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Hierarchical distance sampling reveals increased population size and broader habitat use in the endangered Bahama Oriole Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2021-02-25 Michael Rowley; Richard Stanley; Janine Antalffy; Jennifer Christhilf; Daniel Stonko; Scott Johnson; Shelley Cant-Woodside; T Sillett; Matthew Fagan; Colin Studds; Kevin Omland
The Caribbean is home to over 20 passerine species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi) is listed as critically endangered and is now restricted to Andros, a single island complex in The Bahamas. We investigated this species' habitat use and produced the first statistically robust estimate
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Black-backed Woodpecker occupancy is extensive in green conifer forests of the southern Cascade Mountains, Oregon Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2021-01-27 Jake Verschuyl; Jaime Stephens; Andrew Kroll; Katherine Halstead; Dennis Rock
Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) are widely considered a burned forest specialist across much of their range. Several recent studies have examined their occurrence in “green” coniferous forests that have not been recently burned, but Black-backed Woodpecker occupancy and factors influencing occupancy in these forest types remain largely unexamined. We worked on the east slope of the southern
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Local habitat and landscape attributes shape the diversity facets of bird communities in Inner Mongolian grasslands Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2021-01-15 Zheng Han; Lishi Zhang; Yunlei Jiang; Haitao Wang; Frédéric Jiguet
The loss and fragmentation of natural habitats because of anthropogenic activities are major threats to biodiversity worldwide. In recent decades, vast mosaics of natural and seminatural habitats have been transformed into fragmented agricultural landscapes in Inner Mongolia, China, with potential negative effects on avian diversity. We quantified the effect of local and landscape habitat attributes
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Raptor resource use in agroecosystems: cover crops and definitions of availability matter Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 Megan Zagorski; Robert Swihart
The populations of many species of raptors that forage in agroecosystems have declined as agriculture has intensified. Cover crops are a recent trend in areas of intensive row-crop agriculture in the Midwestern United States that could positively affect raptors by increasing the abundance and distribution of raptor prey. We assessed the habitat use of two raptors, American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
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Estimating the relative use of anthropogenic resources by Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) in the Bay of Fundy, Canada Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 Katherine Shlepr; Robert Ronconi; Brian Hayden; Karel Allard; Antony Diamond
Gulls (Larus spp.) are described as generalist, opportunistic feeders that show great flexibility in habitat use. Despite an apparent advantage in changing landscapes, many Larus populations have declined in eastern North America since the 1990s. The main hypothesis explaining gull declines at a broad scale is a decrease in total food availability, especially anthropogenically derived fisheries discards
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Winter carry-over effects on spring body condition driven by agricultural subsidies to Lesser Snow Geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Drew Fowler; Elisabeth Webb; Mark Vrtiska; Keith Hobson
Anthropogenic changes to landscapes associated with intensive agriculture often have deleterious effects on avian abundance. However, some species like the Lesser Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens caerulescens), can benefit from increases in agricultural crops on both wintering and migratory stopover sites. We investigated the influence of winter habitat use on spring body condition in Lesser Snow Goose
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Twenty years of coastal waterbird trends suggest regional patterns of environmental pressure in British Columbia, Canada Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-11-30 Danielle Ethier; Pete Davidson; Graham Sorenson; Karen Barry; Karen Devitt; Catherine Jardine; Denis Lepage; David Bradley
Waterbirds are often used as indicators of ecosystem function across broad spatial and temporal scales. Resolving which species are declining and the ecological characteristics they have in common can offer insights into ecosystem changes and their underlying mechanisms. Using 20 years of citizen science data collected by the British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey, we examine species-specific trends
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Deforestation patterns shape population structure of the Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) in southern Chile Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-11-25 Yanina Poblete; Gerardo Soto; Leonardo Campagna; Miguel Ávila; Carolina Fernández; Cristian Flores; Amanda Rodewald
One important landscape-scale consequence of deforestation is reduced connectivity, which has the potential to isolate populations in ways that affect genetic diversity and population structure. Among the many regions of the world where this scenario has played out is the South American temperate forest (SATF) in southern Chile, and there is now strong concern about the population viability of forest
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Ranking and mapping the high conservation priority bird species of Saudi Arabia Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-11-13 Christopher Boland; Bruce Burwell
One of the challenges facing conservation biologists and land managers is to determine which species in the biota should receive conservation priority. This is particularly challenging in regions with comparatively little baseline ecological data, such as the Arabian Peninsula. Here we create a list of high conservation priority species for the birds of Saudi Arabia using objective criteria. In total
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The abundance of Greater Sage-Grouse as a proxy for the abundance of sagebrush-associated songbirds in Wyoming, USA Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-11-09 Jason Carlisle; Anna Chalfoun
Surrogate-species concepts are prevalent in animal conservation. Such strategies advocate for conservation by proxy, wherein one species is used to represent other taxa to obtain a conservation objective. The efficacy of such approaches has been rarely assessed empirically, but is predicated on concordance between the surrogate and sympatric taxa in distribution, abundance, and ecological requirements
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Multiscale occupancy of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken: the role of private lands in conservation of an imperiled bird Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-11-09 Christian Hagen; Jason Carlisle; Fawn Hornsby; Michael Houts; Lyman McDonald; David Pavlacky Jr.
Grasslands are one of the most imperiled ecosystems globally, and the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is an iconic grassland-obligate species with high conservation priority in the USA. Lesser Prairie-Chicken conservation is compounded by its requirement for a spatial hierarchy of heterogeneous habitats, coupled with nearly all (> 95%) of its range being privately owned. The U.S
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Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick’s Swans Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-10-15 Rascha Nuijten; Bart Nolet
Migratory species are threatened worldwide by climate change, overexploitation, and habitat changes. Availability of suitable habitat is important for flying migrants, and in particular for large birds that use the energetically expensive flapping flight mode, such as the Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii). Bewick’s Swans largely feed on aquatic macrophytes during migration that may disappear
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Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island? Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-10-15 Heather Levy; James Cox
We conducted playback-response experiments to assess whether the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) population found on Grand Bahama Island might be a distinct and critically endangered species. In one experiment, Brown-headed Nuthatch individuals in north Florida were presented with calls from: (1) a male conspecific in North Carolina; (2) a male recorded on Grand Bahama Island; (3) a male Pygmy
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The use of a camera trap and acoustic survey design to ascertain the vocalization and breeding status of the highly elusive White-winged Flufftail, Sarothrura ayresi Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-10-14 Robin Colyn; Alastair Campbell; Hanneline Smit-Robinson
The critically endangered White-winged Flufftail, Sarothrura ayresi, was first described in 1877 and yet significant data deficiencies in the vocalization and breeding status of this species still exist. This species currently faces a high extinction risk, largely due to extensive habitat loss, and respective data deficiencies have hampered conservation efforts. The species’ elusive behavior, cryptic
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Factors affecting Bobolink nest survival across grassland types Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-10-14 Monica Fromberger; Andrew Campomizzi; Zoé Lebrun-Southcott; Alice Pintaric; Nicole MacDonald; Erica Nol
Grassland birds, including Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), have experienced steep population declines across their breeding range in North America. Because of these declines, Bobolinks were listed as threatened by the Ontario and Canadian governments. We assessed nest survival across land-cover types and uses to identify pertinent factors important for conservation of this species-at-risk. We analyzed
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Nest box location determines the exposure of the host to ectoparasites Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-10-13 Jesús Veiga; Francisco Valera
Nest box supplementation is a widely used technique to aid in the conservation of cavity nesting bird species. However, the criteria to choose the best location for nest boxes has seldom considered the likely exposure of cavity-users to parasites. Birds host an impressive diversity of ectoparasites that may have detrimental effects on their fitness. Here we focus on the ectoparasite infracommunity
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Evaluating the efficacy of eBird data for modeling historical population trajectories of North American birds and for monitoring populations of boreal and Arctic breeding species Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-10-09 Jacob Walker; Philip Taylor
Historic population trajectories for most North American bird species are largely unknown for years prior to circa 1970. Additionally, current estimates of population trajectories of boreal and Arctic breeding species are imprecise or biased because of lack of coverage by Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes in that region. Citizen science data, in particular eBird data, could fill these information gaps
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Integrating wetland bird point count data from humans and acoustic recorders Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-10-08 Laura Stewart; Douglas Tozer; Janine McManus; Lucas Berrigan; Kiel Drake
Wetland loss is cause for concern for populations of many wetland bird species throughout North America. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, the primary resource for broad-scale avian population data, does not provide sufficient data for many marsh bird species. Targeted marsh bird monitoring programs have been implemented across the continent in an attempt to fill this gap. Despite these efforts
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Within-scale and cross-scale interaction effects of temperature and human socioeconomic conditions on avian abundance Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-09-30 Anand Chaudhary; Kevin Gutzwiller
The interactive effects of climate and human socioeconomic factors on biodiversity in the Anthropocene may be studied most effectively from a social-ecological perspective. Climate can affect avian abundance, and socioeconomics may affect the human propensity to contribute to conservation. Yet, little is known about how these two factors interact to affect species. We assessed the relative influence
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A monitoring framework for assessing threats to nonbreeding shorebirds on the Pacific Coast of the Americas Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-09-14 Matthew Reiter; Eduardo Palacios; Diana Eusse-Gonzalez; Richard Johnston González; Pete Davidson; David Bradley; Rob Clay; Khara Strum; James Chu; Blake Barbaree; Catherine Hickey; David Lank; Mark Drever; Ronald Ydenberg; Robert Butler
Many shorebirds (Order: Charadriiformes; Family: Charadriidae, Recurvirostridae, Scolopacidae, Haematopodidae, Jacanidae) are highly migratory, traversing thousands of kilometers between high latitude breeding and low latitude nonbreeding sites. In doing so, they are dependent on networks of coastal and interior wetland ecosystems. To aid in the effective conservation and management of their populations
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Wing-size related habitat choice of Great Reed Warbler females: the role of habitat quality and management Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-06-12 Thomas Mérő; Antun Žuljević; Katalin Varga; Szabolcs Lengyel
Intersexual differences in habitat choice can arise if males and females differ in morphology, physiology, niche partitioning, or resource use, and can be influenced by variation in habitat structure, quality, and management. To better understand such intersexual differences, we studied habitat choice in female Great Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a long-distance migrant flagship species
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The effects of landscape composition and configuration on Eastern Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferous) and Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) occupancy in an agroecosystem Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-06-22 Michelle Vala; Greg Mitchell; Kevin Hannah; Julia Put; Scott Wilson
Agricultural expansion and intensification are some of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Effective conservation and management strategies for threatened species in agroecosystems require information on how these species are affected by (1) the amount and configuration of natural habitats, and (2) the type and extent of agricultural land covers. The Eastern Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus
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Bioacoustic analyses reveal that bird communities recover with forest succession in tropical dry forests Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-06-22 Kiirsti Owen; Amanda Melin; Fernando Campos; Linda Fedigan; Thomas Gillespie; Daniel Mennill
With expanding anthropogenic disturbances to forests around the world, forest restoration is increasingly important for bird conservation. Restoration monitoring is critical for understanding how birds respond to forest regeneration and for assessing the effectiveness of restoration efforts. Using bioacoustic monitoring, we recorded bird communities during both dry and wet seasons at 62 sites along
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Toward actionable, coproduced research on boreal birds focused on building respectful partnerships Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-06-30 Alana Westwood; Nicole Barker; Sam Grant; Amy Amos; Alaine Camfield; Kaytlin Cooper; Francisco Dénes; Frankie Jean-Gagnon; Lindsay McBlane; Fiona Schmiegelow; Jamie Simpson; Stuart Slattery; Darren Sleep; Sophie Sliwa; Jeffrey Wells; Darroch Whitaker
Recent research on boreal birds has focused on understanding effects of human activity on populations and their habitats. As bird populations continue to decline, research is often intended to inform conservation and management policies and practices. Research produced under the typical “loading dock” model by Western-trained researchers often fails to achieve desired conservation outcomes. There is
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Impacts of traditional livestock farming on threatened sheldgeese (Chloephaga spp.) in Patagonia Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-07-27 Natalia Cossa; Laura Fasola; Ignacio Roesler; Juan Reboreda
Migratory sheldgeese (continental Upland Goose Chloephaga picta, Ashy-headed Goose C. poliocephala, and continental Ruddy-headed Goose C. rubidiceps) are endemic birds of southern South America. They are currently threatened by illegal hunting, overgrazing, and invasive predators. Because their breeding area is intensely grazed by sheep and cows, we studied the interaction of sheldgeese flocks and
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Using continental-scale bird banding data to estimate demographic migratory patterns for Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-07-28 Josée Rousseau; John Alexander; Matthew Betts
The effective conservation of birds requires knowledge of species-specific population dynamics. Yet these dynamics during migration and across age and sex categories are poorly understood for small birds. The goal of this study was to assess large-scale fall migration patterns of Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus). Because the age and sex categories of this species depart from the breeding grounds
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Habitat occupancy by breeding Pied-billed and Horned Grebes in Prairie Canada: correlates of pond use and breeding success Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-07-28 Daniel Routhier; Kevin Dufour; Mark Bidwell; Robert Clark
Incorporating information about habitat use and success of breeding birds contributes to a more complete understanding of their ecology and distribution, and can also inform management strategies for species of conservation concern. We used occupancy data that accounted for imperfect detection from a two-year field study of two territorial waterbird species in southcentral Saskatchewan (n = 172 ponds
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Noise, avian abundance, and productivity at banding stations across the Continental United States Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-07-29 Amber Ng; Michael Pontius; Stacy De Ruiter; Darren Proppe
Noise is an increasingly common component of the natural world, due in large part to human activity. Anthropogenic noise negatively impacts abundance, health, and reproduction in many songbird populations. A few studies have reported altered abundance at larger scales. But whether continental trends are being detected at banding stations, which also offer data on productivity and survivorship, is unknown
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Movement patterns and habitat preference of Oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis) in the southern Andes of Colombia Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-07-30 Sasha Cárdenas; Laura Cardona; Maria Echeverry-Galvis; Pablo Stevenson
Habitat use and movement patterns in animals are usually determined by the availability of food, morphological and physiological traits, social systems, and safe sites to complete vital cycles. The objective of this study was to estimate the home-range area, daily traveled distance, and patterns of space use by Oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis), and the factors that can affect them in Cueva de Los Guacharos
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Movement ecology and habitat use differences in Black Scoters wintering along the Atlantic coast Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-08-18 Hannah Plumpton; Scott Gilliland; Beth Ross
For migratory species such as Black Scoters (Melanitta americana) whose range encompasses a variety of habitats, it is especially important to obtain habitat use information across the species’ range to better understand anthropogenic threats, e.g., marine development and climate change. The objective of our study was to investigate the winter movement patterns and habitat use of Black Scoters in the
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Long-term changes in the abundance and breeding success of raptors and ravens in periods of varying management of a Scottish grouse moor Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-06-03 Sonja Ludwig; Staffan Roos; Chris Rollie; David Baines
Management of heather moorland for driven Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) shooting in the British uplands may benefit some raptors by reducing predation risk, especially when breeding, and by increasing food availability. We describe changes in abundance and breeding success of four raptor species and Common Raven (Corvus corax) during a 27-year study on a grouse moor in southwest Scotland in
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Roadkill of birds in Galapagos Islands: a growing need for solutions Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-06-02 José-María García-Carrasco; Washington Tapia; Antonio-Román Muñoz
A major step in the development of conservation measures would be to study and understand the sources of non-natural mortality in wild fauna. The implementation of such measures should be a priority in oceanic islands because biodiversity hotspots are concentrated in these locations. Furthermore, anthropogenic changes have a greater impact on island species than on their mainland relatives. This situation
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Nest microhabitat influences nest-site selection in dry prairie but not in pasture habitat for the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-06-02 Archer Larned; Erin Hewett Ragheb; Karl Miller; Bernard Lohr
Vegetation characteristics can influence nest-site selection and nest survival of birds. The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) is a critically endangered ground nesting grassland bird endemic to central Florida. Currently, the two largest remaining populations are found on sites with differently managed habitats. One site is burned regularly to maintain native dry prairie
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Neither forest herbicides nor ambient temperature exert strong effects on reproductive output of a cavity-nesting songbird Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-05-20 James Rivers; Kristin Jones; Matthew Betts
Land management may combine with air temperature to influence the persistence of animal populations, so both must be evaluated in concert to understand how populations respond to increased forest management intensity and projected climate change. We used a large-scale study that experimentally manipulated herbicide application intensity within regenerating forests to test how herbicide-mediated changes
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Spring migration of Blackpoll Warblers across North America Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-05-19 Kristen Covino; Sara Morris; Mark Shieldcastle; Philip Taylor
The awe-inspiring seasonal migrations of birds between breeding and wintering grounds has long attracted the interest of casual naturalists and professional ornithologists alike. Although new technologies improve our ability to follow individual migrants throughout their annual cycle, the scale and detail provided by banding records remain incredibly valuable. The focus of avian migration studies is
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Shifts in crane migration phenology associated with climate change in southwestern Europe Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-05-08 José Orellana-Macías; Luis Bautista; Daniel Merchán; Jesús Causapé; Juan Alonso
Gallocanta lagoon, NE Spain, is one of the main stopover and wintering areas of Common Cranes (Grus grus) migrating through Western Europe. We investigated how the water level of the lagoon where cranes roost, precipitation, and air temperature might have influenced the species’ migration and wintering patterns in this area between 1973 and 2018. Over the study period, the mean annual air temperature
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Updating the distribution of the Sierra Madre Sparrow Xenospiza baileyi across central Mexico: historical records, new localities, and conservation perspectives Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-04-27 Rubén Ortega-Álvarez; Rafael Calderón-Parra; Ulises Martínez Molina; Fredy Martínez Molina; Gabriel Martínez Molina; Yuridia Martínez Molina; Agustín Martínez Villagrán; Josué Martínez Freire; Rocío Vásquez Robles; Delfino García Loaeza; Jaciel Martínez García; Sarai García Loaeza; Nancy Isabel Garduño López; Luis Sánchez-González
The Sierra Madre Sparrow (Xenospiza baileyi) is an endangered species microendemic to subalpine grasslands of central and northwestern Mexico. Given that land use change is highly dynamic in central Mexico, there is a need for a continuous monitoring of the distribution and conservation status of the species across the region. We here update the distribution of the Sierra Madre Sparrow by surveying
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Intra- and interannual regional fidelity of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) during migratory stopover in the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-04-22 Sarah Neima; Diana Hamilton; Cheri Gratto-Trevor; Julie Paquet
The Bay of Fundy, Canada is a critical migratory stopover for Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) during fall migration. Recent ecological changes combined with range-wide population declines indicate that a re-evaluation of habitat use and regional fidelity is required. The Bay of Fundy is divided into three regions, each of which contains multiple foraging and roost sites. In this study, we
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Roosting, reproduction, and survivorship of Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) in a suburban setting Avian Conserv. Ecol. (IF 2.541) Pub Date : 2020-04-03 Jorge Tomasevic; John Marzluff
Urban areas are rapidly expanding and natural habitats are being transformed changing the face of the local biota and the resources available for it. We studied how a purported sensitive species, the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), breeds and survives in response to rapid and extensive land cover change as urbanization reduces and potentially isolates forest. From 2009 to 2013, we used radio-telemetry
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