DOCSLIB.ORG

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps Cristatus in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps Cristatus in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 120 Indian BIRDS VOL. 14 NO. 4 (PUBL. 23 OCTOBER 2018) Bristled Grassbird Chaetornis striata: A pair of Grassbirds was George, A., 2018. Website URL: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43199767. [Accessed seen on 24 February 2018, photographed [119] on 26 February, on 13 August 2018.] and seen on the subsequent day as well. This adds to the recent George, P. J., 2015. Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata from Ezhumaanthuruthu, Kuttanad Wetlands, Kottayam District. Malabar Trogon 13 (1): 34–35. knowledge on its wintering status in Karnataka. Other records Harshith, J. V., 2016. Website URL: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S33278635. are from Dakshin Kannada (Harshith 2016; Kamath 2016; [Accessed on 13 August 2018.] Viswanathan 2017), Mysuru (Vijayalakshmi 2016), and Belgaum Kamath, R., 2016. Website URL: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S33148312. [Accessed (Sant 2017). on 13 August 2018.] Lakshmi, V., 2015. Website URL: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S21432671. [Accessed on 13 August 2018.] Monnappa, B., 2012. Website URL: https://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage. php?id=317526. [Accessed on 14 August 2018.] Nair. A. 2018. Website URL: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43311515. [Accessed on 13 August 2018.] Naoroji, R., 2006. Birds of prey of the Indian Subcontinent. Reprint ed. New Delhi: Om Books International. Pp. 1–692. Narasimhan, S. V., 2004. Feathered jewels of Coorg. 1st ed. Madikeri, India: Coorg Wildlife Society. Pp. 1–192. Orta, J., Boesman, P., Marks, J. S., Garcia, E. F. J., & Kirwan, G. M., 2018. Western Marsh- harrier (Circus aeruginosus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E., (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Bishan CMBishan Barcelona. Website URL: https://www.hbw.com/node/53021. [Accessed on 13 119. Bristled Grassbird. August 2018.] Praveen J., Subramanya, S., & Raj, V. M., 2016. A checklist of the birds of Karnataka. Indian BIRDS 12 (4&5): 89–118. Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata: A male, in non- Raghavendra, M., 2012. Occurrence of Lesser Florican Sypheotides indica in Bangalore, breeding plumage, was photographed [120] on 17 March 2018. Karnataka, India. Indian BIRDS 7 (5): 140–142. The bold dark striations on the buffy (vs chestnut) flanks indicate Rasmussen, P. C., & Anderton, J. C., 2012. Birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide: a wintering E. f. kuatunensis of north-eastern India, rather than the attributes and status. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian western Himalayan E. f. arcuate (Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). Institution and Lynx Edicions. Vol. 2 of 2 vols. Pp. 1–683. Chestnut-eared Bunting is not known south of Rajasthan (Sangha Sangha, H. S., Singh, S., & Garg, S., 2016. Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata wintering in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Indian BIRDS 11 (1): 26–27. et al. 2016) except for an isolated record from Alappuzha District, Sant, N., 2017. Snapshot Sightings: Bristled Grassbird from Belgaum, Karnataka. Indian Kerala, in March 2015 (George 2015). The latter report was not BIRDS 13 (6): 168A. considered for the state checklist of Kerala, as its provenance Viswanathan, A., 2017. Website URL: https://ebird.org/india/view/checklist/S40877077. could not be established; buntings are traded in large numbers [Accessed on 13 August 2018.] and it was suspected that the individual could have also been – Bishan C. Monnappa & Santhosh Kumar P. an escapee. Another possibility, considered for not including it Bishan C. Monnappa, PNM Hospital, Gonikoppal, Kodagu 571213, Karnataka, India. E-mail: [email protected] then, was the behaviour of reverse migration, where some birds Santhosh Kumar P., Boregowda Complex, Virajpet 571218, deviate 180 degrees from their normal migratory route, and Karnataka, India. E-mail: [email protected] land at a distant site exactly in the opposite direction. These two March records from southern India indicate a possible straggling Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in behaviour of this species, in spring, which might bring some disoriented individuals as far as southern India. This is an addition Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu to the list of birds of Karnataka (Praveen et al. 2016). I frequently birdwatch at Koltheri Lake (10.96°N, 76.74°E), near Semmedu village, in the Velliangiri foothills, Coimbatore District, as I live near it. On 28 November 2017, I visited the lake at 1130 hrs. It had been de-silted lately and the water level kept high, as a result of which, the numbers of waders and other waterbirds was low. While walking along the embankment, towards the centre of the lake, I saw a rather different looking bird taking off and circling the lake before landing on the other end of the lake. In flight, I noticed that it had a white underbelly and a peculiarly shaped head, and bill; which made me I ruled out the Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha, or a wader. Luckily, after some time, the bird came close to my end of the lake and I could take its photograph, using my binoculars as a tele-lens. Bishan CMBishan The images were sent to Pramod Padmanabhan at the Sálim 120. Chestnut-eared Bunting. Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), and to other birding friends. Meanwhile I was perusing illustrations in References bird books, and could guess that the mystery bird might have been a Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus. Other birders Betts, F. N., 1951. The birds of Coorg. Part I. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 50 (1): 20–63. also arrived at the same conclusion and they came to the lake to Betts, F. N., 1952. The birds of Coorg. Part II. Journal of the Bombay Natural History take good photographs, and confirm its presence [121]. During Society 50 (2): 224–263. four hours we spent observing it, we watched it rising pretty high Correspondence 121 on thermals, and then returning to the lake. It did this a couple of times. Chetna Sharma Rajinikanth Kasturi 121. Great Crested Grebe at Koltheri Lake, Coimbatore. 122. Horned Grebe at Dighal, Haryana 2017. Though the species is regular to northern India (eBird 2018), The birds were bold, mainly feeding with Little Grebe, but apart from a sporadic sight record from Goa (Lainer & Alvares preferred to stay near banks, and catch single, small fish by 2013; Baidya & Bhagat 2018), there are no other records from diving. Each dive lasted c. 15–20 sec., with the birds surfacing most of southern India. But is is now a fairly regular bird in north- five to eight meters away from their diving point. Upon emerging, eastern Andhra Pradesh, with several recent records (Taher the birds would swallow their prey. Only three birds, of the six 2016). seen originally, remained at the pond; while the remaining three were not seen after the first day. From 31 December 2017, only References a single bird was sighted until 06 January 2018. Two birds were discovered on 07 January 2018 in Ballab Village, Rohtak District, Baidya, P., & Bhagat, M., 2018. A checklist of the birds of Goa, India. Indian BIRDS 18 (1): 1–31. c. 15 km from Dighal on. These were last seen on 27 January eBird. 2018. Species maps: Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus. Website URL: 2018. The movement of the birds seemed to be related to the https://ebird.org/india/map/grcgre1. [Accessed on 29 August 2018.] water levels in the village ponds. Lainer, H., & Alvares, R., 2013. Birds of Goa. Goa, India: The Goa Foundation & The Horned Grebe is listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Department of Forests, Goa. Pp. i–x, 1–240. Red List of Threatened Species (BirdLife International 2016), and Taher, H., 2016. Some interesting sightings from the 2014 Asian Waterbird Census in is a winter vagrant to India (Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). This Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, India. Indian BIRDS 11 (2): 42–44. is only the third record of this species from India and the first for – Vijaykumar Krishnamurthy the state of Haryana. Past records are from the Kosi River near Basma 205, Shivapadam Cottages, Isha Yoga Center, Ikkarai Boluvumpatti, Coimbatore 641114, Tamil Nadu, India Ramnagar (29.38°N, 79.13°E), Uttarakhand, on 28 December E-mail: [email protected] 1993, and from Harike (31.15°N, 74.97°E), Punjab, during 01– 04 February 2001 (Praveen et al., 2014). A more recent record Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus at Dighal, Haryana, from the Indian Subcontinent is of two individuals sighted on 14 December 2016 by Imran Shah at Borit Lake, Gilgit-Baltistan, India Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Shah 2016). On the evening of 14 December 2017, while checking upon the arrival of flamingos (Phoenicopteridae) in Dighal (28.75°N, Acknowledgments 76.63°E), Haryana, I spotted six small grebes that looked different from the commonly seen Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis. My sincere thanks to Saurabh Sawant for helping with the manuscript. Thanks These birds had a black cap that came to just below their eye, to Chetna Sharma for all the support, and the photograph. And thanks to all the birdwatchers who helped with the identification. pale lores, grey sides of neck, dark-grey upperparts, white chin, throat, and sides of upper neck, with the white area on the face being well demarcated from the dark cap; and a dark-grey beak. Reference From a distance I managed to click a few pictures with my point- BirdLife International. 2016. Podiceps auritus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and-shoot zoom camera, in fading light. I thought they were the 2016: e.T22696606A93573279. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS. rare Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis; happy that I had T22696606A93573279.en. [Downloaded on 18 December 2017.] bagged a lifer. Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2014.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Birds of Bharatpur – Check List
    BIRDS OF BHARATPUR – CHECK LIST Family PHASIANIDAE: Pheasants, Partridges, Quail Check List BLACK FRANCOLIN GREY FRANCOLIN COMMON QUAIL RAIN QUAIL JUNGLE BUSH QUAIL YELLOW-LEGGED BUTTON QUAIL BARRED BUTTON QUAIL PAINTED SPURFOWL INDIAN PEAFOWL Family ANATIDAE: Ducks, Geese, Swans GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE GREYLAG GOOSE BAR-HEADED GOOSE LWSSER WHISTLING-DUCK RUDDY SHELDUCK COMMON SHELDUCK COMB DUCK COTTON PYGMY GOOSE MARBLED DUCK GADWALL FALCATED DUCK EURASIAN WIGEON MALLARD SPOT-BILLED DUCK COMMON TEAL GARGANEY NORTHERN PINTAIL NORTHERN SHOVELER RED-CRESTED POCHARD COMMON POCHARD FERRUGINOUS POCHARD TUFTED DUCK BAIKAL TEAL GREATER SCAUP BAER’S POCHARD Family PICIDAE: Woodpeckers EURASIAN WRYNECK BROWN-CAPPED PYGMY WOODPECKER YELLOW-CROWNED WOODPECKER BLACK-RUMPED FLAMBACK Family CAPITONIDAE: Barbets BROWN-HEADED BARBET COPPERSMITH BARBET Family UPUPIDAE: Hoopoes COMMON HOOPOE Family BUCEROTIDAE: Hornbills INDAIN GREY HORNBILL Family CORACIIDAE: Rollers or Blue Jays EUROPEAN ROLLER INDIAN ROLLER Family ALCEDINIDAE: Kingfisher COMMON KINGFISHER STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER WHITE-THROATED KINGFISHER BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER PIED KINGFISHER Family MEROPIDAE: Bee-eaters GREEN BEE-EATER BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATER Family CUCULIDAE: Cuckoos, Crow-pheasants PIED CUCKOO CHESTNUT-WINGED CUCKOO COMMON HAWK CUCKOO INDIAN CUCKOO EURASIAN CUCKOO GREY-BELLIED CUCKOO PLAINTIVE CUCKOO DRONGO CUCKOO ASIAN KOEL SIRKEER MALKOHA GREATER COUCAL LESSER COUCAL Family PSITTACIDAS: Parrots ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET PLUM-HEADED PARKEET Family APODIDAE:
    [Show full text]
  • (82) FIELD NOTES on the LITTLE GREBE. the Following Observations on the Little Grebe (Podiceps R. Ruficollis) Were Made at Fetch
    (82) FIELD NOTES ON THE LITTLE GREBE. BY P. H. TRAHAIR HARTLEY. THE following observations on the Little Grebe (Podiceps r. ruficollis) were made at Fetcham Pond, near Leatherhead, in Surrey, during the last three years. TERRITORY. Little Grebes begin to defend territories in the middle of February. These are small areas—about |- acre—situated in the parts of the very shallow lake that are overgrown with marestail (Hippuris vulgaris). Where several territories border on an open space, free from weeds, this constitutes a neutral area where paired birds can meet and associate with others, without fighting. The actual territories are strictly protected. Both sexes defend their borders, sometimes working together. Terri­ torial demonstrations-—far more often than not they do not end in actual fighting—take place many times daily between pairs whose marches adjoin. One bird makes a series of short rushes towards his neighbours' territory, flapping his raised wings, and keeping his head and neck outstretched ; at the same time he utters the shrill, tittering call. The owner of the territory advances in the same set style ; between each rush, both birds float with heads drawn in, flank feathers fluffed out, and wings slightly raised. So they approach each other, until they float about a foot apart, and strictly on the territorial border. As they face one another, I have seen one, or both birds peck with an almost nervous movement at the surface of the water, as though picking something up. On one occasion the bird which had started the encounter splashed the water with its beak, and snatched at a weed stem.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 ID Euring Latin Binomial English Name Phenology Galliformes
    BIRDS OF METAURO RIVER: A GREAT ORNITHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN A SMALL ITALIAN URBANIZING BIOTOPE, REQUIRING GREATER PROTECTION 1 SUPPORTING INFORMATION / APPENDICE Check list of the birds of Metauro river (mouth and lower course / Fano, PU), up to September 2020. Lista completa delle specie ornitiche del fiume Metauro (foce e basso corso /Fano, PU), aggiornata ad Settembre 2020. (*) In the study area 1 breeding attempt know in 1985, but in particolar conditions (Pandolfi & Giacchini, 1985; Poggiani & Dionisi, 1988a, 1988b, 2019). ID Euring Latin binomial English name Phenology GALLIFORMES Phasianidae 1 03700 Coturnix coturnix Common Quail Mr, B 2 03940 Phasianus colchicus Common Pheasant SB (R) ANSERIFORMES Anatidae 3 01690 Branta ruficollis The Red-breasted Goose A-1 (2012) 4 01610 Anser anser Greylag Goose Mi, Wi 5 01570 Anser fabalis Tundra/Taiga Bean Goose Mi, Wi 6 01590 Anser albifrons Greater White-fronted Goose A – 4 (1986, february and march 2012, 2017) 7 01520 Cygnus olor Mute Swan Mi 8 01540 Cygnus cygnus Whooper Swan A-1 (1984) 9 01730 Tadorna tadorna Common Shelduck Mr, Wi 10 01910 Spatula querquedula Garganey Mr (*) 11 01940 Spatula clypeata Northern Shoveler Mr, Wi 12 01820 Mareca strepera Gadwall Mr, Wi 13 01790 Mareca penelope Eurasian Wigeon Mr, Wi 14 01860 Anas platyrhynchos Mallard SB, Mr, W (R) 15 01890 Anas acuta Northern Pintail Mi, Wi 16 01840 Anas crecca Eurasian Teal Mr, W 17 01960 Netta rufina Red-crested Pochard A-4 (1977, 1994, 1996, 1997) 18 01980 Aythya ferina Common Pochard Mr, W 19 02020 Aythya nyroca Ferruginous
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Body Weights of Newly Hatched Anatidae.--As Early As 1928 (E
    1965Oct. ] GeneralNotes 645 following day, Boulva found the bird again on the same territory, identified it posi- tively as a Le Conte's Sparrow (Passerherbuluscaudacutus), and photographed it with a 400 mm telephoto lens. On 23 July the second writer, after long observation, identified a Le Conte's Sparrow on the same territory. On 27 July Mr. Franqois Hamel, from "le Club des Ornithologues de Quebec," with Browne, had occasionto study the bird and its song; he too was convinced that the bird was a Le Conte's Sparrow. On 28 July both writers sighted two Le Conte's Sparrows together, captured one of the birds, and banded it (U.S.F.&W.S. band no. 52-39003, size 1). On 31 July, Mr. Raymond Cayouette, Curator of Birds at the Quebec Zoological Garden and President of "le Club des Ornithologuesde Quebec," with the Reverend Robert Plante of the same club, botb accompaniedby the first writer, were able to study the sparrow and were satisfied with the identification. On 11 August Browne caught a young Le Conte's Sparrow incapable of flight and banded it (band no. 103-42113, size 0), while two adults, one seen to be banded, were flying about. The young bird was well-feathered but had some down adhering to the plumage. The primaries were full grown except for the two outermost (pri- maries 8 and 9), which were short and still sheathed at the base. The tail feathers were well grown and pointed. The plumage was typical of the juvenal plumage of the species(see T.
    [Show full text]
  • A PODICEPS PRIMER by Matthew L. Pelikan Wintertime Grebes Lack
    A PODICEPS PRIMER by Matthew L. Pelikan Wintertime grebes lack charisma. They swim like logs and fly like windup toys. Their spectacular courtship choreography is months and hundreds of miles away. In dull winter plumage, even an Eared Grebe has a sort of check-it-off, go-warm-up-in-the-car quality. The marine habits of wintering grebes make close observation difficult. But bizarre life histories and intriguing behavior make Podiceps grebes appealing —once you get acquainted. Homed (in Europe known as Slavonia), Eared (i.e.. Black-necked), and Red-necked grebes share similar characteristics. Stubby wings, dense bodies, and rear-mounted feet make them more deft in water than on land or in flight. They breed mostly on shallow, weedy ponds well to the north. Sometimes isolated, sometimes colonial, their floating nests are attached to vegetation. During fall migration, grebes group at staging areas, then disperse to winter on lakes and sea coasts. Their opportunistic diet comprises invertebrates and fish, the latter more important in winter. All these grebes display considerable variability in appearance and behavior. But each species shapes this basic pattern into a unique form. The species of most interest to Massachusetts birders is the Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis). Many readers no doubt enjoyed the very active Eared Grebe on Cape Ann during Febmary 1994. Birders who missed the show should not despair: this species is a rare but nearly annual visitor with about thirty state records (Veit and Petersen 1993). Reasonably, but without explanation, Harrison (1985) ascribes east-coast Eared Grebes to the North American subspecies (one of four worldwide), P.
    [Show full text]
  • BREEDING of the LITTLE GREBE by G
    THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 109 BREEDING OF THE LITTLE GREBE By G. CLARKE. The following is a brief synopsis of events, continuously an agitated 'clip' or 'jip', a not altogether complete, of the breeding of single note. The nest was found to be a pair of Little Grebe (Podiceps nouaehol­ placed between a few sapling eucalypts 2 landiae) on the main dam at the Para Wirra to 3 feet in height, standing in the water, National Park, 20 miles NNE of Adelaide and was composed mainly of rush stems in the Mt. Lofty Ranges. (funcus) 'anchored' between the. saplings and The dam occupies an area of some two resembling a pile of. debris. The nest con­ and a half acres, and is situated at an tained three eggs, stained an ochrous yellow. altitude of approximately 900 ft. a.s.l, in November 20: Both adults with two young Savannah Woodland, comprised mainly of noted. Water level 8 inches below the spill­ the Blue Gum, Eucalyptus leucoxylon. The way wall. dam wall is formed by an earth bank and November 23: Two adults; the young as it has been placed across a creekbed the were not seen. resultant shape of the dam is a long narrow December 1: Both adults were noted carry­ triangle with one small inlet on its northern ing material to a new nest site. Only one side formed by a second, smaller creek. The young bird seen. W.L. 12 inches below walL depth of the water at the deepest point is approximately 8 to 10 feet, and the appro­ December 12: One bird sitting on the priate levels below the spillway wall are second nest, leaving only when approached given.
    [Show full text]
  • Grebe, Red-Necked
    Grebes — Family Podicipedidae 101 Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena Winter: One was at Sweetwater Reservoir (S12) 20 December 1969–2 January 1970 (AFN 24:538, 1970), one Uncommon as a winter visitor even in coastal was at the south end of San Diego Bay (V10) 14 March northern California, the Red-necked Grebe is casual 1977 (AB 31:372, 1977), and one was at Santee Lakes (P12) as far south as San Diego County, where there are 30 December 1984–6 January 1985 (D. and N. Kelly, AB three well-supported records. These are the south- 39:209, 1985). Other published reports from the 1950s ernmost for the species along the Pacific coast; the and 1960s are more likely of misidentified Horned Grebes Red-necked Grebe is unknown in Mexico. (Unitt 1984). Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Grebe winters by the thousands. Though the grebe Though highly migratory, the Eared Grebe is also is still common on both fresh and salt water else- flightless for much of the year; its breast muscles where, the numbers are much smaller. As a breeding atrophy except when needed for migration. Breeding bird the Eared Grebe is rare and irregular in San birds use ponds and marshes with fresh to brackish Diego County, which lies near the southern tip of water, but nonbreeders concentrate in water that is the breeding range. hypersaline. In San Diego County, such conditions Winter: The salt works at the south end of San Diego Bay are found in south San Diego Bay, where the Eared are the center for the Eared Grebe in San Diego County.
    [Show full text]
  • An Avian Quadrate from the Late Cretaceous Lance Formation of Wyoming
    Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20(4):712-719, December 2000 © 2000 by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology AN AVIAN QUADRATE FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS LANCE FORMATION OF WYOMING ANDRZEJ ELZANOWSKll, GREGORY S. PAUV, and THOMAS A. STIDHAM3 'Institute of Zoology, University of Wroclaw, Ul. Sienkiewicza 21, 50335 Wroclaw, Poland; 23109 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218 U.S.A.; 3Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 U.S.A. ABSTRACT-Based on an extensive survey of quadrate morphology in extant and fossil birds, a complete quadrate from the Maastrichtian Lance Formation has been assigned to a new genus of most probably odontognathous birds. The quadrate shares with that of the Odontognathae a rare configuration of the mandibular condyles and primitive avian traits, and with the Hesperomithidae a unique pterygoid articulation and a poorly defined (if any) division of the head. However, the quadrate differs from that of the Hesperomithidae by a hinge-like temporal articulation, a small size of the orbital process, a well-marked attachment for the medial (deep) layers of the protractor pterygoidei et quadrati muscle, and several other details. These differences, as well as the relatively small size of about 1.5-2.0 kg, suggest a feeding specialization different from that of Hesperomithidae. INTRODUCTION bination of its morphology, size, and both stratigraphic and geo- graphic occurrence effectively precludes its assignment to any The avian quadrate shows great taxonomic differences of a few fossil genera that are based on fragmentary material among the higher taxa of birds in the structure of its mandibular, without the quadrate.
    [Show full text]
  • REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR of the EARED GREBE, Podiceps Caspicus Nigricollis by NANCY MAHONEY Mcallister B.A., Oberlin College, 1954
    REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF THE EARED GREBE, Podiceps caspicus nigricollis by NANCY MAHONEY McALLISTER B.A., Oberlin College, 1954 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OP THE REQUIREMENTS POR THE DEGREE OP MASTER OP ARTS in the Department of Zoology We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OP BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1955 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representative. It is under• stood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of The University of British Columbia, Vancouver 3, Canada. ii ABSTRACT The present study describes and analyses the elements involved in the reproductive behaviour of the Eared Grebe and the relationships between these elements. Two summers of observation and comparison with the published work on the Great Crested Grebe give some insight into these ele• ments, their evolution, and their stimuli. Threat and escape behaviour have been seen in the courtship of many birds, and the threat-escape theory of courtship in general has been derived from these cases. In the two grebes described threat plays a much less important role than the theory prescribes, and may not even be important at all. In the two patterns where the evolutionary relation• ships are clear, the elements are those of comfort preening.
    [Show full text]
  • 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).
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution and Foraging Behaviour of Wintering Western Grebes
    DISTRIBUTION AND FORAGING BEHAVIOUR OF WINTERING WESTERN GREBES by James S. Clowater BSc., University of Victoria, 1993 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in the Department of Biological Sciences O James S. Clowater 1998 SMON FRASER UNIVERSITY November 1998 Al1 rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. National Library Bibliothèque nationale (*m of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your filo Vorre réfirence Our file Nofie refdrence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, disûibute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/^, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenivise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son pemission. autorisation. The Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis, is a species which breeds mainly in the prairie regions of Canada and the United States and winters on the Pacific Coast.
    [Show full text]