Ornithology Commons^™

Common Birds Of The Brinton Museum And Bighorn Mountains Foothills, Jackie Canterbury, Paul Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

Part I. The Brinton Museum and Its Birds

Part II. Profiles of 48 Common Local and Regional Birds: Ring-necked Pheasant, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Eastern Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Western Wood-Pewee, Say’s Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, House Wren, American Dipper, Mountain Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Vesper Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 93, No. 3), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Spatial Models To Account For Variation In Observer Effort In Bird Atlases, Andrew M. Wilson, Daniel W. Brauning, Caitlin Carey, Robert S. Mulvihill

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

To assess the importance of variation in observer effort between and within bird atlas projects and demonstrate the use of relatively simple conditional autoregressive (CAR) models for analyzing grid-based atlas data with varying effort. Pennsylvania and West Virginia, United States of America. We used varying proportions of randomly selected training data to assess whether variations in observer effort can be accounted for using CAR models and whether such models would still be useful for atlases with incomplete data. We then evaluated whether the application of these models influenced our assessment of distribution change between two atlas projects separated by twenty …

Nesting Success Of The Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) Using Nest Boxes In Southwest Missouri, Robert Grant Dickerson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a medium-sized owl belonging to the family Tytonidae. They raise young within natural cavities and on hard surfaces including nest boxes. The nesting success of Barn Owls, using wooden nest boxes, was studied in southwestern Missouri in 2016. Data were collected on clutch and brood sizes, the numbers of young fledged, and the species and amount of prey found in their regurgitated pellets. Interaction between Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) was also observed and documented. Nest box occupancy was 30% which is lower than in other studies, however this study included …

Winter Diet Of Bobolink, A Long-Distance Migratory Grassland Bird, Inferred From Feather Isotopes, Rosalind B. Renfrew, Jason M. Hill, Daniel H. Kim, Christopher Romanek, Noah G. Perlut

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Effective conservation of migratory bird populations depends on advancements in our understanding of processes throughout the life cycle. Fundamental information about wintering ecology (e.g., habitat use and diet composition) remains limited, which limits assessment of threats to populations during winter. Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) is a year-round grassland obligate and Nearctic-Neotropical migrant that undergoes 2 complete molts each year, including a complete prealternate molt on the South American wintering grounds. This unusual winter molt provides a rare opportunity to examine, using stable isotope analysis, the timing and contribution of foraging resources in the Bobolink diet prior to northbound migration from disparate …

Wpa News 103 (2017), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2017), number 103

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Winter Diet Of Bobolink, A Long-Distance Migratory Grassland Bird, Inferred From Feather Isotopes, Rosalind B. Renfrew, Jason M. Hill, Daniel H. Kim, Christopher Romanek, Noah G. Perlut

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Effective conservation of migratory bird populations depends on advancements in our understanding of processes throughout the life cycle. Fundamental information about wintering ecology (e.g., habitat use and diet composition) remains limited, which limits assessment of threats to populations during winter. Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) is a year-round grassland obligate and Nearctic-Neotropical migrant that undergoes 2 complete molts each year, including a complete prealternate molt on the South American wintering grounds. This unusual winter molt provides a rare opportunity to examine, using stable isotope analysis, the timing and contribution of foraging resources in the Bobolink diet prior to northbound migration …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 June 2017 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 54

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis tabida) Copulation Detected Along the Big Bend of the Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, by Andrew J. Caven and Emma M. Brinley Buckley … 83

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, by Janis Paseka … 85-90

Subscription and Organization Information … 91

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone Canadensis Tabida) Copulation Detected Along The Big Bend Of The Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, Andrew J. Caven, Emma M. Brinley Buckley

Nebraska Bird Review

On 9 March 2017 at 0805 hrs, two A. canadensis tabida were observed copulating on a sandy island within the south channel of the Platte River, Hall County, Nebraska (40.790982°N, -98.404635°W, WGS84; 581 m elev.). Two biologists witnessed the copulation at a distance of about 175 m looking to the south from within an overnight viewing blind on the north bank of the south channel of the Platte River, utilizing an 80 mm spotting scope (20x60x magnification). The sequence of events previous to the copulation followed very closely the observations reported by Tacha (1988). The copulation was proceeded by the …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The annual meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union was held at the Senior Center in Auburn on May 19-21, 2017, and was organized by Robin Harding and Don and Janis Paseka. About 70 birders attended on a weekend that began wet but finished with more birder-friendly conditions. Our Friday evening program was a presentation by Kevin Holliday, Superintendent of Indian Cave State Park. He mentioned the park’s features including the cave and petroglyphs, St. Deroin cemetery, 22 miles of trails, Missouri River overlook and reconstructed town. He also highlighted the many events held in the park during the year, including …

Breeding Stage And Parentage Affect Tameness In Common Loons, Mina Ibrahim

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Tameness is a measure of tolerance towards human disturbance. As human disturbance and recreational activity are increasing, it is becoming more and more important to understand responses of species to this disturbance. Tameness has been shown to be influenced by an individuals characteristics and life history. Two possible determinants of tameness are breeding stage and parentage. We studied tameness in common loons (Gavia immer) specifically looking at the effects of breeding stage and parentage. Tameness was measured by flight initiation distance (FID), the distance at which a loon dove from an approaching human observer in a canoe. Loons …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 93, No. 2), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Spring Field Report, March-May 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

In general, this was a routine spring, except for remarkable numbers reported of several species, and a notable paucity of most species of wood-warblers. A huge Snow Goose flock in the east was estimated to contain 500,000- 1,000,000 birds; other notable numbers were 2000 Tree Swallows and 5000 Cliff Swallows, both record counts, 44 Black-capped Chickadees, 300 House Wrens, 62 Fox and 76 Song Sparrows on the same day at a single location, 168 Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos, and 10,000 Common Grackles. Perhaps the most notable phenomenon this spring was the dearth of migrant wood-warblers. Joel Jorgensen constructed graphics based on …

Heterogeneity Of Avian Breeding Habitat On Grazing Lands Of The Northern Great Plains, Maggi S. Sliwinski

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

Native rangelands in the Great Plains are largely privately owned and used for beef production. Vegetation heterogeneity is important for maintaining biodiversity, but private land may be more homogenous than desired. My research had two components: 1) to examine whether a variety of grazing strategies created vegetation heterogeneity in a large, intact rangeland, and 2) to understand beef producers’ attitudes about vegetation heterogeneity.

First, I sampled vegetation structure, composition, and bird abundance at multiple plots on eleven management units in Cherry County, Nebraska. Units were managed with commonly used grazing strategies (e.g., short-duration grazing and season-long continuous grazing). I examined …

The Vocal Babbling Behavior And Its Sibling Effects In A Wild Parrot, Tatiana Dolgushina

Theses and Dissertations

Vocal learning is a rare trait in the animal kingdom, defined as the sensorimotor imitation of sounds, and is only found in select groups of birds and mammals. Parrots are a behaviorally complex group of birds, famous for their ability to mimic social companions, but how they develop this ability in the wild has received little attention. The vocal learning period consists of a complex vocal babbling stage, a crucial developmental precursor for imitation of adult vocalizations in humans and songbirds, but has not been described in any of the 360+ parrot species. This project quantifies potential individual variation in …

Time-Activity And Energy Budgets Of Eared Grebes (Podiceps Nigricollis) At Salton Sea, Samantha San Francisco

Theses

Time-activity budgets have been a widely accepted way of approximating the daily energy expenditure of many species, including waterbirds. For this study, focal animal sampling was used to study Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) at their post-wintering stopover site, Salton Sea. Daylight time-activity budgets were converted to energy budgets using energy equivalents for diving, preening, swimming, and resting on water developed for Eared Grebes previously by H. I. Ellis (1994). Post-wintering Eared Grebes arrive at Salton Sea in waves at differing times in the spring. As a result, there can be individuals in a variety of physiological states during …

Phenology, Habitat Use, And The Impacts Of Wetland Management On Autumn Migrating Rails In Missouri, Auriel M.V. Fournier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rails (Family: Rallidae) are among the least studied birds in North America, in large part due to their elusive nature. As a wetland-dependent species, understanding the timing of their migration and their habitat needs during migration is especially important since management needs to be timed to balance the needs of many species. I developed and verified a new distance sampling based nocturnal ATV spotlight survey because traditional call-broadcast surveys are not effective during autumn migration because of the drop off in call rate after the breeding season. These surveys allow us to ask point-level questions about what habitats rails select …

Where In The World Are Pallas's Fish Eagles? Migration And Ecology Of Haliaeetus Leucoryphus In Asia, Marla Lynn Steele

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pallas’s Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) is the Northern Hemisphere’s least understood eagle species. Virtually nothing is known concerning the species’ ecology. Historically, Pallas’s Fish Eagles were expected to breed in three separate populations in Mongolia, China, and India and was considered one of the most common raptors in Asia prior to the 1900’s. However, by 1960’s major declines were observed. The species is currently listed as “globally vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The current study examined over a century of Pallas’s Fish Eagle observation data to determine occupancy and detection rates throughout …

Ecological And Evolutionary Relationships Between Feather Mites And Parulid Warblers, Alix Elizabeth Matthews

Student Theses and Dissertations

Host-symbiont relationships are ubiquitous in nature, yet the evolutionary and ecological processes that have shaped these intricate associations are not well understood. Here, I explored the complex symbiosis between feather mites and their warbler hosts. I first considered how ecological context may influence feather mite abundance on two ecologically dissimilar warbler species, and how feather mite abundance may in turn influence the current reproduction and annual survival of hosts. Ecological context of hosts does play a role in feather mite abundance, and even though current reproduction may not be influenced by feather mite abundance, annual survival may be at a …

Time Lags Associated With Effects Of Oceanic Conditions On Seabird Breeding In The Salish Sea Region Of The Northern California Current System, Rashida S. Smith, Lynelle M. Weldon, James L. Hayward, Shandelle M. Henson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.