Herring Gull
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Gyrfalcon Falco Rusticolus
Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus Rob Florkiewicz surveys, this area was included. Eight eyries are known from this Characteristics and Range The northern-dwelling Gyrfalcon is part of the province; however, while up to 7 of these eyries have the largest falcon in the world. It breeds mostly along the Arctic been deemed occupied in a single year, no more than 3 have been coasts of North America, Europe and Asia (Booms et al. 2008). productive at the same time. Based on these data and other Over its range, its colour varies from white through silver-grey to sightings, the British Columbia Wildlife Branch estimates the almost black; silver-grey is the most common morph in British breeding population in the province to be fewer than 20 pairs Columbia. It nests on cliff ledges at sites that are often used for (Chutter 2008). decades and where considerable amounts of guano can accumulate. Ptarmigan provide the Gyrfalcon's main prey in In British Columbia, the Gyrfalcon nests on cliff ledges on British Columbia and productivity appears dependent on mountains in alpine areas, usually adjacent to rivers or lakes. ptarmigan numbers. Large size and hunting prowess make the Occasionally, it nests on cliffs of river banks and in abandoned Gyrfalcon a popular bird with falconers, who breed and train Golden Eagle nests. them to hunt waterfowl and other game birds. Conservation and Recommendations Whilst the Gyrfalcon is Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Most Gyrfalcons breed designated as Not at Risk nationally by COSEWIC, it is Blue-listed along the Arctic coast; however, a few breed in the northwest in British Columbia due to its small known breeding population portion of the Northern Boreal Mountains Ecoprovince of British (British Columbia Ministry of Environment 2014). -
Eastern Marsh Harrier Chu-Hi (Jpn) Circus Spilonotus Morphology and Classification Still Undiscovered Nesting Grounds in Hokkaido in Particular
Bird Research News Vol.7 No.5 2010.5.20. Eastern Marsh Harrier Chu-hi (Jpn) Circus spilonotus Morphology and classification still undiscovered nesting grounds in Hokkaido in particular. The total population of the species wintering in Japan, on the other hand, has not been counted except for the roosting number of some Classification: Accipitriformes Accipitridae areas, such as Watarase Marsh, Tochigi Pref., central Japan. Total length: ♂ 480mm ♀ 580mm Wing length: 380-430mm Wingspan: 1132-1372mm Nest: Tail length: 215-262mm Culmen length: 28-31mm They build a nest in wet reed beds or the dry tall grassland of Japa- Tarsus length: 85-91mm Weight: 498-844g nese pampas grass (Miscanthus sinensis), etc., piling up dry grass on the ground (Nishide 1979, Tada 2007, Naya et. al. 2007, Chiba Measurements after Enomoto (1941). 2008). The nest size is about 110-130cm by 80-90cm (Chiba 2008, Naya et al. 2007). Appearance: The plumage coloration of East- Egg: ern Marsh Harriers is basically They lay an egg at 3.3 day intervals on average (Nishide 1979). brownish, but varies considera- The clutch size is 4-7 eggs (Chiba 2008, Nishide 1979). The egg bly (Morioka et al. 1995). There size is 48.0mm by 38.0mm on average (n = 5) (Chiba 2008). The are types such as totally dark egg color is grayish white (Chiba 2008). brown, off-white from the head to the leading edge of a wing, Incubation and nestling periods: and pale brown with a vertical- Females mostly incubate eggs. The incubation period is about 28- striped underpart, bluish gray 34 days (Chiba 2008). -
Laughing Gull Larus Atricilla
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla Laughing Gulls are normally associated with coastal shore- Since only a single Laughing Gull was known to reside in lines. In eastern North America, breeding colonies are found this colony between 1984 and 1986, these reports do not qualify along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean north to Nova as a confirmed nesting record for Ohio. Instead, they suggest Scotia and New Brunswick (AOU 1983). They are generally rare that breeding could occur in the future under appropriate visitors away from these coasts. Since the early 1970s, however, circumstances. At this time, however, there are no satisfactory small numbers have regularly appeared along the Great Lakes. reports of paired Laughing Gulls anywhere along the Great Laughing Gulls have been annually observed in Ohio since 1972 Lakes. (Peterjohn 1989a), and during the 1980s, at least one or two Laughing Gulls nest only in large colonies, either segregated summering individuals have annually appeared somewhere along from other larids or mixed with gulls and terns. Hence, the Lake Erie. Many of these summering gulls were immatures, Oregon colony is the only location in Ohio where they would be while the few adults were presumably nonbreeders. Hence, the expected to breed. They nest on the ground, usually in moderate discovery of an adult Laughing Gull within the Ring–billed Gull to heavy vegetation (Burger and Gochfeld 1985). If the nesting colony at Oregon (Lucas County) during 1984 provided the first dates of the Oregon Laughing Gull were indicative of their indication of nesting anywhere within the Great Lakes region. -
First Record of a California Gull for North Carolina
General Field Notes LYNN MOSELEY EIS M. OSYE rth Crln Edtr Sth Crln Edtr prtnt f l prtnt f l Glfrd Cll h Ctdl Grnbr, C 240 Chrltn, SC 240 OICE Publication of any unusual sightings of birds in the Field Notes or Briefs for the Files does not imply that these reports have been accepted into the official Checklist of Birds records for either North or South Carolina. Decisions regarding the official Checklists are made by the respective State Records Committees and will be reported upon periodically in THE CHAT. rt rd f Clfrn Gll fr rth Crln Stephen J. Dinsmore John O. Fussell Jeremy Nance 2600 Glen Burnie 1412 Shepard Street 3259 N 1st Avenue Raleigh, NC 27607 Morehead City, NC 28557 Tucson, AZ 85719 At approximately 1400 h on 29 January 1993, we observed an adult California Gull (Larus californicus) at the Carteret County landfill, located southwest of Newport, North Carolina. We were birding the northwest corner of the landfill when Fussell called our attention to a slightly darker-mantled gull resting with hundreds of other gulls, mostly Herring Gulls (L. argentatus). We immediately recognized the bird as an adult California Gull. We were able to observe and photograph the bird for the nest half hour at distances of 75-100 m. At 1430 the bird suddenly flew south over the dump and we were not able to relocated it over the next 2 hours. Sprn 6 The following is a detailed description of the bird, much of it written immediately after the sighting. The bird was slightly smaller and slimmer than the numerous Herring Gulls surrounding it. -
Fisheries of the Northeast
FISHERIES OF THE NORTHEAST AMERICAN BLUE LOBSTER BILLFISHES ATLANTIC COD MUSSEL (Blue marlin, Sailfish, BLACK SEA BASS Swordfish, White marlin) CLAMS DRUMS BUTTERFISH (Arc blood clam, Arctic surf clam, COBIA Atlantic razor clam, Atlantic surf clam, (Atlantic croaker, Black drum, BLUEFISH (Gulf butterfish, Northern Northern kingfish, Red drum, Northern quahog, Ocean quahog, harvestfish) CRABS Silver sea trout, Southern kingfish, Soft-shelled clam, Stout razor clam) (Atlantic rock crab, Blue crab, Spot, Spotted seatrout, Weakfish) Deep-sea red crab, Green crab, Horseshoe crab, Jonah crab, Lady crab, Northern stone crab) GREEN SEA FLATFISH URCHIN EELS (Atlantic halibut, American plaice, GRAY TRIGGERFISH HADDOCK (American eel, Fourspot flounder, Greenland halibut, Conger eel) Hogchoker, Southern flounder, Summer GROUPERS flounder, Winter flounder, Witch flounder, (Black grouper, Yellowtail flounder) Snowy grouper) MACKERELS (Atlantic chub mackerel, MONKFISH HAKES JACKS Atlantic mackerel, Bullet mackerel, King mackerel, (Offshore hake, Red hake, (Almaco jack, Amberjack, Bar Silver hake, Spotted hake, HERRINGS jack, Blue runner, Crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel) White hake) (Alewife, Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic Florida pompano) MAHI MAHI herring, Atlantic thread herring, Blueback herring, Gizzard shad, Hickory shad, Round herring) MULLETS PORGIES SCALLOPS (Striped mullet, White mullet) POLLOCK (Jolthead porgy, Red porgy, (Atlantic sea Scup, Sheepshead porgy) REDFISH scallop, Bay (Acadian redfish, scallop) Blackbelly rosefish) OPAH SEAWEEDS (Bladder -
Ecosystem Shock: the Devastating Impacts of Invasive Species on the Great Lakes Food
October 2004 Ecosystem Shock: The Devastating Impacts of Invasive Species on the Great Lakes Food Web Ecosystem Shock: The Devastating Impacts of Invasive Species on the Great Lakes Food Web October 2004 By Gwen White, PhD., Michael Murray, PhD., and Sara E. Jackson Larry Schweiger, President and CEO Wayne Schmidt, Vice President, Communications Monty Fischer, Water Resources Policy Director Andy Buchsbaum, Director, Great Lakes Natural Resource Center Acknowledgments This report was made possible through the generous support of the Joyce Foundation, the Great Lakes Protection Fund, the C.S. Mott Foundation, and the George Gund Foundation. We are also grateful for review comments provided by Alfred Beeton (Scientist Emeritus, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory), Mark Coscarelli and Jack Bails (Public Sector Consultants), Randy L. Eshenroder (Great Lakes Fisheries Commission), Charles Madenjian (U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center), Tom Nalepa (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory), and Larissa Sano (Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research, University of Michigan). This report was prepared by Gwen White, PhD. (D.J. Case & Associates), Michael Murray, PhD. (NWF), and Sara E. Jackson (NWF), with additional contributions by Andy Buchsbaum (NWF), and Jordan Lubetkin (NWF). Report design and layout by Sara E. Jackson (NWF). National Wildlife Federation is solely responsible for the content of this report. The views expressed in this report are those of NWF and do not necessarily represent the views of reviewers or financial supporters. One report in a series on Great Lakes Restoration www.nwf.org Copyright 2004 National Wildlife Federation. -
Introduction
Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book Editors N. J. COLLAR (Editor-in-chief), A. V. ANDREEV, S. CHAN, M. J. CROSBY, S. SUBRAMANYA and J. A. TOBIAS Maps by RUDYANTO and M. J. CROSBY Principal compilers and data contributors ■ BANGLADESH P. Thompson ■ BHUTAN R. Pradhan; C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp ■ CAMBODIA Sun Hean; C. M. Poole ■ CHINA ■ MAINLAND CHINA Zheng Guangmei; Ding Changqing, Gao Wei, Gao Yuren, Li Fulai, Liu Naifa, Ma Zhijun, the late Tan Yaokuang, Wang Qishan, Xu Weishu, Yang Lan, Yu Zhiwei, Zhang Zhengwang. ■ HONG KONG Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (BirdLife Affiliate); H. F. Cheung; F. N. Y. Lock, C. K. W. Ma, Y. T. Yu. ■ TAIWAN Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan (BirdLife Partner); L. Liu Severinghaus; Chang Chin-lung, Chiang Ming-liang, Fang Woei-horng, Ho Yi-hsian, Hwang Kwang-yin, Lin Wei-yuan, Lin Wen-horn, Lo Hung-ren, Sha Chian-chung, Yau Cheng-teh. ■ INDIA Bombay Natural History Society (BirdLife Partner Designate) and Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History; L. Vijayan and V. S. Vijayan; S. Balachandran, R. Bhargava, P. C. Bhattacharjee, S. Bhupathy, A. Chaudhury, P. Gole, S. A. Hussain, R. Kaul, U. Lachungpa, R. Naroji, S. Pandey, A. Pittie, V. Prakash, A. Rahmani, P. Saikia, R. Sankaran, P. Singh, R. Sugathan, Zafar-ul Islam ■ INDONESIA BirdLife International Indonesia Country Programme; Ria Saryanthi; D. Agista, S. van Balen, Y. Cahyadin, R. F. A. Grimmett, F. R. Lambert, M. Poulsen, Rudyanto, I. Setiawan, C. Trainor ■ JAPAN Wild Bird Society of Japan (BirdLife Partner); Y. Fujimaki; Y. Kanai, H. -
A Multi-Gene Phylogeny of Aquiline Eagles (Aves: Accipitriformes) Reveals Extensive Paraphyly at the Genus Level
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com MOLECULAR SCIENCE•NCE /W\/Q^DIRI DIRECT® PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION ELSEVIER Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35 (2005) 147-164 www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev A multi-gene phylogeny of aquiline eagles (Aves: Accipitriformes) reveals extensive paraphyly at the genus level Andreas J. Helbig'^*, Annett Kocum'^, Ingrid Seibold^, Michael J. Braun^ '^ Institute of Zoology, University of Greifswald, Vogelwarte Hiddensee, D-18565 Kloster, Germany Department of Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Rd., Suitland, MD 20746, USA Received 19 March 2004; revised 21 September 2004 Available online 24 December 2004 Abstract The phylogeny of the tribe Aquilini (eagles with fully feathered tarsi) was investigated using 4.2 kb of DNA sequence of one mito- chondrial (cyt b) and three nuclear loci (RAG-1 coding region, LDH intron 3, and adenylate-kinase intron 5). Phylogenetic signal was highly congruent and complementary between mtDNA and nuclear genes. In addition to single-nucleotide variation, shared deletions in nuclear introns supported one basal and two peripheral clades within the Aquilini. Monophyly of the Aquilini relative to other birds of prey was confirmed. However, all polytypic genera within the tribe, Spizaetus, Aquila, Hieraaetus, turned out to be non-monophyletic. Old World Spizaetus and Stephanoaetus together appear to be the sister group of the rest of the Aquilini. Spiza- stur melanoleucus and Oroaetus isidori axe nested among the New World Spizaetus species and should be merged with that genus. The Old World 'Spizaetus' species should be assigned to the genus Nisaetus (Hodgson, 1836). The sister species of the two spotted eagles (Aquila clanga and Aquila pomarina) is the African Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis). -
Natural History of the Gyrfalcon in the Central Canadian Arctic K.G
ARCTIC VOL. 41, NO. 1 (MARCH 1988) P. 31-38 Natural History of the Gyrfalcon in the Central Canadian Arctic K.G. POOLE' and R.G. BROMLEY2 (Received 24 March 1987; accepted in revised form 24 September 1987) ABSTRACT. A population of breeding gyrfalcons was studied from 1982to 1986 on 2000a km2 area in thecentral Arctic of the NorthwestTerritories. Each year 14-18 territories were occupied. The meanintemest distance was 10.6 km, giving oneof the highest recorded densitiesfor the species. There was a tendency for regularity in spacing of territories. Most (85%) nests were in abandoned stick nests of common ravens or golden eagles. Rough-legged hawk nests were not used by gyrfalcons, despite numerous available.date Mean of initiation of laying was 8 May. Meansize of clutch was 3.80 and of brood was 2.53, and mean productivity was 1SO fledged young. A reduction of 48% from estimated numberof eggs laid to number of fledglings was determined. Reproductive success declined with increased severity of spring weather, notablydays increased and amount of precipitation. Key words: gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus),natural history, reproductive ecology, central Arctic RÉSUMÉ. Qtre 1982 et 1986, on a étudié une populationde gerfauts en reproduction dans une zone de 2000 km2dans la région centrale arctiquedes Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Quatorze des 18 aires étaient occupées chaque année. La distance entremoyenne les nids étaitde 10,6km, soit la plus grande densité relevée pour cetteespèce. Les aires avaient tendanceB être espacéesrégulitrement. La plupart des nids(85 p. cent) étaient situésdans des nids de brindilles occupés précédemment pardes corbeaux communsou des aigles dorés. -
Nesting Populations of California and Ring-Billed Gulls in California
WESTERN BIR Volume 31, Number 3, 2000 NESTING POPULATIONS OF CLwO AND RING-BI--F-r GULLS IN CALIFORNIA: RECENT SURVEYS AND HISTORICAL STATUS W. DAVID SHUFORD, Point Reyes Bird Observatory(PRBO), 4990 Shoreline Highway, StinsonBeach, California94970 THOMAS P. RYAN, San FranciscoBay Bird Observatory(SFBBO), P.O. Box 247, 1290 Hope Street,Alviso, California 95002 ABSTRACT: Statewidesurveys from 1994 to 1997 revealed33,125 to 39,678 breedingpairs of CaliforniaGulls and at least9611 to 12,660 pairsof Ring-billed Gullsin California.Gulls nested at 12 inland sitesand in San FranciscoBay. The Mono Lake colonywas by far the largestof the CaliforniaGull, holding 70% to 80% of the statepopulation, followed by SanFrancisco Bay with 11% to 14%. ButteValley WildlifeArea, Clear Lake NationalWildlife Refuge, and Honey Lake WildlifeArea were the only othersites that heldover 1000 pairsof CaliforniaGulls. In mostyears, Butte Valley, Clear Lake, Big Sage Reservoir,and Honey Lake togetherheld over 98% of the state'sbreeding Ring-billed Gulls; Goose Lake held9% in 1997. Muchof the historicalrecord of gullcolonies consists of estimatestoo roughfor assessmentof populationtrends. Nevertheless, California Gulls, at least,have increased substantially in recentdecades, driven largely by trendsat Mono Lake and San FranciscoBay (first colonizedin 1980). Irregularoccupancy of some locationsreflects the changing suitabilityof nestingsites with fluctuatingwater levels.In 1994, low water at six sites allowedcoyotes access to nestingcolonies, and resultingpredation appeared to reducenesting success greatly at threesites. Nesting islands secure from predators and humandisturbance are nestinggulls' greatest need. Conover(1983) compileddata suggestingthat breedingpopulations of Ring-billed(Larus delawarensis)and California(Larus californicus)gulls haveincreased greafiy in the Westin recentdecades. Detailed assessments of populationstatus and trends of these speciesin individualwestern states, however,have been publishedonly for Washington(Conover et al. -
The Herring Gull Complex (Larus Argentatus - Fuscus - Cachinnans) As a Model Group for Recent Holarctic Vertebrate Radiations
The Herring Gull Complex (Larus argentatus - fuscus - cachinnans) as a Model Group for Recent Holarctic Vertebrate Radiations Dorit Liebers-Helbig, Viviane Sternkopf, Andreas J. Helbig{, and Peter de Knijff Abstract Under what circumstances speciation in sexually reproducing animals can occur without geographical disjunction is still controversial. According to the ring species model, a reproductive barrier may arise through “isolation-by-distance” when peripheral populations of a species meet after expanding around some uninhabitable barrier. The classical example for this kind of speciation is the herring gull (Larus argentatus) complex with a circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere. An analysis of mitochondrial DNA variation among 21 gull taxa indicated that members of this complex differentiated largely in allopatry following multiple vicariance and long-distance colonization events, not primarily through “isolation-by-distance”. In a recent approach, we applied nuclear intron sequences and AFLP markers to be compared with the mitochondrial phylogeography. These markers served to reconstruct the overall phylogeny of the genus Larus and to test for the apparent biphyletic origin of two species (argentatus, hyperboreus) as well as the unex- pected position of L. marinus within this complex. All three taxa are members of the herring gull radiation but experienced, to a different degree, extensive mitochon- drial introgression through hybridization. The discrepancies between the mitochon- drial gene tree and the taxon phylogeny based on nuclear markers are illustrated. 1 Introduction Ernst Mayr (1942), based on earlier ideas of Stegmann (1934) and Geyr (1938), proposed that reproductive isolation may evolve in a single species through D. Liebers-Helbig (*) and V. Sternkopf Deutsches Meeresmuseum, Katharinenberg 14-20, 18439 Stralsund, Germany e-mail: [email protected] P. -
Laughing Gulls Breed Primarily Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico and the Atlantic and Caribbean Coasts from S
LAUGHING GULL Leucophaeus atricilla non-breeding visitor, regular winterer L.a. megalopterus Laughing Gulls breed primarily along the Pacific coast of Mexico and the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts from s. Canada to Venezuela, and they winter S to Peru and the Amazon delta (AOU 1998, Howell and Dunn 2007). It and Franklin's Gull were placed along with other gulls in the genus Larus until split by the AOU (2008). Vagrant Laughing Gulls have been reported in Europe (Cramp and Simmons 1983) and widely in the Pacific, from Clipperton I to Wake Atoll (Rauzon et al. 2008), Johnston Atoll (records of at least 14 individuals, 1964-2003), Palmyra, Baker, Kiribati, Pheonix, Marshall, Pitcairn, Gambier, and Samoan Is, as well as Australia/New Zealand (King 1967; Clapp and Sibley 1967; Sibley and McFarlane 1968; Pratt et al. 1987, 2010; Garrett 1987; Wragg 1994; Higgins and Davies 1996; Vanderwerf et al. 2004; Hayes et al. 2015; E 50:13 [identified as Franklin's Gull], 58:50). Another interesting record is of one photographed attending an observer rowing solo between San Francisco and Australia at 6.5° N, 155° W, about 1400 km S of Hawai'i I, 1-2 Nov 2007. They have been recorded almost annually as winter visitors to the Hawaiian Islands since the mid-1970s, numbers increasing from the NW to the SE, as would be expected of this N American species. The great majority of records involve first-year birds, and, despite the many records in the S Pacific, there is no evidence for a transient population through the Hawaiian Islands, or of individuals returning for consecutive winters after departing in spring.