DOCSLIB.ORG

A Hybrid Between the Hooded and Silver Grebes (Podiceps Gallardoi

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Hybrid Between the Hooded and Silver Grebes (Podiceps Gallardoi 168 ShortCommunications [Auk, Vol. 99 the faunal remains suggest late winter to summer that the Great Auk "may have strayed to the coast occupation of the site (Cox and Spiess 1980). of Labrador," but he showed that there was no sat- The remainsof Great Auk from Avayalik-1 consist isfactory evidence of such an instance. The speci- solely of a completeright coracoid,a portion of the mens from Avayalik Island thus constitutethe sole proximal end of a left coracoid, and a complete left record of Pinguinusimpennis from Labrador. femur. The coracoids are from birds of noticeably We are grateful to Ralph S. Palmer and Douglas different size, so at least two individuals are repre- Sutton for information and comments on the manu- sented. The rarity of the Great Auk in these deposits script. indicates the likelihood that the few birds taken were in passageand that the speciesdid not breed in the LITERATURE CITED area. BRODKORB,P. 1967. Catalogue of fossil birds: Part Not only were Great Auks used for food by Eski- 3 (Ralliformes, Ichthyornithiformes, Charadri- mos and Indians, as demonstratedby bonesin mid- iformes). Bull. Florida State Mus., Biol. Sci. 11: dens from Greenland to Florida (Greenway 1958, 99-220. Brodkorb 1967), but in some cultures the bird evi- Cox, S. L., & A. SPIESS.1980. Dorset settlement and dently had ceremonial significanceas well. This is subsistence in northern Labrador. Arctic 33: best exemplified by a burial in a Maritime Archaic 659-669. cemetery, Port au Choix-3, in northwestern New- GREENWAY,J. C. 1958. Extinct and vanishing birds foundland, dating to 2300-1800 B.C. A single human of the world. New York, American Committee skeleton found here had over 200 beaks of the Great for International Wild Life Protection. Auk distributed over its length, the body having ap- JORDAN,R. H. 1979-80. Dorset art from Labrador. parently been clothed in a garment consistingen- Folk 21-22: 397-417. tirely of Great Auk skins (Tuck 1976). The fact that --. 1980. Preliminary resultsfrom archaeologi- the bonesobtained from Avayalik Island comefrom cal investigations on Avayalik Island, extreme deep within the body (coracoids and femur), and northern Labrador. Arctic 33: 607627. thus would not have been included with a skin, TODD, W. E. C. 1963. Birds of the Labrador Penin- practicallyprecludes the specimenshaving been ob- sula and adjacent areas. Toronto, Univ. Toronto tained through trade with contemporaneouscultures Press. to the south. TucK, J. A. 1976. Ancient peoples of Port au Choix. The only certainly known breeding site of the Newfoundland Social and Economic Studies, 17. Great Auk in the Western Atlantic in historic times St. John's, Institute of Social and Economic Re- is Funk Island, Newfoundland. Although the species search, Memorial Univ. Newfoundland. is known from midden deposits and a skin from westernGreenland, there is apparentlyno conclusive evidence that it ever bred there (Greenway 1958). Received4 May 1981, accepted18 August1981. Todd (1963: 403) consideredthat it was not unlikely A Hybrid between the Hooded and Silver Grebes (Podicepsgallardoi and P. occipitalis) ROBERT W. STORER Museumof Zoology,The Universityof Michigan,Ann Arbor, Michigan48109 USA Hybrids between speciesof grebes are rare. Voous Grebe (Podicepsauritus) and an Eared Grebe (P. ni- and Payne (1965, Ardea 53: 9) reportedextensive hy- gricollis) reported by Dennis et al. (1973, Scottish bridization between the Madagascar endemic, Birds 7: 307). In this case, an adult of each species Tachybaptusrufolavatus, and the Little Grebe, T. ruf- was observedfeeding and carrying a single young. icollis, which is common on the mainland of Africa While studying the recently described Hooded and probably representsthe stockfrom which T. ru- Grebe (Podicepsgallardoi) (Rumboll 1974, Com. Mus. folavatuswas derived after an earlier invasion. In this Argent. Cienc. Nat. 4: 33), James D. Hammond, instance, the endemic form evidently had not Miguel Hinrichsen, Maurice A. E. Rumboll, and I evolved isolating mechanisms that would have pre- were surprised to observe an apparent hybrid be- vented hybridization with the reinvading ruficollis. tween that speciesand the Silver Grebe (P. occipi- The only other instanceI know of is the likely, but talis). For several days we were aware of a rather unproved, case of hybridization between a Horned pale-headed grebe swimming about in close com- January1982] ShortCommunications 169 T^BLE1. Weightsand measurementsof femalesof Podicepso. occipitalisand P. gallardoiand their hybrid. P.o. occipitalis Parameter Extremes Mean n Hybrid P. gallardoi Weight 278-410g 334g 4 505g 530;610 g Wing 116-130 mm 125 mm 19 140 mm 148; 157 mm Tarsus 38.0-43.0 mm 39.8 mm 17 46.5 mm 46.6; 47.1 mm Bill from nostril 10.1-13.0 mm 11.6 mm 18 13.1 mm 12.3; 13.4 mm Bill depth 5.3-6.9 mm 5.9 mm 13 6.8 mm 7.5; 7.7 mm pany with a Hooded Grebe, to which it appeared to hybrid. There is no trace of the postocularwattle be mated. Rumboll collectedit on 8 January1976, found in P. gallardoi.The color of the upper parts is and it was prepared as a partial skin and partial skel- dark gray, as in P. occipitalis.The amount of white eton, with the completeskull and the bones of one on the wing is intermediate; the six outer primaries wing and one leg retained in the skin (Univ. Mich. are dark, and the white of the inner primaries is Mus. Zool. 220,944). It was a female; the ovary con- confined almost entirely to the inner web of the tained two small corpora lutea and many small fol- feathers. The alula and greater coverts of the outer licles approximately 2 mm in diameter. No grebe primaries are almost entirely dark. nests were seen in the course of our visit, and it is How the mating that produced this hybrid came assumedthat the hybrid and its apparent mate had about is unknown. Because P. occipitalisis widely made an unsuccessfulattempt at nesting. The hybrid distributed both to the north and south of the range weighed 505 g and had moderate fat under the feath- of P. gallardoi, it is likely that the parental species er tracts. The pectoralmuscles on one side weighed have been in contact for a long time, long enough 18 grams. The stomach contents were largely snail for both morphologicalchanges and differencesin the tissue and shells, with a few dytiscid adults and lar- pair-formation ceremonies to have evolved through vae, a few chironomid (Psectrocladius)pupae, and selectionagainst hybridization in the sympatricpopu- many small feathers. There was no pyloric plug of lations. In view of the difference in the head patterns, feathers, however, as is found in many species of Advertisingcalls, and in the DiscoveryCeremony, in grebes (e.g. Storer 1969, Condor 71: 185; 1976, Trans. particular the unique Sky-jabbing display of the San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 18: 117). No bursa was Hooded Grebe (Storer, in press,Living Bird), I think present, indicating that the bird was at least2 yr old. it unlikely that a long pair bond between birds of In size, the hybrid is intermediate between the these quite different specieswas involved. On the parental species, although closer to or within the other hand, Hooded Grebes are, in my experience, range of the larger P. gallardoiin most measurements much less aggressive than other grebes. I once (Table 1). As in P. occipitalis,the forehead and lores watched a lone Hooded Grebe resting on a platform are gray and the nape black. The anterior part of the of Myriophylluma few centimetersaway from a mat- crown is whitish, blending with pale straw-colored ing pair. Under somewhat similar circumstances, it plumes (slightly tinged with rufous) posteriorly. might be possible for a Silver Grebe to sneak a cop- These plumes resemblethose of P. gallardoiin po- ulation with a Hooded Grebe whose mate was not sition but are shorter and much paler. They mingle at hand. with the black of the posterior part of the crown in I am grateful to my coworkers,J. D. Hammond, contrast with the sharp demarcation of the colors in M. Hinrichsen, and M. A. E. Rumboll, who made the parental species. The chin and throat are gray the fieldwork possible, and to the National Geo- (mixed with white posteriorly), intermediate be- graphic Society, which provided the necessaryfund- tween the light brownish gray of P.o. occipitalisand ing. the velvet black of P. gallardoi.Posterior to the eyes there are elongatedplumes like those of P.o. occip- Received23 February1981, accepted30 June1981. italis, but these are fewer, paler, and shorter in the .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • In Argentina New Birding ‘Lodges’ in Argentina James Lowen
    >> BIRDING SITES NEW BIRDING LoDGES IN ARGENTINA New birding ‘lodges’ in Argentina James Lowen Birders visiting Argentina tend to stay in hotels near but not at birding sites because the country lacks lodges of the type found elsewhere in the Neotropics. However, a few new establishments are bucking the trend and may deserve to be added to country’s traditional birding route. This article focuses on two of them and highlights a further six. Note: all photographs were taken at the sites featured in the article. Long-trained Nightjar Macropsalis forcipata, Posada Puerto Bemberg, Misiones, June 2009 (emilio White); there is a good stakeout near the posada neotropical birding 6 49 >> BIRDING SITES NEW BIRDING LoDGES IN ARGENTINA lthough a relatively frequent destination Posada Puerto Bemberg, for Neotropical birders, Argentina—unlike A most Neotropical countries—has relatively Misiones few sites such as lodges where visitors can Pretty much every tourist visiting Misiones bird and sleep in the same place. Fortunately, province in extreme north-east Argentina makes there are signs that this is changing, as estancia a beeline for Iguazú Falls, a leading candidate to owners build lodgings and offer ecotourism- become one of UNESCO’s ‘seven natural wonders related services. In this article, I give an of the world’. Birders are no different, but also overview of two such sites that are not currently spend time in the surrounding Atlantic Forest on the standard Argentine birding trail—but of the Parque Nacional de Iguazú. Although should be. Both offer good birding and stylish some birders stay in the national park’s sole accommodation in a beautiful setting, which may hotel, most day-trip the area from hotels in interest those with non-birding partners.
    [Show full text]
  • Birdlife International for the Input of Analyses, Technical Information, Advice, Ideas, Research Papers, Peer Review and Comment
    UNEP/CMS/ScC16/Doc.10 Annex 2b CMS Scientific Council: Flyway Working Group Reviews Review 2: Review of Current Knowledge of Bird Flyways, Principal Knowledge Gaps and Conservation Priorities Compiled by: JEFF KIRBY Just Ecology Brookend House, Old Brookend, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, GL13 9SQ, U.K. June 2010 Acknowledgements I am grateful to colleagues at BirdLife International for the input of analyses, technical information, advice, ideas, research papers, peer review and comment. Thus, I extend my gratitude to my lead contact at the BirdLife Secretariat, Ali Stattersfield, and to Tris Allinson, Jonathan Barnard, Stuart Butchart, John Croxall, Mike Evans, Lincoln Fishpool, Richard Grimmett, Vicky Jones and Ian May. In addition, John Sherwell worked enthusiastically and efficiently to provide many key publications, at short notice, and I’m grateful to him for that. I also thank the authors of, and contributors to, Kirby et al. (2008) which was a major review of the status of migratory bird species and which laid the foundations for this work. Borja Heredia, from CMS, and Taej Mundkur, from Wetlands International, also provided much helpful advice and assistance, and were instrumental in steering the work. I wish to thank Tim Jones as well (the compiler of a parallel review of CMS instruments) for his advice, comment and technical inputs; and also Simon Delany of Wetlands International. Various members of the CMS Flyway Working Group, and other representatives from CMS, BirdLife and Wetlands International networks, responded to requests for advice and comment and for this I wish to thank: Olivier Biber, Joost Brouwer, Nicola Crockford, Carlo C. Custodio, Tim Dodman, Roger Jaensch, Jelena Kralj, Angus Middleton, Narelle Montgomery, Cristina Morales, Paul Kariuki Ndang'ang'a, Paul O’Neill, Herb Raffaele and David Stroud.
    [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]
  • Biology of the Eared Grebe and Wilson's Phalarope in the Nonbreeding Season: a Study of Adaptations to Saline Lakes
    BIOLOGY OF THE EAREDGREBEAND WILSONS’ PHALAROPE IN THE NONBREEDING SEASON: A STUDY OF ADAPTATIONS TO SALINE LAKES Joseph R. Jehl, Jr. Sea World Research Institute Hubbs Marine Research Center 1700 South Shores Road San Diego, California U.S.A. 92 109 Studies in Avian Biology No. 12 A PUBLICATION OF THE COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIEIY’ Cover Photograph: Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis] at Mono Lake, California, October. 1985. Photograph by J. R. Jehl, Jr. i Edited by FRANK A. PITELKA at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology University of California Berkeley, CA 94720 EDITORIAL ADVISORS FOR SAB 12 Ralph W. Schreiber Jared Verner David W. Winkler Studiesin Avian Biology is a series of works too long for The Condor, published at irregular intervals by the Cooper Ornithological Society. Manuscripts for con- sideration should be submitted to the current editor, Joseph R. Jehl, Jr., Sea World Research Institute, 1700 South Shores Road, San Diego, CA 92 109. Style and format should follow those of previous issues. Price: $14.00 including postage and handling. All orders cash in advance; make checks payable to Cooper Ornithological Society. Send orders to James R. North- ern, Assistant Treasurer, Cooper Ornithological Society, Department of Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024. ISBN: O-935868-39-9 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 88-062658 Printed at Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas 66044 Issued 7 October 1988 Copyright by Cooper Ornithological Society, 1988 ii CONTENTS Abstract ............................. 1 Introduction ......................... 5 Eared Grebe ......................... 5 Methods ........................... 6 The Annual Cycle at Mono Lake ..... 8 Chronology ...................... 8 Composition of the population ..... 9 Size of the Mono Lake flock ......
    [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]
  • 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.).
    [Show full text]