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Demography of two species and one genus of hummingbirds with contrasting population trends in California, USA J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-03-03 Simon G. English, Rita R. Colwell, Barbara W. Robinson, Holly B. Ernest, Christine A. Bishop, Ruta R. Bandivadekar, Lisa A. Tell
Hummingbirds in North America are currently experiencing contrasting population changes, and little is known about the factors contributing to these changes. We examined the demography of two species and one genus of hummingbirds in western North America, including Anna's Hummingbirds (Calypte anna), Black-chinned Hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri), and hummingbirds in the genus Selasphorus, to investigate
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Structure and organization of songs of south-temperate Grass Wrens (Cistothorus platensis) J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-02-07 Paula S. Garrido Coria, Drew Rendall, Rosario Panasiti Ros, Natalia C. García, Paulo E. Llambías
Studies of geographic variation in bird song can provide important insights into vocal evolution. An intraspecific approach, focused on a single species with a broad distribution, can be particularly helpful in understanding the diverse selective pressures on the characteristics of songs and singing behavior. Grass Wrens (Cistothorus platensis) are one such species, inhabiting tropical and temperate
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Trade-offs in performance of six lightweight automated tracking devices for birds J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-02-02 Sarah J. Clements, Bart M. Ballard, Georgina R. Eccles, Emily A. Sinnott, Mitch D. Weegman
Researchers should consider the costs and benefits of using tracking devices and choose devices that will optimize information gained with minimal effects on study organisms. With numerous technological advancements and devices marketed for avian research, selecting an optimal device and data collection interval (i.e., duty cycle) can be difficult. We evaluated six tracking-device types from two manufacturers
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Lewis’s Woodpecker nest success and habitat selection in floodplain and burned forests in western Montana J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-01-26 William M. Blake, Katharine R. Stone, William M. Janousek, Thomas E. Martin
For species with declining populations across their range, such as Lewis’s Woodpeckers (Melanerpes lewis), understanding habitat selection and its influence on reproductive outcomes are critical for effective management, especially in human-modified landscapes. We identified factors associated with habitat selection by Lewis’s Woodpeckers in the floodplain and burned forests across the Bitterroot Valley
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Using automated telemetry to identify population connectivity and migration phenology of Snowy Plovers breeding in the Southern Great Plains J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-01-20 Kristen M. Heath-Acre, Clint W. Boal, Daniel P. Collins, Warren C. Conway, William P. Johnson
Within-breeding season movements have not been quantified for Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus) breeding on the Southern Great Plains (SGP), where suitable breeding habitat can range from less than 10 km to more than 600 km apart. This mosaic distribution of discrete patches of breeding habitat, combined with weather stochasticity and low densities of Snowy Plovers in Texas and New Mexico, increases
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Changes in arthropod communities between breeding stages in nests of Great Tits J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-01-03 Lisa Furu Baardsen, Erik Matthysen
The biotic and abiotic environments in bird nests change during the nesting cycle as eggs are laid and incubated and nestlings develop and eventually fledge. Nest-arthropod communities have been studied for many bird species and are commonly sampled after young fledge. However, the population dynamics of arthropods in nests are expected to vary over the nesting cycle as a result of the changing nest
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Miniature temperature data loggers increase precision and reduce bias when estimating the daily survival rate for bird nests J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-20 Matthew D. Stephenson, Lisa A. Schulte, Robert W. Klaver, Jarad Niemi
Demographic studies of many bird species are challenging because their nests are cryptic, resulting in few nests being found. To maximize statistical power, methods are needed that minimize disturbance while yielding as much information per nest as possible. One way to meet these objectives is to use miniature thermal data loggers to precisely date nest fates. Our objectives, therefore, were to (1)
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A review of the conservation status of birds in the Guineo-Congolian forest of Africa J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-16 William Richard John Dean
The Guineo-Congolian “rain” forest (G-C forest) in West and Central Africa is threatened by deforestation. From 1975 to 2013, the extent of the G-C forest decreased by 37%, from about 131,000 to 83,000 km2. Overall, 46% of bird species in the G-C forest (123 of 268) have declining populations, and about 31 species (12%) are categorized as endangered, near threatened, or vulnerable. Impacts of harvesting
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A low-cost, easy-to-build, and portable bite-force transducer for birds J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-16 Julieta Carril, Federico J. Degrange, Ricardo S. De Mendoza, Claudia P. Tambussi
Few investigators have examined in vivo bite-force of birds, likely due, at least in part, to the difficulty in accessing suitable force transducers. We describe a low-cost, easy-to-build, and portable force transducer with the goal of encouraging ornithologists to improve our knowledge of in vivo bite forces of birds. We used a commercial piezo-resistive force sensor (Tekscan©) to construct our transducer
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Current distribution and abundance of Kohala forest birds in Hawai‘i J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-07 Keith Burnett, Richard J. Camp, Patrick J. Hart
The Kohala volcano is home to the most spatially isolated population of Hawaiian forest birds on Hawai‘i Island and contains one of the few native bird populations in the state that has not been monitored since the original Hawai‘i Forest Bird Survey (HFBS) in 1979. We surveyed 143 stations across 13 transects in Pu‘u ‘O ‘Umi Natural Area Reserve on Kohala from February through April 2017 and compared
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Factors affecting burrow occupancy and bank persistence for Bank Swallows breeding in aggregate (sand and gravel) pits and natural habitats J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-07 Tianna R. Burke, Michael D. Cadman, Erica Nol
As the availability of natural nesting habitat for Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia) continues to decline, operational aggregate (sand and gravel) pits have begun to provide alternative nesting habitat. With best management practices being developed and revised for the aggregate industry, an understanding of site factors affecting burrow and bank occupancy by Bank Swallows is needed. We compared patterns
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Territorial responses of male Bermuda White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus subsp. bermudianus) reflect phylogenetic similarity of intruders and acoustic similarity of their songs J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Miguel A. Mejías, Julissa Roncal, David R. Wilson
For signal divergence to drive speciation, receivers should perceive structural differences in divergent signals; similar-structured signals from closer relatives are expected to elicit stronger responses than dissimilar signals from distant relatives. Two mechanisms can affect receiver responses to passerine song: (1) sympatric song familiarity and (2) an innate auditory template used to assess acoustic
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Methods for collecting data about the breeding biology of Neotropical birds J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-13 Karolina Fierro-Calderón, Mario Loaiza-Muñoz, Manuel A. Sánchez-Martínez, David Ocampo, Santiago David, Harold F. Greeney, Gustavo A. Londoño
The study of avian nesting biology in North America and Europe has a long history, resulting in an expansive and information-rich literature. In contrast, the tropics have been relatively neglected and, in most ways, we are still at the frontier of exploration. Data about basic nest descriptions and natural history information are still lacking for many Neotropical species; standardization of data
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Hydrology affects shorebirds, waterfowl, and other waterbirds at Bear River Bay, a Globally Important Bird Area J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-08 Brian G. Tavernia, Tim Meehan, John Neill, John Luft
The value of saline lakes and associated wetlands as habitats in the xeric Great Basin is dependent on having water of sufficient quantity and quality to support wetland-dependent birds. To inform conservation and management of these habitats, models are needed to link birds and hydrological changes due to climate and human water use. We modeled seasonal relationships between counts for 35 migratory
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Post-fledging ecology of endangered Golden-cheeked Warblers J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-05 Evalynn M. Trumbo, Michael P. Ward, John N. Macey, Nathan A. Grigsby, Jeffrey D. Brawn
Recently fledged birds often experience low survival as they undergo rapid changes in their behavior, (e.g., habitat use, mobility, and foraging rate). For species of conservation concern, information about the post-fledging period can be critical for effective management and conservation. We investigated the post-fledging ecology of endangered Golden-cheeked Warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia) in central
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Importance of tropical mixed-species flocks for migratory birds in shade-grown coffee: implications of foraging together J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-09-05 Jenny Munoz Z., Gabriel J. Colorado Z.
Group living is a widespread social strategy that allows animals to optimize foraging with dynamic trade-offs between reduced predation risk, enhanced foraging, and increased competition. Birds across terrestrial habitats form mixed-species flocks, where dozens of resident and migratory species forage together throughout the day. The effect of flock participation and group size on the foraging behavior
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Distribution, abundance, and vegetation associations of birds in Mississippi tidal marshes during the non-breeding season J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-08-31 Spencer L. Weitzel, Jared M. Feura, Raymond B. Iglay, Kristine O. Evans, Scott A. Rush, Mark S. Woodrey
Accurate estimation of populations of secretive marsh birds is difficult, especially during the non-breeding season when vocalizations are infrequent. Thus, dynamics of marsh bird populations remain relatively unknown, especially during the non-breeding season along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. To address this lack of information about populations of marsh birds during the non-breeding
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Nest-site selection by Cassia Crossbills and management implications J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-08-30 Julie W. Smith, Trevor Fetz, Monika Shea, Craig W. Benkman
Cassia Crossbills (Loxia sinesciuris) are endemic to two small mountain ranges in southern Idaho, the South Hills and Albion Mountains. Although previous studies have shown the importance of mature Rocky Mountain lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta latifolia) that have accumulated a large canopy cone bank as a food resource for Cassia Crossbills, information about nest-site selection is lacking. We located
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Supplemental feeding of insect larvae increases mass of nestling Eastern Bluebirds, but not nestling Black-capped Chickadees J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-08-28 Sarah A. Dzielski, Robyn L. Bailey, Facundo Fernandez-Duque, David N. Bonter
Globally, billions of U.S. dollars are spent annually to provide food for wild birds. The variety of foods offered continues to diversify, yet the consequences for wildlife of this widespread human activity are relatively unexplored, as are the relative benefits of different types of supplemental food. To investigate the potential implications of supplemental feeding for reproductive success, we experimentally
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Flight directions of songbirds are unaffected by the topography of Lake Erie’s southern coastline during fall migration J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-08-17 Ian A. Anderson, David V. Gesicki, Verner P. Bingman
Migrating birds often encounter ecological barriers to fueling and other costs that can influence their flight directions. During spring migration, many migrants deviate westward along the southern coast of Lake Erie’s western basin instead of continuing to fly the more northerly, broad-front direction and crossing the lake. The goal of this study was to determine if migrants arriving at the same locations
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Migration routes and wintering areas of male Red-winged Blackbirds as determined using geolocators J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-08-09 Dereck Stonefish, Michelle A. Eshleman, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Page E. Klug, Timothy J. Greives, Erin H. Gillam
Understanding how birds move through and use landscapes across their annual cycle is a key goal of migration research. Breeding populations of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in the northern United States and Canada are known to migrate to the southern United States each fall and exhibit strong fidelity to the same breeding areas each spring. Previous mark–recapture studies of Red-winged
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Factors influencing detectability and responses of Elf Owls to playback of conspecific vocalizations J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-08-06 Aaron D. Flesch, John Boone, David Vander Pluym, Laura Beth Sabin
Broadcasting conspecific vocalizations is commonly used to survey secretive, inconspicuous, and uncommon species of birds, but information about how response behaviors vary across temporal and broad spatial gradients is limited for most species despite the importance of such data for guiding survey efforts. We assessed response patterns and detection probability of Elf Owls (Micrathene whitneyi) across
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Nestling provisioning behavior of Black-backed Woodpeckers in post-fire forest J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-07-06 John K. Loverin, Andrew N. Stillman, Rodney B. Siegel, Robert L. Wilkerson, Matthew Johnson, Morgan W. Tingley
Provisioning behavior can have cascading effects on nest survival, juvenile recruitment, and parental fitness. Provisioning behavior may be influenced by temporal variables, such as nestling age, or habitat variables, such as food availability and landscape disturbance. Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) are associated with burned forests, where they nest in stands of fire-killed trees. Our
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Nest reuse by Pale-breasted Thrushes reduces the chance of cowbird parasitism and allows earlier initiation of breeding J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-05-04 Augusto Florisvaldo Batisteli, Hugo Sarmento, Marco Aurélio Pizo
Selection of safe nest sites is a first step toward improving the chances of breeding successfully. Reusing old nests can save time and energy for breeding birds, but nest reuse is rare among open-cup nesting songbirds and the factors contributing to this behavior and its consequences for reproductive output remain little known. We studied an urban population of Pale-breasted Thrushes (Turdus leucomelas)
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Population estimates and trends of three Maui Island-endemic Hawaiian Honeycreepers J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-06-11 Seth W. Judge, Christopher C. Warren, Richard J. Camp, Laura K. Berthold, Hanna L. Mounce, Patrick J. Hart, Ryan J. Monello
Population monitoring is critical for informing the management and conservation of rare Hawaiian forest birds. In 2017, we used point-transect distance sampling methods to estimate population densities of birds on Haleakalā Volcano on east Maui island. We estimated the populations and ranges of three island-endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers, including the endangered ‘Ākohekohe (Palmeria dolei), the endangered
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Mid-summer arrival by Blue Grosbeaks at the northern extent of their breeding range: evidence for dual breeding? J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-06-09 David L. Swanson, Reza Goljani Amirkhiz
Anecdotal observations of mid-summer arrival of Blue Grosbeaks (Passerina caerulea) in South Dakota, in the northern portion of their breeding range, suggest that this species may show a pattern of arrival at the northern breeding grounds that differs from that of other species of migrant birds. We assessed this possibility using three different approaches: (1) data mining from a citizen-science database
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Full annual cycle tracking of Black-crowned Night-Herons suggests wintering areas do not explain differences in colony population trends J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-06-10 Amy L. Scarpignato, Kristie A. Stein, Emily B. Cohen, Peter P. Marra, Laura J. Kearns, Sara Hallager, Christopher M. Tonra
An understanding of the full annual cycle distributions of bird populations is a prerequisite to elucidating the drivers of differing trends among breeding populations. In the United States, Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) are listed as threatened or endangered in some states where they breed, but populations are stable in others. Outside of the breeding season, little is known about
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Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-06-01 Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Christopher M. Harwood, T. Lee Tibbitts, Nils Warnock, Robert E. Gill
Birds that conduct long-distance migrations exhibit varied patterns of consistency in migratory timing and site use. Understanding variation in these traits among populations can help uncover mechanisms driving migratory behaviors and identify potential population threats. Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) are long-distance migratory shorebirds with a Holarctic breeding distribution, and recent studies
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Subspecies discrimination based on song structure by Willow Flycatchers J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-05-26 Sean M. Mahoney, Bret Pasch, Tad C. Theimer
Animals use acoustic signals to repel competitors and attract mates, and signal divergence among populations can promote reproductive isolation. Empidonax flycatchers are insectivorous songbirds distributed across North and Central America that are conservative in plumage, but often exhibit differences in songs both among and within species. Four subspecies of Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii)
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Achromatic plumage variation between and within hybridizing Black-capped and Mountain chickadees J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-06-04 Katherine B. Feldmann, Kathryn C. Grabenstein, Scott A. Taylor
Feather coloration and patterning are major signals influencing mate choice within and between species. However, most studies of the role of plumage in mate choice have focused on colorful species with obvious sexual dichromatism. To better understand how achromatic plumage might influence hybridization, we quantified plumage variation between and within two achromatic songbirds that occasionally hybridize
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Drivers of the breeding success of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus frazari) at a critical site in Sinaloa, Mexico J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-03-19 Ivonne I. Vega‐Ruiz, José Alfredo Castillo‐Guerrero, Guillermo Fernández
Understanding breeding phenology and success can elucidate population dynamics, which is especially important for species in need of conservation. We describe the factors affecting the breeding biology of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus frazari) at El Rancho Island, a critical site that contains ~ 7% of the total estimated population, on the coast of Sinaloa, Mexico. We monitored 192
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Brood provisioning rates and fledgling behavior of Cordilleran Flycatchers in southwestern Colorado J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-03-27 Abigail J. Darrah, Charles van Riper
The behavior of young songbirds after fledging is one of the least understood phases of the breeding cycle, although parental provisioning rates and movement of fledglings are key to understanding life history evolution. We studied Cordilleran Flycatchers (Empidonax occidentalis) at two sites in southwestern Colorado, USA, from 2012 to 2017. We banded and sexed breeding adults to determine the relative
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Wintering destinations of Monterey Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus slevini) J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-03-31 Allison R. Paules Nelson, William T. Wiskes, Nathaniel E. Seavy
Across their broad North American distribution, Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus) exhibit extensive yet subtle intraspecific variation in morphology and diverse migration patterns, causing considerable debate regarding their systematics and an incomplete understanding of their migratory geography. To better understand the fall migration and wintering destinations of Hermit Thrushes in coastal California
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Cerulean Warblers in the Ozark region: habitat selection, breeding biology, survival, and space use J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-03-10 Jacob L. Wessels, Than J. Boves
Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) are a species with declining populations that exhibit regional variation in habitat selection and demographic rates. The Ozark region of the south‐central United States likely provides important habitat for Cerulean Warblers, but little is known about their breeding biology in that region. We studied Cerulean Warblers in riparian forests of the Ozarks of Arkansas
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An inexpensive, 3D‐printable breast muscle meter for field ornithologists J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-03-22 Luke L. Powell, Adam Metallo, Crinan Jarrett, Nathan W. Cooper, Peter P. Marra, Scott R. McWilliams, Ulf Bauchinger, Bryant C. Dossman
The size of the pectoral muscle is an important component of body condition in birds and has been linked to indices of fitness and migratory performance. Bauchinger et al. (2011. Journal of Ornithology 152: 507–514) developed, calibrated, and validated an aluminum “muscle meter” device that estimates the size of pectoral muscles noninvasively. To make this tool more widely available, we created a CAD
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Survival of Greater Sage‐Grouse broods: survey method affects disturbance and age‐specific detection probability J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-04-01 Ian P. Riley, Courtney J. Conway, Bryan S. Stevens, Shane Roberts
Investigators rely on brood surveys to estimate annual fecundity of game birds. However, investigators often do not account for factors that influence brood detection probability nor rarely document how much females and their broods are disturbed (flush rates) during surveys, which could lead to biased survival estimates. We used 45 radio‐tagged female Greater Sage‐Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
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Adjustable leg harness for attaching tags to small and medium‐sized birds J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-01-28 Vitek Jirinec, Patricia F. Rodrigues, Bruna Amaral
Rapidly expanding use of biologging devices is increasingly bringing novel insights into ornithology. Consequently, to maximize bird welfare and data quality, this growth calls for ensuring that devices are properly attached. Here, we provide a diagram for constructing a simple, field‐adjustable leg‐loop harness suitable for many small and medium‐sized birds (< 200 g). We make harnesses prior to fieldwork
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Migratory bird community structure in oil palm (Elaies guineensis) plantations and native forest fragments in southern Mexico J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2021-01-22 Samuel L. Oliveira, David J. Flaspohler, Jessie L. Knowlton, Christopher R. Webster, Jared D. Wolfe
Oil palm (Elaies guineensis) plantations are among the fastest growing agroecosystems in the Neotropics, but little is known about how Neotropical birds use oil palm habitats. To better understand the potential value of oil palm as an overwintering habitat for migratory birds, we surveyed birds in oil palm and native forest remnants in Tabasco, Mexico, from 19 December 2017 to 27 March 2018. We collected
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A single species of plant predicts territory occupancy in a population of Peruvian Plantcutters J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-11-18 Sergio Nolazco, Amalia M. Sánchez
Habitat selection assessments at multiple spatial scales provide a more complete understanding of the habitat requirements of a species, a matter that is especially useful for managing endangered wildlife. Studies of the diet and population distribution of threatened Peruvian Plantcutters (Phytotoma raimondii) suggest that the presence of Prosopis spp. trees, and the shrubs Grabowskia boerhaaviaefolia
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Divergent movement patterns of adult and juvenile ‘Akohekohe, an endangered Hawaiian Honeycreeper J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-11-17 Alex X. Wang, Eben H. Paxton, Hanna L. Mounce, Patrick J. Hart
The movement patterns of birds across a landscape are often highly variable and influenced by complex interactions between individuals and environments. Because periods of movement can be marked by high mortality, especially among juvenile birds, understanding these patterns may be vital for the conservation of many bird species. However, these patterns can be challenging to quantify. We used radio‐telemetry
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Attacks of songbirds in mixed‐species flocks by Eurasian Sparrowhawks: strategies of predators and potential prey J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-11-21 Indrikis A. Krams, Tatjana Krama, Todd M. Freeberg, Ronalds Krams, Kathryn E. Sieving
Predation is an essential factor affecting prey populations, yet attacks are notoriously difficult to observe in real time. Here, we provide descriptive data about the attack behavior of Eurasian Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) and the escape tactics of their prey in coniferous forests in Latvia during the non‐breeding season. Over a period of 36 years (1985–2020), we observed 199 attacks of Eurasian
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Conventional and network analyses of song organization and complexity in northern House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon parkmanii) J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-11-11 Chinthaka Kaluthota, David Logue, Drew Rendall
Among songbirds with large song‐type repertoires, there may be functional variation in how individuals organize and display song‐type diversity over time. Past studies focusing on conventional measures of song production have been extremely productive. However, network analysis offers a novel set of tools to quantify additional, previously unstudied elements of song organization and display. We studied
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Morphological traits influence prey selection by coexisting species of New World warblers (Parulidae) J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-11-29 Kristen M. Rosamond, Cody M. Kent, Sarah Chieko Hunter, Thomas W. Sherry
New World wood warblers (Parulidae) represent one of the most dramatic adaptive radiations in North America. However, the ecological bases for the morphological differences among these species remain poorly understood, especially considering how many foraging and habitat studies the family has inspired. We hypothesized the existence of relationships between parulid morphology and diet. We combined
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Applications of an unmanned aerial vehicle and thermal‐imaging camera to study ducks nesting over water J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-10-25 Jacob D. Bushaw, Kevin M. Ringelman, Michael K. Johnson, Trenton Rohrer, Frank C. Rohwer
Finding and monitoring nests are key components of avian research, but they are often expensive, time‐consuming, and inefficient operations. This is certainly true for diving ducks that nest in wetlands with thick emergent vegetation where nests are typically located by teams of technicians that wade through a marsh and beat vegetation with sticks, hoping to flush incubating females or encounter nests
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Applying structure‐from‐motion habitat reconstruction and GIS terrain analysis to test hypotheses about nest‐site selection by shorebirds J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-12-04 Noah Korne, Scott A. Flemming, Paul A. Smith, Erica Nol
Habitat variables related to vegetation type and structure are routinely identified as important components of nest‐site selection for birds. For ground‐nesting birds, small‐scale (< 0.5 m) microtopography may also play a role in nest‐site selection through its effects on nest concealment and microclimate. Manual measurements of microtopography are challenging, time‐consuming, and subject to user error
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Fledgling Bachman’s Sparrows in a longleaf pine ecosystem: survival, movements, and habitat selection J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-10-01 Alexander C. Fish, Christopher S. DePerno, Jessica M. Schillaci, Christopher E. Moorman
Fledgling ecology remains understudied for many passerine species, yet information about the fledgling life stage is critical for understanding full-annual life cycles and population recruitment. We examined the survival, habitat selection, and movements of fledgling Bachman’s Sparrows (Peucaea aestivalis) in a longleaf pine-wiregrass (Pinus palustris-Aristida stricta) community managed with frequent
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Annual climate in Mexican Spotted Owl habitat in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico: implications for responding to climate change J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-08-18 Joseph L. Ganey, James P. Ward, Todd A. Rawlinson, Sean C. Kyle, Ryan S. Jonnes
Global climate change presents a growing conservation threat, but our understanding of the effects of climate change remains limited for most species. We evaluated the annual climate cycle for threatened Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in high‐elevation mixed‐conifer forests in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico from 2005 to 2010. We used data from a network of weather stations
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Ontogeny of food‐caching site preferences in young Florida Scrub‐Jays: evidence of learning or changing social status? J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Matthew Fuirst, Jessica Greer, Reed Bowman
Florida Scrub‐Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) are cooperative breeders endemic to Florida’s oak scrub. In autumn, Florida Scrub‐Jays cache thousands of acorns and exhibit behaviors that appear to balance cache site selection against food degradation or cache robbery. However, both experience and position within a social dominance hierarchy could affect individual cache preferences. We examined the cache
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Self‐referent phenotype matching is a poor predictor of egg rejection by American Robins J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-07-27 Mark E. Hauber, Caterina R. Kim, Cameron Goethe, Daniel Hanley
Many hosts of obligate brood‐parasitic birds use variation in the coloration and pattern of eggshells to identify and reject foreign eggs from their nests. However, egg‐rejection behavior of several hosts is not tightly predicted by the modeled output of overall avian‐perceivable chromatic differences between foreign and host eggs. This demands a re‐investigation into the proximate sensory cues and
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Detecting diel patterns in the songs of Chipping Sparrows using citizen‐science data J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-08-09 Abigail M. Searfoss, Wan‐chun Liu, Nicole Creanza
Previous studies have revealed diel patterns in the songs of Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina), with songs shorter in duration before dawn than after. However, the extent to which this phenomenon generalizes to the full geographic range of these sparrows is unclear, as is the question of whether citizen‐science data can be used to detect diel patterns in song. We analyzed all available songs of
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Accipiter hawks of the Laurentian Upland and the Interior Plains undertake the longest migrations: insights from birds banded or recovered in Veracruz, Mexico J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-08-04 Enya Astrid Córdoba‐Cuevas, Sara Patricia Ibarra‐Zavaleta, Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza
Bird banding has allowed us to understand diverse aspects of the life histories of migratory raptors. However, most banding stations are located at northern latitudes so what we know about the movements of these raptors is biased toward higher latitudes, primarily from Canada and the United States, leaving important gaps in our knowledge of their movements at lower latitudes. Our objective was to describe
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Modeling spring migration patterns of scoters and loons in the Bay of Fundy J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-08-24 James D. Kelley, Heather L. Major
Populations of scoter and loon species that winter in the Atlantic are understudied in North America, but coastal observatories may provide the data required to fill some of the knowledge gaps. The migration of scoters and loons has been monitored at the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory (PLBO) in the Bay of Fundy every spring since 1996, but little peer‐reviewed research based on the resultant database
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Satellite transmitters reveal previously unknown migratory behavior and wintering locations of Yuma Ridgway’s Rails J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-09-18 Eamon J. Harrity, Courtney J. Conway
Preventing or reversing population declines of rare species often requires an understanding of their complete annual life cycle, but this information is lacking for many species. Such has been the case for Yuma Ridgway’s Rails (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis), a federally endangered marsh bird endemic to the Lower Colorado River Basin and Salton Sink in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. Yuma Ridgway’s
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Evaluating abundance estimates and evidence of breeding for Bobolinks from transect and point‐count surveys J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-08-10 Andrew J. Campomizzi, Zoé M. Lebrun‐Southcott, Christopher M. Lituma
Estimating the abundance and breeding success of territorial songbirds is challenging. Various types of surveys and analyses are available, but all receive some criticism in the literature, and most methods are rarely compared with results obtained using intensive monitoring efforts. We assessed the efficacy of transect and point‐count surveys to estimate the abundance of male Bobolinks (Dolichonyx
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Relationship of current management practices to movements of Piping Plover broods in an Atlantic Coast population J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-07-21 Chelsea E. Weithman, James D. Fraser, Sarah M. Karpanty, Daniel H. Catlin
Mobility of precocial chicks facilitates self‐feeding and escape from predators, but also allows chicks to move into potentially dangerous areas. At Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina, precocial Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) are managed with vehicle and pedestrian exclusion buffers to reduce potential anthropogenic disturbance and mortality
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Low genetic structure and diversity of Red‐billed Tropicbirds in the Mexican Pacific J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-07-10 José Alfredo Castillo‐Guerrero, Alberto Piña‐Ortiz, Luis Enríquez‐Paredes, Albert M. van der Heiden, Salvador Hernández‐Vázquez, Nancy C. Saavedra‐Sotelo, Guillermo Fernández
Understanding genetic structure and gene flow can elucidate the mechanisms of diversification and adaptation in seabirds and help define conservation and management units. From 2012 to 2016, we collected blood and feather samples from 156 Red‐billed Tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus) from seven colonies distributed along the Gulf of California and Mexican tropical Pacific to estimate genetic diversity
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Factors influencing occupancy and density of salt marsh songbirds in northeast Florida J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-06-26 Amy C. Schwarzer, W. Andrew Cox, Brett Tornwall
Salt marshes and the organisms that depend on them are subject to a variety of anthropogenic threats. In Florida, Worthington’s Marsh Wrens (Cistothorus palustris griseus) and MacGillivray’s Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima macgillivraii) are species of concern that inhabit a small, narrow range of salt marsh in the northeastern corner of the state, an area of increasing human development. The
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Yearly variation in factors associated with local recruitment of Tree Swallows J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-06-22 Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe, Sango Otieno, Alyssa Hawker, Dan Welgarz, Danielle Andrews, Amanda Black
Identifying factors that influence the chances of fledglings becoming local recruits can inform us about the ecology of population dynamics and factors influencing parental fitness. We studied Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in boxes in western Michigan from 1994 to 2005 and found that 145 of 2405 (6.0%) nestlings that fledged from 840 nests became local recruits. Most local recruits returned
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Cavity use and breeding biology of endangered Bahama Swallows (Tachycineta cyaneoviridis): implications for conservation J. Field Ornithol. (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2020-05-30 Maya Wilson, Jeffrey R. Walters
Bird populations, especially on islands, have declined or gone extinct due to overhunting, habitat loss and fragmentation, and adverse effects of the introduction of non‐native species. Bahama Swallows (Tachycineta cyaneoviridis), endangered secondary cavity nesters that breed on only three islands in the northern Bahamas, are an island species with a declining population, but the causes of this decline