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The occurrence of lead in tissues of wild birds
No abstract available.
Molt patterns and weight changes of the American woodcock
A study of molt and changes in body weight of American Woodcock was conducted to better understand the summer and fall behavior of these birds and to indicate periods of physiological stress. The postnuptial molt of adults was a complete molt beginning in late June and ending by the middle of October. In contrast, the postjuvenal molt was a less intensive partial molt beginning in mid-July but also extending to the middle of October. Both male and female adult birds experienced weight loss in August during peak molt. Young birds gradually gained weight throughout the summer. Fat deposition was negatively correlated with molt while fall body weights were positively correlated with fat deposition. The data indicated that the majority of Maine woodcock are not physiologically prepared for migration until mid-October. Weights of adult males during the spring suggested that this is an important period of stress for these birds.
[Book review] 'Hawaii's birds,' by Hawaii Audubon Society
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A description of the first live Poouli captured
The Poouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma) is an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper found only on Maui, Hawaii. It was rare at the time of its discovery in 1973, but by 1997 was on the brink of extinction with fewer than six individuals left. Two specimens were collected for the description of the species, but both proved to be immature by comparison with a pair of adults at a nest. Until 1997 no Poouli had ever been captured alive, and consequently descriptions of adult Poouli were produced from field observations. In 1997, I captured an adult male Poouli which is described here for the first time. Detailed comparisons of the plumage of this adult with that of an immature specimen and previous descriptions of the species are discussed in this paper, as are differences in plumage between adult and immature males and females that may aid the sexing and ageing of birds in the field.
Sequence stratigraphy of the Kingak Shale (Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous), National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska
Beaufortian strata (Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) are a focus of exploration since the 1994 discovery of the nearby Alpine oil field (>400 MMBO). These strata include the Kingak Shale, a succession of depositional sequences influenced by rift opening of the Arctic Ocean Basin. Interpretation of sequence stratigraphy and depositional facies from a regional two-dimensional seismic grid and well data allows the definition of four sequence sets that each displays unique stratal geometries and thickness trends across NPRA. A Lower to Middle Jurassic sequence set includes numerous transgressive-regressive sequences that collectively built a clastic shelf in north-central NPRA. Along the south-facing, lobate shelf margin, condensed shales in transgressive systems tracts downlap and coalesce into a basinal condensed section that is likely an important hydrocarbon source rock. An Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian sequence set, deposited during pulses of uplift on the Barrow arch, includes multiple transgressive-regressive sequences that locally contain well-winnowed, shoreface sandstones at the base of transgressive systems tracts. These shoreface sandstones and overlying shales, deposited during maximum flooding, form stratigraphic traps that are the main objective of exploration in the Alpine play in NPRA. A Valanginian sequence set includes at least two transgressive-regressive sequences that display relatively distal characteristics, suggesting high relative sea level. An important exception is the presence of a basal transgressive systems tract that locally contains shoreface sandstones of reservoir quality. A Hauterivian sequence set includes two transgressive-regressive sequences that constitute a shelf-margin wedge developed as the result of tectonic uplift along the Barrow arch during rift opening of the Arctic Ocean Basin. This sequence set displays stratal geometries suggesting incision and synsedimentary collapse of the shelf margin.
The impact of introduced vectors and avian malaria on insular Passeriform bird populations in Hawaii
No abstract available.
Notes on the birds of Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands
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Impacts of brown tree snake on the native birds of Guam
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Tests of pesticidal synergism with young pheasants and Japanese quail
Thirteen pairs of chemicals involving 18 pesticides and two polychlorinated biphenyl preparations were each fed for 5 days to Japanese quail or ring-necked pheasant chicks 7 to 16 days of age. Malathion + EPN, and malathion + trichlorofon were moderately synergistic in tests with both species, whereas joint toxicities of the other chemicals tended to be additive. Comparisons with other studies of joint action of pesticides against mammals and insects suggest that the two species of birds tested are less susceptible to synergism than are mammals or insects. The results also suggest that the likelihood of a factor of synergism greater than three in birds is not great.
Bird use of agricultural fields under reduced and conventional tillage in the Texas Panhandle
We conducted bird surveys in reduced-tillage and conventional tillage fields in spring, summer, fall, and winter from 1987 to 1991 in the Texas Panhandle. Eastern meadowlarks, longspurs, and savannah sparrows were more common in reduced-tillage (sorghum and wheat stubble) fields than in conventionally tilled (plowed) fields in at least 1 season. Other species also had patterns suggestive of greater abundance in reduced-tillage fields. Hornedlarks, which prefer habitat with sparse vegetation, were more abundant in plowed fields in all seasons except summer. Bird diversity was greater in reduced-tillage fields than in conventionally tilled fields in summer. Cover density and height were greater in reduced tillage fields in all seasons except spring. Cover density and height rather than cover composition (e.g.,grain stubble or live plants) seemed to be the important factors affecting bird distribution. Patterns of bird abundance between sorghum and wheat stubble fields also were dependent on cover. Herbicide use was not greater in reduced-tillage fields than in conventionally tilled fields. Reduced-tillage agriculture for sorghum and wheat farming should be encouraged in the southern Great Plains as a means of improving the attractiveness of agricultural land to many bird species.
Pesticide mortality of young white-faced ibis in Texas
The combination of the symptoms observed in sick and dying birds and the high brain residues in the three birds collected dying, as well as in two of the four collected dead, implicate dieldrin as at least one of the causes of mortality of young ibis at the Lavaca Bay colony. Mercury residues in the kidneys of all four dead young, including those with low brain residues of dieldrin, suggest that birds were exposed to mercury in rice fields and that mercury may also have contributed to the mortality. Since adult ibis normally feed their young on invertebrates collected in rice fields treated with aldrin and Ceresan L, the use of these rice pesticides appears to be a serious hazard to this species, and probably to other wild birds with similar habits.
The effects of petroleum on different stages of incubation in bird eggs
Artificially incubated mallard eggs were treated externally with 5 μl of No. 2 fuel oil or 5 μl of Southern Louisiana crude oil at various times during the incubation period. Embryos were most sensitive to petroleum during the first 10 days of incubation. Southern Louisiana crude oil was more toxic to mallard embryos than No. 2 fuel oil. Hatching weights of ducklings from treated eggs were usually not different from hatching weights of control ducklings. Petroleum may cause bill abnormalities among embryos exposed to a lethal amount of oil early in incubation, but few external malformations of any kind were observed among survivors of the oil exposure. The breeding effort of colonial aquatic birds would be in the greatest danger from oil contamination when a large portion of the birds are in the early stages of incubation.
Avian eggshell thickness: Variability and sampling
Measurements of shell thickness of the eggs of five species were subjected to nested analyses of variance. The analyses separated variation into two or three levels for which variances and percentages of the total variation were derived. The results show that differences among measurements of the same egg contribute little to the sample variance whereas differences among eggs within clutches contribute nearly as much as differences among clutches. It is more efficient and less costly to collect entire clutches of eggs in most studies of shell thickness. Using entire clutches, sample sizes needed to detect differences of 10 percent in shell thickness (at given significance levels and power) were estimated to be eight to 11 clutches for the species studied. For differences of five percent, 26 to 38 clutches are required. Guidelines are presented which may assist other workers in evaluating the efficiency of their sampling designs, and in estimating sample sizes for detecting differences in eggshell thickness in wild birds.
Care, food consumption, and behavior of bald eagles used in DDT tests
Twenty-seven Bald Eagles captured in southeastern Alaska were used in feeding tests to determine the effects of DDT in the diet.....Trapping and housing of eagles are discussed. Various aspects of eagle behavior and handling techniques are also presented. Recommendations are made for preventing injuries and increasing the comfort of captive birds.....The 1962 test birds consumed an average of 274 grams per bird day with a range of 109 to 401 grams per day between birds. Average food intake was 254 grams per bird day for the 1963 test birds with a range of 194 to 324 grams per day between birds.....Weight losses varied from 23 to 49 per cent of normal body weight for the 7 birds which died in the 1962 tests. Tremors and death occurred first for birds on the highest dosage and progressively later for birds on the lower dosages.
New and noteworthy bird records from Belize
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