DOCSLIB.ORG

The Magnificent Frigatebird in Western North America

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Magnificent Frigatebird in Western North America The Magnificent Frigatebird in Western North America STEVEN G. I4LODINOW * November,but winter frigatebirdsare exceptional.There are fewer than ten Texas records from this season, with the most unusual For thepurposes of thisarticle, western North America is definedas the involving twenty birds at Rockport on December 17, 1940 statesand provincesof the UnitedStates and Canada(excluding (Oberholser 1974). Hawaii) that lieprimarily west of 95 degreeslongitude. Inland south- Wanderingfrigatebirds are alsooccasionally found at lakesand ern Californiais definedas thoseareas east of thePeninsular Ranges riverswithin fifty miles of theTexas Coast, usually in fall (Oberholser andSierra Nevada south of Inyo County. Coastal southern California is 1974).Farther inland, however, records are exceedingly scarce, with definedas San Luis Obispo Count)4 south. Central California, along the about four from around San Antonio, three from near Austin, one coast,extends from Sonoma County through Monterey County. Inland fromFalcon Lake, one from BeeCounty, and one from Nacogdoches it reachesfrom Lake Tahoe south through Inyo County. Northern Cali- County.All of theseoccurred between August 12 andSeptember 23, fornia extendsfrom MendocinoCounty north on the coastand from and most (if not all) were related to hurricaneor tropical storm Lake Tahoe north in the interior. activity.The mostnotable inland Texas record is of nine birdsat Mitchell Lake following Hurricane Beulah (W. Sekula, in litt). Perhapssurprisingly, there are no recordsfrom the northwestern half inhabitantheMagnificent of NewFrigatebirdWorld oceans (Fregata that magnificens) hasa fascinating isawidespread pattern of of the state. occurrencein westernNorth America.This speciesbreeds not far from the western United States in the Mexican states of Veracruz and TltE GREAT PLAINS BajaCalifornia Sur (Howelland Webb1995), so its regularoccur- There are twelvefrigatebird records involving thirteen individuals reneein Texasand southernCalifornia is not a greatsurprise. What from the GreatPlains. Eight of theseare from Oklahoma,induding might not be expected,however, is that MagnificentFrigatebirds oneof a GreatFrigatebird which will be discussedlater. The remain- occurannually in California'sinterior and havewandered as far afield as the Alaska Peninsula and Colorado. To best understand the ing four comefrom Kansas,three of which are from far northern complexstatus and distributionof this speciesin westernNorth Kansas,no morethan sixty miles from the Nebraskaborder. America,we will takea regionalapproach. The datafor this article Great Plains frigatebirdshave occurredmostly between mid- wereobtained from state,provincial, and regional status and distrib- Augustand mid-Octoberwith two outliersin Juneand onein April. ution guides,state and provincialbird recordscommittees, and Althoughno overallcorrelation with stormactivity is readilyappar- American Birds/Field Notes. ent, the three recordsfrom 1988 seemed to have resulted from Hur- ricane Gilbert. TEXAS COLORADO CoastalTexas is the onlyplace in westernNorth America where the sightof a frigatebirddoes not automaticallyelicit cries of joy.This is There is one MagnificentFrigatebird record from Colorado.This becauseMagnificent Frigatebirds are uncommon(but not rare) bird wasfirst seenin JeffersonCounty on September14, 1985,and summervisitors along the entireTexas Coast, where they are found thenreappeared two dayslater at GreenMountain Reservoir, where from shoreand on pelagictrips in the vicinityof oil-drillingplat- it waskilled after purportedly attacking a windsurfer(Webb 1985). forms.Most of the frigatebirdsin Texasare iramatures,although Its occurrencewas felt to be relatedto HurricaneElena by Andrews adults are not unusual. and Righter(1992), and 1985was a minor irruption yearin Arizona The firstbird or twousually arrives during early April, but signif- andCalifornia. This sighting, more than 700 milesfrom the nearest icantnumbers do not normallyappear until July.Peak occurrence is saltwater(which is at the head of the Seaof Cortez), is farther inland duringAugust and earlySeptember. Thereafter, numbers dwindle, than anyother in westernNorth America. and the lastindividuals are oftenseen in earlyOctober. Occasional individualsarrive as earlyas mid-Marchand linger aslate as mid- NEW MEXICO NewMexico has six frigatebird records, of whichfive are from Octo- * 4819Gardner Avenue, Everett, Washington 98203. ber and one is from February.Three of thesebirds occurred in the VOLUME52 (1998), ISSUE4 413 ImmatureMagnificent Frigatebirds greatly outnumber adults Somejuvenile Magnificent Frigatebirds show only weakly as post- breedingvisitors in the west. Notethe characteristic developedbreast patches. These birds appear more extensively purewhite head,black triangular breast patches, and white white-bellied.However notice the diamond-shapeof the black diamond-shapedbelly patchof this juvenileMagnificent framearound the bellypatch, and the reduced,but still noticeable, Frigatebird.Photograph/Brian E. Small breastpatches on thisjuvenile Magnificent Frigatebird photographedat the DryTortugas in Florida. Photograph/BrianE. Small Mexico and the Sea of Cortez, whereaswestern New Mexico is con- CALIFORNIA: WINTER AND SPRING RECORDS* siderablycloser to the latter.The threepre-1988 records are as fol- Location Date Literature Cited lows:Bitter Lake (southeasternNM), October4-6, 1955 (Hubbard Santa•Cruz,Santa Cr•uzCo. 4/28/95 FieldNotes 49:304 1989);Silver City (southwesternNM), October 1, 1967(Hubbard IIGoleta, Santa Barbara Co. 5/22/93 AmericanBirds 47:453 1989);and LasCruces (south-central NM), February1, 1969(Hub- I A[•__NuevoI,Santa Cruz Co. 5/21/93 Americ•anBirds47:•450 Farallon Is San Francisco Co. 5/20/93 American Birds 47:450 bard 1989). The two Octoberbirds occurin a timeframemore con- IIMontere 2/11-2/12/92 American Birds 46:310 sistentwith birdswandering inland from the Gulf of Mexico,while •Ano Nuevo Point, Santa Cruz Co.? 2/13/92 treericanBirds46:310 the Februarybird isan anomaly. , founddead, Eel River mouth, February1992 Harris1996 Humboldt Co. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NationalCity, San Diego Co. 1/5/92 AmericanBirds 46:314 FarallonIsm, San Francisco Co.? 12/16/89 Americ•anBirds43:361_ In southernCalifornia, the Magnificent Frigatebird is an annualvis- UpperNewport Bay, Orange Co. 4/20/89 AmericanBirds 42:536 itor, averagingjust over twenty frigatebirdsper year since 1970 tSanDiego, SanDiego Co. 4/23/89 treericanBirds42:536 (AmericanBirds/Field Notes, vols. 25-51). The vast majority of these StovepipeWells, Inyo Co.? 4J8/88 treericanBirds 42:481 wereseen from earlyJune through mid-September, with a distinct ]]West Covina, LosAn•les Co. 2/11/88 treericanBirds42:320 peakbetween late June and early August. During the remainderof IIPigeon Point, San Mateo Co.? 2/5/87 AmericanBirds 41:483 SanFrancisco Bay and Santa Cruz Co 3/6-3/9/86 AmericanBirds 40:519 theyear, frigatebirds are extremely scarce. Since 1970, there have been I[BolsaChica.OraneCo. ,,19,85 ,mericanBirds39:2%;onlyfive reports from late September through October and thirteen I•RedondoBeach, LosAngeles t•o. 3/25/80 treericanBirds 34:_305 from Novemberthrough May. The great majority of southern RedondoBeach, Los A•es Co. 1/4/80 AmericanBirds 34:200 Cahfornia'sfrigatebirds are immatures, as is true for the remainder of IIPismo Beach, SanLuis Obispo Co. 2/16/77 AmericanBirds31:373 the Pacific Coast and Arizona. Superficiallysurprising is thatonly 60 percentof southernCali- •ino,SanBernadino Co. 3/23/77American 31:1046Birds I SanM,•el lsl•n'nd, S• Barba•-a CO. 4J6/76 A...... B,rds30:889 fornia'sfrigatebirds have been found along the coast. The remaining I'north end Salton Sea, Riverside Co. 2/20/72 AmericanBirds 26:654 fortypercent have been seen mostly at theSalton Sea, the large saline TRecordsfrom1971 on. lake in the desert of southeastern California. The reason that the I ?Recordsgiven in AmericanBirds/FieldNotesas frigatebird sp? Many of the remaining SaltonSea attracts frigatebirds is not dear,but it hasa similaror fri•rdsI maynot have beenspe• cificallyidentifiedas• Magnificents- __ greaterattraction for severalother speciesof seabirds,including Brown Pelican, Blue-footed Booby, and Yellow-footed Gull southeasternquarter of the stateduring October 1988 and appear to (McCaskie1970, McCaskie 1983). Though the SaltonSea is only berelated to theaftermath of HurricaneGilbert, which also swept fri- about80 milesfrom the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific proper is probably gatebirdsinto Oklahomaand Kansas.Thus, these frigatebirds must not the sourceof frigatebirdsand otherseabirds at the SaltonSea. have travelled at least 550 miles overland from the Gulf of Mexico. Instead,most of thesebirds likely come inland from the upper reach- The originof the otherthree New Mexicofrigatebirds is not so es of the Sea of Cortez, which lie about 150 miles to the south clear.Easternmost New Mexicois aboutequidistant from the Gulf of (McCaskie1970, McCaskie 1983). Frigatebirds, boobies, and Yellow- 414 FIELD NOTES FRIGATEBIRD '.\ Adultfemale Magnificent Frigatebirds have solid black heads and throats and a relativelytapered triangular intrusionof blackinto the white of the belly. Bothof thesefeatures are evidentin the perchedand flying femaleMagnificent Frigatebirds illustrated above. Photographs/Brian E. Small footedGulls are far morenumerous there than they are at similarlat- CALIFORNIA ANDARIZONAFRIGATEBIRDS BY YEAR* itudesalong Baja California's Pacific Coast. The record high count of frigatebirdsfor the SaltonSea
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Brown Pelican
    118 Pelicans — Family Pelecanidae Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis The failure of Brown Pelican nesting in southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and its link to DDT, was a key case alerting the world to the unintended ill effects of persistent pesticides. Happily, once the release of DDT in the United States was banned, the pelicans recovered quickly. By the 1990s Brown Pelican was again common along San Diego County’s coast, numbers peaking in late summer and early fall. Nevertheless, the popu- lation remains fragile, and in California the Brown Pelican is still formally listed as an endangered spe- cies. The nesting colony nearest San Diego County is on Los Coronados Islands off Tijuana. Winter: The Brown Pelican is common all along San Diego County’s coast, as well as over the nearby ocean. Photo by Anthony Mercieca The largest numbers are where secure roost sites, on coastal bluffs or man-made structures, lie near good fish- ing, as at Torrey Pines State Reserve (N7; up to 218 on Diego Bay the pelican is more numerous north and west 26 December 1999, B. C. Moore), La Jolla (P7; 150 on 26 of the bridge than to the south of it, though many roost December 1998, L. and M. Polinsky), Point Loma (S7; 156 on the dikes of the salt works at the south end. on 18 December 1999, J. C. Worley), and North Island Brown Pelicans enter all lagoons open to the tide (S8; 302 on 18 December 1999, R. T. Patton). In San but, except at one site, are only casual on fresh water.
    [Show full text]
  • Kendall Birds
    Kendall-Frost Reserve Breeding Common Name Scientific Name Regulatory Status Status Waterfowl - Family Anatidae Brant Branta bernicla W Special Concern Gadwall Ana strepera W American Wigeon Anas americana W Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Y Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera W Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata W Northern Pintail Anas acuta W Green-winged Teal Anas crecca W Redhead Aythya americana W Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis W Bufflehead Bucephala albeola W Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator W Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis W Loons - Family Gaviidae Common Loon Gavia immer W Special Concern Grebes - Family Podicipedidae Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps W Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus W Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis W Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis W Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii W Pelicans - Family Pelecanidae Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis Y Endangered Frigatebirds - Family Fregatidae Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens X Cormorants - Family Phalacrocoracide Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Y Herons and Bitterns - Family Ardeidae Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Y Great Egret Ardea alba Y Snowy Egret Egretta thula Y Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Y Green Heron Butorides virescens Y Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Y Hawks, Kites and Eagles - Family Accipitridae Osprey Pandion haliaetus Y White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus W Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus W Special Concern Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii Y Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Y Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to the Birds of Barrow Island
    A Guide to the Birds of Barrow Island Operated by Chevron Australia This document has been printed by a Sustainable Green Printer on stock that is certified carbon in joint venture with neutral and is Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) mix certified, ensuring fibres are sourced from certified and well managed forests. The stock 55% recycled (30% pre consumer, 25% post- Cert no. L2/0011.2010 consumer) and has an ISO 14001 Environmental Certification. ISBN 978-0-9871120-1-9 Gorgon Project Osaka Gas | Tokyo Gas | Chubu Electric Power Chevron’s Policy on Working in Sensitive Areas Protecting the safety and health of people and the environment is a Chevron core value. About the Authors Therefore, we: • Strive to design our facilities and conduct our operations to avoid adverse impacts to human health and to operate in an environmentally sound, reliable and Dr Dorian Moro efficient manner. • Conduct our operations responsibly in all areas, including environments with sensitive Dorian Moro works for Chevron Australia as the Terrestrial Ecologist biological characteristics. in the Australasia Strategic Business Unit. His Bachelor of Science Chevron strives to avoid or reduce significant risks and impacts our projects and (Hons) studies at La Trobe University (Victoria), focused on small operations may pose to sensitive species, habitats and ecosystems. This means that we: mammal communities in coastal areas of Victoria. His PhD (University • Integrate biodiversity into our business decision-making and management through our of Western Australia)
    [Show full text]
  • Updating the Seabird Fauna of Jakarta Bay, Indonesia
    Tirtaningtyas & Yordan: Seabirds of Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, update 11 UPDATING THE SEABIRD FAUNA OF JAKARTA BAY, INDONESIA FRANSISCA N. TIRTANINGTYAS¹ & KHALEB YORDAN² ¹ Burung Laut Indonesia, Depok, East Java 16421, Indonesia ([email protected]) ² Jakarta Birder, Jl. Betung 1/161, Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta 13430, Indonesia Received 17 August 2016, accepted 20 October 2016 ABSTRACT TIRTANINGTYAS, F.N. & YORDAN, K. 2017. Updating the seabird fauna of Jakarta Bay, Indonesia. Marine Ornithology 45: 11–16. Jakarta Bay, with an area of about 490 km2, is located at the edge of the Sunda Straits between Java and Sumatra, positioned on the Java coast between the capes of Tanjung Pasir in the west and Tanjung Karawang in the east. Its marine avifauna has been little studied. The ecology of the area is under threat owing to 1) Jakarta’s Governor Regulation No. 121/2012 zoning the northern coastal area of Jakarta for development through the creation of new islands or reclamation; 2) the condition of Jakarta’s rivers, which are becoming more heavily polluted from increasing domestic and industrial waste flowing into the bay; and 3) other factors such as incidental take. Because of these factors, it is useful to update knowledge of the seabird fauna of Jakarta Bay, part of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. In 2011–2014 we conducted surveys to quantify seabird occurrence in the area. We identified 18 seabird species, 13 of which were new records for Jakarta Bay; more detailed information is presented for Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi. To better protect Jakarta Bay and its wildlife, regular monitoring is strongly recommended, and such monitoring is best conducted in cooperation with the staff of local government, local people, local non-governmental organization personnel and birdwatchers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Andean Condor: a Field Study ______
    _____________________________________ THE ANDEAN CONDOR: A FIELD STUDY _____________________________________ By: Jerry McGahan Box 71 Arlee, MT 59821 (406) 726-3480 [email protected] JerryMcGahan.com With photographs, field, and clerical assistance by: Libby Sale Dedicated to the Memory of Carlos Lehmann V Maria Koepcke Enrique Avila William Millie i Table of Contents PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDMENTS……………………………………………………… 1 1 THE STUDY .............................................................................................................................. 6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 6 STUDY AREAS .............................................................................................................. 15 Colombia .............................................................................................................. 15 Cerro Illescas ....................................................................................................... 18 Paracas ................................................................................................................ 20 THE SUBJECT ................................................................................................................ 21 Taxonomy ............................................................................................................. 21 Description ........................................................................................................... 22
    [Show full text]
  • MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD Fregata Magnificens
    PALM BEACH DOLPHIN PROJECT FACT SHEET The Taras Oceanographic Foundation 5905 Stonewood Court - Jupiter, FL 33458 - (561-762-6473) [email protected] MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD Fregata magnificens CLASS: Aves ORDER: Suliformes FAMILY: Fregatidae GENUS: Fregata SPECIES: magnificens A long-winged, fork-tailed bird of tropical oceans, the Magnificent Frigatebird is an agile flier that snatches food off the surface of the ocean and steals food from other birds. It breeds mostly south of the United States, but wanders northward along the coasts during nonbreeding season. Physical Appearance: Frigate birds are the only seabirds where the male and female look strikingly different. All have pre- dominantly black plumage, long, deeply forked tails and long hooked bills. Females have white underbellies and males have a distinctive red throat pouch, which they inflate during the breeding season to attract females Their wings are long and pointed and can span up to 2.3 meters (7.5 ft), the largest wing area to body weight ratio of any bird. These birds are about 35-45 inches ((89 to 114 cm) in length, and weight between 35 and 67 oz (1000-1900 g). The bones of frigate birds are markedly pneumatic (filled with air), making them very light and contribute only 5% to total body weight. The pectoral girdle (shoulder joint) is strong as its bones are fused. Habitat: Frigate birds are found across all tropical oceans. Breeding habitats include mangrove cays on coral reefs, and decidu- ous trees and bushes on dry islands. Feeding range while breeding includes shallow water within lagoons, coral reefs, and deep ocean out of sight of land.
    [Show full text]
  • Threats to the Critically Endangered Christmas
    Tirtaningtyas & Hennicke: Threats to the criticallyContributed endangered Papers Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi 137 THREATS TO THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED CHRISTMAS ISLAND FRIGATEBIRD FREGATA ANDREWSI IN JAKARTA BAY, INDONESIA, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR RECONSIDERING CONSERVATION PRIORITIES FRANSISCA N. TIRTANINGTYAS1 & JANOS C. HENNICKE2,3 1Burung Laut Indonesia, Depok, East Java, 16421, Indonesia ([email protected]) 2Dept. of Ecology and Conservation, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany 3CEBC-CNRS, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France Received 4 November 2014, accepted 26 February 2015 SUMMARY Tirtaningtyas, F.N. & HENNICKE, J.C. 2015. Threats to the critically endangered Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, and implications for reconsidering conservation priorities. Marine Ornithology 43: 137–140. The Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi is one of the most endangered seabirds in the world. The reasons for its population decline are unknown, but recommended protection measures and management actions focus on the species’ breeding site. Threats to the species away from Christmas Island have received little consideration. Here, we report on several previously undescribed anthropogenic threats to Christmas Island Frigatebirds based on observations in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia: accidental entanglement in fishing gear, as well as capture, poisoning and shooting. Based on these findings, we suggest that it is imperative to reconsider the present management strategies and conservation priorities for the species and to urgently include protection measures away from Christmas Island. Keywords: Christmas Island Frigatebird, Fregata andrewsi, conservation, mortality, anthropogenic threats, Jakarta Bay, Southeast Asia INTRODUCTION Christmas Island Frigatebirds are exposed to threats in Southeast Asian waters, namely in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, that might contribute The Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi is one of the to the unexplained population decline of the species.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogenetic Patterns of Size and Shape of the Nasal Gland Depression in Phalacrocoracidae
    PHYLOGENETIC PATTERNS OF SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE NASAL GLAND DEPRESSION IN PHALACROCORACIDAE DOUGLAS SIEGEL-CAUSEY Museumof NaturalHistory and Department of Systematicsand Ecology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-2454 USA ABSTRACT.--Nasalglands in Pelecaniformesare situatedwithin the orbit in closelyfitting depressions.Generally, the depressionsare bilobedand small,but in Phalacrocoracidaethey are more diversein shapeand size. Cormorants(Phalacrocoracinae) have small depressions typical of the order; shags(Leucocarboninae) have large, single-lobeddepressions that extend almost the entire length of the frontal. In all PhalacrocoracidaeI examined, shape of the nasalgland depressiondid not vary betweenfreshwater and marine populations.A general linear model detectedstrongly significant effectsof speciesidentity and gender on size of the gland depression.The effectof habitat on size was complexand was detectedonly as a higher-ordereffect. Age had no effecton size or shapeof the nasalgland depression.I believe that habitat and diet are proximateeffects. The ultimate factorthat determinessize and shape of the nasalgland within Phalacrocoracidaeis phylogenetichistory. Received 28 February1989, accepted1 August1989. THE FIRSTinvestigations of the nasal glands mon (e.g.Technau 1936, Zaks and Sokolova1961, of water birds indicated that theseglands were Thomson and Morley 1966), and only a few more developed in species living in marine studies have focused on the cranial structure habitats than in species living in freshwater associatedwith the nasal gland (Marpies 1932; habitats (Heinroth and Heinroth 1927, Marpies Bock 1958, 1963; Staaland 1967; Watson and Di- 1932). Schildmacher (1932), Technau (1936), and voky 1971; Lavery 1972). othersshowed that the degree of development Unlike most other birds, Pelecaniformes have among specieswas associatedwith habitat. Lat- nasal glands situated in depressionsfound in er experimental studies (reviewed by Holmes the anteromedialroof of the orbit (Siegel-Cau- and Phillips 1985) established the role of the sey 1988).
    [Show full text]
  • Field List of Birds, West New Britain Following the Order and Classifications Used in Brian J Coates Birds of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago
    Field List of Birds, West New Britain Following the order and classifications used in Brian J Coates Birds of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago Key B Endemic to Bismarck Archipelago B & NG Endemic to Bismarck Archipelago and New Guinea NM Endemic to North Melanesia B & NG Dwarf Cassowary Casuarius bennetti Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae Tahiti Petrel Pterodroma rostrata Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus NM Heinroth's Shearwater Puffinus heinrothi Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda Masked Booby Sula dactylatra Red-footed Booby Sula sula Brown Booby Sula leucogaster Great Frigatebird Fregata minor Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Great Egret Egretta alba Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia Eastern Reef Egret Egretta sacra Striated Heron Butorides striatus Rufous Night-heron Nycticorax caledonicus Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis Spotted Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna guttata Wandering Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna arcuata Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Osprey Pandion haliaetus Pacific Baza (Crested Hawk) Aviceda subcristata B New Britain Buzzard Henicopernis infuscata Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus White-bellied Sea eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Variable Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae B Slaty-backed Goshawk Accipiter luteoschistaceus B New Britain
    [Show full text]
  • P0529-P0540.Pdf
    RESPONSES TO HIGH TEMPERATURE IN NESTLING DOUBLE-CRESTED AND PELAGIC CORMORANTS ROBERT C. L^$IEWSKI AND GREGORY K. SNYDER ADULTand nestlingcormorants are often subjectto overheatingfrom insolationat the nest. Their generallydark plumage,exposed nest sites, and reradiation from surroundingrocks aggravate the thermal stress. Young nestlingsmust be shieldedfrom the sun by their parents. Older nestlingsand adults compensatefor heat gain throughbehavioral adjust- mentsand modulationof evaporativecooling by pantingand gular flutter- ing. This study was undertakento examinesome of the responsesto high temperaturein nestlingsof two speciesof cormorants,the Double-crested Cormorant,Phalacrocorax auritus, and the PelagicCormorant, P. pelagicus. The evaporative cooling responsesin birds have been studied in some detail in recent years (see Bartholomewet al., 1962; Lasiewski et al., 1966; Bartholomewet al., 1968; Calder and Schmidt-Nielsen,1968, for more detailed discussions),although much still remains to be learned. MATERIALS AND •VIETI-IODS The nestling cormorantsused in this study (four Phalacrocoraxpelagicus and four P. auritus) were captured from nests on rocky islands off the northwest coast of Washington. As their dates of hatchingwere not known it was impossibleto provide exact ages. From comparisonsof feather developmentwith descriptionsin the literature (Bent, 1922; Palmer, 1962), we judged that the pe'lagicuschicks were approximately 5, 5, 6, and 6 weeksold, while'the auritus chickswere 3.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 6 weeksof age upon capture. The nestlingswere taken to the laboratoriesat Friday Harbor, Washington on the day of capture and housed in three 4' X 4' X 4' chicken wire cages. The cageswere equippedwith plywood platforms for the birds to sit on and coveredon top and two sides to shield birds from wind and rain.
    [Show full text]
  • American White Pelican (Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos) Francesca J
    American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) Francesca J. Cuthbert Florida. 4/6/2008. © Jerry Jourdan (Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II) Weighing up to 15 pounds (6.8 kg) and with a were described as transients. These observations were scattered throughout the state but most wingspan of nine feet (2.7 m), the American were in the LP and were associated with the White Pelican is among the largest birds in the Great Lakes as well as several inland sites (e.g. world. In the U.S., this species is found Houghton Lake). During MBBA I, the only primarily in the western and southern regions of observations for this species were from the country, but its range is slowly moving Manistee and Monroe counties, and Isle Royale eastward into the Great Lakes. The first National Park. At this time, the species was still confirmed breeding in Michigan was in 1999 a non-breeder. By the time of the current during the third Great Lakes Colonial Waterbird MBBA II survey, pelicans were nesting Census when a research team (Cuthbert et al. irregularly and in small numbers on one island 2003) found nests with eggs and young on an in Michigan. Sightings, however, were reported island in Delta County. from nine counties inland in the SLP and at coastal sites in lakes Michigan and Huron in Distribution both the NLP and UP. Recent observations by F. A major region of the breeding range of the Cuthbert and N. Seefelt indicate there is American White Pelican in North America is potential for pelicans to nest at other locations in the northern Great Plains.
    [Show full text]
  • GREAT FRIGATEBIRD Fregata Minor
    GREAT FRIGATEBIRD Fregata minor Other: ‘Iwa F.m. palmerstoni breeding visitor, indigenous Great Frigatebird is nearly a pantropical species, being absent only from the Atlantic Ocean north of the equator (King 1967, Harrison 1983, Marchant and Higgins 1990, Metz and Schreiber 2002). It is a common breeder at Johnston and Wake atolls (Amerson and Shelton 1976, Rauzon et al. 2008). In the Northwestern Islands it breeds in Mar-Oct, it roosts in large numbers on certain islets of the Southeastern Islands, and is a fairly common sight soaring over most islands (although less common over Hawai’i I) throughout the year. POBSP data indicate a slight depression in monthly counts during Nov-Feb, especially in the more northwestern of the islands; when not breeding, it appears to disperse widely throughout tropical and subtropical seas, with vagrants recorded N to California (CBRC 2007), and individuals banded at Kure recovered as far away as the Marshall and Philippine Is (Woodward 1972). Hadden (1941) records a large movement of birds from Midway toward Kure on 29 Dec 1938. A frigatebird, probably Great, is present in the fossil record of Ulupau Head, O'ahu, indicating presence in the islands for at least 200,000 years (James 1987). There was much confusion about the naming of frigatebirds in the 1800s. Early ornithologists in Hawaii (Isenbeck in Kittlitz 1834, Dole 1869, Stejneger 1888, Wilson and Evans 1899, Rothschild 1900) considered the Hawaiian population to be the same species as Ascension Island Frigatebird (F. aquila) of the c. Atlantic Ocean, although Cassin (1858) and Dole (1879) correctly assigned them to "palmerstoni" based on Gmelin's (1789) "Pelecanus palmerstoni" from Palmerston I in the Cook Is group.
    [Show full text]