The Patterns of Downy Grebes
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Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED by the FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 37, NO. 4 NOVEMBER 2009 PAGES 115-170 Florida Field Naturalist 37(4):115-120, 2009. FIRST RECORD OF LEAST GREBES (Tachybaptus dominicus) NESTING IN FLORIDA LEE M. HASSE AND O. DAVID HASSE 398 N.E. 24th Street, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 The Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus), the smallest New World member of the grebe family (Podicipedidae), occurs from the southwestern United States and Mexico to Chile, Argentina and in the West Indies (Trinidad, Tobago, the Bahamas, and Greater Antilles; Ogilvie and Rose 2003). This is a plump grebe with yellowish eyes, a thin bill, and fluffy white tail coverts, ranging in length from 22-27 cm (8.25-10.5 inches). In basic plumage Least Grebes are brownish to blackish above with a white throat; in alternate plumage the throat is black. Their wetland habitats are varied and include fresh and brack- ish ponds, lakes, slow-flowing rivers, and mangrove swamps that have good vegetative cover along the edges. There are reports of nesting in temporary bodies of water (Storer 1992). Their compact floating nest is made of aquatic vegetation and anchored to rooted plants. The eggs are incubated by both adults and hatch in about 21 days (Palmer 1962). The Least Grebe is reported to nest year-round in the tropics. Although considered non-migratory, they have been found to move long distances (Storer 1992). Norton et al. (2009) report that the Least Grebe has been expanding its range in the Greater and Lesser Antilles in the last de- cade. -
Identification and Distribution of Clark's Grebe
IDENTIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CLARK'S GREBE JOHN T. RA'Frl, Wildlife Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington99164 For nearly 100 years ornithologists have considered the genus Aechmophorusto includeonly one species,the WesternGrebe (A. occiden- talis). Few ornithologists,especially amateur field ornithologists,have been aware that the WesternGrebe has been consideredpolymorphic, with two distinctphenotypes referred to as dark and light phases (Storer 1965, Mayr and Short 1970). Recent study of sympatricdark-phase and light-phasepopulations indi- catesthe polymorphismclassification is erroneousand that the forms func- tion as separate species(Ratti 1979). Additional data are needed on dark- phaseand light-phasebirds, and hopefullythis paper will aid in alertingboth professionaland amateurornithologists to the identificationand distribution of these species. LITERATURE REVIEW George N. Lawrence (in Baird 1858:894-895) originallydescribed the two grebeforms as separatespecies, calling the dark form the WesternGrebe (Podicepsoccidentalis) and the light form Clark'sGrebe (Podicepsclarkii). However, Coues (1874) and Henshaw (1881) suggestedthat the formswere color phases of the same species,and the American Ornithologists'Union (1886, 1931, 1957) classifiedthe forms as a singlespecies. Mayr and Short (1970:88) attributedthe variationto "scatteredpolymorphism." Both Storer (1965) and Lindvall (1976) reported assortativemating by WesternGrebes in Utah -- the tendencyof birdsto mate with individualsof the same phenotype. -
Aberrant Plumages in Grebes Podicipedidae
André Konter Aberrant plumages in grebes Podicipedidae An analysis of albinism, leucism, brown and other aberrations in all grebe species worldwide Aberrant plumages in grebes Podicipedidae in grebes plumages Aberrant Ferrantia André Konter Travaux scientifiques du Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg www.mnhn.lu 72 2015 Ferrantia 72 2015 2015 72 Ferrantia est une revue publiée à intervalles non réguliers par le Musée national d’histoire naturelle à Luxembourg. Elle fait suite, avec la même tomaison, aux TRAVAUX SCIENTIFIQUES DU MUSÉE NATIONAL D’HISTOIRE NATURELLE DE LUXEMBOURG parus entre 1981 et 1999. Comité de rédaction: Eric Buttini Guy Colling Edmée Engel Thierry Helminger Mise en page: Romain Bei Design: Thierry Helminger Prix du volume: 15 € Rédaction: Échange: Musée national d’histoire naturelle Exchange MNHN Rédaction Ferrantia c/o Musée national d’histoire naturelle 25, rue Münster 25, rue Münster L-2160 Luxembourg L-2160 Luxembourg Tél +352 46 22 33 - 1 Tél +352 46 22 33 - 1 Fax +352 46 38 48 Fax +352 46 38 48 Internet: http://www.mnhn.lu/ferrantia/ Internet: http://www.mnhn.lu/ferrantia/exchange email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Page de couverture: 1. Great Crested Grebe, Lake IJssel, Netherlands, April 2002 (PCRcr200303303), photo A. Konter. 2. Red-necked Grebe, Tunkwa Lake, British Columbia, Canada, 2006 (PGRho200501022), photo K. T. Karlson. 3. Great Crested Grebe, Rotterdam-IJsselmonde, Netherlands, August 2006 (PCRcr200602012), photo C. van Rijswik. Citation: André Konter 2015. - Aberrant plumages in grebes Podicipedidae - An analysis of albinism, leucism, brown and other aberrations in all grebe species worldwide. Ferrantia 72, Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg, 206 p. -
FEEDING BEHAVIOR of the LEAST GREBE (Tachybaptus Dominicus) UPON NEOTROPICAL RANIDS in COSTA RICA
Florida Field Naturalist 44(2):59-62, 2016. FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF THE LEAST GREBE (Tachybaptus dominicus) UPON NEOTROPICAL RANIDS IN COSTA RICA VÍCTOR J. ACOSTA-CHavES1,2,3 AND DANIEL JIMÉNEZ3 1Fundación Rapaces de Costa Rica, P.O. Box 1626-3000 Heredia, Costa Rica 2Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica E–mail: [email protected] 3Unión de Ornitólogos de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica Avian predation on amphibians can be considered an important evolutionary force for both taxa, and its documentation helps to elucidate aspects of evolution, ecology, and even conservation (Shea 1987, Wells 2010). But because these interactions are difficult to observe and quantify, the role of amphibians as dietary items of birds is still barely known in the Neotropics (Acosta and Morún 2014). For example, even when grebes (Podicipedidae) have been anecdotally reported to prey on aquatic amphibians (Shea 1987, Stiles and Skutch 1989, Kloskowski et al. 2010), data on habitat selection, diet, and feeding behavior of grebes are primarily from Old World and Nearctic regions (e.g., Shea 1987, Forbes and Sealy 1990, Wiersma et al. 1995, Kloskowski et al. 2010). In Neotropical areas, such as Costa Rica, both natural and artificial lagoons and ponds provide habitat for waterbirds, including grebes (Stiles and Skutch 1989). The Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus) is a widespread waterbird ranging from the southern United States of America to northern Argentina, including the Bahamas and Greater Antilles. In Costa Rica the subspecies T. d. brachypterus is distributed from lowlands to 1525 m ASL, but it is most common in the Central Valley and San Vito Region (Stiles and Skutch 1989). -
Common Birds of the Estero Bay Area
Common Birds of the Estero Bay Area Jeremy Beaulieu Lisa Andreano Michael Walgren Introduction The following is a guide to the common birds of the Estero Bay Area. Brief descriptions are provided as well as active months and status listings. Photos are primarily courtesy of Greg Smith. Species are arranged by family according to the Sibley Guide to Birds (2000). Gaviidae Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata Occurrence: Common Active Months: November-April Federal Status: None State/Audubon Status: None Description: A small loon seldom seen far from salt water. In the non-breeding season they have a grey face and red throat. They have a long slender dark bill and white speckling on their dark back. Information: These birds are winter residents to the Central Coast. Wintering Red- throated Loons can gather in large numbers in Morro Bay if food is abundant. They are common on salt water of all depths but frequently forage in shallow bays and estuaries rather than far out at sea. Because their legs are located so far back, loons have difficulty walking on land and are rarely found far from water. Most loons must paddle furiously across the surface of the water before becoming airborne, but these small loons can practically spring directly into the air from land, a useful ability on its artic tundra breeding grounds. Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica Occurrence: Common Active Months: November-April Federal Status: None State/Audubon Status: None Description: The Pacific Loon has a shorter neck than the Red-throated Loon. The bill is very straight and the head is very smoothly rounded. -
Persistence and Abundance of the Western Grebe (Aechmophorus Occidentalis) in Alberta
University of Alberta Persistence and abundance of the Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) in Alberta by Mara Elaine Erickson A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology Department of Biological Sciences ©Mara Elaine Erickson Spring 2010 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l’édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-60605-6 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-60605-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L’auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l’Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. -
P0066-P0067.Pdf
66 Vol. 65 FROM FIELD AND STUDY The Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis clarkii as a Nesting Bird of the Mexican Plateau. ---The Western Grebe (AeclEmopkorus occident&s) is to date not recognized as a nesting bird of Mkko, according to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list (5th ed., 1957), or the Distribu- tional Check-list of the Birds of MBxico (Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore, Pac. Coast Avif. No. 29, 1950). Actually, as early as 1903 E. W. Nelson had collected Western Grebes at OcotlLn, Jalisco, and listed them in his field notes under a heading which stated that “all but one or two of the following were breeding birds but not all had begun to breed at the time of our visit [June 23-30, 19031.” Study of the specimens taken by Nelson and Goldman, two others in the United States National Museum, two I collected on Lake Chapala near Ocotl&n on May 11, 1958 (reported in Palmer, Hand- book of North American Birds, vol. 1, 1962:95) and several birds taken in February and May of 1962 proved the resident population of Western Grebes of the central portion of the Mexican Plateau to be one of small, pale individuals, racially distinct from the breeding populations of the United States and Canada. This discovery brought up the need to re-evaluate the name Podiceps clavkii Lawrence (in Baird, Cassin and Lawrence, Rept. Expl. Surv. R.R. Pac., 9, 1858:895), long considered a,synonym of his simultaneously named P. E.4echmophorusloccidentalis. Unfortunately I did not become aware of this problem in time to make certain comparisons personally, and I wish to express my gratitude to Mrs. -
(Tachybaptus Ruficollis) at Kallar Kahar Lake, Pakistan
Journal of King Saud University – Science (2013) 25, 267–270 King Saud University Journal of King Saud University – Science www.ksu.edu.sa www.sciencedirect.com ORIGINAL ARTICLE Habitat association of Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) at Kallar Kahar Lake, Pakistan Sadia Bilal, Muhammad Rais *, Maqsood Anwar, Iftikhar Hussain, Madiha Sharif, Bilal Kabeer Wildlife Management, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Received 29 December 2012; accepted 12 March 2013 Available online 21 March 2013 KEYWORDS Abstract Understanding of species–habitat relationship is fundamental to effective conservation Little Grebe; planning and management. We studied the association of Little Grebe abundance with habitat Kallar Kahar Lake; parameters at Kallar Kahar Lake, District Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan, from September 2010 to Habitat preference; July 2011. Bird population density data, vegetation and physico-chemical parameters were collected Hydrophytes; along three strips from different areas of the lake based on habitat variability. The association of Eutrophication; Little Grebe abundance with physico-chemical parameters of water was determined using simple Birds of Pakistan linear regression. The physico-chemical parameters differed significantly (P < 0.05) among the three strips. Water temperature and turbidity were negatively related while pH and depth were pos- itively related with grebe population. We concluded that the species more frequently occurred in shallow water habitats with preponderance of reed vegetation, slightly high alkalinity, low water temperature and low turbidity. The reed vegetation such as Phragmites and Typha provided shelter and nesting sites while open water had abundant planktons and crustaceans, algae such as Spiro- gyra spp. and submerged vegetation such as Chara spp. provided foraging sites. -
Western Birds
WESTERN BIRDS Vol. 49, No. 4, 2018 Western Specialty: Golden-cheeked Woodpecker Second-cycle or third-cycle Herring Gull at Whiting, Indiana, on 25 January 2013. The inner three primaries on each wing of this bird appear fresher than the outer primaries. They may represent the second alternate plumage (see text). Photo by Desmond Sieburth of Los Angeles, California: Golden-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes chrysogenys) San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, 30 December 2016 Endemic to western mainland Mexico from Sinaloa south to Oaxaca, the Golden-cheeked Woodpecker comprises two well-differentiated subspecies. In the more northern Third-cycle (or possibly second-cycle) Herring Gull at New Buffalo, Michigan, on M. c. chrysogenys the hindcrown of both sexes is largely reddish with only a little 14 September 2014. Unlike the other birds illustrated on this issue’s back cover, in this yellow on the nape, whereas in the more southern M. c. flavinuchus the hindcrown is individual the pattern of the inner five primaries changes gradually from feather to uniformly yellow, contrasting sharply with the forehead (red in the male, grayish white feather, with no abrupt contrast. Otherwise this bird closely resembles the one on the in the female). The subspecies intergrade in Nayarit. Geographic variation in the outside back cover, although the prealternate molt of the other body and wing feathers Golden-cheeked Woodpecker has not been widely appreciated, perhaps because so many has not advanced as far. birders and ornithologists are familiar with the species from San Blas, in the center of Photos by Amar Ayyash the zone of intergradation. Volume 49, Number 4, 2018 The 42nd Annual Report of the California Bird Records Committee: 2016 Records Guy McCaskie, Stephen C. -
Fossil Birds of the Nebraska Region
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1992 Fossil Birds of the Nebraska Region James E. Ducey [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas Part of the Life Sciences Commons Ducey, James E., "Fossil Birds of the Nebraska Region" (1992). Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies. 130. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/130 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societiesy b an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1992. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, XIX: 83-96 FOSSIL BIRDS OF THE NEBRASKA REGION James Ducey 235 Nebraska Hall Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0521 ABSTRACT Crane (Grus haydeni = Grus canadensis) (Marsh, 1870) and a species of hawk (Buteo dananus) from along the This review compiles published and a few unpublished Loup Fork (Marsh, 1871). records offossil and prehistoric birds for the Nebraska region (Nebraska and parts of adjacent states) from the Cretaceous Many ofthe species first described were from mate Period to the late Pleistocene, about 12,000 years before present. Species recorded during the various epochs include: rial collected in the Great Plains region, including Kan Oligocene and Early Miocene (13 families; 29 species), Middle sas and Wyoming (Marsh, 1872b). The work of scien Miocene (six families; 12 species), Late Miocene (14 families; tists associated with the University of Nebraska in 21 species), Pliocene (six families; 15 species), Early-Middle cluded studies made around the turn-of-the-century. -
Pied-Billed Grebe (Podilymbus Podiceps) Damon Mccormick
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) Damon McCormick Washington. 6/16/2008 © Jerry Jourdan (Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II) To early naturalists it was the “hell-diver” or limit of the species’ range, “it nests abundantly in every suitable place in the state, from the “water-witch”, and its idiosyncrasies tended to Ohio-Indiana line to Lake Superior.” inspire hyperbole: “These peculiar little spirits Subsequent surveys in the 20th Century of the water present a very radical departure however, recorded decidedly less than abundant from what the word ‘bird’ usually brings to densities in the NLP and UP, and MBBA I mind” (Rockwell 1910). Occupying its own documented a significantly higher percentage of genus within the seven-member North breeding Pied-billed Grebes in the SLP, American Podicipedidae family, the Pied-billed particularly in southwestern counties (Storer Grebe, while by no means singularly non-avian, 1991). was not mischaracterized by its antiquated appellations. With a pattern of nocturnal Breeding Biology migration and a propensity to dive rather than Pied-billed Grebes tend to occupy fresh to fly in response to threats, the species is almost moderately brackish waterbodies greater than exclusively encountered upon the marshes and 0.2 ha, marked by dense stands of emergent ponds that constitute its summer home vegetation and ample stretches of open water (Wetmore 1924, Muller and Storer 1999). A (Muller and Storer 1999). Their cuckoo-like breeding adult, diminutive and drably adorned song – “far-carrying, vibrant, throaty barks” – in brown and gray, nonetheless demonstrates a can be vocalized by both sexes, and is strident territoriality within its wetland turf, associated with courtship and territorial responding aggressively to both intra- and inter- delineation (Deusing 1939, Muller and Storer specific interlopers (Glover 1953, McAllister 1999, Sibley 2000). -
Status of the Endemic Atitlan Grebe of Guatemala: Is It Extinct? ’
The Condor 90:906-912 0 The Cooper Ornithological Soaety 1988 STATUS OF THE ENDEMIC ATITLAN GREBE OF GUATEMALA: IS IT EXTINCT? ’ LAURIE A. HUNTERS Zoology Department, North Dakota State University,Fargo, ND 58105 Abstract. Effortsto determine the factorsresponsible for the long-term population decline of the Atitlan Grebe (Podilymbusgigus), a speciesrestricted to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, led to the discovery that the only Podilymbusspecies present on Lake Atitlan in 1986-1987 was the Pied-billed Grebe (P. podiceps).Podilymbus gigas is similar to P. podicepsin color and form but is almost twice the weight, and is reported to be flightless. All Podilymbus grebes at Lake Atitlan in 1986-1987 appeared to be the same size, and the body masses and bill measurementsof six capturedgrebes were within the range of P. podiceps,but not that of P. gigus.Grebe eggsmeasured at both Lake AtitlCm and Laguna de1 Pino, another Guatemalan lake, were similar to each other and to eggsof P. podicepsfrom North America. The territorial calls of male Podilymbusgrebes recorded at Lake Atitlan, Laguna de1Pino and West Toqua Lake in Minnesota did not differ significantly.It thus appearsthat P. gigus no longer occurson Lake AtitlLn and hasbeen replaced,perhaps through competition or hybridization,by P. podiceps. Key words: Atitlan Grebe;Podilymbus gigas;Pied-billed Grebe;Podilymbus podiceps; Lake Atitlrin; Guatemala; extinction. INTRODUCTION were to assessthe current statusof the population The Atitlan Grebe (Podilymbusgigas) is known and to identify the factors responsible for its de- only from Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. First de- cline using data on behavioral interactions, ter- scribed in 1929, P.