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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
USGS2005

Ranking the risk of wildlife species hazardous to military aircraft

Collisions between birds and aircraft (birdstrikes) pose a major threat to aviation safety. Different species pose different levels of threat; thus, identification of the most hazardous species can help managers identify the level of hazard and prioritize mitigation efforts. Dolbeer et al. (2000) assessed the hazard posed by birds to civilian aircraft by analyzing data from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Wildlife Strike Database to rank the hazardous species and species groups. A similar analysis has not been done for the military but would be useful and necessary. Military flight characteristics differ from those of civilian flights. During the period 1985–1998, birdstrikes cost the United States Air Force (USAF) an average of $35 million/year in damage. Using the USAF Birdstrike Database, we selected and evaluated each species or species group by the number of strikes recorded in each of 3 damage categories. We weighted damage categories to reflect extent and cost of damage. The USAF Birdstrike Database contained 25,519 records of wildlife strikes in the United States. During the period 1985–1998, 22 (mean = 1.6/year) Class-A birdstrikes (>$1,000,000 damage, loss of aircraft, loss of life, or permanent total disability) were sustained, accounting for 80% of total monetary losses caused by birds. Vultures ( Cathartes aura, Coragyps atratus, Caracara cheriway ) were ranked the most hazardous species group (Hazard Index Rank [HIR] = 127) to USAF aircraft, followed by geese ( Branta canadensis, Chen caerulescens , HIR = 76), pelicans ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, P. occidentalis , HIR = 47), and buteos ( Buteo sp., HIR = 30). Of the smaller flocking birds, blackbirds and starlings (mostly Agelaius phoeniceus, Euphagus cyanocephalus, Molothrus ater, Sturnus vulgaris , HIR = 46), horned larks ( Eremophila alpestris , HIR = 24), and swallows (Families Hirundinidae, Apodidae, HIR = 23) were species groups ranked highest. Coupling these results with local bird census data to adjust hazard rank indices to specific locations can facilitate hazard management and lead to meaningful reductions in hazards and costs associated with birdstrikes.

Wildlife Society Bulletin↗
USGS2000

Waterfowl research priorities in the northern Great Plains

It is necessary periodically to identify research priorities so that future research will be directed toward the most pertinent issues in waterfowl ecology and management. To that end, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center convened a quorum of experts on the ecology of breeding waterfowl, the Waterfowl Working Group, to 1) develop a mission statement, 2) identify waterfowl research priorities in the northern Great Plains, and 3) determine the frequency for re-identifying research needs. Research needs (nonprioritized) identified by the group and described in detail herein included: 1) determine effects of landscape factors on demographics and recruitment of ducks in the Prairie Pothole Region; 2) develop, improve, or update estimates of important parameters used in existing models for management and planning; 3) evaluate waterfowl management activities at broad, regional scales; 4) direct studies at waterfowl species of concern; and 5) evaluate applicability of the bird-conservation-area concept to waterfowl. The Waterfowl Working Group will reconsider research priorities at 2-year intervals.

Wildlife Society Bulletin↗
USGS1985

Influence of various land uses on windbreak selection by nesting Mississippi kites

Contemporary land-use practices have dramatically altered breeding habitats of birds of prey (Cramp, pp. 9-11 in World Conf. Birds of Prey, R. D. Chancellor, ed., ICPB, London, England, 1977). Some land uses appear to influence strongly both the nesting activity (White, Trans. North Am. Wild. Nat. Resour. Conf. 39:301-312, 1974) and abundance (Olendorff and Stoddart, pp. 44-48 in Management of Raptors, F. N. Jamerstrom, B. E. Harrel, and R. R. Olendorff, eds., Proc. Conf. Raptor Conserv. Tech., Raptor Rep. 2, Fort Collins, Colorado, 1974) of raptors. The Mississippi Kite ( Ictinia mississippiensis ) is a locally common raptor of the south-central plains of North America. In the prairie grasslands of western Oklahoma and south-western Kansas, kites commonly nest in tree plantings designed as windbreaks, irrespective of windbreak width, age, or tree species compositions (Parker, Ph.D. Diss., Univ. Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 1974; Love and Knopf, Proc. Ann. Meet. For. Comm. Great Plains Agric. Counc. 30:69-77, 1978). Much of the potential nesting habitat within this region, however, is not used by kits (Parker and Ogden, Am. Birds 33:119-129, 1979). In this paper, we assess the potential influence of various land-use practices on windbreak selection by nesting Mississippi Kites.

The Wilson Bulletin↗
USGS1977

Conservation committee report. Falconry: Effects on raptor populations and management in North America

The art of falconry in North America, practiced by a few individuals for many years, attracted little attention until the 1960?s. Presently about 2800 falconers are licensed in the United States with less than one half considered to be active. While interest in this art is expected to increase, we believe growth will be slow, probably 5 to 10% per year, due to rigorous demands on time and equipment required and restrictive regulations.....Many different species of raptors have been used in falconry. Presently 6 species are commonly used, especially the Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel. Present evidence suggests that only 2 races of the Peregrine Falcon are threatened in North America, and declines may have occurred in local populations of other species. Declines in populations of Peregrines are attributed to pesticide contamination of food chains. Apparent declines in other populations of raptors are also attributed to pesticides and locally to changes in land use and possibly indiscriminate shooting. Removal of raptors from wild populations for falconry has not had documentable adverse effects except possibly at local nesting sites. Continuation of the art of falconry under the framework of the recent federal regulations is not expected to have measurable impacts on region-wide populations. Management of raptors is poorly developed and relatively unexplored. Captive breeding of raptors holds much promise for production of birds both for re-establishment and as a source of birds for falconry. Falconers have contributed much to the continued improvement of the Cornell University Peregrine program in terms of breeding stocks and technique development.

The Wilson Bulletin↗
USGS1995

Environmental contaminants in eggs of California least terns (Sterna antillarum browni)

A severe decline in the coastal breeding population of California least terns (Sterna antillarum browni) in California and Baja California (U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. 1980) prompted both State and Federal governments to designate it an endangered species in 1970 (Massey 1974). Significant losses of nesting and feeding habitat have contributed greatly to the decline of this subspecies (Massey 1974; Atwood and Minsky 1983). However, environmental contaminants, such as organochlorine compounds and metals, may also have contributed to the decline. California least terns are primarily piscivorous during the nesting period (Massey 1974), feeding predominantly on jack-smelt (Atherinops californiensis), topsmelt (A. affinis), and northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) (Atwood and Minsky 1983). Topsmelt had the highest levels of DDE (p,p'-DDE) (up to 3 #g/g wet wt) of fish collected from San Diego Bay by Ohlendorf et al. (1985). Eggs of Caspian terns ~. caspia) from that study contained up to 56/~g/g DDE, and DDE was associated with a reduction in eggshell thickness as determined by the thickness index. In addition to shell deficiencies, organochlorines can also cause reduced egg production, aberrant incubation behavior, delayed ovulation, embryotoxicosis, and mortality of chicks and adults (Blus 1982). Mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) have caused decreased hatchability, altered nesting behavior, and embryotoxicosis in birds in field and laboratory studies (Cormors et al. 1975; Ohlendorf et al. 1986; Heinz et al. 1987). Our objective was to evaluate the role of contaminants in the decline of California least terns.

California↗
USGS1979

A bibliography of references to avian cholera

Mrs. Wilson has made a genuine effort to include in this bibliography every significant reference to avian cholera since Louis Pasteur's articles appeared in 1880, although she recognizes the likelihood that a few have been overlooked. New listings have been added throughout 1978, but comprehensive coverage of the literature cannot be claimed beyond June of that year. Textbook accounts, because they are generally summaries of work published elsewhere, are excluded. Papers dealing primarily with the biology of Pasteurella multocida , as opposed to the disease it induces in birds, are also excluded, unless they report information of diagnostic usefulness. Short abstracts are not included unless the journals in which they are published are more widely available than those in which the complete articles appear or they are English summaries of foreign language articles. In compiling this bibliography, Mrs. Wilson has made extensive use of Biological Abstracts, the Pesticide Documentation Bulletin, and printouts generated by Bibliographic Retrieval Services, Inc. The "Literature Cited" sections of textbooks and journal articles pertinent to the subject were sources of many additional references. Regardless of the origin of the citation, its accuracy was confirmed by comparison with the original publication, except in those few instances (marked with an asterisk) when the journal was not on the shelves of the libraries accessible to us. The author will be grateful to users of the bibliography who point out errors or omissions. Wayne I. Jensen Microbiologist In Charge

Special Scientific Report - Wildlife↗
USGS2002

Re-evaluating Bay-breasted Warbler breeding range: Nine-years presence in Lower Michigan

he breeding range of the Bay-breasted Warbler ( Dendroica castanea ) is thought to include only the northernmost portions of six northeastern and northcentral states in the United States. During a 10-year banding study of Kirtland's Warblers ( Dendroica kirtlandii ) in northern Lower Michigan, we caught 44 Bay-breasted Warblers outside of their reported migration dates during 9 of the 10 years. Two birds captured in 1997 were in breeding condition; one possessed a cloacal protuberance and the other a full brood patch. We also captured two hatching year birds with fleshy rictal flanges in 1997. We suggest that these records indicate a long term presence of Bay-breasted Warblers on breeding grounds considerably farther south than previously recorded.

Michigan↗
USGS1975

Breeding bald eagles in captivity

A 7-year-old female Bald Eagle from Alabama was paired with a 4-year-old Alaskan male in a large flight pen during December 1969. Both birds were free of physical defects when originally placed in the pen but the female was blind in one eye prior to the 1973 breeding season.....Nesting first occurred during 1971 when at least two eggs were laid; all but one, which showed no sign of embryonic development after being incubated for 56 days, were broken by the adult birds. Two of three eggs laid in 1972 hatched. Both young died a few days after hatching following a period of inclement weather. Three eggs were laid and hatched during 1973. Antagonism between the nestlings was observed soon after hatching and may have been responsible for the unobserved death of one nestling, two days after the third young hatched. The two remaining young were raised by the adult birds and eventually left the nest 85 days after the first egg hatched. Incubation periods for the 1972-73 clutches averaged 35 days. No renesting attempts were made by the eagles during the 3.year period.

The Wilson Bulletin↗
USGS1990

[Book review] No Woman Tenderfoot by Harriet Kofalk

The subject of this biography, identified in the subtitle “Florence Merriam Bailey, Pioneer Naturalist,” was truly a remarkable ornithologist. The bibliography of her writings, included in the book, lists more than 130 articles, a major portion of which were based on her own field work in what was then the wild and unsettled west. Among the titles are the acclaimed “Handbook of Birds of the Western united States,” published in 1902, and the monumental “Birds of New Mexico,” which appeared in 1928. Her contributions were recognized by her colleagues who elected her as a “Fellow” of the American Ornithologists’ Union in 1929 and three years later awarded her its prestigious Brewster Medal.

The Wilson Bulletin↗
USGS2002

Effectiveness of rodent control and monitoring techniques for a montane rainforest

Introduced black ( Rattus rattus ) and Polynesian ( R. exulans ) rats are damaging to native birds, insects, and plants in island ecosystems. We controlled rodent populations in a montane rainforest on the island of Hawaii to determine feasibility, cost, and effectiveness of ground-based rodent control in a rugged, remote rainforest habitat. Treatment was conducted 1996-99, from January to April each year, using rodenticide bait stations and snap-traps. We monitored rodent numbers in 48-ha treatment and reference areas before, during, and after control. As indexed by presence of rat sign in tracking tunnels or census blocks, rodent control reduced rodent abundance 58-90% each year 1 month after treatment began. There was an influx of rats into the treatment area, as shown by higher than expected numbers of rats snap-trapped on the treatment perimeter. Rodent numbers recovered to approximate pretreatment levels by the beginning of the following treatment year. Coast of equipment and supplies for rodent control for the first year was about \$7,000 for a 1-km 2 grid. After the first year, cost decreased to about \$2,000 for 1 km 2 per year. Rodent control applied continuously for 4 months each year during the breeding season may be effective in protecting nesting forest birds, but will not provide protection to plants and invertebrates vulnerable to predation throughout the year, and it is not likely to protect avian food resources.

Hawaii↗
USGS2001

Artificial cavities enhance breeding bird densities in managed cottonwood forests

The paucity of natural cavities within short-rotation hardwood agroforests restricts occupancy by cavity-nesting birds. However, providing 1.6 artificial nesting cavities (nest boxes)/ha within 3- to 10-year-old managed cottonwood forests in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley increased territory density of cavity-nesting birds. Differences in territory densities between forests with and without nest boxes increased as stands aged. Seven bird species initiated 38 nests in 173 boxes during 1997 and 39 nests in 172 boxes during 1998. Prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea) and eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) accounted for 67% of nests; nearly all warbler nests were in 1.8-L, plastic-coated cardboard (paper) boxes, whereas bluebird nests were divided between paper boxes and 3.5-L wooden boxes. Larger-volume (16.5-L) wooden nest boxes were used by eastern screech owls (Otus asio) and great crested flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus), but this box type often was usurped by honey bees (Apis mellifera). To enhance territory densities of cavity-nesting birds in cottonwood agroforests, we recommend placement of plastic-coated paper nest boxes, at a density of 0.5/ha, after trees are >4 years old but at least 2 years before anticipated timber harvest.

Wildlife Society Bulletin↗
USGS2015

Evaluation of autonomous recording units for detecting 3 species of secretive marsh birds

Population status and habitat use of yellow rails ( Coturnicops noveboracensis ), Nelson's sparrows ( Ammodramus nelsoni ), and Le Conte's sparrows ( A. leconteii ) are poorly known, so standardized surveys of these species are needed to inform conservation planning and management. A protocol for monitoring secretive marsh birds exists; however, these species regularly call at night and may be missed during early morning surveys. We tested the effectiveness of autonomous recording units (hereafter, recording units) to survey these species by analyzing recorded vocalizations using bioacoustics software. We deployed 22 recording units at 54 sites in northern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota, USA, and conducted traditional broadcast surveys during May–June, 2010 and 2011. We compared detection probabilities between recording units and standard monitoring protocols using robust-design occupancy models. On average, recording units detected 0.59 (SE = 0.11) fewer Le Conte's sparrows, 0.76 (SE = 0.15) fewer Nelson's sparrows, and 1.01 (SE = 0.14) fewer yellow rails per survey than were detected using the standard protocol. Detection probabilities using the standard protocol averaged 0.95 (yellow rail; 95% CI = 0.86–0.98), 0.93 (Le Conte's sparrow; 95% CI = 0.78–0.98), and 0.89 (Nelson's sparrow; 95% CI = 0.56–0.98), but averaged 0.71 (yellow rail; 95% CI = 0.56–0.83), 0.61 (Le Conte's sparrow; 95% CI = 0.42–0.78), and 0.51 (Nelson's sparrow; 95% CI = 0.19–0.82) using recording units. Reduced detection by recording units was likely due to the ability of human listeners to identify birds calling at greater distances. Recording units may be effective for surveying nocturnal secretive marsh birds if investigators correct for differential detectability. Reduced detectability may be outweighed by the increased spatial and temporal coverage feasible with recording units.

Minnesota, North Dakota↗
USGS2005

Birds of the Baja California Peninsula: Status, distribution, and taxonomy

Birds of the Baja California Peninsula: Status, Distribution, and Taxonomy. By Richard A. Erickson and Steve N. G. Howell (Eds.). American Birding Association Monographs in Field Ornithology No. 3, Colorado Springs, Colorado. 2001: 261 pp. ISBN: 1878788396. $39.95 (paper). This volume is a collection of eight papers and five appendices on the status and distribution of the birds of Baja California. In the preface, the editors lament the end of an era of "frontier" birding in Baja California brought on by the publication of this volume. While discoveries of new species are certain to decline with time, I suspect that interest in birding and ornithology in Baja California will be enhanced by the information contained in this book. Perhaps the "frontier" era that Erickson and Howell lament the end of is the unbirded, wide open spaces and the chance for making new discoveries.

Baja California Peninsula↗
USGS2005

Apparent predation by cattle at grassland bird nests

We document the first cases of cattle behaving as avian predators, removing nestlings and eggs from three active ground nests in continuously grazed pastures in southwestern Wisconsin, 2000–2001. Cows removed three of four Savannah Sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis ) eggs from one nest (the fourth egg was damaged), all four Eastern Meadowlark ( Sturnella magna ) nestlings from another, and all three Savannah Sparrow nestlings from a third. We found only two of three missing eggs (intact) and one of seven missing nestlings (dead) near two of the nests. Cows may have eaten the egg and nestlings we were unable to account for; alternatively, the egg and nestlings may have been scavenged by predators or removed from the area by the adult birds. Without videotape documentation, we would have attributed nest failure to traditional predators and cattle would not have been implicated. We may be underestimating the impact of cattle on ground nests by not considering cattle as potential predators.

The Wilson Bulletin↗
USGS1994

In my experience: Improved capture techniques for psittacines

Four methods for capturing psittacines were developed and tested in Puerto Rico from 1991-1993. Elevated mist nets at canopy height in scrub-forest or mangrove habitat captured fewer nontarget birds and possibly more parakeets than mist nets at ground level. Playback of conspecific calls may have attracted parakeets to the net area and reduced the need to erect more than six 12-m long nets. Using 6 nets instead of 12 also reduced the capture rate and captures of nontarget birds. This reduced disturbance at the netting site.....Mist nets, 7.3 m high, surrounding a tree with live decoys within the circle of nets captured parrots effectively when conspecific vocalizations of foraging parrots were played. More parrot captures occurred when the birds were frightened as they approached the decoy inside and below the circle of nets during the early morning. Nets at lower heights (5.8 m) and nets centered perpendicularly on a tree with picture and live decoys failed to capture parrots.

Wildlife Society Bulletin↗
USGS1977

Band recovery distribution of eastern Maine woodcock

A total of 9,643 American woodcock (Philohela minor) was banded in eastern Maine during the summers of 1962-74. The fall migration of these woodcock, based on 620 recoveries, occurred along a broad front between the Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Ocean. Most birds wintered in a region extending from southern Virginia to northern Florida; a few woodcock moved as far west as Louisiana and eastern Texas. The band-recovery distribution of Maine woodcock, and band-recovery records from birds wintering in Louisiana published by other investigators, support the idea of Atlantic and Central flyways. However, recoveries from woodcock banded in breeding localities other than eastern Maine must be studied to more precisely relate major breeding and wintering grounds

Wildlife Society Bulletin↗
USGS1967

Histopathology of mallards dosed with lead and selected substitute shot

The histopathological response of male game farm mallards fed lead, three types of plastic-coated lead, two lead-magnesium alloys, iron, copper, zinc-coated iron, and molybdenum-coated iron shot was studied. Mallards fed lead, plastic-coated lead, or lead-magnesium alloy shot developed a similar pathological response, including the formation of acid-fast intranuclear inclusion bodies in the kidneys. Birds fed iron or molybdenum-coated iron shot developed hemosiderosis of the liver. Two of four mallards fed zinc-coated iron shot also developed hemosiderosis of the liver. No lesions were found in mallards fed copper shot.

Bulletin of the Wildlife Disease Association↗