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HAWKS,C., ANDC. ROSE.[EDS.], 1987. A preliminary their rolesand future in biologicalresearch. British list of conservationresources for the careofnatural Columbia Provincial Museum. Occas. Paoer No. history collections.Society for the Preservationof 25. Natural History Collections,Nat. Mus. Nat. Hist., WILLIAMS,S. L., AND C. A. HAWKS. 1987. History Smithsonian Inst., Washington, DC. of preparationmaterials usedfor Recent mammal JENKINSON,M. A., AND D. S. WOOD. 1985. Avian specimens,p. 21-49. In H. Genoways, C. Jones, anatomical specimens:a geographicalanalysis of and 0. Rossolimo [eds.].Mammal collectionman- needs. Auk 102:587-599. agement. Texas Tech Univ. Press, Lubbock. JOHNSON,N. K., R. M. ZINK, G. F. BARROWCLO~GH, WILSON,E. 0. 1986. Time to revive systematics.Sci- AND J. A. MARTEN. 1984. Suggestedtechniques ence 230: 1227. for modem avian systematics.Wilson Bull. 96: WOOD,D. S., R. L. ZUSI,AND M. A. JENKINSON.1982. 543-560. World inventory of avian spirit specimens, 1982. MCKITRICK,M. C. 1985. Pelvic morphology of the American Ornithologists’ Union and Oklahoma kingbirdsand their allies (Aves: Tyrannidae). Ann. Biological Survey, Norman, OK. Carnegie Mus. 54:275-317. _ ZINK, R. M., AND J. V. REMSEN. 1986. Evolutionary NICHOLSON.T. D. 1986. Svstematicsand museums. processesand patterns of geographicvariation in Science23 1:442. . birds, p. l-69. In R. F. Johnston [ed.], Current QUAY, W. B. 1974. Bird and mammal specimensin ornithology. Vol. 4. Plenum Press, New York. fluid-objectives and methods.Curator 17:9l-104. ZUSI, R. L., D. S. WOOD, AND M. S. JENKINSON.1982. RAIKOW,R. J. 1985. Museum collections, compar- Remarks on a world-wide inventory of avian an- ative anatomy and the study of phylogeny,p. 113- atomical specimens.Auk 99:740-757. 121. In E. H. Miller [ed.], Museum collections:

TheCondor90:503-505 0 The Cooper Ornithological Society 1988

SCRUB JAY PREDATION ON STARLINGS AND SWALLOWS: ATTACK AND INTERSPECIFIC DEFENSE’

PAUL R. EHRLICHAND JOHN F. MCLAUGHLIN Department of BiologicalSciences, Stanford University,Stanford, CA 94305

Key words: Aphelocoma coerulescens;Cl$Swal- its bill, the jay repeatedly pecked vigorously at the low: EuropeanStarling; interspeciJicdefense;predation;starling ’s head and shoulderswith its bill. The sequence Scrub Jay. was interrupted by the intervention of an adult starling which chasedthe jay away from the juvenile, but the jay then returned and pursued the flying juvenile, Jays are known to be important predators of both the catchingit twice, pinning it as before, and hammering eggsand nestlingsof other birds, but attackson adults at it until the adult starlingintervened each time. Groups or juveniles capable of competent flight are rarely re- of students interrupted the attack and all three birds ported. On the campus of Stanford University, Santa disappeared.The entire sequenceprobably took less Clara County, California, a Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma than 1 min. coerulescens)was observed repeatedly attacking a ju- In a location about 50 m away on 8 May 1987 a venile EuropeanStarling (Sturnusvulgaris). When first second predatory interaction was observed. The be- observed, at 09:OOon 4 May 1987, the starling ap- havior of the jay and the juvenile starling was similar; peared disoriented. It flew at a height ofabout 1 m into the starling’s flight seemed clumsy, but it was impos- the side of a building, dropped to the ground, but re- sible to determine whether this was becauseof its in- mained active. The pursuingjay immediately cornered experienceor a result ofinjury. In this casetwo or three the starling and pinned it to the ground with its feet. Brown Towhees (Pipilo fuscus) intervened and tem- While leaning away from the starling to avoid jabs of porarily drove off the jay. It returned to resume the attack,however, until an adult starlingflew down from an adjacent live oak tree (Quercusagrifolia) and at- I Received 17 August 1987. Final acceptance4 De- tackedthe jay. The juvenile weakly flew severalmeters cember 1987. and was again pinned by the jay. The adult starling 504 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS had been lost from view, but two towheesand an Acorn to capturea Dark-eyed Junco(Bunco hyemalis) in flight Woodpecker(Melanerpes formicivorus) mobbed the jay and another caughta Pygmy Nuthatch (Sittapygmaeu) and terminated its attack on the juvenile starling; at in the same way (Carotherset al. 1972). In both cases this point the juvenile reached cover beneath parked the jay flew back to a perch to pluck and eat its prey. cars and no further attacks were seen. Gray Jays (Perisoreuscanudensis) have also been ob- A third ScrubJay predation event occurredat 12:OO served carrying nestlingsin their feet (Ouellet 1970). on 28 May 1987 during observationof a Cliff Swallow Thus the use of the feet for attacking birds capable (Hirundo pyrrhonota)nesting colony under eaves of a of flight, and for transportingprey, seemswidespread building at Stanford University, some 250 m from the in jays. It is also reported in shrikes, but shrikes use site of the attacks on the starlings(Sunia Yang, pers. their hooked bills to bite their prey (Cade 1967); the comm.). Alarm calls from the swallows attracted at- straightbill of the jay is more suitable for hammering. tention, and a jay and an adult swallowwere seenfalling A Common Myna (Acridotherestristis) nesting in Ev- together from roof height. After landing on the lawn ergladesCity, Florida, draggeda female Purple Martin below, thejay attackedthe swallowin a manner similar (Prognesubis)out ofa nest hole in a martin box, pinned to that describedabove: it pinned the swallow with its it with its feet, and pecked many times at its head. The feet and hammered the swallow’s neck with a closed martin writhed free (SusanAllen, pers. comm.). How- bill. Several swallows from the colony circled above ever, when attacking birds, other passerinesdid not the pair, but the jay persisted in its attack until the use their feet. Pearlv-eved Thrashers (d4uraaroDsfus- observerapproached to within 2 m, at which point the cutus) preying on White-crowned Pigeon-(C&&ba jay releasedthe swallow.The swallowimmediately flew leucocephulu)nestlings in Puerto Rico use their bills away with the jay in pursuit, but the faster swallow and recoil from the defensive thrusts of the squabsin easily escaped.The jay returned to the colony several a manner similar to the jays-but did not employ their times but was greeted by swallow alarm calls on each feet to pin their victims (Wiley and Wiley 1974).Brown- approach, and it soon departed. headed Cowbirds (Molothrusuter) attackinga junco in Whether or not the same jay was involved in more the snowsof Arizona simply pecked at it (Roth 1971). than one ofthe attacksis not certain. There is, however, The responsesof the adult starlingsin the first two a very high density of ScrubJays on the Stanford cam- jay attacks may have been instances of parents de- pus, and the distanceof the third attack from the other fending their fledglings. The intervention of birds of two makes the involvement of at least two jays prob- other species in the jay attack on the second young able. starlingmay, like mobbing behavior in general,simply These interactions seemed noteworthy because of be a “move along” responseto an obvious act of pre- the persistent pursuit of flying birds by the jays, the dation (Curio et al. 1978) althoughjays behaving “nor- use of their feet to pin the prey (as corvids often do mally” are not mobbed by Brown Towhees or Acorn with nuts-see Wilmore 1977, Angel11978), their lean- Woodpeckers.On the other hand, the starlings’ distress ing away from the starlingto avoid the defensivethrusts calls might have been confused with those produced of its bill, and the intervention of other species.The by juvenile towhees or woodpeckers. first three indicate that the predatoryactivities of Scrub We thank Susan Allen, Tony Angell, Jared Dia- Jayscan be highly refined and extend well beyond nest mond, Anne Ehrlich, Stuart Pimm, Darryl Wheye, and robbing. The same is indicated by a report of a Scrub two anonymous reviewers for comments. Jay attacking and capturing an immature female Her- mit Thrush (Catharus g&tutus) in flight (McLandress and McLandress 1981). Similar behavior has been reported in other species of jays. A Blue Jay (Cyanocittu cristutu)has been ob- LITERATURE CITED servedon a branchholding a Purple Finch (Curpoducus purpureus)in its feet and striking the finch’s head with ANGELL,T. 1978. Ravens, crows, magpies,and javs. its bill (Downs 1958). Another Blue Jav was reported Univ. of Washington Press, Seattle: - * to attack a dust-bathing House Sparrow (Passerdo- CADE.T. J. 1967. Ecoloaicaland behavioral asuects mesticus)in Pennsylvania, pecking it violently and ofpredation by a NoGhem Shrike. Living B&d 6: eventually killing it, and carrying it in its feet to a tree 43-86. to feed (Master 1979). A Blue Jay has also killed a CAROTHERS,S. W., N. J. SHARBER,AND R. P. BALDA. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroicucoronutu), but the 1972. Steller’s Jays prey on Gray-headed Juncos details of the attack were not observedexcept that the and a Pygmy Nuthatch-during periods of heavy prey was seen to be carried in the bill (Johnson and snow. Wilson Bull. 84:204-205. Johnson 1976). Another Blue Jay captured a fledgling CURIO,E., U. ERNST,AND W. VEITH. 1978. The adap- Mourning Dove (Zenuidu mucroura)in flight by land- tive significanceof avian mobbing. II. Z. Tierpsy- ing on top of it. The jay seized the dove in its feet, chol. 2 11223-234. forced it to the ground,and peckedit to death (DuBowy DOWNS,J. R. 1958. The killing of an adult bird by a 1985). After an unusual snowstorm at the Southwest- Blue Jay. Bird-Banding 291244. em Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains of DuBowv, P. J. 1985. Aerial capture of fledgling Arizona, a Gray-breasted Jay (Aphelocomuultramur- Mourning Dove by Blue Jay. Prairie Nat. 17:40. inu) killed an unidentified small bird by pecking it JOHNSON,K. W., AND J. E. JOHNSON.1976. An in- (Roth 1971). Also after heavy snows in Arizona, a cident of Blue Jay predation on a Yellow-rumped Steller’s Jay (Cyanocittastelleri) was seenusing its feet Warbler. Wilson Bull. 88:509. SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 505

MASTER,T. L. 1979. An incident of Blue Jay pre- Mexican Jaysand Brown-headedCowbirds under dation on a House Sparrow. Wilson Bull. 9 1:470. conditions of deep snow in southeasternArizona. MCLANDRESS,M. R., AND I. MCLANDRESS. 1981. Condor 73:113. Scrub Jay capturesHermit Thrush in flight. Wil- WILEY, J. W., AND B. N. WILEY. 1974. The biology son Bull. 93:550-551. of the White-crowned Pigeon. Wildl. Monogr. 64: OUELLET,H. 1970. Further observationson food and l-54. predatory habits of the Gray Jay. Can. J. Zool. 48: WILMORE,S. B. 1977. Crows, jays, ravens, and their 327-330. relatives.David and Charles.Newton Abbot. U.K. ROTH, V. D. 1971. Unusual predatory activities of

The Condor 901505-507 0 The CooperOmithologlcal Society 1988

NEW BIRD RECORDS FROM THE GALAPAGOS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EL NItiO-SOUTHERN OSCILLATION’

ROBERTL. CURRY* Department of Biology, The Universityof Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048 SCOTTH. STOLESON 10 LounsburyRoad, Trumbull, CT 0661I

Key words: Galdpagos; colonization; El Nifio- ofthe archipelago(89”57 ’W o”1S ’N). Stormsproducing SouthernOscillation; Black Tern; Rose-breastedGros- unprecedentedrainfall occurredthroughout this period beak; Eared Dove: Dark-billed Cuckoo;Cedar Wax- (Grant 1984b, Curry 1985). We made additional ob- wing. servations on Genovesa between 13 December 1983 and 5 May 1984, and on several other islands in both Colonization is a critical element of biogeographical 1983 and 1984. Our fieldwork was part of continuing processes(MacArthur and Wilson 1967). However, long-term studies of finch and mockingbird breeding even for the avifauna of the GalapagosIslands, which biology begun in 1978. has been the focus of many studies of evolutionary On 29 and 30 Januarv 1983. both of us observed a change, speciation, and community structure (Grant Black Tern, Chlidoniasniger, flying over the beachand 1984a), the frequency of colonization remains poorly tidal lagoonbelow our camp on Genovesa,when it was documented.Here we report on recordsassociated with hawking for insectsover low scrub (mostly Cryptocar- the El Niiio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event of pus pyriformus).In winter plumage, the bird was pre- 1982-1983 for three bird speciesnew to the GalLpagos. dominantly white with a dusky nape, a small dark ear We suggestthat suchrare climatic events have an im- covert spot, and a slightly forked tail; these characters portant influence on the archipelago’s avifauna by in- are visible in our photographsof the bird (copy on file, creasingthe frequency with which birds reach the ar- Division of Birds, Museum of Zoology, University of chipelago, disperse among the islands, and become Michigan). A Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)present successfullyestablished. on the same days, also in winter plumage, was notice- BetweenOctober 1982 and July 1983, the Galapagos ably larger. Archipelago experienced unusually heavy rain and Our sightings coincided with a period of severe strongwinds associatedwith an extraordinarily strong weather, with 109 mm of rain falling between 28 and ENS0 event (Philander 1983, Grant 1984b). Many of 30 January,strong winds from various directions, and the bioloaical effectsof theseconditions have been dis- unusually heavy surf. Both terns may therefore have cussedelsewhere (e.g., papersin Robinson and de1Pino been blown off coursetoward the Galapagosfrom their 1985). We conducted field studies in the Galapagos normal wintering range. The Black Tern is a common between 31 December 1982 and 23 June 1983 on Gen- winter resident on the Pacific coastof Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986) occurring more rarely south to Ec- ovesa, a small isolated island in the northeast comer uador (Butler 1979) and Peru as far south as Lima (Koepcke 1970, Parker et al. 1982). The sole previous record of this speciesfor the Galapagos was a dead I Received 24 August 1987. Final acceptance4 De- immature bird (Harris 1982). cember 1987. We observedat least two Rose-breastedGrosbeaks, 2 Presentaddress: Archbold BiologicalStation, Lake Pheucticusludovicianus, on Genovesa in 1983. On 12 Placid, FL 33852-2057. April, Stoleson saw a male, in winter plumage, with