cranes, Anne Lacy, Dan Mcelwee

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana, WHCR) complete a full flightless molt of primary flight feathers every 2-3 years. The flightless period may represent an important component of the annual cycle; however, molt patterns in WHCR are poorly understood. WHCR undergo a flightless period following ecdysis (feather loss) making them more vulnerable to predation threats, and likely changing their habitat selection from open wetlands to areas with a higher concentration of cover. Studies of molt in wild birds can then be compared to associated habitat needs at that critical time and inform the selection of future release sites elsewhere.

selection of future …

Chromic And Iron Oxides As Fecal Markers To Identify Individual Whooping Cranes, Megan E. Brown, Robert C. Doyle, Jane N. Chandler, Glenn H. Olsen, John B. French Jr., David E. Wildt, Sarah J. Converse, Carol L. Keefer, Nucharin Songsasen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The whooping crane (Grus americana) is listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List, the United States Endangered Species Act, and the Canadian Species at Risk Act (BirdLife International 2012, CWS and USFWS 2007). A major focus of recovery efforts for this endangered species is reintroduction to establish new populations (CWS and USFWS 2007). Captive populations are critical as a source of individuals for reintroduction efforts and also serve as insurance populations. Currently, there are a total of 157 whooping cranes held in captive breeding centers across North America, with the largest at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) …

Sandhill Crane Collisions With Wind Turbines In Texas, Laura Navarrete, Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The High Plains of the United States have been experiencing a large increase in wind energy generation sites with the American Wind Energy Association reporting an increase across America from 10 total installed gigawatts in 2006 to 60 total installed gigawatts in 2012. (American Wind Energy Association 2012). The High Plains also coincides with the Central Flyway in North America which is used by numerous bird species during migration, some with large bodies and high wing loading including the sandhill cranes (Grus canandensis), whooping cranes (G. americana), and waterfowl. Species such as these tend to be more vulnerable to mortality …

Proceedings Of The Thirteenth North American Crane Workshop Frontmatter, David A. Aborn, Richard Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

List of previous Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshops

Suggested citation formats

PREFACE: The North American Crane Working Group (NACWG) is an organization of professional biologists, aviculturists, land managers, non-professional crane enthusiasts, and others interested in and dedicated to the conservation of cranes and crane habitats in North America. Our group meets approximately every 3 years to exchange information pertaining to sandhill cranes and whooping cranes and occasionally reports about some of the other cranes species. Our meeting in Lafayette, Louisiana, 14-17 April 2014, celebrated the return of whooping cranes to Louisiana for the first time in 60 years. …

Winter And Migratory Habitat Use Of Six Eastern Greater Sandhill Cranes, Hillary L. Thompson, Anne E. Lacy

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To better understand non-breeding ecology of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida), we harnessed 6 satellite GPS transmitters to adult cranes from 1 central Wisconsin breeding area. Using location data from these transmitters, we investigated non-breeding movements, including the routes and timing of migration. By combining satellite GPS data with a national land cover dataset, we also described habitat use on stopovers and wintering areas. Sandhill cranes tended to use larger home ranges on long stopovers (>3 days) than on short stopovers (3 days or less). The durations of northward migrations were longer and had more stopovers than …

The Utility Of Census Or Survey For Monitoring Whooping Cranes In Winter, Bruce H. Pugesek, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We discuss recent changes in the monitoring program for endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) on their winter habitat in Texas. A 61-year annual census was replaced in the winter of 2011-2012 with a distance sampling procedure. Justification for the change was, in part, based on criticism of the previous methods of counting cranes and the assessment of crane mortality on the wintering grounds. We argue here that the arguments, methods, and analyses employed to discount the census procedure and mortality estimates were applied incorrectly or with flawed logic and assertions. We provide analysis and logical arguments to show …

Protocol And Results From The First Season Of Captive-Rearing Whooping Cranes For A Non-Migratory Release In Louisiana, Glenn H. Olsen, Jane N. Chandler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The principal historic range of the whooping crane (Grus americana) consisted of the tall grass prairies and wetlands of southwest Louisiana, Texas, and parts of Mexico (Allen 1952). Whooping cranes migrated there from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakotas, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and breeding grounds of the remnant flock in and near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada.

Habitat Selection By Breeding Sandhill Cranes In Central Wisconsin, Tamara P. Miller, Jeb A. Barzen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We used compositional analysis to describe habitat use for a dense population of breeding sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) in central Wisconsin at 2 spatial scales: selection of home range within a study area and selection of habitats within the home range. Habitat use and home range size were estimated from radio-telemetry data from 12 breeding sandhill crane pairs. Research in Wisconsin that was performed on the landscape level suggests that breeding cranes depend on wetlands and do not select upland habitats. Evaluating habitat selection at different spatial levels, such as during different stages of the breeding season, …

Historic And Recent Winter Sandhill Crane Distribution In California, Gary L. Ivey, Caroline P. Herziger, David A. Hardt, Gregory H. Golet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Understanding the geographic distribution and long-term dynamics of winter foraging areas and night roost sites of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) is important to their conservation and management. We studied sandhill crane distribution in California’s Central Valley from December 2012 through February 2013. We mapped observed flock and night roost locations. Flock locations occurred between Tehama County in the north and Kern County in the south. Flocks were concentrated in the northern Sacramento Valley, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the northern San Joaquin Valley south of Tracy to Mendota (including the lower Stanislaus and Tuolumne River floodplains and the Grasslands …

A Review Of Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Through Indiana, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife conducts surveys from October to December to collect long-term data on greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida). Results from these censuses contribute to a fall index of the Eastern Population, which informs wildlife management decisions and research priorities. Recent findings from the annual U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Survey demonstrate a decline in the number of cranes observed at fall staging areas throughout Indiana since 1979. However, nationwide data exhibit a trend of population increase. I provide evidence to show that the apparent decline in the …

Effects Of Turbidity On The Vision And Behavior Of Longear Sunfish, Lindsey Denea Caudle

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fish are known to use vision in many essential behaviors, including foraging, intraspecific communication and predator avoidance. Turbidity is one of the many environmental factors potentially affecting vision quality. I examined the behavior of interacting conspecific fish in varying levels of turbidity to determine how this environmental variable affects vision and behavior. Experiments were designed to observe how longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, reacted to visual cues - in this case a conspecific fish in a glass jar - in the presence or absence of turbidity. My hypothesis is that sunfish will display territorial behavior when introduced to another fish …

Hawks And Owls, Brian E. Washburn

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Hawks and owls can negatively impact a variety of human interests, including important natural resources, livestock and game bird production, human health and safety, and companion animals. Conflicts between raptors and people generally are localized and often site-specific. However, the economic and social impacts to the individuals involved can be severe. Despite the problems they may cause, hawks and owls provide important benefits and environmental services. Raptors are popular with birdwatchers and much of the general public. They also hunt and kill large numbers of rodents, reducing crop damage and other problems.

Damage Identification

Management Methods

Economics

Species …

An Investigation Of Juvenile Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus) Habitat Use And Growth Using Natural Markers, Gregory Norman Labonte Ms

All Student Scholarship

This research attempts to connect patterns in growth and migration of an anadromous species. The goal of this research was to understand habitat movements and growth of juvenile alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in the Penobscot Estuary and Bay through the use of otolith microchemistry, otolith growth increments, and a laboratory stable isotope turnover study. Understanding the connection between growth and movement of juvenile alewives may lead to more accurate and sophisticated conservation and restoration methods for anadromous species.

Pollinator Sharing Between Mimulus Ringens And Coflowering Plant Species In Northeastern Ohio, Andrew M. Wuellner

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Competition between plants for pollinators can have serious impacts on plant reproduction; these impacts depend on many factors, such as plant abundance, plant diversity, floral abundance, pollinator abundance, and pollinator preference. The way pollinators move among and between coflowering species can tell us more about how these factors affect competition. In this study, we examine the movement patterns of flower visitors to Mimulus ringens and coflowering species in Northeastern Ohio through several types of observations. In addition, we measured the density and diversity of floral units with 20-30 meter transects across each study site. There were six total study sites, …