DOCSLIB.ORG

Acorn Dispersal by California Scrub-Jays in Urban Sacramento, California Daniel A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Acorn Dispersal by California Scrub-Jays in Urban Sacramento, California Daniel A ACORN DISPERSAL BY CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAYS IN URBAN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA DANIEL A. AIROLA, Conservation Research and Planning, 114 Merritt Way, Sac- ramento, California 95864; [email protected] ABSTRACT: California Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma californica) harvest and cache acorns as a fall and winter food resource. In 2017 and 2018, I studied acorn caching by urban scrub-jays in Sacramento, California, to characterize oak and acorn resources, distances jays transport acorns, caching’s effects on the jay’s territoriality, numbers of jays using acorn sources, and numbers of acorns distributed by jays. Within four study areas, oak canopy cover was <1%, and only 19% of 126 oak trees, 92% of which were coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia), produced acorns. Jays transported acorns for ≥117 days. Complete (28%) and partially recorded (72%) flights from acorn sources to caching sites averaged 160 m and ranged up to 670 m. Acorn- transporting jays passed at tree-top level above other jays’ territories without eliciting defense. At least 20 scrub-jays used one acorn source in one 17.5-ha area, and ≥13 jays used another 4.7-ha area. Jays cached an estimated 6800 and 11,000 acorns at two study sites (mean 340 and 840 acorns per jay, respectively), a rate much lower than reported in California oak woodlands, where harvest and caching are confined within territories. The lower urban caching rate may result from a scarcity of acorns, the time required for transporting longer distances, and the availability of alternative urban foods. Oaks originating from acorns planted by jays benefit diverse wildlife and augment the urban forest. The California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) is common in oak woodlands and residential areas in the Pacific states (Beedy and Pandolfino 2013, Curry et al. 2017). In central California, the species declined during the mid-2000s as a result of West Nile virus (Airola et al. 2007, Wheeler et al. 2009), but it appears to have recovered (Pandolfino 2017). Despite its abundance, the California Scrub-Jay has attracted fewer ecological stud- ies than have its more threatened sister species, the Florida Scrub-Jay (A. coerulescens; Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1996) and Island Scrub-Jay (A. insularis; Curry and Delaney 2002, Caldwell et al. 2013). The primary ecological study of the California Scrub-Jay took place in a coastal California oak woodland (Carmen 2004). The California Scrub-Jay’s acorn-caching behavior is widely known, noted as early as the late 1800s in Mark Twain’s fanciful Jim Baker’s Bluejay Yarn (Clemens 1875). In California oak woodlands, individual scrub- jays cache approximately 7000 acorns per year, which serve as a critical food resource during fall and winter (Carmen 2004). The species’ social organization there consists of territorial pairs and nonterritorial floaters. In areas with an adequate supply of acorns, Carmen (2004) reported territory sizes varying from 0.7 to 6.5 ha and averaging 2.2–2.5 ha. Territorial birds harvest and cache acorns almost entirely within the territories they occupy year round, unless the acorn crop fails, when some territories are abandoned (Carmen 2004). The importance of oaks to the various scrub-jay species, and jays’ im- portant ecosystem roles in dispersing and caching acorns, have long been recognized (Grinnell 1936, Griffin 1971, DeGange et al. 1989, Carmen Western Birds 50:243–254, 2019; doi 10.21199/WB50.4.3 243 ACORN DISPERSAL BY CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAYS IN URBAN SACRAMENTO 2004, Curry et al. 2017). For example, Morrison et al. (2011) and Pesen- dorfer et al. (2016b) have shown that seed dispersal by the Island Scrub-Jay has a key role in restoring oak and pine woodlands on Santa Cruz Island. Ecological information on urban California Scrub-Jays is limited. Blair (1996) reported the jays to be more abundant in suburbs with a low density of buildings than in natural oak woodland. Many urban areas in the species’ range are dominated by non-native ornamental trees that may include few or no acorn-producing oaks (McPherson 1998, Whipple et al. 2010, Peper et al. 2011, Greco and Airola 2018). Given the importance of oaks to scrub- jays in natural settings, a scarcity of acorns in urban areas could alter the jay’s social organization . For example, Webber (1984) anecdotally reported jays moving beyond territorial boundaries to harvest and cache acorns at an urban–wildland interface in southern California. As urban habitats expand at the expense of native habitats and agriculture in the Central Valley and elsewhere (Thompson 2007), more information is needed on how wildlife uses urban habitats, what determines species’ occur- rence and abundance, and how these areas can be designed and managed to support a greater diversity of wildlife (Marzluff et al. 2001, Warren and Lepczyk 2012, Airola and Greco 2019). In urban Sacramento, I have long observed scrub-jays flying considerable distances with acorns during the fall and winter. In the fall and winter of 2017–18, I characterized these movements to help understand the impor- tance of oaks and jays to each other in this area. Specifically, I sought to quantify the resources of oaks and acorns, to evaluate the extent of urban jays’ use of acorns, to quantify the distances the jays traveled to harvest and transport acorns, to quantify the numbers of acorns dispersed, to assess the effect of the sparseness of acorns on the jay’s social behavior (especially territoriality), and to identify implications for urban forest management. STUDY AREA AND METHODS The study grew from an initial observation of jays transporting acorns to a broader assessment of the phenomenon over the course of the season. As a result, my methods were somewhat more opportunistic than systematic, as new insights led to my adding further components to the study. Study Sites I studied scrub-jays at four sites within three neighborhoods in urban Sac- ramento: Midtown, Curtis Park, and East Sacramento (Figure 1; www.cityof sacramento.org/-/media/Corporate/Files/GIS/Maps/Neighborhoods_E. pdf?la=en). The urban forest in these areas consists mostly of a rather dense canopy of older non-native ornamental trees including hybrid London plane (Platanus ×acerifolia), American elm (Ulmus americana), deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), and many other species (McPherson 1998, Peper et al. 2011). Two California native oak species, the local valley oak (Quercus lo- bata) and coast live oak (Q. agrifolia), make up most of the small component of oak canopy in urban Sacramento (Sacramento Tree Foundation 2007, Greco and Airola 2018). The coast live oak is native to the Coast Ranges just west of Sacramento (Griffin and Critchfield 1972) but occurs in the city 244 ACORN DISPERSAL BY CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAYS IN URBAN SACRAMENTO J St. SACRAMENTO Capitol McKinley A ve. Park BUS 80 H St. MIDTOWN 46th St. P St. J St. Folsom EAST SACRAMENTO Blvd. 19th St. EAST LAWN Alhambra Blvd. 50 BUS 80 Broadway Stockton Blvd. 50 T St. 34th St. 2nd Ave. CURTIS BRET HARTE PARK SCHOOL OAK PARK Broadway 99 KEY Rd. Acorn Source Sutterville Franklin Blvd. Caching Area WILLIAM CURTIS PARK NORTH 0 0.5 MLK Jr. Blvd. Miles Figure 1. Acorn sources and areas within which California Scrub-Jays were observed to transport and cache acorns at four study sites in urban Sacramento, California. primarily as a planted cultivar and, in undeveloped areas, as volunteer trees likely established by acorns planted by jays and other acorn dispersers such as the native western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) and non-native fox squirrel (S. niger) and eastern gray squirrel (S. carolinensis). I distinguished oaks as human- or animal-planted trees from their location, in highly landscaped and maintained areas or in undeveloped, unmaintained areas, respectively. Midtown. Most surveys and observations were made within this 54-ha 245 ACORN DISPERSAL BY CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAYS IN URBAN SACRAMENTO older neighborhood (originally built in the mid-to-late 1800s). The area includes mixed commercial and residential buildings and Sutter’s Fort, a 3.3-ha historical park that supports a higher density of valley and coast live oaks than the surrounding neighborhood. Bret Harte School. In its northwest corner, the yard of Bret Harte School in the Curtis Park neighborhood has several large coast live oaks that were likely established from plantings by jays or squirrels. The surrounding area consists of homes constructed from the 1880s to the 1920s (Murphy 2005) and a dense urban forest dominated by London plane but including a variety of other non-native ornamental trees (Peper et al. 2011, Greco and Airola 2018) and a few oaks (see Results). William Curtis Park. This area includes the southern portion of William Curtis Park and the adjacent neighborhoods of Curtis Park and North City Farms. The park is planted mainly with non-native trees, but valley and coast live oaks are concentrated near Sutterville Road. Adjacent areas include older houses and a dense canopy of non-native trees with few oaks. East Lawn. East Lawn Cemetery in the East Sacramento neighborhood was established in 1904, and now supports a canopy of tall ornamental trees, especially conifers, and several coast live oaks. Data Quantification Oak Characterization. For each study area I identified the total number of oak trees and, for acorn-bearing trees, the number of each oak species and canopy cover (in hectares, measured horizontally with the ruler/polygon tool in Google Earth Pro). I also calculated the absolute percent canopy cover of bearing oaks by dividing their area by the total area of each study area. Jay Numbers and Acorn Transport. Throughout the four study areas, I mapped and quantified the jays’ movements and the duration of their acorn use. In the Midtown and Bret Harte School neighborhoods, I also plotted jay territories and estimated the numbers of acorns transported by jays.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Western Scrub-Jay Funerals: Cacophonous Aggregations in Response to Dead Conspecifics
    Animal Behaviour 84 (2012) 1103e1111 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Animal Behaviour journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anbehav Western scrub-jay funerals: cacophonous aggregations in response to dead conspecifics T. L. Iglesias a,b,*, R. McElreath a,c, G. L. Patricelli a,b a Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, U.S.A. b Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, U.S.A. c Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, U.S.A. article info All organisms must contend with the risk of injury or death; many animals reduce this danger by Article history: assessing environmental cues to avoid areas of elevated risk. However, little is known about how Received 23 October 2011 organisms respond to one of the most salient visual cues of risk: a dead conspecific. Here we show that Initial acceptance 16 January 2012 the sight of a dead conspecific is sufficient to induce alarm calling and subsequent risk-reducing Final acceptance 25 July 2012 behavioural modification in western scrub-jays, Aphelocoma californica, and is similar to the response Available online 27 August 2012 to a predator (a great horned owl, Bubo virginianus, model). Discovery of a dead conspecific elicits MS. number: A12-00867R vocalizations that are effective at attracting conspecifics, which then also vocalize, thereby resulting in a cacophonous aggregation. Presentations of prostrate dead conspecifics and predator mounts elicited Keywords: aggregations and hundreds of long-range communication vocalizations, while novel objects did not. In Aphelocoma californica contrast to presentations of prostrate dead conspecifics, presentations of a jay skin mounted in an bird upright, life-like pose elicited aggressive responses, suggesting the mounted scrub-jay was perceived to cacophonous aggregation cues of risk be alive and the prostrate jay was not.
    [Show full text]
  • Tinamiformes – Falconiformes
    LIST OF THE 2,008 BIRD SPECIES (WITH SCIENTIFIC AND ENGLISH NAMES) KNOWN FROM THE A.O.U. CHECK-LIST AREA. Notes: "(A)" = accidental/casualin A.O.U. area; "(H)" -- recordedin A.O.U. area only from Hawaii; "(I)" = introducedinto A.O.U. area; "(N)" = has not bred in A.O.U. area but occursregularly as nonbreedingvisitor; "?" precedingname = extinct. TINAMIFORMES TINAMIDAE Tinamus major Great Tinamou. Nothocercusbonapartei Highland Tinamou. Crypturellus soui Little Tinamou. Crypturelluscinnamomeus Thicket Tinamou. Crypturellusboucardi Slaty-breastedTinamou. Crypturellus kerriae Choco Tinamou. GAVIIFORMES GAVIIDAE Gavia stellata Red-throated Loon. Gavia arctica Arctic Loon. Gavia pacifica Pacific Loon. Gavia immer Common Loon. Gavia adamsii Yellow-billed Loon. PODICIPEDIFORMES PODICIPEDIDAE Tachybaptusdominicus Least Grebe. Podilymbuspodiceps Pied-billed Grebe. ?Podilymbusgigas Atitlan Grebe. Podicepsauritus Horned Grebe. Podicepsgrisegena Red-neckedGrebe. Podicepsnigricollis Eared Grebe. Aechmophorusoccidentalis Western Grebe. Aechmophorusclarkii Clark's Grebe. PROCELLARIIFORMES DIOMEDEIDAE Thalassarchechlororhynchos Yellow-nosed Albatross. (A) Thalassarchecauta Shy Albatross.(A) Thalassarchemelanophris Black-browed Albatross. (A) Phoebetriapalpebrata Light-mantled Albatross. (A) Diomedea exulans WanderingAlbatross. (A) Phoebastriaimmutabilis Laysan Albatross. Phoebastrianigripes Black-lootedAlbatross. Phoebastriaalbatrus Short-tailedAlbatross. (N) PROCELLARIIDAE Fulmarus glacialis Northern Fulmar. Pterodroma neglecta KermadecPetrel. (A) Pterodroma
    [Show full text]
  • A Fossil Scrub-Jay Supports a Recent Systematic Decision
    THE CONDOR A JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY Volume 98 Number 4 November 1996 .L The Condor 98~575-680 * +A. 0 The Cooper Omithological Society 1996 g ’ b.1 ;,. ’ ’ “I\), / *rs‘ A FOSSIL SCRUB-JAY SUPPORTS A”kECENT ’ js.< SYSTEMATIC DECISION’ . :. ” , ., f .. STEVEN D. EMSLIE : +, “, ., ! ’ Department of Sciences,Western State College,Gunnison, CO 81231, ._ e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. Nine fossil premaxillae and mandibles of the Florida Scrub-Jay(Aphelocoma coerulescens)are reported from a late Pliocene sinkhole deposit at Inglis 1A, Citrus County, Florida. Vertebrate biochronologyplaces the site within the latestPliocene (2.0 to 1.6 million yearsago, Ma) and more specificallyat 2.0 l-l .87 Ma. The fossilsare similar in morphology to living Florida Scrub-Jaysin showing a relatively shorter and broader bill compared to western species,a presumed derived characterfor the Florida species.The recent elevation of the Florida Scrub-Jayto speciesrank is supported by these fossils by documenting the antiquity of the speciesand its distinct bill morphology in Florida. Key words: Florida; Scrub-Jay;fossil; late Pliocene. INTRODUCTION represent the earliest fossil occurrenceof the ge- nus Aphelocomaand provide additional support Recently, the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma for the recognition ofA. coerulescensas a distinct, coerulescens) has been elevated to speciesrank endemic specieswith a long fossil history in Flor- with the Island Scrub-Jay(A. insularis) from Santa ida. This record also supports the hypothesis of Cruz Island, California, and the Western Scrub- Pitelka (195 1) that living speciesof Aphefocoma Jay (A. californica) in the western U. S. and Mex- arose in the Pliocene. ico (AOU 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • Corvids of Cañada
    !!! ! CORVIDS OF CAÑADA COMMON RAVEN (Corvus corax) AMERICAN CROW (Corvus brachyrhyncos) YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE (Pica nuttalli) STELLER’S JAY (Cyanocitta stelleri) WESTERN SCRUB-JAY Aphelocoma californica) Five of the ten California birds in the Family Corvidae are represented here at the Cañada de los Osos Ecological Reserve. Page 1 The Common Raven is the largest and can be found in the cold of the Arctic and the extreme heat of Death Valley. It has shown itself to be one of the most intelligent of all birds. It is a supreme predator and scavenger, quite sociable at certain times of the year and a devoted partner and parent with its mate. The American Crow is black, like the Raven, but noticeably smaller. Particularly in the fall, it may occur in huge foraging or roosting flocks. Crows can be a problem for farmers at times of the year and a best friend at other times, when crops are under attack from insects or when those insects are hiding in dried up leftovers such as mummified almonds. Crows know where those destructive navel orange worms are. Smaller birds do their best to harass crows because they recognize the threat they are to their eggs and young. Crows, ravens and magpies are important members of the highway clean-up crew when it comes to roadkills. The very attractive Yellow-billed Magpie tends to nest in loose colonies and forms larger flocks in late summer or fall. In the central valley of California, they can be a problem in almond and fruit orchards, but they also are adept at catching harmful insect pests.
    [Show full text]
  • Magpie Jay General Information and Care
    Magpie Jay General Information and Care: Black Throated Magpie Jays (Calocitta colliei) and White Throated Magpie Jay (Calocitta formosa) are the only two species in their genus. Black Throated Magpie Jays are endemic to Northwestern Mexico. The range of White Throated Magpie Jays lies to the south, overlapping with Black Throats slightly in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Colima, and running into Costa Rica. Both of these birds are members of the family Corvidae. Magpie Jays are energetic, highly intelligent animals and need to be kept in a large planted aviary - not just a cage. These birds are highly social and are commonly found in the wild as cooperative nesters. They are omnivores and favor a great variety of fruits, insects, small rodents, and nuts. A captive diet that works well in my aviaries is a basic pellet low iron softbill diet such as Kaytee’s Exact Original Low Iron Maintenance Formula for Toucans, Mynas and other Softbills. A bowl of this is in the cage at all times and is supplemented with nuts, fruits and veggies like apples, papaya, grapes, oranges, peas and carrots and the occasional treat of small mice and insects like meal worms, crickets, megaworms, and waxworms are relished by the birds. Extra protein is essential if you want these birds to breed. Fresh water should always be provided. I use a shallow three to four inch deep, twelve inch wide crock the birds can drink from and bath in. The birds you are receiving from my aviaries are hand fed and closed banded. How recently they were weaned will affect how tame they are at first.
    [Show full text]
  • S Largest Islands: Scenarios for the Role of Corvid Seed Dispersal
    Received: 21 June 2017 | Accepted: 31 October 2017 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13041 RESEARCH ARTICLE Oak habitat recovery on California’s largest islands: Scenarios for the role of corvid seed dispersal Mario B. Pesendorfer1,2† | Christopher M. Baker3,4,5† | Martin Stringer6 | Eve McDonald-Madden6 | Michael Bode7 | A. Kathryn McEachern8 | Scott A. Morrison9 | T. Scott Sillett2 1Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA; 2Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, USA; 3School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia; 4School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Qld, Australia; 5CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Ecosciences Precinct, Brisbane, Qld, Australia; 6School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Qld, Australia; 7ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reefs Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia; 8U.S. Geological Survey- Western Ecological Research Center, Channel Islands Field Station, Ventura, CA, USA and 9The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, CA, USA Correspondence Mario B. Pesendorfer Abstract Email: [email protected] 1. Seed dispersal by birds is central to the passive restoration of many tree communi- Funding information ties. Reintroduction of extinct seed dispersers can therefore restore degraded for- The Nature Conservancy; Smithsonian ests and woodlands. To test this, we constructed a spatially explicit simulation Institution; U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Grant/Award Number: DEB-1256394; model, parameterized with field data, to consider the effect of different seed dis- Australian Reseach Council; Science and persal scenarios on the extent of oak populations. We applied the model to two Industry Endowment Fund of Australia islands in California’s Channel Islands National Park (USA), one of which has lost a Handling Editor: David Mateos Moreno key seed disperser.
    [Show full text]
  • Cooperative Breeding in Azure-Winged Magpies, Cyanopica Cyana, Living in a Region of Heavy Snowfall ’
    The Condor89:835-841 0 The CooperOrnithological Society 1987 COOPERATIVE BREEDING IN AZURE-WINGED MAGPIES, CYANOPICA CYANA, LIVING IN A REGION OF HEAVY SNOWFALL ’ SHIGEMOTO KOMEDA,~ SATOSHI YAMAGISHI,~ AND MASAHIRO FUJIOKA Department of Biology, Faculty of Science,Osaka City University,Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558, Japan Abstract. The frequencyof occurrenceof helpers, their age and sex, and certain behavior at nests were investigated in Azure-winged Magpies, Cyanopica cyana, living in central Japan, a region of heavy snowfall. One group of 16 birds was a summer visitor and the other two groupsof about 20 birds were resident. Out of 14 nestswe observed in 1983, six had one to two helpers, one had no helper, and at the other seven we could not confirm whether helpers attended or not. Therefore, 43% to 93% of nests had helpers. One helper was known to attend at least four nests, and seven of 14 marked individuals (50%) acted as helpers.These resultsmean that cooperativebreeding occurs regularly in this population. Key words: Cooperativebreeding; helper; Corvidae;group living;feeding; plural nester: Cyanopica cyana. INTRODUCTION amples of regular cooperative breeders in cool- Cooperative breeding, which involves care of temperate zones are the Long-tailed Tit, Aegi- young by individuals other than parents, has been thalos caudatus (Nakamura 1972, 1975; Gaston reported in a few hundred avian speciesin a wide 1973), Pinyon Jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus variety of taxonomic groups. Most cooperative (Balda and Balda 1978), Gray-breasted Jay, breedersoccur in tropical or subtropical regions Aphelocoma ultramarina (Brown 1970, 1972) or in temperate zones with equable climate and Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivo- , (Grimes 1976, Rowley 1976, Woolfenden 1976, rus (Stacey 1979, Koenig 198 1, Koenig et al.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bird in Our Hand: Weighing Uncertainty About the Past Against Uncertainty About the Future in Channel Islands National Park
    A Bird in Our Hand: Weighing Uncertainty about the Past against Uncertainty about the Future in Channel Islands National Park Scott A. Morrison Introduction Climate change threatens many species and ecosystems. It also challenges managers of protected areas to adapt traditional approaches for setting conservation goals, and the phil- osophical and policy framework they use to guide management decisions (Cole and Yung 2010). A growing literature discusses methods for structuring management decisions in the face of climate-related uncertainty and risk (e.g., Polasky et al. 2011). It is often unclear, how- ever, when managers should undertake such explicit decision-making processes. Given that not making a decision is actually a decision with potentially important implications, what should trigger management decision-making when threats are foreseeable but not yet mani- fest? Conservation planning for the island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis) may warrant a near-term decision about non-traditional management interventions, and so presents a rare, specific case study in how managers assess uncertainty, risk, and urgency in the context of climate change. The jay is restricted to Santa Cruz Island, one of the five islands within Chan- nel Islands National Park (CINP) off the coast of southern California, USA. The species also once occurred on neighboring islands, though it is not known when or why those populations went extinct. The population currently appears to be stable, but concerns about long-term viability of jays on Santa Cruz Island have raised the question of whether a population of jays should be re-established on one of those neighboring islands, Santa Rosa.
    [Show full text]
  • Observations on the Nest Behavior of the California Scrub Jay
    NOTES OBSERVATIONS ON THE NEST BEHAVIOR OF THE CALIFORNIA SCRUB JAY To our knowledge no one has reported sustainedobservations of the nest behavior of the California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coemlescens).Incomplete observationsof one nest were reportedby Michenerand Michener(1945). On 28 March 1972 we found a completednest on a steepravine about five feet from the ground in a Toyon (Heteromeles arbu•folia) on the Point Reyes National Seashorein Marin Co., California. We watched the nest from a blind 30 feet away for 61 hoursand 53 minuteson the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 17th days after the first egg hatchedand once during the incubationperiod. Sincethe parents had been color bandedpreviously we knew that the female was 4 years old and the male at least 3. The female laid $ eggsand incubationlasted 18 days. Bent (1946) reported that incubationwas 14 to 16 days.The malewas not observedincubating. During the only sustainedobservation of adults during the incubationperiod, the female sat on the eggsfor 3 hours and 7 minutesbefore leaving the nest. During the 51 minutesshe was off the nest sheranged over most of the defendedterritory. The young hatched one at a time during a two-day period. The night after the last young hatched it rained and the next morning at 0600 the female was observed taking a dead nestlingfrom the nest. The last nestlingto hatch was noticeably smaller than the earlier ones;we assume,therefore, that becauseof the rain and becausethe youngestnestling was probably the weakest,that this nestlingdied. When the eggshatched the male began to bring food to the female and the nestlings.Upon arrivingat the nest he would poke his beak asfar ashe couldinto the female's mouth transferring some of his food to her.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 74/Thursday, April 16, 2020/Rules
    21282 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 74 / Thursday, April 16, 2020 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR United States and the Government of United States or U.S. territories as a Canada Amending the 1916 Convention result of recent taxonomic changes; Fish and Wildlife Service between the United Kingdom and the (8) Change the common (English) United States of America for the names of 43 species to conform to 50 CFR Part 10 Protection of Migratory Birds, Sen. accepted use; and (9) Change the scientific names of 135 [Docket No. FWS–HQ–MB–2018–0047; Treaty Doc. 104–28 (December 14, FXMB 12320900000//201//FF09M29000] 1995); species to conform to accepted use. (2) Mexico: Convention between the The List of Migratory Birds (50 CFR RIN 1018–BC67 United States and Mexico for the 10.13) was last revised on November 1, Protection of Migratory Birds and Game 2013 (78 FR 65844). The amendments in General Provisions; Revised List of this rule were necessitated by nine Migratory Birds Mammals, February 7, 1936, 50 Stat. 1311 (T.S. No. 912), as amended by published supplements to the 7th (1998) AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Protocol with Mexico amending edition of the American Ornithologists’ Interior. Convention for Protection of Migratory Union (AOU, now recognized as the American Ornithological Society (AOS)) ACTION: Final rule. Birds and Game Mammals, Sen. Treaty Doc. 105–26 (May 5, 1997); Check-list of North American Birds (AOU 2011, AOU 2012, AOU 2013, SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and (3) Japan: Convention between the AOU 2014, AOU 2015, AOU 2016, AOS Wildlife Service (Service), revise the Government of the United States of 2017, AOS 2018, and AOS 2019) and List of Migratory Birds protected by the America and the Government of Japan the 2017 publication of the Clements Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) by for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Checklist of Birds of the World both adding and removing species.
    [Show full text]
  • Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of the Azure-Winged Magpie, Cyanopica Cyanus, and Their Response to Fire in Northern Mongolia
    Lincoln University Digital Thesis Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of the Azure-Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, and their Response to Fire in Northern Mongolia A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of International Nature Conservation (M.I.N.C) at Lincoln University by Haojin Tan Lincoln University, New Zealand/ Georg-August University, Germany 2011 The Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus in Khonin Nuga, Northern Mongolia. Photo by Kerry- Jayne Wilson (2010) ii Abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of International Nature Conservation Abstract Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of the Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, and their Response to Fire in Northern Mongolia by Haojin Tan Fires are natural distubances in many ecosystems, but humans have altered fire regimes throughout the world. The effect of fire on organisms, particularly birds, depend on the extent and regime of the fire and the species’ ecology. The Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus is a cooperative breeder, and occurs in a disjunct distribution across much of Asia and in Iberia (Portugal and Spain).
    [Show full text]
  • Efficacy of Three Vaccines in Protecting Western Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma Californica) from Experimental Infection with West Nile
    VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES Volume 00, Number 00, 2011 ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2010.0173 Efficacy of Three Vaccines in Protecting Western Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma californica) from Experimental Infection with West Nile Virus: Implications for Vaccination of Island Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma insularis) Sarah S. Wheeler,1 Stanley Langevin,1 Leslie Woods,2 Brian D. Carroll,1 Winston Vickers,3 Scott A. Morrison,4 Gwong-Jen J. Chang,5 William K. Reisen,1 and Walter M. Boyce3 Abstract The devastating effect of West Nile virus (WNV) on the avifauna of North America has led zoo managers and conservationists to attempt to protect vulnerable species through vaccination. The Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis) is one such species, being a corvid with a highly restricted insular range. Herein, we used congeneric Western Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma californica) to test the efficacy of three WNV vaccines in protecting jays from an experimental challenge with WNV: (1) the Fort Dodge West Nile-InnovatorÒ DNA equine vaccine, (2) an experimental DNA plasmid vaccine, pCBWN, and (3) the Merial RecombitekÒ equine vaccine. Vaccine efficacy after challenge was compared with naı¨ve and nonvaccinated positive controls and a group of naturally immune jays. Overall, vaccination lowered peak viremia compared with nonvaccinated positive controls, but some WNV-related pathology persisted and the viremia was sufficient to possibly infect susceptible vector mosquitoes. The Fort Dodge West Nile-Innovator DNA equine vaccine and the pCBWN vaccine provided humoral immune priming and limited side effects. Five of the six birds vaccinated with the Merial Recombitek vaccine, including a vaccinated, non-WNV challenged control, developed extensive necrotic lesions in the pectoral muscle at the vaccine inoculation sites, which were attributed to the Merial vaccine.
    [Show full text]