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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS1976

Reproductive rate and temporal spacing of nesting of red-winged blackbirds in upland habitat

The literature contains numerous studies on Red-winged Blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) reproduction. Francis (1971) summarized eight studies dealing with nesting success. These and other studies have also provided information on breeding chronology, clutch sizes, sex ratios, survival rates for eggs and nestlings, reproductive physiology, and other life history aspects of reproduction. With few exceptions, these studies have provided no data on the number of young fledged per female, per territorial male, or per unit area. This is especially true for upland nesting habitats where, at least in the midwestern United States, most Red-wings now nest (Graber and Graber 1963, Dyer et al. 1973). Also insufficient quantitative information is available on the extent and nature of renesting (i.e. nesting more than once in a nesting season) and on movements of adult females during the nesting season. A better understanding of these aspects of reproduction is critical for the development of an accurate population-dynamics model for the species. Such a model is sorely needed to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of proposed population management strategies in places where blackbirds are deemed a health or safety hazard, or cause damage to agricultural crops (Tosh et al. 1970, Solman 1971, Stone et al. 1972). This study had three objectives: (1) to determine the distribution, size, and number of Red-winged Blackbird territories for an old-field habitat; (2) to determine the number of nesting females, nesting success, extent of renesting, and number of young fledged for these territories; and (3) to examine movements of female Red-wings during the nesting season.

The Auk↗
USGS1980

Observations of wing-feather molt and summer feeding ecology of Steller's Eiders at Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

The population size, moult chronology, food habits, and feeding behaviour of Steller's Eiders Polysticta stelleri were studied at Nelson Lagoon, Alaska from May to October 1977. Sub-adults were flightless from late July to late August and the adult males were flightless from late August to mid September. Adult females were rarely flightless at Nelson Lagoon but commonly flightless at Izembek Bay. Steller's Eiders ate primarily bivalve mollusca and amphipod crustacea, with Mytilus edulis and Anisogammarus pugettensis the most important foods. Eiders took amphipoda prior to the wing-feather moult, bivalves during the wing-feather moult, and both types of invertebrates after the wing-feather moult. Steller's Eiders fed primarily at the low tide by diving (flock-feeding) or head-dipping, both during the day and at night. There was no difference in feeding behaviour between ages or sexes. Eiders fed almost exclusively by diving after the wing-feather moult and apparently fed more as the season progressed.

Alaska↗
USGS2016

New findings of twisted-wing parasites (Strepsiptera) in Alaska

Strepsipterans are a group of insects with a gruesome life history and an enigmatic evolutionary past. Called ‘twisted-wing parasites’, they are minute parasitoids with a very distinct morphology (Figure 1). Alternatively thought to be related to ichneumon wasps, Diptera (flies), Coleoptera (beetles), and even Neuroptera (net-winged insects) (Pohl and Beutel, 2013); the latest genetic and morphological data support the sister order relationship of Strepsiptera and Coleoptera (Niehuis et al., 2012). Strepsipterans are highly modified, males having two hind wings and halteres instead of front wings or elytra. Unlike most parasitoids, they develop inside active, living insects who are sexually sterilized but not killed until or after emergence (Kathirithamby et al., 2015).

Newsletter of the Alaska Entomological Society↗
USGS2016

Golden-winged Warbler nest-site habitat selection: Chapter 7

Avian habitat selection occurs at multiple spatial scales to incorporate life history requirements. Breeding habitat of Golden-winged Warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera ) is characterized by largely forested landscapes containing natural or anthropogenic disturbance elements that maintain forest patches in early stages of succession. Breeding habitat occurs in a variety of settings, including shrub and forest swamps, regenerating forests following timber harvest, grazed pastures, and reclaimed mined lands. We identified structural components of nest sites for Golden-winged Warblers by measuring habitat characteristics across five states (North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia) in the Appalachian breeding-distribution segment and two states (Minnesota and Wisconsin) in the Great Lakes breeding-distribution segment. We measured habitat characteristics at the nest-site scale with a series of nested plots characterizing herbaceous vegetation (grasses and forbs), woody shrubs and saplings, and overstory trees. We measured similar variables at paired random plots located 25–50 m from the nest within the same territory to evaluate selection. We used conditional logistical regression to identify which parameters were important in habitat selection and Simple Saddlepoint Approximation (SSA) to aid in management interpretation of identified parameters for each study site. Study site was an important determinant for which parameters were significant in nest-site selection, although selection for some parameters was consistent across sites. The amount of woody cover at the nest-site scale was consistently present in the top nest-site selection models across sites, although the direction of the relationship was not the same across all sites. We also identified grass, forb, woody cover, and vegetation density as important components of Golden-winged Warbler nest-site selection. Based on SSA, we identified vegetation thresholds to aid in designing habitat management prescriptions to promote creation or restoration of Golden-winged Warbler nesting habitat across the eastern portion of their breeding distribution.

Studies in Avian Biology↗
USGS2000

Description and identification of American Black Duck, Mallard, and hybrid wing plumage

We developed a key to identify wings of hybrids between American Black Ducks (Anas rubripes) and Mallards (A. platyrhynchos). Material for analysis included review of historical descriptions dating from the late 1700's, older museum collections in Europe and North America, wings collected from hunters in North America and Great Britain, birds banded in Canada and the United States, and a flock of propagated hybrids. All first filial generation (F1) American Black Duck - Mallard hybrids were identified correctly with the key. A lower proportion of other hybrid cohorts (i.e., backcrosses of F1 to parental forms (P1), and second and third filial generations (F2, F3, etc.) were identified. We successfully identified a larger portion of male than female hybrids for all hybrid progeny cohorts examined except F1. The new key identified 2.37 times more hybrids in the 1977 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Parts Collection Survey (annual determination of the species, age, and sex composition of the waterfowl harvest using detached wings contributed by hunters) than were identified by standard techniques. The proportion of American Black Duck - Mallard hybrids to the American Black Duck parental population (the ratio: hybrids/[hybrids + American Black Ducks]) may therefore be closer to 0.132 than 0.056, the historically reported value. The hybrid key is suggested for use from North Carolina north in the Atlantic Flyway and Arkansas and Tennessee north in the Mississippi Flyway (areas where other members of the Mallard group will not confound assessment). We provide suggestions for further research that would assist identification of wings in parts collection surveys and permit estimation of the proportional representation of Mallard genes in the American Black Duck gene pool.

Report↗
USGS2022

Patterns of parental care and movement in divided broods of golden-winged warblers

Post-fledging brood division is a poorly understood, yet widespread suite of avian behaviours that includes both division of parental care and spatial division of a brood. For most species, the differences in parental care between adult males and females and the behavioural mechanisms explaining spatial patterns of brood division are unknown. We studied brood division in golden-winged warblers Vermivora chrysoptera to describe the spatial and behavioural characteristics of brood division and assess hypotheses describing the potential benefits of brood division. Female golden-winged warblers are known to travel farther from their nests than males within the post-fledging period, although the mechanism resulting in this spatial pattern is unknown. From 2010 to 2012, we monitored radio-marked golden-winged warbler fledglings from fledging until independence from adult care at three sites in the western Great Lakes region of North America. We observed no significant differences in provisioning, parental attendance, daily distance traveled and fledgling begging between male- and female-reared sub-broods. We also did not observe a relationship between parental sex and fledgling sex or mass. However, female-reared sub-broods exhibited a unique period of relatively consistent directional movement on days 8–10 after fledging, which resulted in females traveling farther from the nests than males. Our observations were not fully consistent with any previously proposed hypotheses about the benefits of brood division. Brood division is a complex behaviour that may have a suite of benefits, including predation defense and provisioning efficiency, that are not fully understood.

Journal of Avian Biology↗
USGS2015

Geolocators on Golden-winged Warblers do not affect migratory ecology

The use of light-level geolocators is increasingly common for connecting breeding and nonbreeding sites and identifying migration routes in birds. Until recently, the mass and size of geolocators precluded their use on songbird species weighing <12 g. Reducing the mass of geolocators, such as by shortening or eliminating the light stalk, may make their deployment on small birds feasible, but may also inhibit their ability to receive light reliably, because small geolocators can be shaded by feathers. Here we report geolocator effects on migratory ecology of Golden-winged Warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera ) in Minnesota and Tennessee. We also evaluated whether stalk length influenced precision of location data for birds on the breeding grounds. At 8–10 g, Golden-winged Warblers are the smallest birds to be outfitted with geolocators to date. We found no differences in return rates, inter-annual territory fidelity, or body mass between geolocator-marked individuals and a control group of color-banded individuals. We observed no difference in return rates or variation in estimated breeding locations between birds marked with stalked geolocators and those with stalkless geolocators. Our results suggest that some small songbirds can be safely marked with geolocators. Light stalks appear to be unnecessary for Golden-winged Warblers; the added mass and drag of stalks can probably be eliminated on other small songbirds.

The Condor↗
USGS1987

Feeding ecology of northern pintails and green-winged teal wintering in California

The feeding ecology of northern pintails (Anas acuta) and green-winged teal (A. crecca) was examined from October through February 1979-81 in 4 major seasonal marsh types in the Central Valley, California. The esophagi of 262 pintails contained 72.3% plant seeds and 27.7% animal matter. The esophagi of 173 green-winged teal contained 62.3% plant seeds and 37.6% animal matter. Swamp timothy (Heleochloa schoenoides) caryopses, chironomid midge larvae, and common barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crusgalli) caryopses formed >50% of the diet of both species. Both species were highly opportunistic and generally shifted their food habits seasonally to the most available foods. Animal matter increased seasonally in the diets of both and formed about 60% of the foods eaten during January and February compared to only about 8% in October and 17% in December. Both species used open water marsh habitats almost exclusively in daytime but they used densely vegetated marshes almost exclusively at night. Management recommendations based on the food habits and habitat use patterns of pintails and green-winged teal are offered.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗
USGS1997

Population dynamics of white-winged scoters

A significant ( P < 0.01) decline between 1961 and 1993 in ratio of harvested young per adult in the Atlantic Flyway (age ration) of white-winged scoters ( Melanitta fusca ) led us to examine annual survival rates and harvest of this species. Compared to waterfowl with similar life histories, black scoters ( M. nigra ) and surf scoters ( M. perspicillata ), the decline in age ratios of white-winged scoter age ratios was not significantly different ( P = 0.11). Adult females banded at Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan that winter along both coasts, had high annual survival rates (0.773 ± 0.0176 [SE]). High harvest in the Atlantic Flyway was not followed by an increase in production (age ratios) the following year or 2, i.e., there was no short-term rebound in recruitment by the population. Harvest of white-winged scoters in the Atlantic Flyway was explained by the age ratio in the fall flight and by hunter effort.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ne↗
USGS1966

Red-winged blackbirds searching beneath pine bark for insects in winter

Most observers usually associate the Red-winged Blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) with open country such as marshes or upland fields and their wooded or brushy borders. On the wintering grounds in the coniferous belt of the southeastern United States, however, Red-wings spend some of their time feeding in pine forests. In the course of a day's feeding they move back and forth between pine woods and harvested fields of corn, peanuts, and cotton, or weed fields. It is not unusual to see Red-wings feeding in a scattering of pine trees at the edge of a marsh or in some upland area, but I was surprised to find them in dense stands of pine and to observe their method of feeding there.

The Auk↗
USGS2011

Comparison of visual-based helicopter and fixed-wing forward-looking infrared surveys for counting white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus

Aerial surveys using direct counts of animals are commonly used to estimate deer abundance. Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) technology is increasingly replacing traditional methods such as visual observation from helicopters. Our goals were to compare fixed-wing FLIR and visual, helicopter-based counts in terms of relative bias, influence of snow cover and cost. We surveyed five plots: four 41.4 km 2 plots with free-ranging white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus populations in Wisconsin and a 5.3 km 2 plot with a white-tailed deer population contained by a high fence in Michigan. We surveyed plots using both fixed-wing FLIR and helicopters, both with snow cover and without snow. None of the methods counted more deer than the other when snow was present. Helicopter counts were lower in the absence of snow, but lack of snow cover did not apparently affect FLIR. Group sizes of observed deer were similar regardless of survey method or season. We found that FLIR counts were generally precise (CV = 0.089) when two or three replicate surveys were conducted within a few hours. However, at the plot level, FLIR counts differed greatly between seasons, suggesting that detection rates vary over larger time scales. Fixed-wing FLIR was more costly than visual observers in helicopters and was more restrictive in terms of acceptable survey conditions. Further research is needed to understand what factors influence the detection of deer during FLIR surveys.

Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2010

Detection probability of cliff-nesting raptors during helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft surveys in western Alaska

We conducted repeated aerial surveys for breeding cliff-nesting raptors on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) in western Alaska to estimate detection probabilities of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus), and also Common Ravens (Corvus corax). Using the program PRESENCE, we modeled detection histories of each species based on single species occupancy modeling. We used different observers during four helicopter replicate surveys in the Kilbuck Mountains and five fixed-wing replicate surveys in the Ingakslugwat Hills near Bethel, AK. During helicopter surveys, Gyrfalcons had the highest detection probability estimate (p^;p^ 0.79; SE 0.05), followed by Golden Eagles (p^=0.68; SE 0.05), Common Ravens (p^=0.45; SE 0.17), and Rough-legged Hawks (p^=0.10; SE 0.11). Detection probabilities from fixed-wing aircraft in the Ingakslugwat Hills were similar to those from the helicopter in the Kilbuck Mountains for Gyrfalcons and Golden Eagles, but were higher for Common Ravens (p^=0.85; SE 0.06) and Rough-legged Hawks (p^=0.42; SE 0.07). Fixed-wing aircraft provided detection probability estimates and SEs in the Ingakslugwat Hills similar to or better than those from helicopter surveys in the Kilbucks and should be considered for future cliff-nesting raptor surveys where safe, low-altitude flight is possible. Overall, detection probability varied by observer experience and in some cases, by study area/aircraft type.

Alaska↗
USGS1974

Nationwide organochlorine and mercury residues in wings of adult mallard and black ducks during the 1969-70 hunting season

Nationwide monitoring of organochlorine and mercury residues in wings of approximately 5,200 adult mallards and black (ducks bagged during the 1969-70 hunting season showed DDE, as in 1965 and 1966, to be the predominant residue. PCB's were next in overall prevalence, followed by mercury, DDT, dieldrin, DDD, and heptachlor epoxide. There was no indication of a decrease in levels from 1966. Residues were generally highest in the Atlantic and Pacific Flyways and lowest in the Central Flyway; PCB's, however, were highest in the Atlantic Flyway and diminished westward across the Nation. Mercury residues were highest in A tlantic Flyway black ducks. Monitoring results were consistent: States with high residues in 1965 and 1966 were again high in 1969. Analyses of individual wings of mallards from California and black ducks from New Jersey and New York revealed DDE residues as high as 41 ppm and certain regional and seasonal differences in levels within States. They also revealed an apparent tendency for DDE residues to be more variable and to attain higher levels in male than in female wings.

Pesticides Monitoring Journal↗
USGS1980

Influence of a local source of DDT pollution on statewide DDT residues in waterfowl wings, northern Alabama, 1978-79

Heavy DDT contamination resulting from a former DDT manufacturing plant in northern Alabama has influenced statewide averages of DDT, DDE, and TDE residues in duck wings tested in the National Pesticide Monitoring Program. In states where contaminant levels in duck wings are high, residue analyses of wings categorized by finer geographic subdivision may be useful in defining the areas of heaviest contamination.

Pesticides Monitoring Journal↗
USGS2016

Spatially explicit models of full-season productivity and implications for landscape management of Golden-winged Warblers in the western Great Lakes Region

The relationship between landscape structure and composition and full-season productivity (FSP) is poorly understood for most birds. For species of high conservation concern, insight into how productivity is related to landscape structure and composition can be used to develop more effective conservation strategies that increase recruitment. We monitored nest productivity and fledgling survival of Golden-winged Warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera ), a species of high conservation concern, in managed forest landscapes at two sites in northern Minnesota, and one site in southeastern Manitoba, Canada from 2010 to 2012. We used logistic exposure models to identify the influence of landscape structure and composition on nest productivity and fledgling survival. We used the models to predict spatially explicit, FSP across our study sites to identify areas of low relative productivity that could be targeted for management. We then used our models of spatially explicit, FSP to simulate the impact of potential management actions on our study sites with the goal of increasing total population productivity. Unlike previous studies that suggested wetland cover types provide higher quality breeding habitat for Golden-winged Warblers, our models predicted 14% greater productivity in upland cover types. Simulated succession of a 9-ha grassland patch to a shrubby upland suitable for nesting increased the total number of fledglings produced by that patch and adjacent upland shrublands by 30%, despite decreasing individual productivity by 13%. Further simulated succession of the same patch described above into deciduous forest reduced the total number of fledglings produced to independence on a landscape by 18% because of a decrease in the area available for nesting. Simulated reduction in the cumulative length of shrubby edge within a 50-m radius of any location in our landscapes from 0.6 to 0.3 km increased FSP by 5%. Our models demonstrated that the effects of any single management action depended on the context of the surrounding landscape. We conclude that spatially explicit, FSP models that incorporate data from both the nesting and postfledging periods are useful for informing breeding habitat management plans for Golden-winged Warblers and that similar models can benefit management planning for many other species of conservation concern.

Studies in Avian Biology↗
USGS2016

Management implications of brood division in Golden-winged Warblers

Brood division in the postfledging period is a common avian behavior that is not well understood. Brood division has been reported in Golden-winged Warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera) , but it is not known how common this behavior is, whether males and females exhibit different strategies related to parental care and habitat use, or how brood division might influence management strategies. We radiomarked fledglings and monitored divided broods of Golden-winged Warblers from fledging until independence from parental care at three sites in the western Great Lakes region from 2010 to 2012 to assess differences in strategies between male and female parents and to consider possible management implications. Male - and female-reared sub-broods exhibited different space use during the dependent post-fledging period despite similar fledgling survivial, cover-type use, and microhabitat use. By independence, female-reared sub-broods traveled over twice as far from the nest (mean = 461 ± 81) SE m) as male-reared sub-broods (164 ± 41 m). Additionally, female-reared sub-broods traveled over three times as far from the natal patch edge (35 ± 72 m) as male-reared sub-broods (108 ± 36 m). Without accounting for differential space use by male- and female-reared sub-broods, we would have reported broods traveling 292 (± 46 m) from the nest and 214 (± 40m) from the natal patch edge - distances that do not reflect how far females move sub-broods. Parental strategies differ between sexes with regard to movement patterns, and we recommend incorporating the differences in space use between sexes in future management plans for Golden-winged Warblers and other species that employ brood division. Specifically, management actions might be most effective when they are applied at spatial scales large enough to incorporate the habitat requirements of both sexes throughout the entire reproductive season.

Studies in Avian Biology↗
USGS1975

Fertility of eggs produced on territories of vasectomized red-winged blackbirds

Six male Red-winged Blackbirds scattered throughout 2 marshes were vasectomized in 1971, and their females began laying infertile clutches in 5 days. However, of 39 clutches on their territories, 27 (69%) were fertile. In 1972, 30, 50, and 100% of the males in 3 small isolated marshes were vasectomized, and 44, 33, and 12% of the clutches on their territories were fertile, respectively. All clutches were fertile in a fourth marsh where /// all males were sham-operated. All clutches checked were fertile on territories of fertile males adjacent to sterilized males. During the 2 years there were only 4 partially fertile clutches, 2 each on vasectomized and fertile males' territories. Examination of reproductive tracts of female Red-wings from other marshes showed that sperm retained from copulation were abundant during nest-building or egg-laying but had dropped to a few by hatching. In vasectomy studies, vasectomized males whose territories were the farthest from fertile males had the lowest percentage of fertile clutches. This and other evidence indicated that fertile clutches on territories of vasectomized males may have been due to females being promiscuous with fertile males. The occurrence of fertile clutches on territories of vasectomized males indicates that sterilizing some of the males in a population (as in a chemosterilant program) would not result in a proportional decrease in fertile clutches. However, the decreases achieved (up to 88%), and the probability of better results in an actual program, indicate that male chemosterilization would be a feasible means of reducing Red-wing populations.

Colorado↗
USGS2019

Resource selection and wintering phenology of White-winged Scoters in southern New England: Implications for offshore wind energy development

Southern New England provides key wintering habitat for White-winged Scoters ( Melanitta fusca ). This area has also pioneered the development of offshore wind energy in North America and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has established nine Wind Energy Area (WEA) lease blocks along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf in areas that may provide important staging and wintering habitat for scoters and other species of sea ducks. Concern over the potential impact of offshore wind energy on sea duck populations has led to efforts to develop models to understand their distribution, habitat use and site fidelity. We used satellite telemetry to document winter phenology and site fidelity, as well as fine-scale resource selection and habitat use of 40 White-winged Scoters along the southern New England continental shelf. Scoters spent over half of the annual cycle on the wintering grounds and demonstrated a high degree of inter-annual site fidelity to composite core-use areas. Sizes of individual 50% core-use home ranges were variable (x̅ = 868 km2; range = 32 to 4,220 km2) and individual 95% utilization distributions ranged widely (x̅ = 4,388 km2; range = 272 to 18,235 km2). More than half of all tagged birds occupied two or more discrete core-use areas that were up to 400 km apart. Throughout the study area, scoters selected for areas with lower salinity, lower sea surface temperature, higher chlorophyll-a concentrations, and higher hard-bottom substrate probability. Resource selection function models classified 18,649 km2 (23%) of the study area as high probability of use, which included or immediately bordered ~420 km2 of proposed WEA lease blocks. Future offshore wind energy developments in the region should avoid key habitats highlighted by this study and carefully consider the environmental characteristics selected by sea ducks when planning and siting future WEAs.

Southern New England↗