Snow Bunting NEW WORLD SPARROWS 1
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Rob,Ri L. 06A S F" WARTWW TECHNICAL NOTE
FISH 81 WILE)LIFET-N-270 Form 1220-5 R'F'RENCELI8F4k&yg (January 1974) Rob,ri L. 06A S Code 6601 Date Issued June 1975 f" WARTWW OF 1)* %MAU W MAN WWNT @ TECHNICAL NOTE .S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU - OF LAND MANAGEMENT HABITAT MANAGEMENT SERIES FOR UNIQUE OR ENDANGERED SPECIES by Mark Zarn, Biologist Conservation Library Denver Public Library Report No. 14 Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis) Additional copies of Technical Notes are available from DSC, Federal Center Building 50, Denver, Colo., 80225 FOREWORD This Technical Note series on wildlife is designed to provide a literature review and summary of current knowledge pertaining to endangered and other wildlife species occurring on public lands. We In the Bureau of Land Management have recognized the need for basic wildlife information in order to do an effective job in land-use planning. Sound planning must identify the negative aspects as well as the positive benefits of any proposed land management decision or program. It is our hope, too, that this series will also prove useful to others--be they land managers, students, researchers or interested citizens. Director Bureau of Land Management Department of the Interior TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Species Description . I 5 Distribution . 5 Status and Population Trend . 7 Life History . 7 Activity Patterns . 8 Food Habits . 8 Hunting Methods . Home 9 Range . 9 Spring Migration . 9 Nesting Habitat . 10 Nest Construction . 10 Competition and Territorial Behavior . 11 Nesting Density . 11 Clutch Size . 11 Incubation . 11 Parental Behavior . 11 Juvenile Development . 11 Predation . 12 Interspecific Relationships . 12 Fall Migration . -
Birds of Perry County Contact Us the Tell City Ranger District of the Hoosier National Forest Is Open 8-4:30 Monday Through Friday to Serve Visitors
Birds of Perry County Contact Us The Tell City Ranger District of the Hoosier National Forest is open 8-4:30 Monday through Friday to serve visitors. Tell City Ranger District 248 15th Street Tell City, IN 47586 812-547-7051 Federal relay system for the deaf and hearing impaired: 1-800-877-8339 website: www.fs.usda.gov/hoosier Great Bllue Heron Tufted Titmouse __________________________ vV USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. America’s Great Outdoors Last updated 11/2011 Forest Service United States Department of Agriculture The third and fourth columns are the genus and Using the Checklist species of the bird. The fifth column shows the The first column after the bird’s common name is bird’s status in Indiana as of 2009. (Available at http:// evidence of the bird’s breeding status in our area. www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/Birds_Of_Indiana.pdf) CO = Confirmed breeding evidence FC = Federal Candidate FE = Federal Endangered PR = Probable breeding evidence FT = Federal Threatened SC - State Special Concern PO = Possible breeding evidence SE = State Endangered X = Exotic/Introduced OB = Observed, no breeding evidence Bird abundance will vary seasonally, and often from This shows highest breeding evidence value from year-to-year as well. Actual abundance is often dis- published 1985-1990 breeding bird atlas data and tinct from detectability. Some species may be com- draft 2005-2010 atlas data. (Available at http://www. mon but secretive and only rarely seen. Others may pwrc.usgs.gov/bba/) be numerically sparse, yet highly -
L O U I S I a N A
L O U I S I A N A SPARROWS L O U I S I A N A SPARROWS Written by Bill Fontenot and Richard DeMay Photography by Greg Lavaty and Richard DeMay Designed and Illustrated by Diane K. Baker What is a Sparrow? Generally, sparrows are characterized as New World sparrows belong to the bird small, gray or brown-streaked, conical-billed family Emberizidae. Here in North America, birds that live on or near the ground. The sparrows are divided into 13 genera, which also cryptic blend of gray, white, black, and brown includes the towhees (genus Pipilo), longspurs hues which comprise a typical sparrow’s color (genus Calcarius), juncos (genus Junco), and pattern is the result of tens of thousands of Lark Bunting (genus Calamospiza) – all of sparrow generations living in grassland and which are technically sparrows. Emberizidae is brushland habitats. The triangular or cone- a large family, containing well over 300 species shaped bills inherent to most all sparrow species are perfectly adapted for a life of granivory – of crushing and husking seeds. “Of Louisiana’s 33 recorded sparrows, Sparrows possess well-developed claws on their toes, the evolutionary result of so much time spent on the ground, scratching for seeds only seven species breed here...” through leaf litter and other duff. Additionally, worldwide, 50 of which occur in the United most species incorporate a substantial amount States on a regular basis, and 33 of which have of insect, spider, snail, and other invertebrate been recorded for Louisiana. food items into their diets, especially during Of Louisiana’s 33 recorded sparrows, Opposite page: Bachman Sparrow the spring and summer months. -
Birds of Bolivar Peninsula
6?1@<3<96C.?#2;6;@B9. <B@A<;B1B/<;&<062AF DDD5<B@A<;.B1B/<;<?4 How to Use This Book Range Maps: The Range maps are color coded to show where and when to expect each bird to occur. The maps cover ranges of birds living in North America, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each map shows four ranges: orange for summer, blue for win- ter, yellow for migration, and green for year round. Because birds do not stay strictly inside these boundaries, you may find them wandering far from ranges assigned in this guide, par- ticularly during migration. In some cases, a bird may be so rare that its sightings appear as small dots on the map; a bird may be seen in a certain area, and then disappear shortly after it has been spotted. When a bird is so rare that its range cannot be drawn, the map area will read “No Map Available”. Summer Migration Year Round Winter (non breeding) Definitions and Conventions Common Name: Birds are organized by common name, sex or seasonal or age variation, such as Abert’s Towhee Breeding Male, American Robin Female California Gull 1st Winter. The Latin species name, Order, and Family name are located under the common name, for example: Abert’s Towhee Breeding Male Pipilo aberti Order: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae) Family Name and Color: The top of every page has a unique color bar associated with each family name.) General: The general heading gives an overview of basic identification details. It describes the coloring of the body, any distinctive marks found in the head, tail, and underparts and the coloring differences between sexes and juveniles. -
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
FACT SHEET Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ARCTIC BIRDS IN YOUR STATE The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a place unlike any Alabama - Ruby-crowned Kinglet Alaska - Redpoll other in the world. The Alaskan refuge, often referred to Arizona - Fox Sparrow as “America’s Serengeti,” is a remote sanctuary for diverse Arkansas - Mallard California - Snow Goose populations of migratory birds, fish, mammals, and marine Colorado - Bohemian Waxwing Connecticut - Greater Scaup life. The Refuge spans an area roughly the size of South Delaware - Black-bellied Plover Carolina and boasts snow-capped mountains, arctic tundra, Florida - Peregrine Falcon Georgia - Gray-checked Thrush foothills, wetlands, boreal forest, and fragile coastal plains. Hawaii - Wandering Tattler America’s Arctic Refuge was set aside as a safe haven for Idaho - Short-eared Owl Illinois - Northern Flicker wildlife in 1960, and it has remained wild in its more than Indiana - Dark-eyed Junco 50 years as a Refuge. Iowa - Sharp-shinned Hawk Kansas - Smith’s Longspur Kentucky – Merlin AMERICA’S LAST GREAT WILDERNESS Louisiana - Long-billed Dowitcher Maine - Least Sandpiper Maryland - Tundra Swan The Arctic Refuge is often mischaracterized as a blank, frozen void Massachusetts - Golden Plover of uninhabited tundra. Although winter frequently coats the Arc- Michigan - Long-tail Duck tic with snow and freezes the ground, it gives way to lush, vibrant Minnesota - Snowy Owl Mississippi – Northern Waterthrush growth in warmer months. In fact, the Refuge’s unparalleled diver- Missouri - American Pipit sity makes it the most biologically productive habitat in the North. Montana - Golden Eagle Nebraska - Wilson’s Warbler Landscape Nevada - Green-winged Teal The majestic Brooks Range rises 9,000 feet, providing sharp contrast New Hampshire - Dunlin New Jersey – Canvasback to the flat, wetlands-rich coastal plains at its feet. -
Rejection Behavior by Common Cuckoo Hosts Towards Artificial Brood Parasite Eggs
REJECTION BEHAVIOR BY COMMON CUCKOO HOSTS TOWARDS ARTIFICIAL BROOD PARASITE EGGS ARNE MOKSNES, EIVIN ROSKAFT, AND ANDERS T. BRAA Departmentof Zoology,University of Trondheim,N-7055 Dragvoll,Norway ABSTRACT.--Westudied the rejectionbehavior shown by differentNorwegian cuckoo hosts towardsartificial CommonCuckoo (Cuculus canorus) eggs. The hostswith the largestbills were graspejectors, those with medium-sizedbills were mostlypuncture ejectors, while those with the smallestbills generally desertedtheir nestswhen parasitizedexperimentally with an artificial egg. There were a few exceptionsto this general rule. Becausethe Common Cuckooand Brown-headedCowbird (Molothrus ater) lay eggsthat aresimilar in shape,volume, and eggshellthickness, and they parasitizenests of similarly sizedhost species,we support the punctureresistance hypothesis proposed to explain the adaptivevalue (or evolution)of strengthin cowbirdeggs. The primary assumptionand predictionof this hypothesisare that somehosts have bills too small to graspparasitic eggs and thereforemust puncture-eject them,and that smallerhosts do notadopt ejection behavior because of the heavycost involved in puncture-ejectingthe thick-shelledparasitic egg. We comparedour resultswith thosefor North AmericanBrown-headed Cowbird hosts and we found a significantlyhigher propor- tion of rejectersamong CommonCuckoo hosts with graspindices (i.e. bill length x bill breadth)of <200 mm2. Cuckoo hosts ejected parasitic eggs rather than acceptthem as cowbird hostsdid. Amongthe CommonCuckoo hosts, the costof acceptinga parasiticegg probably alwaysexceeds that of rejectionbecause cuckoo nestlings typically eject all hosteggs or nestlingsshortly after they hatch.Received 25 February1990, accepted 23 October1990. THEEGGS of many brood parasiteshave thick- nestseither by grasping the eggs or by punc- er shells than the eggs of other bird speciesof turing the eggs before removal. Rohwer and similar size (Lack 1968,Spaw and Rohwer 1987). -
A WHITE-EYED SPOTTED TOWHEE OBSERVED in NORTHWESTERN NEBRASKA RICK WRIGHT, 128 Evans Road, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003; [email protected]
NOTES A WHITE-EYED SPOTTED TOWHEE OBSERVED IN NORTHWESTERN NEBRASKA RICK WRIGHT, 128 Evans Road, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003; [email protected] Towhees visually—and in rare cases vocally—resembling the Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) have been reported at least eight times this century in the Nebraska Panhandle (Silcock and Jorgensen 2018), far to the west of that taxon’s expected range. As a result of the resplitting of the Eastern Towhee and Spotted Towhee (P. maculatus) (AOU 1995), observers have begun to once again pay close attention to the appearance and vocalizations of the region’s towhees, a practice that had declined following the species’ earlier taxonomic lumping (AOU 1954). On 20 and 21 May 2018, I observed a Spotted Towhee (presumptively P. m. arcticus, which breeds in the area) with white irides in the campground at the Gilbert- Baker Wildlife Area (42° 46.02' N, 103° 55.67' W) in the extreme northwest of the Nebraska Panhandle, 10 km north of Harrison, Sioux County. I photographed the bird on the first date (Figure 1). The deep saturated black of the head indicated that this individual was a male; the browner primaries were presumably retained juvenile feathers, contrasting with the rest of the formative plumage, identifying this as an individual in its second calendar year. When I returned on the second date, the towhee was accompanied by a female Spotted Towhee of unknown age; her plumage and soft-part colors were unremarkable. Silent the day before, on this occasion the male sang several times, a series of loud ticking notes followed by a lower-pitched, buzzy trill indistinguishable to my ear from the vocalizations of other nearby Spotted Towhees. -
Birds of Anchorage Checklist
ACCIDENTAL, CASUAL, UNSUBSTANTIATED KEY THRUSHES J F M A M J J A S O N D n Casual: Occasionally seen, but not every year Northern Wheatear N n Accidental: Only one or two ever seen here Townsend’s Solitaire N X Unsubstantiated: no photographic or sample evidence to support sighting Gray-cheeked Thrush N W Listed on the Audubon Alaska WatchList of declining or threatened species Birds of Swainson’s Thrush N Hermit Thrush N Spring: March 16–May 31, Summer: June 1–July 31, American Robin N Fall: August 1–November 30, Winter: December 1–March 15 Anchorage, Alaska Varied Thrush N W STARLINGS SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER SPECIES SPECIES SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER European Starling N CHECKLIST Ross's Goose Vaux's Swift PIPITS Emperor Goose W Anna's Hummingbird The Anchorage area offers a surprising American Pipit N Cinnamon Teal Costa's Hummingbird Tufted Duck Red-breasted Sapsucker WAXWINGS diversity of habitat from tidal mudflats along Steller's Eider W Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Bohemian Waxwing N Common Eider W Willow Flycatcher the coast to alpine habitat in the Chugach BUNTINGS Ruddy Duck Least Flycatcher John Schoen Lapland Longspur Pied-billed Grebe Hammond's Flycatcher Mountains bordering the city. Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel Eastern Kingbird BOHEMIAN WAXWING Snow Bunting N Leach's Storm-Petrel Western Kingbird WARBLERS Pelagic Cormorant Brown Shrike Red-faced Cormorant W Cassin's Vireo Northern Waterthrush N For more information on Alaska bird festivals Orange-crowned Warbler N Great Egret Warbling Vireo Swainson's Hawk Red-eyed Vireo and birding maps for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Yellow Warbler N American Coot Purple Martin and Kodiak, contact Audubon Alaska at Blackpoll Warbler N W Sora Pacific Wren www.AudubonAlaska.org or 907-276-7034. -
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax Nivalis) Vulnerability: Presumed Stable Confidence: Moderate
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) Vulnerability: Presumed Stable Confidence: Moderate The Snow Bunting is one of the first birds to return to their Arctic breeding grounds, with males arriving in early April. This species occurs throughout the circumpolar arctic and, as a cavity- nester, will use human-made nest sites (e.g. barrels, buildings, pipelines) as readily as natural ones (rock cavities, under boulders, cliff faces; Lyon and Montgomerie 1995). Snow Buntings consume a wide variety of both plant (e.g. seeds, plant buds) and animal prey (invertebrates). Their wintering range is centered in the northern continental US and southern Canada although it extends north into the low arctic in some places (Lyon and Montgomerie 1995). Current global population estimate is 40 million (Rich et al. 2004). Arctic Alaska (see Martin et al. 2009) is not likely to have a strong negative or positive affect on this species. Current projections of annual potential evapotranspiration suggest negligible atmospheric-driven drying for the foreseeable future (TWS and SNAP). Thus atmospheric moisture, as an exposure factor, was not heavily weighted in the assessment. A. Leist Range: We used the extant NatureServe range map for the CCVI as it matched the Birds of North America and other range descriptions (Johnson and Herter 1989). Human Response to CC: Increased human activity and infrastructure associated with human response to climate change could benefit Snow Buntings by providing increased artificial nesting habitat, as they are known to readily take advantage of human infrastructure (Lyon and Montgomerie 1995, J. Liebezeit, pers. obs.). Because it is unlikely that there will be significant development of this type in Arctic Alaska, the influence on this species would be Dietary Versatility: The Snow Bunting’s varied nominal. -
Wildlife in Your Young Forest.Pdf
WILDLIFE IN YOUR Young Forest 1 More Wildlife in Your Woods CREATE YOUNG FOREST AND ENJOY THE WILDLIFE IT ATTRACTS WHEN TO EXPECT DIFFERENT ANIMALS his guide presents some of the wildlife you may used to describe this dense, food-rich habitat are thickets, T see using your young forest as it grows following a shrublands, and early successional habitat. timber harvest or other management practice. As development has covered many acres, and as young The following lists focus on areas inhabited by the woodlands have matured to become older forest, the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), a rare amount of young forest available to wildlife has dwindled. native rabbit that lives in parts of New York east of the Having diverse wildlife requires having diverse habitats on Hudson River, and in parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, the land, including some young forest. Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine. In this region, conservationists and landowners In nature, young forest is created by floods, wildfires, storms, are carrying out projects to create the young forest and and beavers’ dam-building and feeding. To protect lives and shrubland that New England cottontails need to survive. property, we suppress floods, fires, and beaver activities. Such projects also help many other kinds of wildlife that Fortunately, we can use habitat management practices, use the same habitat. such as timber harvests, to mimic natural disturbance events and grow young forest in places where it will do the most Young forest provides abundant food and cover for insects, good. These habitat projects boost the amount of food reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. -
Birds with Silviculture in Mind Birder's Dozen Pocket Guide For
Birds with Silviculture in Mind Birder’s Dozen Pocket Guide for Massachusetts Foresters Identification tips, ecological information, and management options for 12 priority forest bird species. Adapted from Vermont’s Foresters for the Birds Project Adapted by Mass Audubon from Birds with Silviculture Editors/Contributors TABLE OF CONTENTS in Mind: Birder’s Dozen Pocket Guide for Vermont Foresters. Fletcher Clark Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation ©2011 with permission and assistance from Audubon [email protected] 2 Introduction Vermont. Mike Downey Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation 3 The Birder’s Dozen Mass Audubon [email protected] 4 How to Use this Guide 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 Wendy Sweetser Ferris Massachusetts Woodlands Institute wferris@ 10 Black-and-white Warbler 781-259-2100 franklinlandtrust.org 12 Black-throated Blue Warbler www.massaudubon.org Jennifer Fish Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation 14 Black-throated Green Warbler [email protected] [email protected] 16 Canada Warbler In partnership with Pete Grima Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation 18 Chestnut-sided Warbler Massachusetts Woodlands Institute [email protected] 20 Eastern Towhee PO Box 450, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 Doug Hutcheson Massachusetts Department of Conservation and 22 Eastern Wood-Pewee 413-625-9151 Recreation [email protected] 24 Ruffed Grouse Joshua Morse Franklin Land Trust [email protected] -
Illinois Birds: Volume 4 – Sparrows, Weaver Finches and Longspurs © 2013, Edges, Fence Rows, Thickets and Grain Fields
ILLINOIS BIRDS : Volume 4 SPARROWS, WEAVER FINCHES and LONGSPURS male Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder female Photo © John Cassady Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Mary Kay Rubey Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder American tree sparrow chipping sparrow field sparrow vesper sparrow eastern towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus Spizella arborea Spizella passerina Spizella pusilla Pooecetes gramineus Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder lark sparrow savannah sparrow grasshopper sparrow Henslow’s sparrow fox sparrow song sparrow Chondestes grammacus Passerculus sandwichensis Ammodramus savannarum Ammodramus henslowii Passerella iliaca Melospiza melodia Photo © Brian Tang Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Lincoln’s sparrow swamp sparrow white-throated sparrow white-crowned sparrow dark-eyed junco Le Conte’s sparrow Melospiza lincolnii Melospiza georgiana Zonotrichia albicollis Zonotrichia leucophrys Junco hyemalis Ammodramus leconteii Photo © Brian Tang winter Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder summer Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Photo © Mark Bowman winter Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder summer Photo © Rob Curtis, The Early Birder Nelson’s sparrow