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Beyond refueling: Investigating the diversity of functions of migratory stopover events Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2021-02-10 Jennifer A Linscott; Nathan R Senner
Stopovers comprise a significant proportion of the time that many birds spend migrating, and researchers have long relied on these events to define and classify broader migratory strategies. Analyses of stopovers often assume that individuals stop primarily or exclusively in order to replenish energy stores, but other non-fueling behaviors have also been described during stopover events and can influence
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2020 Loye and Alden Miller Research Award to Erica Nol Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-12-21 Haig S, Hobson K, Sandercock B, et al.
The Loye and Alden Miller Research Award is given for lifetime achievement in ornithological research. Loye Holmes Miller and his son, Alden, left a remarkable legacy to the field of ornithology. Together they mentored 30 Ph.D. students, 28 in avian biology, and their students went on to train in turn a total of 166 scientists. Alden served as a long-standing editor of The Condor during his distinguished
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Irruptive White Ibis breeding is associated with use of freshwater crayfish in the coastal Everglades Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2021-02-01 Tasso C Cocoves; Mark I Cook; Jeffrey L Kline; Lori Oberhofer; Nathan J Dorn
As avian reproductive success is generally prey limited, identifying important prey types or sizes and understanding mechanisms governing prey availability are important objectives for avian conservation ecology. Irruptive White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) nesting at coastal colonies in the southern Everglades numbered over 100,000 nests in the 1930s. A century of drainage and altered hydrologic patterns
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From The Condor to Ornithological Applications Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2021-01-20 Catherine A Lindell
The Loye and Alden Miller Research Award is given for lifetime achievement in ornithological research. Loye Holmes Miller and his son, Alden, left a remarkable legacy to the field of ornithology. Together they mentored 30 Ph.D. students, 28 in avian biology, and their students went on to train in turn a total of 166 scientists. Alden served as a long-standing editor of The Condor during his distinguished
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Experimental playback of natural gas compressor noise reduces incubation time and hatching success in two secondary cavity-nesting bird species Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2021-01-19 Danielle P Williams; Julian D Avery; Thomas B Gabrielson; Margaret C Brittingham
Natural gas compressor stations emit loud, low-frequency noise that travels hundreds of meters into undisturbed habitat. We used experimental playback of natural gas compressor noise to determine whether and how noise influenced settlement decisions and reproductive output as well as when in the nesting cycle birds were most affected by compressor noise. We established 80 nest boxes to attract Eastern
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North American Breeding Bird Survey status and trend estimates to inform a wide range of conservation needs, using a flexible Bayesian hierarchical generalized additive model Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-12-26 Adam C Smith; Brandon P M Edwards
The status and trend estimates derived from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) are critical sources of information for bird conservation. However, the estimates are partly dependent on the statistical model used. Therefore, multiple models are useful because not all of the varied uses of these estimates (e.g., inferences about long-term change, annual fluctuations, population cycles, and
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Habitat ecology of Nearctic–Neotropical migratory landbirds on the nonbreeding grounds Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-10-14 Albert S, Wolfe J, Kellerman J, et al.
AbstractOf the approximately 716 bird species that breed in North America, 386 (54%) are considered Nearctic–Neotropical migrants by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In the past 50 yr, scores of these migratory species, including some once considered common, have declined dramatically. Nearctic–Neotropical migrants normally spend 6–8 months in tropical habitats, making the identification, availability
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Thank you to the reviewers of the 2020 Condor, volume 122 Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-10-05 Lindell C.
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Conservation social science in Ornithological Applications Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-10-05 Lindell C.
The editorial board of The Condor: Ornithological Applications invites authors to consider the journal for their conservation social science papers that focus on birds. The journal, soon to be renamed Ornithological Applications, publishes articles that advance the conservation and management of birds. Few articles to date have been in the realm of conservation social science, a field that uses the
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Advancing scientific knowledge and conservation of birds through inclusion of conservation social sciences in the American Ornithological Society Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-10-05 Dayer A, Barnes J, Dietsch A, et al.
AbstractConservation efforts are shaped by individual and collective human behaviors, cultural norms and values, economic pressures, and political and organizational structures. As such, the conservation social sciences—disciplines that draw on social science theories and approaches to improve conservation efforts—can play a vital role in advancing the science and practice of bird conservation. We
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Mixed evidence for effects of stewardship on Least Tern reproductive success in coastal Mississippi Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-25 Darrah A.
AbstractDisturbance from human activity can cause reduced productivity of coastal birds that nest on sandy beaches. A common method to protect coastal birds from human disturbance is the use of signs and fencing to close off a section of beach used for breeding. This management action requires public compliance and might require enforcement, such as in the use of volunteer stewards stationed at protected
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Migratory status determines resource selection by American Woodcock at an important fall stopover, Cape May, New Jersey Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-24 Allen B, McAuley D, Blomberg E.
AbstractMigration is a period of high activity and exposure during which risks and energetic demand on individuals may be greater than during nonmigratory periods. Stopover locations can help mitigate these threats by providing supplemental energy en route to the animal’s end destination. Effective conservation of migratory species therefore requires an understanding of use of space that provides resources
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2020 Early Professional Awards to Nicholas A. Mason, Sara A. Kaiser, and Jennifer Walsh Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Witt C, Gow E, Hosner P, et al.
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is pleased to announce Dr. Nicholas A. Mason, Dr. Sara A. Kaiser, and Dr. Jennifer Walsh as the 2020 recipients of the society’s Early Professional Awards, the James G. Cooper Early Professional Award and the Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award.
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2020 Peter R. Stettenheim Service Award to Susan Haig Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Kus B, Kimball R, Montgomerie R, et al.
Susan Haig
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2020 Katma Award to Mikus Abolins-Abols and Mark E. Hauber Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Murphy M, Gill S, Fraser K, et al.
(left) Mark E. Hauber and (right) Mikus Abolins-Abols
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Dunlin subspecies exhibit regional segregation and high site fidelity along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Lagassé B, Lanctot R, Barter M, et al.
AbstractThe degree to which individuals migrate among particular breeding, migration, and wintering sites can have important implications for prioritizing conservation efforts. Four subspecies of Dunlin (Calidris alpina) migrate along the East Asian−Australasian Flyway. Each subspecies has a distinct and well-defined breeding range, but their migration and winter ranges are poorly defined or unknown
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Post-fledging Golden-winged Warblers require forests with multiple stand developmental stages Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Fiss C, McNeil D, Rodewald A, et al.
AbstractOur understanding of songbird habitat needs during the breeding season stems largely from studies of nest success. However, growing evidence shows that nesting habitat and post-fledging habitat often differ. Management guidelines for declining species need to be reevaluated and updated to account for habitat shifts that may occur across the full breeding cycle. The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora
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The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue & Ian Fleming Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Armistead H.
The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue & Ian Fleming by WrightJim. 2020. Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, USA. 144 pp., 109 photographs. $24.99 (hardcover). ISBN 978-0-7643-4186-1.
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Piping Plover population increase after Hurricane Sandy mediated by immigration and reproductive output Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-17 Robinson S, Gibson D, Riecke T, et al.
AbstractEvaluating population-level responses to conservation action following large-scale disturbance can improve the efficacy of future habitat conservation measures. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy storm surges cleared vegetation and opened inlets through the barrier islands, Fire Island and Westhampton Island, New York, creating Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) habitat. Storm effects prompted
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Protected by dragons: Density surface modeling confirms large population of the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo on Komodo Island Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-15 Reuleaux A, Siregar B, Collar N, et al.
AbstractIntense trapping of the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) for the international pet trade has devastated its populations across Indonesia such that populations of >100 individuals remain at only a handful of sites. We combined distance sampling with density surface modeling (DSM) to predict local densities and estimate total population size for one of these areas
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A parasite reduction conservation intervention does not improve fledging success or most condition metrics for Purple Martins Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-12 Williams H, Dittmar K, Smith Pagano S.
AbstractEastern Purple Martins (Progne subis subis) have an unusually close relationship with humans, as they nest exclusively in man-made nest boxes. Current conservation policy directly promotes further interaction with this species by advocating regular replacement of nest materials during the nestling phase to reduce ectoparasite load and increase nestling fitness. We conducted the first test of
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Implanted satellite transmitters affect sea duck movement patterns at short and long timescales Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-07-30 Juliet S Lamb; Peter W C Paton; Jason E Osenkowski; Shannon S Badzinski; Alicia M Berlin; Tim Bowman; Chris Dwyer; Luke J Fara; Scott G Gilliland; Kevin Kenow; Christine Lepage; Mark L Mallory; Glenn H Olsen; Matthew C Perry; Scott A Petrie; Jean-Pierre L Savard; Lucas Savoy; Michael Schummer; Caleb S Spiegel; Scott R McWilliams
Studies of the effects of transmitters on wildlife often focus on survival. However, sublethal behavioral changes resulting from radio-marking have the potential to affect inferences from telemetry data and may vary based on individual and environmental characteristics. We used a long-term, multi-species tracking study of sea ducks to assess behavioral patterns at multiple temporal scales following
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Seasonal rainfall in subtropical montane cloud forests drives demographic fluctuations in a Green-backed Tit population Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Shiao M, Chuang M, Yuan H, et al.
AbstractMontane birds are vulnerable to climate change. However, the mechanisms by which weather drives demographic processes in montane birds have seldom been investigated. We conducted a long-term study (2009–2019) on the Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus), an insectivorous passerine, in the montane cloud forest of subtropical Taiwan. We explored the effects of weather variability on the productivity
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Tree Swallow selection for wetlands in agricultural landscapes predicted by central-place foraging theory Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Elgin A, Clark R, Morrissey C.
AbstractMillions of wetland basins, embedded in croplands and grasslands, are biodiversity hotspots in North America’s Prairie Pothole Region, but prairie wetlands continue to be degraded and drained, primarily for agricultural activities. Aerial insectivorous swallows are known to forage over water, but it is unclear whether swallows exhibit greater selection for wetlands relative to other habitats
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Vegetation management on private forestland can increase avian species richness and abundance Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-28 Wood J, Tegeler A, Ross B.
AbstractConservation efforts on private lands are important for biodiversity conservation. On private lands in South Carolina, in the southeastern United States, forestry management practices (prescribed burning, thinning, herbicide application) are used to improve upland pine habitat for wildlife and timber harvest and are incentivized through U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Bill cost-share programs
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Advances in Neotropical Ornithology: A Special Feature Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-27 Lindell C, Huyvaert K.
Horned Screamers, Club-winged Manakins, and Bicolored Antbirds evoke specific memories to those who have seen these species and a great deal of wonderment to those who have not. These species, and thousands more, reside in the Neotropical realm with its deserts and rainforests, mangroves and scrublands, and steep elevational gradients, ranging from sea level to the high peaks of the Andes. The Neotropics
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Integrating vulture social behavior into conservation practice Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-26 van Overveld T, Blanco G, Moleón M, et al.
AbstractVultures are one of the most threatened bird groups globally. Although many of the threats faced by vultures have been identified, the impact of human activities on the social life of vultures has received little attention. In this paper, we emphasize the need to integrate vulture sociality into conservation practice. First, we summarize current knowledge on vulture social behavior, and the
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Plunging floater survival causes cryptic population decline in the Common Loon Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-26 Piper W, Grear J, Hoover B, et al.
AbstractPopulations of many vertebrates are declining and geographic ranges contracting, largely as a consequence of anthropogenic threats. Many reports of such decline, however, lack the breadth and detail to narrow down its causes. Here we describe population decline in the Common Loon (Gavia immer), a charismatic aquatic bird, based on systematic resighting and measurement of a marked population
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Riparian habitat restoration increases the availability and occupancy of Yellow-breasted Chat territories but brood parasitism is the primary influence on reproductive performance Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-21 Forrester T, Green D, McKibbin R, et al.
AbstractImplementation and evaluation of conservation efforts requires an understanding of the habitat selection and reproductive success of endangered populations. As populations recover, established territory holders may force new arrivals into lower quality habitat, which can reduce reproductive success, especially in disturbed landscapes where suitable habitat is scarce. The endangered Western
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Rusty Blackbirds select areas of greater habitat complexity during stopover Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-21 Wright J, Powell L, Matthews S, et al.
AbstractThe Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a widespread, uncommon migrant that has experienced heavy population declines over the last century. This species can spend over a quarter of their annual cycle on migration, so it is important to determine their habitat requirements during stopover events to inform effective conservation planning. We assessed their habitat selection at an important
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Breeding success of Eleonora’s Falcon in Cyprus revisited using survey techniques for cliff-nesting species Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-08-20 Hadjikyriakou T, Kassinis N, Skarlatos D, et al.
AbstractThe global breeding population of Eleonora’s Falcon (Falco eleonorae) is distributed from the Canary Islands in the west, across the Mediterranean Sea, to Cyprus in the east. The remoteness of nesting colonies, which are predominantly located on sea cliffs and islets, renders breeding success estimation a challenging task, requiring a composite approach to assess each of the breeding stages
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Combined effect of anthropogenic noise and artificial night lighting negatively affect Western Bluebird chick development Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-07-27 Ferraro D, Le M, Francis C.
AbstractSensory pollutants such as anthropogenic noise and night lighting now expose much of the world to evolutionarily novel sound and night lighting conditions. An emerging body of literature has reported a variety of deleterious effects caused by these stimuli, spanning behavioral, physiological, population, and community-level responses. However, the combined influence of noise and light has received
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Historic and contemporary use of catfish aquaculture by piscivorous birds in the Mississippi Delta Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-07-27 Burr P, Avery J, Street G, et al.
AbstractPiscivorous birds are the primary source of catfish (Ictalurus spp.) depredation at aquaculture facilities in northwestern Mississippi. Of particular concern is the Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), which can cost aquaculture producers millions of dollars annually through the depredation of cultured fish. Historical research conducted in the early 2000s estimated cormorant use
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An invasive insect, hemlock woolly adelgid, indirectly impacts Louisiana Waterthrush nest site selection and nest survival in the southern Appalachians Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-06-23 Lee C Bryant; Tiffany A Beachy; Than J Boves
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is declining throughout the eastern United States due to hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand), an invasive insect from Asia. In the southern Appalachians, hemlock is concentrated in moist ravines and its decline threatens riparian ecosystems. Previous research on this invasion has focused on adelgid control and how hemlock decline affects community composition
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Supportive wind conditions influence offshore movements of Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers during fall migration Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-06-22 Pamela H Loring; James D McLaren; Holly F Goyert; Peter W C Paton
In advance of large-scale development of offshore wind energy facilities throughout the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), information on the migratory ecology and routes of federally threatened Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus melodus) is needed to conduct risk assessments pursuant to the Endangered Species Act. We tagged adult Piping Plovers (n = 150) with digitally coded
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Annual adult survival drives trends in Arctic-breeding shorebirds but knowledge gaps in other vital rates remain Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-06-13 Emily L Weiser; Richard B Lanctot; Stephen C Brown; H River Gates; Joël Bêty; Megan L Boldenow; Rodney W Brook; Glen S Brown; Willow B English; Scott A Flemming; Samantha E Franks; H Grant Gilchrist; Marie-Andrée Giroux; Andrew Johnson; Steve Kendall; Lisa V Kennedy; Laura Koloski; Eunbi Kwon; Jean-François Lamarre; David B Lank; Christopher J Latty; Nicolas Lecomte; Joseph R Liebezeit; Rebecca L McGuire;
Conservation status and management priorities are often informed by population trends. Trend estimates can be derived from population surveys or models, but both methods are associated with sources of uncertainty. Many Arctic-breeding shorebirds are thought to be declining based on migration and/or overwintering population surveys, but data are lacking to estimate the trends of some shorebird species
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Urbanization is associated with increased breeding rate, but decreased breeding success, in an urban population of near-threatened African Crowned Eagles Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-05-20 Rebecca Muller; Arjun Amar; Petra Sumasgutner; Shane C McPherson; Colleen T Downs
Urban areas can be attractive to certain species because of increased food abundance and nesting availability, which in turn may increase productivity or breeding rates. However, there are also potential costs associated with urban living such as higher nest failure, poorer body condition, or increased prevalence of disease. These costs may result in species trading off the number of young produced
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Lessons learned from comparing spatially explicit models and the Partners in Flight approach to estimate population sizes of boreal birds in Alberta, Canada Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-05-16 Péter Sólymos; Judith D Toms; Steven M Matsuoka; Steven G Cumming; Nicole K S Barker; Wayne E Thogmartin; Diana Stralberg; Andrew D Crosby; Francisco V Dénes; Samuel Haché; C Lisa Mahon; Fiona K A Schmiegelow; Erin M Bayne
Estimating the population abundance of landbirds is a challenging task complicated by the amount, type, and quality of available data. Avian conservationists have relied on population estimates from Partners in Flight (PIF), which primarily uses roadside data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). However, the BBS was not designed to estimate population sizes. Therefore, we set out to
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Habitat openness and edge avoidance predict Saltmarsh Sparrow abundance better than habitat area Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-05-11 Hallie Marshall; Erik J Blomberg; Valerie Watson; Meaghan Conway; Jonathan B Cohen; Maureen D Correll; Chris S Elphick; Thomas P Hodgman; Alison R Kocek; Adrienne I Kovach; W Gregory Shriver; Whitney A Wiest; Brian J Olsen
The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta) is a tidal marsh bird facing rapid population decline throughout its range, largely caused by degradation and loss of breeding habitat. Thus, there is a need to preserve tidal marshes in the northeastern United States, but to do so requires an understanding of the habitat features that support robust populations. Previous studies have shown Saltmarsh Sparrow
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Corrigendum: Testing a key assumption of using drones as frightening devices: Do birds perceive drones as risky? Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-30 Conor C Egan; Bradley F Blackwell; Esteban Fernández-Juricic; Page E Klug
In the original publication of this article, one of the funders in the Acknowledgments section was incompletely named. The ‘U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’ funder name has been expanded to: The United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Airports and Airport Technology, Research and Development Branch. The article has been updated to reflect this change
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Applying conservation social science to study the human dimensions of Neotropical bird conservation Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-29 Ashley A Dayer; Eduardo A Silva-Rodríguez; Steven Albert; Mollie Chapman; Benjamin Zukowski; J Tomás Ibarra; Gemara Gifford; Alejandra Echeverri; Alejandra Martínez-Salinas; Claudia Sepúlveda-Luque
As the global human population increases, and many bird populations in the Neotropics and the rest of the world continue to decline, the study of the intersection of humans, birds, and conservation has become more relevant than ever. The field of conservation social science is an interdisciplinary field that applies the social sciences and humanities to examine research questions that have implications
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Passive acoustic monitoring effectively detects Northern Spotted Owls and Barred Owls over a range of forest conditions Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-27 Leila S Duchac; Damon B Lesmeister; Katie M Dugger; Zachary J Ruff; Raymond J Davis
Passive acoustic monitoring using autonomous recording units (ARUs) is a fast-growing area of wildlife research especially for rare, cryptic species that vocalize. Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) populations have been monitored since the mid-1980s using mark–recapture methods. To evaluate an alternative survey method, we used ARUs to detect calls of Northern Spotted Owls and Barred
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Broad-spectrum light pollution suppresses melatonin and increases West Nile virus–induced mortality in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-18 Meredith E Kernbach; Vincent M Cassone; Thomas R Unnasch; Lynn B Martin
Artificial light at night (ALAN) has become a pervasive anthropogenic stressor for both humans and wildlife. Although many negative impacts of ALAN on human health have been identified, the consequences for infectious disease dynamics are largely unexplored. With the increase in popularity of energy efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the effects of spectral composition of ALAN have also come into
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Ecosystem services provided by Neotropical birds Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-15 Nicole L Michel; Christopher J Whelan; Gregory M Verutes
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment described 4 classes of services or functions that ecosystems and their component parts deliver to the benefit of humans: provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. Birds, including Neotropical birds, provide a diverse array of services in all 4 classes. We review the literature describing ecosystem services provided by Neotropical birds, draw inference
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Environmental conditions and call-broadcast influence detection of eastern forest owls during standardized surveys Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-15 Kyle A Lima; Erynn M Call; Thomas P Hodgman; David S Potter; Susan Gallo; Erik J Blomberg
Owls play crucial roles in the environment and provide ecosystem services making them important to monitor and study. However, standardized methods for most species do not exist, and we lack understanding of the effects of many environmental variables and call-broadcast on detection of owls during surveys. We performed a multispecies occupancy analysis of owl monitoring data collected from 2004 to
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Creating benchmark measurements of tropical forest bird communities in large plots Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-15 W Douglas Robinson; Jenna R Curtis
An understanding of how tropical bird communities might respond to climate change and other types of environmental stressors seems particularly urgent, yet we still lack, except for a few sites, even snapshot inventories of avian richness and abundances across most of the tropics. Such benchmark measurements of tropical bird species richness and abundances could provide opportunities for future repeat
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Living in a fragmented world: Birds in the Atlantic Forest Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-15 Marco A Pizo; Vinicius R Tonetti
The Atlantic Forest is the second largest tropical moist forest domain in South America after the Amazon, home to over 800 bird species (223 endemics or 27% of the avifauna). With only 28% of the original vegetation left, mostly fragmented and altered, the Atlantic Forest is a hotspot for bird conservation. We first introduce the extent, vegetation types, and exploitation history of the domain, and
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Birds in fragmented Amazonian rainforest: Lessons from 40 years at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-08 Philip C Stouffer
For decades, ecologists have studied fundamental questions of how Amazonian biodiversity is maintained, and whether that diversity can persist following deforestation. The long history of avian research at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, near Manaus, Brazil, has helped advance this understanding in the context of a broader research program focused on rainforest fragments embedded
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Agricultural land in the Amazon basin supports low bird diversity and is a poor replacement for primary forest Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-06 Montague H C Neate-Clegg; Çağan H Şekercioğlu
The Amazon has a long history of disturbance under subsistence agriculture, but slash-and-burn agriculture is small in scale and has relatively low impact on resident avifauna. More recently, the Amazon has suffered extensive deforestation in favor of cattle ranching and other modern systems of agriculture. Cattle pastures, mechanized agriculture, and even tree plantations have detrimental effects
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Contrasting the suitability of shade coffee agriculture and native forest as overwinter habitat for Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) in the Colombian Andes Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-04 Ana M González; Scott Wilson; Nicholas J Bayly; Keith A Hobson
In the Neotropics, coffee production occurs on a large scale in some of the planet’s most biodiverse regions: tropical mountains. Coffee production systems involving shade trees are considered to have a lower impact on biodiversity than alternative sun coffee. To date, the majority of evidence for the value of shade coffee plantations has not taken into account the relative quality of this habitat
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Overlap in reproductive phenology increases the likelihood of cavity nest usurpation by invasive species in a tropical city Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-04-02 Joshua M Diamond; Michael S Ross
Multiple invasive cavity-nesting bird species can be present in a nest web, the network linking birds using cavities. We investigated the nest preferences and breeding phenologies of the cavity-nesting guild in the region surrounding Miami, Florida, USA, where invasive starlings, mynas, and parrots potentially usurp cavities from native woodpeckers and secondary cavity-nesters. We asked if the timing
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Proximity to oil wells in North Dakota does not impact nest success of ducks but lowers nest densities Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-17 Cassandra G Skaggs; Kevin M Ringelman; Charles R Loesch; Michael L Szymanski; Frank C Rohwer; Kaylan M Kemink
Over the past decade, the United States has seen a rapid increase in oil and gas extraction from areas where resources were previously thought to be unrecoverable, particularly the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota. The Bakken overlaps with the Prairie Pothole Region, the most critical habitat in North America for breeding ducks, where oil and gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing has the
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Patch size and vegetation structure drive changes to mixed-species flock diversity and composition across a gradient of fragment sizes in the Western Andes of Colombia Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-11 Harrison H Jones; Scott K Robinson
Forest fragmentation is a leading driver of biodiversity loss, yet its effects on positive species interactions remain poorly known. We examined the effects of fragmentation on mixed-species bird flocks in the Western Andes of Colombia. Using 500-m transect surveys (n = 14 transects), we sampled flocks in 8 fragments (range: 10–173 ha) and an unfragmented reference site within the same altitudinal
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Human-dominated land cover corresponds to spatial variation in Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) reproductive output across the United States Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-11 David Muñoz; David Miller
Studies examining impacts of land cover typically focus on abundance, distribution, and/or community richness, overlooking underlying demographic processes such as survival or reproduction. Here, we present findings from a unique dataset that allowed us to measure the relationship between land cover and reproductive output across the distribution of the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). We used hunter-derived
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Low first-year apparent survival of passerines in abandoned fields in northwestern Russia Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-06 Dmitry Shitikov; Viktoria Grudinskaya; Tatiana Makarova; Tatiana Vaytina; Svetlana Fedotova; Stanislav Samsonov; Alexander Grabovsky
First-year survival probability of migratory passerines during the period between fledging and first reproduction is a highly variable parameter that has a major effect on population dynamics. We used a long-term mark–recapture dataset (2002–2018) to examine first-year survival of 3 passerine species breeding in abandoned agricultural fields of northwestern Russia: Booted Warbler (Iduna caligata),
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Defining catchment origins of a geographical bottleneck: Implications of population mixing and phenological overlap for the conservation of Neotropical migratory birds Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-06 Laura Cardenas-Ortiz; Nicholas J Bayly; Kevin J Kardynal; Keith A Hobson
Migratory bottlenecks concentrate individuals and populations of Nearctic–Neotropical migrants from across vast breeding areas. The extent to which such concentrations occur has important ramifications for interpreting migratory connectivity and for the vulnerability of populations throughout the annual cycle but investigations of such phenomena are rare. We inferred breeding origins of 11 species
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Birds suppress pests in corn but release them in soybean crops within a mixed prairie/agriculture system. Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-06 Megan B Garfinkel,Emily S Minor,Christopher J Whelan
Birds provide ecosystem services (pest control) in many agroecosystems and have neutral or negative ecological effects (disservices) in others. Large-scale, conventional row crop agriculture is extremely widespread globally, yet few studies of bird effects take place in these agroecosystems. We studied indirect effects of insectivorous birds on corn and soybean crops in fields adjacent to a prairie
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Blue light attracts nocturnally migrating birds Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-04 Xuebing Zhao; Min Zhang; Xianli Che; Fasheng Zou
Light pollution is increasing and artificial light sources have great impacts on animals. For migrating birds, collisions caused by artificial light pollution are a significant source of mortality. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that birds have different visual sensitivities to different colors of light, but few field experiments have compared birds’ responses to light of different wavelengths
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African sunbirds predominantly pollinate plants useful to humans Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-03-02 William D Newmark; Victor J Mkongewa; Debra L Amundsen; Chad Welch
Birds provide multiple ecological services that benefit humans including pollination. In Africa, sunbirds are the dominant vertebrate pollinator. Here we present a species-level assessment for African sunbirds of the number and relative frequency of their food plants that have useful properties to humans. We conducted this analysis by compiling and integrating known sunbird food plants with useful
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The Population Ecology and Conservation of Charadrius Plovers Condor Ornithol. Appl. Pub Date : 2020-02-27 Tamás Székely
The Population Ecology and Conservation of Charadrius Plovers, ColwellMark A. and HaigSusan M., Editors. 2019. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA. xii + 330 pp., 18 color illustrations, 51 b/w illustrations. $199.95 (hardcover), $180.00 (eBook). ISBN: 9781498755825 (hardcover), ISBN: 9781315152882 (eBook)
Contents have been reproduced by permission of the publishers.