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USGS2012

Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

We identified natural pits associated with avian mortality at the base of Kiska Volcano in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska in 2007. Living, moribund, and dead birds were regularly found at low spots in a canyon between two lava flows during 2001–2006, but the phenomenon was attributed to natural trapping and starvation of fledgling seabirds (mostly Least Auklets, Aethia pusilla ) at a colony site with >1 million birds present. However, 302 birds of eight species, including passerines, were found dead at the site during 2007–2010, suggesting additional factors were involved. Most carcasses showed no signs of injury and concentrations of dead birds had accumulated in a few distinctive low pits in the canyon. Gas samples from these locations showed elevated CO 2 concentrations in late 2010. Analysis of carcasses indicated no evidence of blunt trauma or internal bleeding. Volcanic gases accumulating at these poorly ventilated sites may have caused the observed mortality, but are temporally variable. Most auklets breeding in the Aleutian Islands do so in recent lava flows that provide breeding habitat; our study documents a cost of this unusual habitat selection.

Alaska↗

USGS2009

Modeling the effects of environmental disturbance on wildlife communities: Avian responses to prescribed fire

Prescribed fire is a management tool used to reduce fuel loads on public lands in forested areas in the western United States. Identifying the impacts of prescribed fire on bird communities in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests is necessary for providing land management agencies with information regarding the effects of fuel reduction on sensitive, threatened, and migratory bird species. Recent developments in occupancy modeling have established a framework for quantifying the impacts of management practices on wildlife community dynamics. We describe a Bayesian hierarchical model of multi-species occupancy accounting for detection probability, and we demonstrate the model's usefulness for identifying effects of habitat disturbances on wildlife communities. Advantages to using the model include the ability to estimate the effects of environmental impacts on rare or elusive species, the intuitive nature of the modeling, the incorporation of detection probability, the estimation of parameter uncertainty, the flexibility of the model to suit a variety of experimental designs, and the composite estimate of the response that applies to the collection of observed species as opposed to merely a small subset of common species. Our modeling of the impacts of prescribed fire on avian communities in a ponderosa pine forest in Washington indicate that prescribed fire treatments result in increased occupancy rates for several bark-insectivore, cavity-nesting species including a management species of interest, Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus). Three aerial insectivore species, and the ground insectivore, American Robin (Turdus migratorius), also responded positively to prescribed fire, whereas three foliage insectivores and two seed specialists, Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) and the Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus), declined following treatments. Land management agencies interested in determining the effects of habitat manipulations on wildlife communities can use these methods to provide guidance for future management activities. ?? 2009 by the Ecological Society of America.

Ecological Applications↗

USGS2011

Demographic consequences of migratory stopover: Linking red knot survival to horseshoe crab spawning abundance

Understanding how events during one period of the annual cycle carry over to affect survival and other fitness components in other periods is essential to understanding migratory bird demography and conservation needs. Previous research has suggested that western Atlantic red knot ( Calidris canutus rufa ) populations are greatly affected by horseshoe crab ( Limulus polyphemus ) egg availability at Delaware Bay stopover sites during their spring northward migration. We present a mass‐based multistate, capture‐recapture/resighting model linking (1) red knot stopover mass gain to horseshoe crab spawning abundance and (2) subsequent apparent annual survival to mass state at the time of departure from the Delaware Bay stopover area. The model and analysis use capture‐recapture/resighting data with over 16,000 individual captures and 13,000 resightings collected in Delaware Bay over a 12 year period from 1997–2008, and the results are used to evaluate the central management hypothesis that red knot populations can be influenced by horseshoe crab harvest regulations as part of a larger adaptive management effort. Model selection statistics showed support for a positive relationship between horseshoe crab spawning abundance during the stopover and the probability of red knots gaining mass (parameter coefficient from the top model b̂ = 1.71, = 0.46). Our analyses also supported the link between red knot mass and apparent annual survival, although average estimates for the two mass classes differed only slightly. The addition of arctic snow depth as a covariate influencing apparent survival improved the fit of the data to the models (parameter coefficient from the top model b̂ = 0.50, = 0.08). Our results indicate that managing horseshoe crab resources in the Delaware Bay has the potential to improve red knot population status.

Delaware, New Jersey↗

USGS1984

Breeding bird community colonization of sown stands of native grasses in North Dakota

Breeding passerine birds were studied in three native grass plantings of predominantly western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii) and green needlegrass (Stipa viridula) in south-central North Dakota during 1982-1984. A total of eight different species of passerines readily colonized this relatively new type of wildlife habitat during the second, third. and fourth growing seasons.

Prairie Naturalist↗

USGS2005

Abundance and distribution of the common eider in eastern North America during the molting season

Like most other sea ducks, male common eiders (Somateria mollissima) concentrate in large groups to molt following the breeding season. Although Maine conducted surveys in the 1980s, little was known of eider molting sites in Atlantic Canada until recently, when surveys and research conducted in Quebec, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia and Maine revealed a number of important molting sites. Sites vary in importance from a few hundred males to tens of thousands. Important sites include the western and southern coastal areas of Anticosti island (40,000 birds), Baie des Milles Vaches (9,000) in Quebec, southwestern Nova Scotia (40,000), Petit Manan Island archipelago (7,000), and Metinic Island archipelago (10,000) in Maine. Molting eider surveys conducted in Maine during the early 1980s and in the St. Lawrence in 2003-2004 revealed large flock sizes, commonly over 2,000 birds, in consistent locations annually. An estimated 40,000 males molt in Nova Scotia and 28,400 in Maine (1981 data). Surveys indicate that important sites are used consistently between years and that local movements occur. Recoveries from banded birds suggest that eiders breeding on the lower North Shore of the St. Lawrence, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and even Newfoundland appear to concentrate at the Petit Manan site in Maine. They also suggest inter annual movements between the Nova Scotia and Petit Manan sites. Greater understanding of the relationships between breeding, wintering, and molting sites will facilitate management of this heavily exploited sea duck.

Book chapter↗

USGS2001

Results of the first ultralight-led sandhill crane migration in eastern North America

In 1997, we led 8 sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) south from Ontario, Canada by ultralight aircraft to a wintering area near Warrenton, Virginia, an area without a wild population. Six others were transported south in a trailer in hopes they would return north with those that flew. The migration was 863 km long, included 14 stops, and took 21 days to complete. All 13 surviving birds were wintered together. In March 1998, the surviving 7 'aircraft-led' birds departed the wintering site. The following day, 6 of the 7 were reported on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The flock then moved around the western tip of Lake Ontario. On 5 April 1998, we used 2 aircraft to lead the birds 104 km directly east to the rearing area. The flock soon moved off the fledging grounds, continued to associate with people, and was eventually removed from the flyway. Because no wild cranes are known to fly our chosen route, this study demonstrated not only the effectiveness of ultralight aircraft to lead cranes on migration, but it also proved that cranes so led can return from their wintering site to the general vicinity of their fledging area unassisted. The birds did not follow our indirect route south but rather flew north to the latitude of the fledging area, then wandered.

Book chapter↗

USGS2002

The epizootiology of type C botulism in fish-eating birds at Salton Sea, California

During 1996, type C avian botulism killed over 15,000 fish-eating birds at the Salton Sea in southern California. Amont those affected were nearly 10,000 western white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and over 1,200 endangered California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus). Since 1996, smaller epizootics have occurred every year. Type C botulism is not typically associated with fish-eating birds. In the case of the Salton Sea, Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) are the suspected source of type C toxin, although the mechanism by which the fish acquire the toxin is still unknown. The goals of this study were to: 1) Determine presence/absence of active Clostridium botulinum type C and type C botulinum toxin in tilapia in the Salton Sea. 2) Use geospatial analyses to evaluate relationships between patterns of mortality in birds and fish and presence/absence of toxin and/or toxin-producing bacteria in sediments and fish. We investigated a method of detecting C. botulinum type C cells in the intestinal contents of Mozambique tilapia. This method involved extraction of predominantly cellular DNA and uses a polymerase chain reaction assay to detect presence of type C toxin gene. We collected sick, dead and healthy fish from various sites throughout the Sea during the summers of 1999 to 2001 in order to test them for the presence of active C. botulinum type C by PCR and for the presence of type C toxin by ELISA and mouse test. The results demonstrate that the tilapia population in the Salton Sea harbors C. botulinum type C cells within their gastrointestinal tract and the prevalence of this organism varies from year to year. The total number of fish with toxin-producing bacteria was significantly greater in 2000 than in 2001. No difference in the numbers of positives was detected between sick and dead fish compared to live fish, and there were no differences noted with regard to location of fish collection. The prevalence of active type C toxin in tilapia was low and the majority of samples positive for toxin by ELISA were negative on mouse test. Further investigation is currently underway. From 1999-2001, routine surveillance was conducted July through November to detect morbidity and mortality in pelicans. Location of retrieval and total number of birds collected were documented. In all three years, the majority of botulism-affected pelicans were retrieved from the vicinities of the river deltas although the Whitewater River had the fewest birds of the three. It has yet to be determined what roles the tilapia and pelican populations play in influencing these patterns.

California↗

USGS2016

Differentiating sex and species of Western Grebes ( Aechmophorus occidentalis ) and Clark's Grebes ( Aechmophorus clarkii ) and their eggs using external morphometrics and discriminant function analysis

In birds where males and females are similar in size and plumage, sex determination by alternative means is necessary. Discriminant function analysis based on external morphometrics was used to distinguish males from females in two closely related species: Western Grebe ( Aechmophorus occidentalis ) and Clark's Grebe ( A. clarkii ). Additionally, discriminant function analysis was used to evaluate morphometric divergence between Western and Clark's grebe adults and eggs. Aechmophorus grebe adults ( n = 576) and eggs ( n = 130) were sampled across 29 lakes and reservoirs throughout California, USA, and adult sex was determined using molecular analysis. Both Western and Clark's grebes exhibited considerable sexual size dimorphism. Males averaged 6–26% larger than females among seven morphological measurements, with the greatest sexual size dimorphism occurring for bill morphometrics. Discriminant functions based on bill length, bill depth, and short tarsus length correctly assigned sex to 98% of Western Grebes, and a function based on bill length and bill depth correctly assigned sex to 99% of Clark's Grebes. Further, a simplified discriminant function based only on bill depth correctly assigned sex to 96% of Western Grebes and 98% of Clark's Grebes. In contrast, external morphometrics were not suitable for differentiating between Western and Clark's grebe adults or their eggs, with correct classification rates of discriminant functions of only 60%, 63%, and 61% for adult males, adult females, and eggs, respectively. Our results indicate little divergence in external morphology between species of Aechmophorus grebes, and instead separation is much greater between males and females.

Waterbirds↗

USGS2000

The 1995-1999 Summary of the North American Breeding Bird Survey

Data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey were used to estimate continental and regional changes in bird populations for the 5-yr period 1995-1999 and the 2-yr period 1998-1999. These short-term changes were placed in the context of population trends estimated over the 1966-1999 interval. During 1995-1999, 44% of all species exhibited positive trends over the entire survey area, while 44% of all species exhibited positive trends during 1998-1999; neither of these percentages differed significantly from 50%. The continental and regional percentages of species with positive trends were also analyzed for 12 species groups having shared life-history traits. Survey-wide for the entire survey period, grassland birds exhibited the lowest percentage of increasing species (19%). However, during 1995-1999 the declines were less extreme in the Central and Western BBS regions, with 49% and 36% of species increasing in these regions. Neotropical migrants continued to fare better than grassland birds in all regions, although in the Eastern BBS region only 30% of neotropical species had increasing trends during 1995-1999.

Bird Populations↗

USGS2011

Bridging the conservation design and delivery gap for wetland bird habitat maintenance and restoration in the Midwestern United States

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's adoption of Strategic Habitat Conservation is intended to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation delivery by targeting effort in areas where biological benefits are greatest. Conservation funding has not often been allocated in accordance with explicit biological endpoints, and the gap between conservation design (the identification of conservation priority areas) and delivery needs to be bridged to better meet conservation goals for multiple species and landscapes. We introduce a regional prioritization scheme for North American Wetlands Conservation Act funding which explicitly addresses Midwest regional goals for wetland-dependent birds. We developed decision-support maps to guide conservation of breeding and non-breeding wetland bird habitat. This exercise suggested ~55% of the Midwest consists of potential wetland bird habitat, and areas suited for maintenance (protection) were distinguished from those most suited to restoration. Areas with greater maintenance focus were identified for central Minnesota, southeastern Wisconsin, the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers, and the shore of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. The shores of Lakes Michigan and Superior accommodated fewer waterbird species overall, but were also important for wetland bird habitat maintenance. Abundant areas suited for wetland restoration occurred in agricultural regions of central Illinois, western Iowa, and northern Indiana and Ohio. Use of this prioritization scheme can increase effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, and credibility to land and water conservation efforts for wetland birds in the Midwestern United States.

Midwest↗

USGS1997

Changes in breeding bird populations in North Dakota: 1967 to 1992-93

We compared breeding bird populations in North Dakota using surveys conducted in 1967 and 1992-93. In decreasing order, the five most frequently occurring species were Horned Lark ( Eremophila alpestris ), Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater ), Western Meadowlark ( Sturnella neglecta ), Red-winged Blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ), and Eastern Kingbird ( Tyrannus tyrannus ). The five most abundant species - Horned Lark, Chestnut-collared Longspur ( Calcarius ornatus ), Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, and Brown-headed Cowbird - accounted for 31-41% of the estimated statewide breeding bird population in the three years. Although species composition remained relatively similar among years, between-year patterns in abundance and frequency varied considerably among species. Data from this survey and the North American Breeding Bird Survey indicated that species exhibiting significant declines were primarily grassland- and wetland-breeding birds, whereas species exhibiting significant increases primarily were those associated with human structures and woody vegetation. Population declines and increases for species with similar habitat associations paralleled breeding habitat changes, providing evidence that factors on the breeding grounds are having a detectable effect on breeding birds in the northern Great Plains.

The Auk↗

USGS2005

Using radar to understand migratory birds and their habitats: Critical needs for the Gulf of Mexico

Nearly all Neotropical migratory landbird species of the eastern United States as well as many western species use Louisiana and the northern Gulf of Mexico coast during their transcontinental migrations each spring and fall. Radar has determined that hundreds of millions of birds make the nocturnal crossing of the Gulf of Mexico resulting in daily flights of as many as 2.5 million individuals stopping in Louisiana to feed and rest. These migration landings are so spectacular that the term “fallout” has been coined to describe the concentrations of birds arriving on the coast.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS1994

The 1992 and 1993 summary of the North American Breeding Bird Survey

Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), continental and regional changes in bird populations were estimated for the 2-year periods of 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. These 2-year changes were placed in the context of population trends since 1966. During 1991-1992, 62% of all species exhibited positive continental trend estimates. For species showing significant population trends, 68 increased while 30 decreased. The percentage of species with positive continental trends was reduced to 45% during 1992-1993, when 39 species exhibited significant increases and 60 experienced significant decreases. Over the entire survey period of 1966-1993, 48% of all species showed positive trend estimates, with the number of species showing significant increases and significant decreases at 94 and 104, respectively. The continental and regional percentages were also analyzed for 12 groups of North American birds having shared life-history traits. While many regional patterns existed within these groups, the largest percentages of increasing species were generally found in the Central and Western BBS regions during 1991-1992. The smallest percentages of increasing species were generally evident in the Western BBS Region during 1992-1993.

Bird Populations↗

USGS2023

Vertebrate population changes induced by hunting in Amazonian sustainable-use protected areas

The purported sustainability of sustainable-use reserves (SURs) has been questioned in recent decades due to anthropogenic disturbance, including widespread game hunting. A fuller understanding of the drivers of harvest-induced game population changes in SURs is needed to inform this debate. We deployed 720 camera traps around 100 local communities both inside and outside nine SURs in central-western Brazilian Amazonia to generate detection records of 29 mammal and bird species. We used Royle-Nichols multi-species occupancy models to evaluate if (i) distance to and size of local communities, (ii) local human population density, (iii) distance to and size of urban areas, (iv) local level of protection, and (v) alternative availability of aquatic protein affected the (a) species richness, (b) aggregated abundance and (c) biomass, (d) mean reproductive rate of species, and (e) mean abundance of functional groups and (f) individual species. Community distance was the main determinant of wildlife declines, impacting species up to 5-km from communities, but three game species exhibited higher abundances within this distance. Other drivers, such as community size and urban neighbourhood, also contributed to species declines. Availability of alternative aquatic protein buffered declines of only two species and local protection increased species richness and aggregate abundance. These findings can help inform evidence-based conservation strategies in tropical SURs. Our results suggest that preventing habitat loss beyond 5-km radius from communities can promote a healthy source-sink dynamic for populations of game species. Furthermore, game management measures could encourage targeting harvest-tolerant species and the protection of all game species.

Amazonia↗

USGS2011

First description of autumn migration of Sooty Falcon Falco concolor from the United Arab Emirates to Madagascar using satellite telemetry

The movement and migration pattern of the 'Near Threatened' Sooty Falcon Falco concolor is poorly known. Sooty Falcons breed on the islands of the Arabian Gulf after arriving from their non-breeding areas that are mainly in Madagascar. In the first satellite tracking of the species we fitted a 9.5 g Argos solar powered transmitter on an adult breeding Sooty Falcon off the western coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The bird successfully undertook autumn migration to Madagascar, a known wintering area for the species. We document the Sooty Falcon's autumn migration route and stop-over sites. The adult Sooty Falcon initiated its migration at night and with tailwinds, and travelled mainly during daytime hours for 13 days over an inland route of more than 5,656 km. The three stop-over sites in East Africa were characterised by moderate to sparse shrub cover associated with potential sources of water. We discuss the migration pattern of the tracked bird in relation to importance of non-breeding areas for Sooty Falcons and recent declines in numbers in their breeding range.

Bird Conservation International↗

USGS2022

Hidden in plain sight: Migration routes of the elusive Anadyr bar-tailed godwit revealed by satellite tracking

Satellite and GPS tracking technology continues to reveal new migration patterns of birds which enables comparative studies of migration strategies and distributional information useful in conservation. Bar-tailed godwits in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Limosa lapponica baueri and L. l. menzbieri are known for their long non-stop flights, however these populations are in steep decline. A third subspecies in this flyway, L. l. anadyrensis , breeds in the Anadyr River basin, Chukotka, Russia, and is morphologically distinct from menzbieri and baueri based on comparison of museum specimens collected from breeding areas. However, the non-breeding distribution, migration route and population size of anadyrensis are entirely unknown. Among 24 female bar-tailed godwits tracked in 2015–2018 from northwest Australia, the main non-breeding area for menzbieri , two birds migrated further east than the rest to breed in the Anadyr River basin, i.e. they belonged to the anadyrensis subspecies. During pre-breeding migration, all birds staged in the Yellow Sea and then flew to the breeding grounds in the eastern Russian Arctic. After breeding, these two birds migrated southwestward to stage in Russia on the Kamchatka Peninsula and on Sakhalin Island en route to the Yellow Sea. This contrasts with the other 22 tracked godwits that followed the previously described route of menzbieri , i.e. they all migrated northwards to stage in the New Siberian Islands before turning south towards the Yellow Sea, and onwards to northwest Australia. Since the Kamchatka Peninsula was not used by any of the tracked menzbieri birds, the 4500 godwits counted in the Khairusova–Belogolovaya estuary in western Kamchatka may well be anadyrensis . Comparing migration patterns across the three bar-tailed godwits subspecies, the migration strategy of anadyrensis lies between that of menzbieri and baueri . Future investigations combining migration tracks with genomic data could reveal how differences in migration routines are evolved and maintained.

Journal of Avian Biology↗

USGS2003

Evaluation of the eastern (Centrocercus urophasianus urophasianus) and western (Centrocercus urophasianus phaios) subspecies of Sage-grouse using mitochondrial control-region sequence data

The status of Sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) is of increasing concern, as populations throughout its range have contracted as a result of habitat loss and degradation. Historically, Sage-grouse were classified into two subspecies: eastern( C. u. urophasianus ) and western Sage-grouse ( C. u. phaios ) based on slight differences in coloration noted among eight individuals sampled from Washington, Oregon, and California. We sequenced a rapidly evolving portion of the mitochondrial control region in 332 birds from 16 populations. Although our sampling area covers the proposed boundary between the eastern and western subspecies, no genetic evidence to support the delineation of these subspecies was found. However, a population straddling southwestern Nevada and eastern California was found to contain an unusually high proportion of unique haplotypes, consistent with its genetic isolation from other Sage-grouse populations. Of additional interest was the lack of diversity in the two populations sampled from Washington, one of which contained only a single haplotype. We suggest that multiple lines of evidence are valuable for the formulation of conservation strategies and hence the southwestern Nevada/eastern California population merits further morphological, behavioral, and molecular investigation.

Conservation Genetics↗

USGS2013

Genomic analysis of avian influenza viruses from waterfowl in Western Alaska, USA

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (Y-K Delta) in western Alaska is an immense and important breeding ground for waterfowl. Migratory birds from the Pacific Americas, Central Pacific, and East Asian-Australasian flyways converge in this region, providing opportunities for intermixing of North American- and Eurasian-origin hosts and infectious agents, such as avian influenza virus (AIV). We characterized the genomes of 90 low pathogenic (LP) AIV isolates from 11 species of waterfowl sampled on the Y-K Delta between 2006 and 2009 as part of an interagency surveillance program for the detection of the H5N1 highly pathogenic (HP) strain of AIV. We found evidence for subtype and genetic differences between viruses from swans and geese, dabbling ducks, and sea ducks. At least one gene segment in 39% of all isolates was Eurasian in origin. Target species (those ranked as having a relatively high potential to introduce HP H5N1 AIV to North America) were no more likely than nontarget species to carry viruses with genes of Eurasian origin. These findings provide evidence that the frequency at which viral gene segments of Eurasian origin are detected does not result from a strong species effect, but rather we suspect it is linked to the geographic location of the Y-K Delta in western Alaska where flyways from different continents overlap. This study provides support for retaining the Y-K Delta as a high priority region for the surveillance of Asian avian pathogens such as HP H5N1 AIV.

Alaska↗