DOCSLIB.ORG

Notes on the Distribution, Vagrancy,And Field Identification of American Pipit and &Ldquo;Siberian Pipit&Rdquo;

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Notes on the Distribution, Vagrancy,And Field Identification of American Pipit and &Ldquo;Siberian Pipit&Rdquo; Figure1. Currentand historical taxonomic breakdown of Artthusrubescerts A.0.U. 1957 WaterPipit (Artthus spinoletta) A.0.U. 1983 WaterPipit RockPipit Buff-•e•liedPipit(B.0.U.) (A. spinoletta) (A petrosin) or AmericanPipit (A.0.U.) ! i (A r.•ens) A s. splnoletta A. p. pe•rosus Subspecies A. s. coutelll A. p. littoralis A. s. blakistoni "AmericanPipits" "SiberianPipit" A. r. rubescerts •r. japonicus A. r. alticola Figure2. Field-basedsketch of a SiberianPipit seen on 29 October2001 in Ventura, California. Illustration by Andrew Birch. Figure3. Field-basedsketches of a Siberian(left) and American (A. r. pacificus)Pipit (right) seen on 23 November 2001 nearPerds, California. Illustration by Cin-TyLee. 388 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS Noteson the distribution,vagrancy, and field identification of American Pipit and "SiberianPipit" Cin-TyLee eachother dosely. For thisreason, we referto A. r.japonicus as "Siberian Departmentof EarlhScience, MS-126 Pipit" in this paperand to the threeNorth Americansubspecies collec- RiceUniversity tively as "AmericanPipit" (Fig. 1; see illustrationsof basic-plumaged R O. Box 1892 birdson frontcover of thejournal). Webelieve that thischoice of com- Houston,Texas 77251 mon terminologywill reduceconfusion if Siberianand American Pipits (email:ctlee•rice.edu) areaccorded status as separate species in the future. When we consider both formstogether, we hereemploy the namepreferred for all four in Andrew Birch the Palearctic the"Buff-belliedPipit complex. • 1037South Ogden Drive SiberianPipit is a vagrantto Europe,the Middle East,and alongthe LosAngeles, California 90019 Pacificcoast of North America,whereas American Pipits vagrate to west- (emaJl:[email protected]) ern Europe(rubescerts) and are possiblyrare winterersin easternAsia (pacificus).In greaterdetail, however, the vagrancypatterns of Siberian Introduction and AmericanPipits are poorlyknown, as there is a gapin the literature The pipit Anthusrubescens-•called American Pipit by the American regardingthe subspecificidentification of themembers of the Buff-bellied Ornithologists'Union (A. O. U. 1998),Buff-bellied Pipit by the British Pipitcomplex. To our knowledge,the onlyrecent sources to addressthe Ornithologists'Union (B. O. U. 1986)•is currentlydivided into four complexare Parkes(1982) and Phillips(1991). However,both sources subspecies:japonicus, pacificus, ahicola, and rubescerts (A.O.U. 1957). The focusprimarily on identificationof thethree American subspedes in alter- first subspecies,japonicus, may be a candidatefor full-speciesstatus nateplumage. Alstr6mand Mild (1996), Lewingtonet al. (1991), and accordingto theAmerican Ornithologists' Union (A.O.U. 1989)because Beamanand Madge(1998) discussthe identificationof SiberianPipit in of its separatebreeding range in easternAsia and its divergentplumage relationto the rubescenssubspedes of AmericanPipit but do not address characters.The otherthree subspecies (pacificus, ahicola, and rubescerts)the degreeof plumagevariation within American Pipit subspedes.This breedentirely within North America and western Greenland and resemble articleattempts to remedythese gaps in theliterature. Rgures4. Thistypical Siberian Pipit shows the flaring submalar sl]ipe, heavily sbeaKed underparts (especially the sides), white underparls, white eye-ring, white mediancoverts, and pale legs. Though a bitpaler ban someindividuals (cf. Figs. 8, 9), the birdis typicalin otherrespects. Photographed along the Tamu River, Tokyo,Japan 31 January1998. Photograph by TakashiKoike. VOLUblE 56 (ZOOZ), NUblBER 4 389 Figure5. Thesame Siberian Pipit as in Figure4, showingthe eye-ring and wingbars to betteradvantage. Photograph by TakashiKoike. Figure7. ThisSiberian Pipit tends toward the pale end, and the eye-ring is notespecially pronounced, but other characters indicate Siberian. Photographedin Japan in winter,date unknown. Photograph by TakashiKoike. Figure8. Thisphotograph depicts a SiberianPipit with fairly •ong contrast Rgure6. AnotherSiberian Pipit, photographed 1 December 2001 in South betweendark brown upperpads and whitish underparts, which in turn contrast Korea.They eye-dng is well-defined,likewise the coalescenceof dark withdark streaking below. The streaks of the underpadscoalesce longitudinally, streaksbelow the malararea and the starklymarked underpads against a givingthe birda stripedappearance. The white tips to themedian coveds con- whitishbackground. Photograph by KimHyun-Tae. trastnot only with the dark upperparts but also with the slightly • greater mediancoveds, a commonfeature in SiberianPipits. Photographed 15 December 1996in Japan. Photograph byTe•su Sato. 390 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS Americanand SiberianPipits While plumagevariation within thevarious American Pipit subspecies probablyprecludes field identificationof individualsto the levelof sub- species,at leastat a reasonablelevel of confidence,separating Siberian fromAmerican Pipits in basicplumage within the contextof subspecific variationin the threeAmerican Pipit subspeciesis feasible(cf. Sibley 2000). Our analysesbelow incorporate examinations of approximately 300 museumspecimens (Museum of VertebrateZoology, University of California,Berkeley; Harvard Museumof ComparativeZoology; Los AngelesCounty Natural History Museum),hundreds of hours of field observations(primarily of AmericanPipits; several field observationsof SiberianPipit in the United States),and examinationof approximately 15 photographsof SiberianPipit. Systematicsand nomenclature In thissection, we review the historical taxonomy of the Buff-belliedPipit Figure9. Thougha bit softin focus,this photograph captures all of the fea- complexin brief(Fig. 1). In 1957,the Buff-bellied Pipit complex was con- turesof SiberianPipit nicely: the verydark streaks below, darker than the sideredconspecific with a numberof Eurasianforms under the hierarchi- upperparts'color, extend noticeably along the flanks.The streaks below the calspecies Water Pipit (A. spinoletta).Water Pipit was subsequently split malarcome together and flare to the sideof the neck,similar to Richard'sPipit into threesubspecies: Buff-bellied Pipit (A. rubescens),Rock Pipit (A. pet- (Antbusfichardi). Photographed 15 January1993 in MiyagiPrefecture, Japan. rosus),and Water Pipit (A. spinoletta)(B. O. U. 1986).Vaurie (1959), Hall (1961), andWilliamson (1965) originallysplit A. spinolettainto two eco- logicalgroups, "Water Pipits;' which breedin mountainousregions in Europe,Asia, and North America,and "RockPipits;' which breed along rockycoastlines in northwesternEurope. These two groupswere consid- ered to be separatespecies by Bannerman(1953) and Oreel (1980). However,Nazarenko (1978) showedthat two subspeciesof the "Water Pipits;'blakistoni and ]aponicus,overlapped in termsof their breeding rangein centralAsia but that theypreferred different habitats. As a result of thisstudy, Glutz (1985) brokedown the "Water Pipits" into two more species,"Water Pipit" and "Buff-belliedPipit," producing a total of three species;this split is supportedby geneticstudies as well (Zink et al. 1995). Throughoutthe 1980s,in fact,man), other authorities supported this new taxonomicarrangement: Devillers (1980), the BritishOrnithologists' Union RecordsCommittee (1986), Alstr6m and Mild (1987), and Knox (1988)all suggestedthat the entirecomplex be dividedinto threespecies: Rock (A. petrosus),Water (A. spinoletta),and Buff-belliedPipit (A. Figure10. SiberianPipits in the collectionat the Museumof Vertebrate rubescerts).Alstr6m and Mild (1996) further showedthat Rock,Water, and Zoology,Berkeley. Note the heavyventral streaking (almost striping) in all Buff-belliedPipits can be distinguished from each other based on plumage individuals,all of whichare in basicplumage. Photograph by Cin-TyLee. characters,regardless of species status. The latter is the taxonomy also cur- rentlyrecognized by theAmerican Ornithologists' Union (1989). Within eachof thesethree species, there is geographicand subspecific variation.Rock Pipit (A. petrosus)consists of nominatepetrosus--breed- ingin Ireland,Britain, and northwestern Francesand littoralis, breeding in Fennoscandiaand northwestRussia (Cramp 1988). Williamson(1965) alsorecognized two other Rock Pipit races potentially worth), of subspecif- ic status:"kleinschmidt?' (breeding on theFaeroe Islands and possiblythe outer Scottishislands) and "meinertzhageni"(breeding on the Outer Hebrides).However, the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (1986)did not recognizethese forms. The Water Pipit (A. spinoletta)con- sistsof threesubspecies: A. s. spinoletta,breeding in southernand central Europe;A. s.coutellii, breeding in AsiaMinor; and A. s.blakistoni, breeding in CentralAsia. The Buff-belliedPipit (A. rubescerts)complex currently consistsof A. r.}aponicus, A. r. pacificus,A. r. alticola,and A. r. rubescens. DISTRIBUTION OF SUBSPECIES IN THE RUFF-RELLIED PIPIT COMPLEX Figure11. AmericanPipits of the subspeciespacificus in the collectionat Breedingrange Museumof VertebrateZoology, Berkeley. The comparatively light streaking The breedingand wintering ranges of the four subspeciesof Buff-bellied (almostspotting) of thesebirds never coalesces into a longitudinally"striped" Pipitare poorly understood owing to difficultyin subspecificidentifica- appearancebelow, nor is the contrastwith the underpartsquite as st•oogas tion. in Siberian.Photograph by Cin-TyLee. VOLUME 56 (2002), NUM•œR 4 391 The SiberianPipit (A. r.japonicus) breeds in centraland eastern Siberia from Tunguskato Kamchatkaand south to northernSakhalin and the Kurile
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Point Reyes National Seashore Bird List
    Birds of Point Reyes National Seashore Gaviidae (Loons) Alcedinidae (Kingfishers) Podicipedidae (Grebes) Picidae (Woodpeckers) Diomedeidae (Albatrosses) Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatcher) Procellariidae (Shearwaters, Petrels) Alaudidae (Larks) Hydrobatidae (Storm Petrels) Hirundinidae (Swallows) Sulidae (Boobies, Gannets) Laniidae (Shrikes) Pelecanidae (Pelicans) Vireonidae (Vireos) Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants) Corvidae (Crows, Jays) Fregatidae (Frigate Birds) Paridae (Chickadees, Titmice) Ardeidae (Herons, Bitterns, & Egrets) Aegithalidae (Bushtits) Threskiornithidae (Ibises, Spoonbills) Sittidae (Nuthatches) Ciconiidae (Storks) Certhiidae (Creepers) Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, Swans) Troglodytidae (Wrens) Cathartidae (New World Vultures) Cinclidae (Dippers) Accipitridae (Hawks, Kites, Eagles) & Regulidae (Kinglets) Falconidae (Caracaras, Falcons) Sylviidae (Old World Warblers, Gnatcatchers) Odontophoridae (New World Quail) Turdidae (Thrushes) Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, Coots) Timaliidae (Babblers) Gruidae (Cranes) Mimidae (Mockingbirds, Thrashers) Charadriidae (Lapwings, Plovers) Motacillidae (Wagtails, Pipits) Haematopodidae (Oystercatcher) Bombycillidae (Waxwings) Recurvirostridae (Stilts, Avocets) Ptilogonatidae (Silky-flycatcher) Scolopacidae (Sandpipers, Phalaropes) Parulidae (Wood Warblers) Laridae (Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers) Cardinalidae (Cardinals) Alcidae (Auks, Murres, Puffins) Emberizidae (Emberizids) Columbidae (Pigeons, Doves) Fringillidae (Finches) Cuculidae (Cuckoos, Road Runners, Anis) NON-NATIVES Tytonidae (Barn Owls)
    [Show full text]
  • The News Journal of the Dragonfly
    ISSN 1061-8503 TheA News Journalrgia of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas Volume 26 15 September 2014 Number 3 Published by the Dragonfly Society of the Americas http://www.DragonflySocietyAmericas.org/ ARGIA Vol. 26, No. 3, 15 September 2014 25th Annual Meeting of the DSA in Northern Wisconsin, by Robert DuBois ........................................................1 Calendar of Events ......................................................................................................................................................1 Minutes of the 2014 DSA Annual Meeting , by Steve Valley .....................................................................................5 Call for Papers for BAO ..............................................................................................................................................8 Epitheca semiaquaea (Mantled Baskettail) Confirmed for New Hampshire, by Paul Bedell .....................................9 Don't Forget to Renew Your DSA Membership for 2015! .........................................................................................9 Advice Column............................................................................................................................................................9 The Reappearance of Black-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax funerea) in Arizona, by Douglas Danforth and Rich Bailowitz .........................................................................................................10 Celithemis bertha (Red-veined Pennant),
    [Show full text]
  • Status and Occurrence of White Wagtail (Motacilla Alba) in British Columbia
    Status and Occurrence of White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) in British Columbia. By Rick Toochin and Don Cecile. Introduction and Distribution The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine species that is found throughout the Old World: breeding from the southeastern tip of Greenland, and Iceland; from Great Britain, south to Morocco, across all of Europe; throughout western Russia, all of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, along the Himalayas east into southern China, Mongolia, all of eastern Russia, and into western coastal areas of Alaska (Alstrom and Mild 2003). The White Wagtail winters from Great Britain, south throughout western Europe from Germany to Spain, east through Italy, Greece, into Turkey and the Middle East, south into the northern countries of Africa, east to Saudi Arabia, throughout Iraq, Iran, into India, east throughout south east Asia north through southern China, the northern Philippines, Taiwan and Japan (Alstrom and Mild 2003). There are 9 recognized subspecies found throughout the range of the White Wagtail with only 3 having been recorded in North America (Alstrom and Mild 2003). The nominate subspecies of White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) has occurred accidentally along the east coast of North America (Hamilton et al. 2007, Dunn and Alderfer 2011). In western North America, the White Wagtails that occur are from the subspecies that make up the (Motacilla alba ocularis/lugens) complex (Sibley 2000, Dunn and Alderfer 2011). These two subspecies were once separate species with one called White Wagtail (Motacilla alba ocularis) and the other called Black-backed Wagtail (Motacilla alba lugens) (Alstrom and Mild 2003). In 2005, the AOU officially lumped Black- backed Wagtail back with White Wagtail and now the Black-backed Wagtail is considered a subspecies of the White Wagtail (Banks et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Branta Bernicla) in HOOD CANAL and LOWER PUGET SOUND
    Washington Birds 10:1-10 (2008) BREEDING ORIGINS AND POPULATIONS OF WINTERING AND SPRING MIGRANT BRANT (Branta bernicla) IN HOOD CANAL AND LOWER PUGET SOUND Bryan L. Murphie Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 48 Devonshire Road, Montesano, Washington 98563 [email protected] Greg A. Schirato Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 48 Devonshire Road, Montesano, Washington 98563 [email protected] Don K. Kraege Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501 [email protected] Dave H. Ward U.S. Geological Service, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Research Center 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503 [email protected] James C. Sedinger University of Nevada 1000 Valley Road Reno, Nevada 89557 [email protected] James E. Hines Canadian Wildlife Service Suite 301 - 5204, 50th Ave. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories X1A 1E2 [email protected] Karen S. Bollinger U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management 1412 Airport Way, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 [email protected] Brant (Branta bernicla) migrate and winter along the west coast of North America (Reed et al. 1989). These geese originate from breeding colonies in Alaska, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and northeastern Russia (Einarsen 1965, Palmer 1976, Bellrose 1980, Reed et al. 1989). The population was recently estimated at approximately 130,000 birds (Trost 1998, Wahl et al. 2005). Mexico has been recognized as a major wintering area for 2 Murphie et al. Brant (Smith and Jensen 1970) and Washington, especially Puget Sound, supports the largest concentration of Brant north of Mexico in winter and >90% of the Brant during northward migration (Pacific Flyway Council 2002).
    [Show full text]
  • American Pipit Anthus Rubescens
    American Pipit Anthus rubescens Folk Name: Water Pipit, Titlark, Skylark, Brownlark Status: Migrant, Winter Visitor Abundance: Uncommon to Common Habitat: Bare-ground, short-grass fields, pastures, lawns, mudflats The American Pipit was once called the Water Pipit and the Titlark. For a time, it was called the Skylark, similar to the Eurasian Skylark—a famous soaring songbird. However, the two are not closely related. “What of the word ‘lark,’ as meaning a frolic? The Anglo- Saxon word ‘lark,’ meaning play. So a sky lark is the bird that frolics, or plays, or rejoices, or ‘larks,’ in the air or s k y.” — The People’s Press, Winston-Salem, March 6, 1857 The American Pipit is a fairly nondescript winter In the late 1870s, Leverett Loomis considered the visitor usually encountered in small loose flocks foraging “Brownlark” as an “abundant” winter resident in Chester on the ground in large open areas of very short grass, County, SC. In North Carolina in 1939, C. S. Brimley mudflats, pasture, or dirt fields. It has a distinctive flight noted that “[r]ecords of Pipits…seem to be totally lacking call that sounds very much like pip pit. At 6 ½ inches, the from the Piedmont region” and requested additional pipit is slightly smaller than our common bluebird. It is pipit records be submitted for use in the second edition gray brown above, and its underparts are buff white and of Birds of North Carolina. William McIlwaine responded streaked. Look closely for a light line above the eye and to Brimley’s request with a list of American Pipit flocks white outer tail feathers.
    [Show full text]
  • South Puget Sound Streaked Horned Lark (Eremophila Alpestris Strigata) Genetic Rescue Study Report for Year 2
    South Puget Sound Streaked Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata) Genetic Rescue Study Report for Year 2 Spring/Summer 2012 Photo credit: Rod Gilbert South Puget Sound Streaked Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata) Genetic Rescue Study Draft Report for Year 2 September 2012 Prepared by Adrian Wolf THE CENTER FOR NATURAL LANDS MANAGEMENT The Center for Natural Lands Management 120 East Union Avenue, suite 215 Olympia, WA 98501 Tel. 360-742-8212 Email: [email protected] Abstract Hatchability of Streaked Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata) eggs in the Puget Lowlands of Washington State is extremely low relative to other grassland nesting birds at the same site and generally. Because genetic factors (inbreeding depression) appear to be a likely explanation, an effort to increase genetic diversity was initiated in 2011. 2012 was the second year of the genetic rescue effort initiated at the 13th Division Prairie on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. A total of eight breeding lark pairs and one unpaired male were detected within the study area. Nest building was first detected on 25 April; the first eggs were observed on 16 May; the first nestlings hatched on or around 27 May, the first fledgling was observed on 20 June. Twenty nests were located, which produced a total of 49 eggs (2.9 eggs/nest ± 0.9 SD). Mean number of eggs per completed clutch (n = 15) was 3.1 ± 0.6 (SD), an increase from 2.3 in 2011. A total of 14 local nestlings were color-banded, and at least four of the fourteen were observed foraging independently. Hatchability of the Puget Sound nests increased to 84% in 2012, from 61% in 2011.
    [Show full text]
  • Neotropical Bird Migration During the Ice Ages: Orientation and Ecology
    Swarthmore College Works Biology Faculty Works Biology 1-1-1996 Neotropical Bird Migration During The Ice Ages: Orientation And Ecology Timothy C. Williams , '64 Swarthmore College, [email protected] T. Webb III Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-biology Part of the Biology Commons Let us know how access to these works benefits ouy Recommended Citation Timothy C. Williams , '64 and T. Webb III. (1996). "Neotropical Bird Migration During The Ice Ages: Orientation And Ecology". Auk. Volume 113, Issue 1. 105-118. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-biology/254 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biology Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Neotropical Bird Migration during the Ice Ages: Orientation and Ecology Author(s): Timothy C. Williams, Thompson Webb and III Source: The Auk, Vol. 113, No. 1 (Jan., 1996), pp. 105-118 Published by: American Ornithologists' Union Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4088939 Accessed: 27-04-2015 14:44 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4088939?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive.
    [Show full text]
  • SPRAGUE's PIPIT (Anthus Spragueii) STATUS: USFWS Bird of Conservation Concern; No Endangered Species Act Status. SPECIES DE
    SPRAGUE’S PIPIT (Anthus spragueii) STATUS: USFWS Bird of Conservation Concern; No Endangered Species Act status. SPECIES DESCRIPTION: The Sprague's pipit is a small passerine of the family Motacillidae that is endemic to the North American grassland. The Sprague's pipit is about 10-15 centimeters (3.9-5.9 inches) in length, and weighs 22-26 grams (0.8-0.9 ounce), with buff and blackish streaking on the crown, nape, and underparts. It has a plain buffy face with a large eye-ring. The bill is relatively short, narrow, and straight with a blackish upper mandible. The lower mandible is pale with a blackish tip. The wings and tail have two indistinct wing-bars, outer tail feathers are mostly white. Legs are yellowish to pale pinkish-brown. Juveniles are slightly smaller, but similar to adults, with black spotting rather than streaking. Sprague’s pipit is most similar in appearance to the American pipit, which has less streaking (becomes uniformly gray in spring) and dark brown to blackish legs. HABITAT: Nests in short-grass plains, mixed grass prairie, alkaline meadows, and wet meadows where the vegetation is intermediate in height and provides dense cover. More common in native grasslands than areas with introduced grasses. Native grass fields are rare in Arizona but cultivated, dry Bermuda grass, alfalfa fields mixed with patches of dry grass or fallow fields appear to support the species during wintering. They will not use mowed or burned areas until the vegetation has had a chance to grow. RANGE: Breeding range includes portions of south-central Canada, North Dakota, northern portions of South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota.
    [Show full text]
  • Field Checklist (PDF)
    Surf Scoter Marbled Godwit OWLS (Strigidae) Common Raven White-winged Scoter Ruddy Turnstone Eastern Screech Owl CHICKADEES (Paridae) Common Goldeneye Red Knot Great Horned Owl Black-capped Chickadee Barrow’s Goldeneye Sanderling Snowy Owl Boreal Chickadee Bufflehead Semipalmated Sandpiper Northern Hawk-Owl Tufted Titmouse Hooded Merganser Western Sandpiper Barred Owl NUTHATCHES (Sittidae) Common Merganser Least Sandpiper Great Gray Owl Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Merganser White-rumped Sandpiper Long-eared Owl White-breasted Nuthatch Ruddy Duck Baird’s Sandpiper Short-eared Owl CREEPERS (Certhiidae) VULTURES (Cathartidae) Pectoral Sandpiper Northern Saw-Whet Owl Brown Creeper Turkey Vulture Purple Sandpiper NIGHTJARS (Caprimulgidae) WRENS (Troglodytidae) HAWKS & EAGLES (Accipitridae) Dunlin Common Nighthawk Carolina Wren Osprey Stilt Sandpiper Whip-poor-will House Wren Bald Eagle Buff-breasted Sandpiper SWIFTS (Apodidae) Winter Wren Northern Harrier Ruff Chimney Swift Marsh Wren Sharp-shinned Hawk Short-billed Dowitcher HUMMINGBIRDS (Trochilidae) THRUSHES (Muscicapidae) Cooper’s Hawk Wilson’s Snipe Ruby-throated Hummingbird Golden-crowned Kinglet Northern Goshawk American Woodcock KINGFISHERS (Alcedinidae) Ruby-crowned Kinglet Red-shouldered Hawk Wilson’s Phalarope Belted Kingfisher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Broad-winged Hawk Red-necked Phalarope WOODPECKERS (Picidae) Eastern Bluebird Red-tailed Hawk Red Phalarope Red-headed Woodpecker Veery Rough-legged Hawk GULLS & TERNS (Laridae) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Gray-cheeked Thrush Golden
    [Show full text]
  • Birds of Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area
    TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF G U S E N G E L I N G WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA A FIELD CHECKLIST “Act Natural” Visit a Wildlife Management Area at our Web site: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us Cover: Illustration of Pileated Woodpecker by Rob Fleming. HABITAT DESCRIPTION he Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area is located in the northwest corner of Anderson County, 20 miles Tnorthwest of Palestine, Texas, on U.S. Highway 287. The management area contains 10,958 acres of land owned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Most of the land was purchased in 1950 and 1951, with the addition of several smaller tracts through 1960. It was originally called the Derden Wildlife Management Area, but was later changed to the Engeling Wildlife Management Area in honor of Biologist Gus A. Engeling, who was killed by a poacher on the area in December 1951. The area is drained by Catfish Creek which is a tributary of the Trinity River. The topography is gently rolling to hilly, with a well-defined drainage system that empties into Catfish Creek. Most of the small streams are spring fed and normally flow year-round. The soils are mostly light colored, rapidly permeable sands on the upland, and moderately permeable, gray-brown, sandy loams in the bottomland along Catfish Creek. The climate is classified as moist, sub-humid, with an annual rainfall of about 40 inches. The vegetation consists of deciduous forest with an overstory made up of oak, hickory, sweetgum and elm; with associated understory species of dogwood, American beautyberry, huckleberry, greenbrier, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Meadow Pipit Scientific Name: Anthus Pratensis Irish Name: Riabhóg Mhóna by Lewis Gospel
    Bird Life Meadow Pipit Scientific Name: Anthus pratensis Irish Name: Riabhóg Mhóna By Lewis Gospel he meadow pipit is a small bird and is part of the pipit T family. As the first half of its name suggests it can be found in areas of wide open country. The second half of its name dates back all the way to 1768, when it used to be called a tit lark! It is a hard species to tell apart from others in the pipit family. If you look closely it has a thin bill and white, pale pinkish yellow legs with a hind claw at the back of the feet. This claw is a lot longer than its other claws. It mostly likes to eat on the ground and its favourite food in summer are insects and wriggling earthworms. In winter it likes to eat seeds and berries. These give it plenty of energy when other food is not as plentiful. Photos: © Robbie Murphy © Robbie Photos: How you can spot it! If you find yourself in any grassland, heath or moor listen out for a squeaky 'tsip'-like call as the Meadow Pipit travels in little flocks. Be sure to look where you are walking, as these little birds likes to nest on the ground. If disturbed they will rise in ones or twos, or in a little body or group. The Meadow Pipit looks a lot like its close relative the Tree Pipit, and in Ireland there is a subspecies called ‘Anthus pratensis whistleri‘ that is a little darker than the ones you find in other countries in Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategies for the Eradication Or Control of Gypsy Moth in New Zealand
    Strategies for the eradication or control of gypsy moth in New Zealand Travis R. Glare1, Patrick J. Walsh2*, Malcolm Kay3 and Nigel D. Barlow1 1 AgResearch, PO Box 60, Lincoln, New Zealand 2 Forest Research Associates, Rotorua (*current address Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway, Republic of Ireland) 3Forest Research, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua Efforts to remove gypsy moth from an elm, Malden, MA, circa 1891 May 2003 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The aim of the report is to provide background information that can contribute to developing strategies for control of gypsy moth. This is not a contingency plan, but a document summarising the data collected over a two year FRST-funded programme on biological control options for gypsy moth relevant to New Zealand, completed in 1998 and subsequent research on palatability of New Zealand flora to gypsy moth. It is mainly aimed at discussing control options. It should assist with rapidly developing a contingency plan for gypsy moth in the case of pest incursion. Abbreviations GM gypsy moth AGM Asian gypsy moth NAGM North America gypsy moth EGM European gypsy moth Bt Bacillus thuringiensis Btk Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki MAF New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MOF New Zealand Ministry of Forestry (defunct, now part of MAF) NPV nucleopolyhedrovirus LdNPV Lymantria dispar nucleopolyhedrovirus NZ New Zealand PAM Painted apple moth, Teia anartoides FR Forest Research PIB Polyhedral inclusion bodies Strategies for Asian gypsy moth eradication or control in New Zealand page 2 SUMMARY Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), poses a major threat to New Zealand forests. It is known to attack over 500 plant species and has caused massive damage to forests in many countries in the northern hemisphere.
    [Show full text]