Fluorescent Ornamentation in the Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Fluorescent Ornamentation in the Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca Ibis (2019) doi: 10.1111/ibi.12715 Short communication reproductive ability probably developed as a strategy for efficiently selecting appropriate partners before individ- ual quality could be evaluated (Pagani-Nunez~ & Senar 2014). Among avian species, these cues can take the Fluorescent ornamentation form of ornamented feathers (Andersson 1992), ritual- ized behaviours (DuVal 2007) or other highly devel- in the Rhinoceros Auklet oped features advertised during periods of reproductive Cerorhinca monocerata activity (Curio 2004). 1 2 Several members of the subfamily Fraterculinae BRADLEY P. WILKINSON * MICHAEL E. JOHNS (Alcidae; hereafter ‘Auks’) have developed distinctly & PETE WARZYBOK2 1 ornamented features grown during periods of reproduc- Department of Forestry and Environmental tive activity. Auks are small to medium-sized seabirds Conservation, South Carolina Cooperative Fish and distributed in cold waters of the northern hemisphere, Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson University, Clemson, and in some species both sexes can display oversized head SC 29634, USA 2 and neck plumes as well as conspicuously marked bill Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Drive, plates during the breeding season (Jones & Montgomerie Suite 11, Petaluma, CA 94953, USA 1992, Jones & Hunter 1999, Sorensen et al. 2010). These ornaments are thought to relate to individual quality but could also be used to identify mates in highly social species when congregating near burrows or interacting Avian species have developed a range of markers for with conspecifics; their precise function remains uncer- transmitting information, among them ornamented plu- tain in many cases (Seneviratne & Jones 2008). mage, behavioural patterns and conspicuous bill struc- In addition to conveying information through the visi- tures. Members of the marine subfamily Fraterculinae ble light spectrum, some bird species are also able to have some of the most visibly noticeable ornaments detect cues transmitted though ultraviolet (UV) light among seabirds, and some species have been recently (Chen et al. 1984). Indeed, recent investigations have found to possess fluorescent properties in seasonally found fluorescent properties in the bill plates of multiple acquired bill plates. We examined a member of this sub- auk species when exposed to ultraviolet light, namely the family, the Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca monocerata, Crested Auklet Aethia cristatella (Wails et al. 2017) and for fluorescence in the upper and lower mandibles as Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica (Dunning et al. 2018). well as the namesake horn grown in preparation for Fluorescence occurs as a result of the absorption of elec- mate selection. Fluorescence was noted primarily in the tromagnetic radiation at a certain wavelength followed horn of adults, with greater variation present among by the re-emission of typically longer, lower energy individuals than between the sexes. wavelengths (Gruber & Sparks 2015). Often, this re-emission is highly visible to the naked eye as a bright, fl Keywords: fl glowing hue. While this uorescence is not universal bio uorescence, reproductive among the taxon, it seems likely that other members of signalling, seabird, ultraviolet light. this subfamily may possess traits for fluorescence, especially species with other conspicuous forms of ornamentation. To more fully understand the prevalence of bill fluo- Organisms exhibiting intersexual selection often display rescence within the Fraterculinae, we examined the external cues intended to influence mate selection (Berg- ornamental breeding structures of adult Rhinoceros Auk- lund et al. 1996). These features can act as markers of lets Cerorhinca monocerata under UV light. We hypothe- the reproductive status (Velando et al. 2001), underly- sized that the keratinous horn grown by adults in ing physiological condition (Loyau et al. 2005) or indi- preparation for mate selection would be a source of flu- vidual quality of potential mates (Hanssen et al. 2006). orescence given the role of auxiliary ornamental struc- Selecting a reproductive partner with traits showcasing tures elsewhere in the family and the prominence of this beneficial qualities should therefore lead to increased fit- feature in the species. Finally, we also investigated ness through an improved ability to raise offspring whether bill fluorescence differs between the sexes. (Andersson 1982). As monogamous species enter into a pair prior to the commencement of duties required to raise offspring successfully, external markers of METHODS Fieldwork was conducted on Southeast Farallon Island ° 0 ° 0 *Corresponding author. (37 42 N, 123 00 W), a rocky archipelago that contains Email: [email protected] an estimated breeding population of 4500 Rhinoceros Twitter: @Pelican_Paths Auklets (Warzybok et al. 2018). Birds were captured © 2019 British Ornithologists’ Union 2 B. P. Wilkinson et al. using a 30-mm nylon mist-net deployed at four locations models was fitted in R (R Core Team 2015) with the with high auklet burrow densities. Netting sessions were package betareg (Cribari-Neto & Zeileis 2010) and com- conducted at dusk when Rhinoceros Auklets were most pared using Akaike’s information criteria with sample active, over the course of nine nights during the chick size adjustments (AICc; Burnham & Anderson 2002). provisioning period from 17 June to 7 July 2018. A ran- The model with the lowest AICc was selected as the best dom sample of netted birds were photographed under fitting model. Normality and homogeneity of variance UV light with a 4-watt T5 fluorescent bulb (253 nm) were confirmed visually with a QQ-plot and a plot of the and a Canon 6D DSLR camera (40-mm focal length, residuals against the fitted values, respectively. ISO 8000, f4 at 1/3 s). The bill of each individual was framed in the centre, with the subject approximately 30 cm from the objective element of the camera lens. RESULTS Care was taken to ensure the eyes of auklets were cov- A total of 35 Rhinoceros Auklets were photographed, ered to avoid direct UV light exposure. Photographs with sample of 20 males and 15 females based on esti- were taken in near-complete darkness with no additional mates from the sexing LDA. All individuals showed light source other than the UV light present, either out- some degree of bill fluorescence under UV light; how- side post-nautical twilight or indoors in a dark room. A ever, the patterns of fluorescence in the three bill seg- series of three photos were taken for each individual. ments examined were highly variable across individuals Upon visual inspection of the photos, there existed no (Fig. 1). Fluorescence was most prominent in the horn, discernible differences in the pattern or extent of appar- with an average proportion (Æsd) of 0.66 (Æ0.13) for ent fluorescence between images in a series. Therefore, males and 0.61 (Æ0.21) for females (Fig. 2). The gape the image with the least amount of distortion from and posterior side of the nares in the upper mandible, ‘shutter shake’ given the slow shutter speed used was and the base of the lower mandible also exhibited some retained for analysis. In addition, morphometric mea- fluorescence; however, much of the upper and lower surements of bill depth, relaxed wing chord and mass mandibles did not fluoresce (Table S1). were recorded for sexing. We found no evidence for a sex-specific difference in Preliminary exposure to UV light revealed that fluores- the amount of bill fluorescence. Modelling the propor- cence occurred in the upper mandible, lower mandible tion of fluorescence as a linear relationship with bill seg- and, most notably, the horn. These regions of the bill ment alone received the most support of the models emitted a distinct blue/green hue corresponding to the tested (lowest AIC ; Table 1), confirming what is visu- emission of longer wavelength visible light when irradi- c ally apparent, that the highest amount of fluorescence ated with non-visible light in the UV spectrum. To quan- occurs in the horn. The addition of sex as a linear pre- tify the amount of fluorescence in each of these bill dictor increased the AIC value by 1, showing weak sup- segments, their total surface area and the total area of flu- c port for a possible difference in fluorescence by sex orescence (in pixels) were measured using the program probably driven by slightly higher fluorescence of the ImageJ2 (Rueden et al. 2017), without the filtering of any lower mandible in males than females (Table 1). There specific colour channels. The total area of fluorescence was no evidence of overdispersion in the top model was divided by the total surface area of each segment, (residual deviance = 6.79, residual df = 102), and providing a unitless measure of the proportion of bill fluo- assumptions of normality and equal variance were met. rescence across individuals. Variation in the proportion of fluorescence was summarized by segment and by sex. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) incorporating DISCUSSION bill depth, wing chord and mass was used to assign sex to each individual. The utilized function was molecu- Here we provide the first evidence of fluorescence prop- larly validated for this population using blood samples erties of another Fraterculinae, in the keratinous horn of taken from a subset of individuals in 2016 used in a pre- breeding Rhinoceros Auklets, adding to the assessment vious study by Wilkinson et al. (2018). Accuracy of sex- of occurrence within this subfamily. It also augments ing Rhinoceros Auklets using this function has been our understanding of ornamentation and individual sig- validated at 100%; however, this number should be nalling in this relatively widespread species. Of particu- viewed with caution given the relatively few individuals lar note was the presence of variation in the amount of used in the validation (n = 10). bill fluorescence between individual auklets. As causes Beta regression was used to test whether variability in for biofluorescence are often protein- or pigment-based the proportion of bill fluorescence was explained by the (Gruber & Sparks 2015, Protzel€ et al. 2018), it seems linear and interactive effects of sex and bill segment.
Recommended publications
  • Breeding Status and Population Trends of Seabirds in Alaska, 2014
    BREEDING STATUS AND POPULATION TRENDS OF SEABIRDS IN ALASKA, 2014 U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AMNWR 2015/03 BREEDING STATUS AND POPULATION TRENDS OF SEABIRDS IN ALASKA, 2014 Compiled By: Donald E. Dragoo, Heather M. Renner and David B. Ironsa Key words: Aethia, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, ancient murrelet, Bering Sea, black-legged kittiwake, Cepphus, Cerorhinca, Chukchi Sea, common murre, crested auklet, fork-tailed storm-petrel, Fratercula, Fulmarus, glaucous-winged gull, Gulf of Alaska, hatching chronology, horned puffin, Larus, Leach’s storm-petrel, least auklet, long-term monitoring, northern fulmar, Oceanodroma, parakeet auklet, pelagic cormorant, Phalacrocorax, pigeon guillemot, Prince William Sound, productivity, red-faced cormorant, red-legged kittiwake, rhinoceros auklet, Rissa, seabirds, Synthliboramphus, thick-billed murre, tufted puffin, Uria, whiskered auklet. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 95 Sterling Highway, Suite 1 Homer, Alaska, USA 99603 February 2015 Cite as: Dragoo, D. E., H. M. Renner, and D. B. Irons. 2015. Breeding status and population trends of seabirds in Alaska, 2014. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Report AMNWR 2015/03. Homer, Alaska. aDragoo ([email protected]) and Renner ([email protected]), Alaska Maritime NWR, Homer; Irons ([email protected]), U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska USA 99503 When using information from this report, data, results, or conclusions specific to a location(s) should not be used in other publications without first obtaining permission from the original contributor(s). Results and conclusions general to large geographic areas may be cited without permission. This report updates previous reports.
    [Show full text]
  • Sea of Okhotsk: Seals, Seabirds and a Legacy of Sorrow
    SEA OF OKHOTSK: SEALS, SEABIRDS AND A LEGACY OF SORROW Little known outside of Russia and seldom visited by westerners, Russia's Sea of Okhotsk dominates the Northwest Pacific. Bounded to the north and west by the Russian continent and the Kamchatka Peninsula to the east, with the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island guarding the southern border, it is almost landlocked. Its coasts were once home to a number of groups of indigenous people: the Nivkhi, Oroki, Even and Itelmen. Their name for this sea simply translates as something like the ‘Sea of Hunters' or ‘Hunters Sea', perhaps a clue to the abundance of wildlife found here. In 1725, and again in 1733, the Russian explorer Vitus Bering launched two expeditions from the town of Okhotsk on the western shores of this sea in order to explore the eastern coasts of the Russian Empire. For a long time this town was the gateway to Kamchatka and beyond. The modern make it an inhospitable place. However the lure of a rich fishery town of Okhotsk is built near the site of the old town, and little and, more recently, oil and gas discoveries means this sea is has changed over the centuries. Inhabitants now have an air still being exploited, so nothing has changed. In 1854, no fewer service, but their lives are still dominated by the sea. Perhaps than 160 American and British whaling ships were there hunting no other sea in the world has witnessed as much human whales. Despite this seemingly relentless exploitation the suffering and misery as the Sea of Okhotsk.
    [Show full text]
  • Status and Occurrence of Parakeet Auklet (Aethia Psittacula) in British Columbia
    Status and Occurrence of Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula) in British Columbia. By Rick Toochin and Louis Haviland. Introduction and Distribution The Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula) is a small species of auklet found breeding in the Beringia region of Alaska and Russia (Gaston and Jones 1998). This species has an Alaskan population estimated at 1 million birds (Gaston and Jones 1998). There is also a Russian population, but the exact population total is not known, due to a lack of population inventory work, but it is estimated to number about 400,000 birds with the vast majority, about 300,000 birds, found in the Sea of Okhotsk (Gaston and Jones 1998). The Parakeet Auklet has breeding colonies that are found on rocky mainland points and islands in the Gulf of Alaska (Jones et al. 2001). These sites include: Shumagin Island, Semidi Isand, Chirikof Island near Kodiak, locally in Kenai Peninsula and southeastern Alaska with small numbers south to St. Lazaria, Hazy and Forrester Island; and in the Aleutian Islands west to Buldir and Agattu Island; and in the Bering Sea at Little Diomede, St. Lawrence Island, King Island, St. Matthew Island, Pribilof Island and Nunivak Island (Sowls et al. 1978). The Parakeet Auklet also breeds in Russia in the Kurile Island chain with colonies on Chirinkontan, Lovushki, Raikoke, Matua, Yankicha, Simushir, Brat Chirpoev, Urup, and Iturup Island (Jones et al. 2001, Brazil 2009). They are also breeding on islands in the Sea of Okhotsk with colonies on Sakhalin, Tyuleniy, Iona, Talan, and Yamskyie Island (Jones et al. 2001, Brazil 2009). The Parakeet Auklet is also found breeding on Commander Island, and northwards locally along coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, on Karaginski Island, Cape Navarin, and on Chukotka Peninsula (Konyukhov 1989, Kondratyev et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Population Estimates and Temporal Trends of Pribilof Island Seabirds
    POPULATION ESTIMATES AND TEMPORAL TRENDS OF PRIBILOF ISLAND SEABIRDS by F. Lance Craighead and Jill Oppenheim Alaska Biological Research P.O. BOX 81934 Fairbanks, Alaska 99708 Final Report Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program Research Unit 628 November 1982 307 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dan Roby and Karen Brink, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, were especially helpful to us during our stay on St. George and shared their observations with us. Bob Day, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, also provided comparative data from his findings on St. George in 1981. We would like to thank the Aleut communities of St. George and St. Paul and Roger Gentry and other NMFS biologists on St. George for their hospitality and friendship. Bob Ritchie and Jim Curatolo edited an earlier version of this report. Mary Moran drafted the figures. Nancy Murphy and Patty Dwyer-Smith typed drafts of this report. Amy Reges assisted with final report preparation. Finally, we’d like to thank Dr. J.J. Hickey for initiating seabird surveys on the Pribi of Islands, which were the basis for this study. This study was funded by the Bureau of Land Management through interagency agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion, as part of the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program. 308 TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ● . ● . ● . ● . 308 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . ✎ . ● ✎ . ● . ● ● . ✎ . ● ● . 311 INTRODUCTION. ✎ . ● ✎ . ✎ . ✎ ✎ . ● ✎ ● . ● ✎ . 313 STUDY AREA. ● . ✎ ✎ . ✎ . ✎ ✎ . ✎ ✎ ✎ . , . ● ✎ . ● . 315 METHODS . ● . ✎
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding Biology of the Horned Puffin on St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea, with Zoogeographical Notes on the North Pacific Puffins I
    Pacific Science (1973), Vol. 27, No.2, p. 99-119 Printed in Great Britain Breeding Biology of the Horned Puffin on St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea, with Zoogeographical Notes on the North Pacific Puffins I SPENCER G. SEALY' THE HORNED PUFFIN (Fratercula corniculata) is one of six species ofalcids which regularly nest on Sevuokuk Mountain, 3 km east of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska (Fig. 1). During the summers of 1966 and 1967, I conducted on this island a study of the breeding ecology of three of these species, the Parakeet Auklet (Cyc/orrf?ynchuspsittacula), Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella), and Least Auklet (A. pusilla) (see Sealy, 1968). During these summers some ob­ servations on the breeding biology of the Horn­ ed Puffin were obtained and are reported here. The only life history study ofthis species which spans the entire breeding season is that of Swartz (1966) in the Cape Thompson region, Alaska, some 560 km north of St. Lawrence Island (Fig. 2). Numerous studies of the biology of the con­ generic Common Puffin (Fratercula arctica) of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans are available (e.g., Lockley, 1953; Be1opol'skii, 1957; Uspen­ ski, 1958; Myrberget, 1959, 1961, 1962; Kartas­ chew, 1960; Nettleship, 1972; and others) and some of these will be utilized here for compara­ tive purposes. When available, comparative ob­ servations on the breeding biology of the other Pacific puffins, the Rhinoceros Auklet (Ceror­ hinca monocerata), which is actually a puffin (Storer, 1945), and the Tufted Puffin (Lunda cirrhata) will also be included. DISTRIBUTION The breeding distribution of the Horned Puffin has been mapped recently by Udvardy (1963: 105).
    [Show full text]
  • A Mass Post-Breeding Movement of Crested Auklets Aethia Cristatella in the Chukchi Sea
    Maftei & Russ et al.: Crested Auklets in the Chukchi Sea 31 A MASS POST-BREEDING MOVEMENT OF CRESTED AUKLETS AETHIA CRISTATELLA IN THE CHUKCHI SEA MARK MAFTEI1 & RODNEY RUSS2 1High Arctic Gull Research Group, Bamfield, BC V0R 1B0, Canada ([email protected]) 2Heritage Expeditions, Christchurch 8023, NZ Submitted 23 November 2013; accepted 16 January 2014 SUMMARY MAFTEI, M. & RUSS, R. 2014. A mass post-breeding movement of Crested Auklets Aethia cristatella in the Chukchi Sea. Marine Ornithology 42: 31–34. The Crested Auklet Aethia cristatella is a highly pelagic alcid for which non-breeding movements and distribution remain poorly understood. On 18 August 2013, in the vicinity of Cape Kekurnyi at the eastern end of the Chukotski Peninsula (66°9.2′N, 169°43.6′W), we observed an uninterrupted passage of an estimated 10 560 000 Crested Auklets over a period of four hours. At the peak of the movement, birds were passing at a rate exceeding 1 000 individuals per second. While the northward movement of Crested Auklets into the Chukchi Sea is well known, our observations indicate that birds from multiple breeding colonies congregate during the post-breeding season and travel in huge numbers to locally productive foraging areas. It also seems likely either that the global population of Crested Auklets has been previously underestimated, or that recent population increases have gone undetected. Key words: Chukchi Sea, Chukotski Peninsula, Crested Auklet, post-breeding movement, world population INTRODUCTION from the bridge and main deck of the ship. From our position at anchor approximately 1.5 km offshore of Uelen, virtually all of the In August and September of 2013, the ship Professor Khromov was migrating auklets were visible in one vertical field of view.
    [Show full text]
  • PICES-2012 Program and Abstracts
    PICES-2012 Program & Abstracts Image: “The Itsukushima Shrine from the sea”, November 25, 2010, watercolour, by Satoshi Arima, retiree of the National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Hiroshima, Japan. Permission to reproduce this artwork was kindly granted by Mr. Arima. Prepared and published by: North Pacific Marine Science Organization PICES Secretariat P.O. Box 6000 Sidney, BC PICES-2012 V8L 4B2 Canada Tel: 1-250-363-6366 Fax: 1-250-363-6827 Program and Abstracts E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.pices.int October 12-21, 2012 Hiroshima, Japan PICES-2012 Effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors in the North Pacific ecosystems: Scientific challenges and possible solutions North Pacific Marine Science Organization October 12-21, 2012 Hiroshima, Japan Table of Contents Notes for Guidance � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �vi International Conference Center Floor Plan � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � vii Meeting Timetable � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �viii Map of the International Conference Center Area � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � xii Keynote Lecture � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1 Schedules and Abstracts S1: Science Board Symposium Effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors in
    [Show full text]
  • SHOREBIRDS (Charadriiformes*) CARE MANUAL *Does Not Include Alcidae
    SHOREBIRDS (Charadriiformes*) CARE MANUAL *Does not include Alcidae CREATED BY AZA CHARADRIIFORMES TAXON ADVISORY GROUP IN ASSOCIATION WITH AZA ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITTEE Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Care Manual Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Care Manual Published by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in association with the AZA Animal Welfare Committee Formal Citation: AZA Charadriiformes Taxon Advisory Group. (2014). Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Care Manual. Silver Spring, MD: Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Original Completion Date: October 2013 Authors and Significant Contributors: Aimee Greenebaum: AZA Charadriiformes TAG Vice Chair, Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA Alex Waier: Milwaukee County Zoo, USA Carol Hendrickson: Birmingham Zoo, USA Cindy Pinger: AZA Charadriiformes TAG Chair, Birmingham Zoo, USA CJ McCarty: Oregon Coast Aquarium, USA Heidi Cline: Alaska SeaLife Center, USA Jamie Ries: Central Park Zoo, USA Joe Barkowski: Sedgwick County Zoo, USA Kim Wanders: Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA Mary Carlson: Charadriiformes Program Advisor, Seattle Aquarium, USA Sara Perry: Seattle Aquarium, USA Sara Crook-Martin: Buttonwood Park Zoo, USA Shana R. Lavin, Ph.D.,Wildlife Nutrition Fellow University of Florida, Dept. of Animal Sciences , Walt Disney World Animal Programs Dr. Stephanie McCain: AZA Charadriiformes TAG Veterinarian Advisor, DVM, Birmingham Zoo, USA Phil King: Assiniboine Park Zoo, Canada Reviewers: Dr. Mike Murray (Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA) John C. Anderson (Seattle Aquarium volunteer) Kristina Neuman (Point Blue Conservation Science) Sarah Saunders (Conservation Biology Graduate Program,University of Minnesota) AZA Staff Editors: Maya Seaman, MS, Animal Care Manual Editing Consultant Candice Dorsey, PhD, Director of Animal Programs Debborah Luke, PhD, Vice President, Conservation & Science Cover Photo Credits: Jeff Pribble Disclaimer: This manual presents a compilation of knowledge provided by recognized animal experts based on the current science, practice, and technology of animal management.
    [Show full text]
  • Wings Over Alaska Checklist
    Blue-winged Teal GREBES a Chinese Pond-Heron Semipalmated Plover c Temminck's Stint c Western Gull c Cinnamon Teal r Pied-billed Grebe c Cattle Egret c Little Ringed Plover r Long-toed Stint Glacuous-winged Gull Northern Shoveler Horned Grebe a Green Heron Killdeer Least Sandpiper Glaucous Gull Northern Pintail Red-necked Grebe Black-crowned r White-rumped Sandpiper a Great Black-backed Gull a r Eurasian Dotterel c Garganey a Eared Grebe Night-Heron OYSTERCATCHER Baird's Sandpiper Sabine's Gull c Baikal Teal Western Grebe VULTURES, HAWKS, Black Oystercatcher Pectoral Sandpiper Black-legged Kittiwake FALCONS Green-winged Teal [Clark's Grebe] STILTS, AVOCETS Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Red-legged Kittiwake c Turkey Vulture Canvasback a Black-winged Stilt a Purple Sandpiper Ross' Gull Wings Over Alaska ALBATROSSES Osprey Redhead a Shy Albatross a American Avocet Rock Sandpiper Ivory Gull Bald Eagle c Common Pochard Laysan Albatross SANDPIPERS Dunlin r Caspian Tern c White-tailed Eagle Ring-necked Duck Black-footed Albatross r Common Greenshank c Curlew Sandpiper r Common Tern Alaska Bird Checklist c Steller's Sea-Eagle r Tufted Duck Short-tailed Albatross Greater Yellowlegs Stilt Sandpiper Arctic Tern for (your name) Northern Harrier Greater Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs c Spoonbill Sandpiper Aleutian Tern PETRELS, SHEARWATERS [Gray Frog-Hawk] Lesser Scaup a Marsh Sandpiper c Broad-billed Sandpiper a Sooty Tern Northern Fulmar Sharp-shinned Hawk Steller's Eider c Spotted Redshank Buff-breasted Sandpiper c White-winged Tern Mottled Petrel [Cooper's
    [Show full text]
  • Alpha Codes for 2168 Bird Species (And 113 Non-Species Taxa) in Accordance with the 62Nd AOU Supplement (2021), Sorted Taxonomically
    Four-letter (English Name) and Six-letter (Scientific Name) Alpha Codes for 2168 Bird Species (and 113 Non-Species Taxa) in accordance with the 62nd AOU Supplement (2021), sorted taxonomically Prepared by Peter Pyle and David F. DeSante The Institute for Bird Populations www.birdpop.org ENGLISH NAME 4-LETTER CODE SCIENTIFIC NAME 6-LETTER CODE Highland Tinamou HITI Nothocercus bonapartei NOTBON Great Tinamou GRTI Tinamus major TINMAJ Little Tinamou LITI Crypturellus soui CRYSOU Thicket Tinamou THTI Crypturellus cinnamomeus CRYCIN Slaty-breasted Tinamou SBTI Crypturellus boucardi CRYBOU Choco Tinamou CHTI Crypturellus kerriae CRYKER White-faced Whistling-Duck WFWD Dendrocygna viduata DENVID Black-bellied Whistling-Duck BBWD Dendrocygna autumnalis DENAUT West Indian Whistling-Duck WIWD Dendrocygna arborea DENARB Fulvous Whistling-Duck FUWD Dendrocygna bicolor DENBIC Emperor Goose EMGO Anser canagicus ANSCAN Snow Goose SNGO Anser caerulescens ANSCAE + Lesser Snow Goose White-morph LSGW Anser caerulescens caerulescens ANSCCA + Lesser Snow Goose Intermediate-morph LSGI Anser caerulescens caerulescens ANSCCA + Lesser Snow Goose Blue-morph LSGB Anser caerulescens caerulescens ANSCCA + Greater Snow Goose White-morph GSGW Anser caerulescens atlantica ANSCAT + Greater Snow Goose Intermediate-morph GSGI Anser caerulescens atlantica ANSCAT + Greater Snow Goose Blue-morph GSGB Anser caerulescens atlantica ANSCAT + Snow X Ross's Goose Hybrid SRGH Anser caerulescens x rossii ANSCAR + Snow/Ross's Goose SRGO Anser caerulescens/rossii ANSCRO Ross's Goose
    [Show full text]
  • Submarine Foraging Behavior of Alcids in an Artificial Environment
    Zoo Biology 6:373-378 (1987) Submarine Foraging Behavior of Alcids in an Artificial Environment David Cameron Duffy, Frank S. Todd, and W.R. Siegfried Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (D.C.D., WR.S.); Hubbs Sea World Research Institute, San Diego, California (F.S. T.) We used an artificial environment at Sea World, Inc, San Diego, to study under­ water foraging behavior of a1cids. Larger birds dove longer and had greater wing­ beat frequencies. The pigeon guillemot Cepphus columba was the only species to use both feet and wings for propulsion; all others used just wings. Aggressive interactions underwater were common. Competition among alcids in the wild may occur primarily underwater, and artificial environments may be the best means to study such interactions. Key words: captivity, competition, diving, foraging INTRODUCTION The study of foraging by seabirds in their natural environments is extremely difficult as they can rarely be observed directly below the surface. Inferences con­ cerning foraging, based on surface observations, may lead to ambiguous results. For example, Cody [1973] concluded that differences in foraging range, rather than diet or foraging depth, facilitated partitioning of food resources between species in alcid communities off the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, and off Iceland. Bedard [1976] questioned Cody's findings but did not present alternative explanations for possible partitioning of resources. We suggest that, because alcids normally capture prey below the surface of the sea [Ashmole, 1971; Bradstreet and Brown, 1985], studies of the birds' submarine foraging behavior are needed. We report here an initial study of foraging by seven alcid species kept at Sea World, Inc, San Diego, in an artificial enclosure that attempts to simulate their natural environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Note to Users
    Odors And Ornaments In Crested Auklets (Aethia Cristatella): Signals Of Mate Quality? Item Type Thesis Authors Douglas, Hector D., Iii Download date 24/09/2021 03:31:59 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8905 NOTE TO USERS Page(s) missing in number only; text follows. Page(s) were scanned as received. 61 , 62 , 201 This reproduction is the best copy available. ® UMI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ODORS AND ORNAMENTS IN CRESTED AUKLETS (AETHIA CRISTATELLA): SIGNALS OF MATE QUALITY ? A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Hector D. Douglas III, B.A., B.S., M.S., M.F.A. Fairbanks, Alaska August 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3240323 Copyright 2007 by Douglas, Hector D., Ill All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3240323 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]