DOCSLIB.ORG

Survival of Breeders in Santa Cruz Island and Mainland California Scrub Jay Populations’

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Survival of Breeders in Santa Cruz Island and Mainland California Scrub Jay Populations’ SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 783 Callitrichidae) numa ilha deflorestaAt&&a. Re- the role of infant-carrying in wild saddle-back vista Nordestina de Biologia 6: 105-l 37. tamarins (Sag&us ficicollis). Behav. Ecol. So- B~INSKI,S., AND P. E. Scorr. 1988. Association of ciobiol. 20:99-109. birds with monkeys in Costa Rica. Biotropica 20: IZAWA, K. 1978. A field study of the ecology and 136-143. behavior of the black-mantle tamarin (Suguinus BOINSKI,S., AND R. M. TIMM. 1985. Predation by nigricollis).Primates 19:241-274. squirrelmonkeys and double-toothedkites on tent- NEVILLE, M. K., K. E. GLAND~~,F. B~AZA,AND A. B. making bats. Am. J. Primatol. 9:121-128. RYLANDS. 1988. The howling monkeys, genus BROWN.L., AND D. AMAD~N. 1968. Eaales. hawks Alouatta, p. 349453. In R. A. Mittermeier, A. B. and falcons of the World. McGrawrHill, New Rylands, A. F. Coimbra-Filho, and G. A. Bou- York. chardet da Fonseca [eds.], Ecology and behavior DAWSON, G. A. 1976. Behavioral ecologyof the Pan- of Neotropical primates. Vol. 2. World Wildlife amanian tamarin, Sag&us Oedipus.Ph.D.diss., Fund-US, Washington, DC. Michigan State Univ.;East Lansing. SICK, H. 1984. Ornithologia Brasileira. Vol. 1. Edi- FERRARI. S. F. 1988. The behaviour and ecoloav of tora Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia. the bully-headedmarmoset, CaZZ~~hriwfravice~(O. SIEGEL, C. E., J. M. HAMILTON, AND N. R. CASTRO. Thomas, 1903). Ph.D.diss., University College, 1989. Observations of the Red-billed Ground- London. Cuckoo (Neomorphuspucheranii) in association FERRAIU, S. F., AND M. A. LOPES FERRARI. In press. with tamarins (,S&&zs) in Northeastern Ama- Predator avoidancebehaviour in the bully-headed zonian Peru. Condor 91:720-722. marmoset, Cullithrixflaviceps.Primates. TERBORGH, J. 1983. Five New World primates: a Fomm, R. 1980. Observationsof the foraging as- study in comparative ecology. Princeton Univ. sociationof Double-toothed Kites and white-faced Press, Princeton, NJ. capuchin monkeys. Auk 97:94-98. WILLIS, E. O., AND Y. ONIKI. 1978. Birds and army GOLDIZEN, A. W. 1987. Facultative polyandry and ants. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 91243-263. The Condor92783-788 0 The Cooper Ornithological Society 1990 SURVIVAL OF BREEDERS IN SANTA CRUZ ISLAND AND MAINLAND CALIFORNIA SCRUB JAY POPULATIONS’ JONATHAN L. A-IWCOD~ Manomet Bird Observatory,Box 936, Manomet, MA 02345 MARY Jo ELPERS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Great Basin Complex, 4600 Kietzke Lane, Reno, NV 89502 CHAWS T. COLLINS Department of Biology, California State University,Long Beach, CA 90840 Key words: Scrub Jay; Aphelocoma coerulescens; den 1974, Atwood 1980b, Verbeek 1973) other as- cooperativebreeding; survivorship; Santa Cruz Island. pectsof their socialbehavior vary dramaticallybetween populations.The Florida ScrubJay, A. c. coerulescens, The Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jay (Aphelocomacoeru- has a well-developed system of cooperative breeding, lescensinsularis) is the most morphologically differ- in which groups of related birds defend year-round entiated member of the southern California Channel territories and nonbreedershelp raise offspringthat are Islands’ endemic avifauna (Johnson 1972). Further- not their own (Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984). The more, its isolation from mainland Scrub Jay popula- principal factor associatedwith the evolution of this tions provides an opportunity to examine various fac- social system is the lack of suitable breeding space tors associated with the species’ social evolution within the population’s rare, patchy, oak scrubhabitat (Atwood 1980b, Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984). (Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984). All suitable hab- Although ScrubJays in generalare permanently mo- itat always seemsto be occupiedby establishedbreed- nogamousthroughout their breeding range (Woolfen- ers,which preventsyoung, subordinate individuals from acquiring nesting space. Consequently, breeding by l-year-old Florida ScrubJays is extremely rare (wool- fenden 1974,1975; Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1978, I Received 15 December 1989. Final acceptance17 1984). April 1990. In contrast,western mainland ScrubJay populations 784 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS TABLE 1. Annual survival rates of breeding Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jays (1975-l 985). Annual Annual YG5.W n Deaths mortality n Deaths mortality Mean survival 1975 9 0.00 7 1 0.14 0.938 1976 18 0.00 16 1 0.06 0.971 1977 19 :, 0.05 19 1 0.05 0.947 1978 19 0.00 19 1 0.05 0.971 1979 19 ; 0.05 21 1 0.05 0.950 1980 19 0.00 21 : 0.14 0.925 1981 23 2 0.09 28 0.11 0.902 1982 38 6 0.16 42 4 0.10 0.875 1983 40 1 0.03 42 1 0.02 0.976 1984 42 : 0.05 42 2 0.05 0.952 1985 36 0.08 35 6 0.17 0.873 Total 282 16 0.05 292 24 0.09 0.935 + 0.04 sBased on numberof individualspresent during indicated year that died priorto the followingbreeding season. Thus, of 23 malespresent in 1981, two (0.09) died prior to 1982. Seetext for furtherdiscussion. do not breed cooperatively (Pitelka 1951, Atwood habitat is saturatedis the frequencywith which young 1980b). Although few details have been publishedcon- individuals are able to acquire nesting territories. In cerning their socialbehavior or demography, the pres- relatively nonsaturated habitats, l-year-old breeders ence of yearling breeders in western mainland Scrub would be predicted to occur more frequently than in Jays has been documented by several investigators saturatedhabitats where suitable spaceis occupied by (Ritter 1972; Verbeek 1973; Elpers,unpubl. data), sug- established, older individuals. Data concerning this gestingthat in these populations suitable nesting hab- portion of our research will be presented elsewhere. itat frequently is available even to young individuals. Here we describeinformation concerninga secondim- Unlike the geographicallyand ecologically restricted portant and related aspect of Scrub Jay demography, Florida population, westernmainland ScrubJays occur namely, the frequencywith which establishedbreeders in a wide range of habitats throughout western North die, thereby creating vacancies in areas known to be America (Pitelka 1951). suitable nesting habitat. These resultsare summarized Like western mainland forms, Santa Cruz Island from studies of Scrub Jays on Santa Cruz Island (At- Scrub Jays also lack cooperative breeding (Atwood wood and Collins), the southern California mainland 1980b, 1980~).However, this subspeciesresembles the (Elpers),and Florida (Woolfendenand Fitzpatrick 1984, Florida Scrub Jay in that most first-year birds, as well unpubl. data). as some older individuals, fail to occupybreeding space and thereby attain reproductivestatus (Atwood 1980~). STUDY AREAS AND METHODS Nonbreeding Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jays do not re- Santa Cruz Island, located approximately 30 km from main on their natal territories and act as helpers, but the nearest mainland point, is the largest and topo- instead wander along the peripheriesof establishedter- graphically most diverse of the California Channel Is- ritories and in suboptimal habitatsuntil breedingspace lands, being approximately 249 km2 in area and rang- can be acquired (Atwood 1980~). ing elevationally from sealevel to 753 m (Power 1980). The demography of these populations in relation to It has been part of an island land mass since the early availability of breeding habitat is an important con- to mid-Pleistocene, althoughits degreeofisolation dur- sideration. One index of the extent to which breeding ing the lowered sea levels associatedwith glacial max- TABLE 2. Annual survival rates of breeding California mainland Scrub Jays (198 l-l 985). 1981 6 0 0.00 8 3 0.38 0.786 1982 19 3 0.16 19 4 0.21 0.816 1983 25 5 0.20 26 0.19 0.804 1984 4 0.13 30 : 0.10 0.885 1985 ::, 5 0.17 33 3 0.09 0.873 Total 111 17 0.13 116 18 0.19 0.833 + 0.04 ’ ’ Basedon number of individuals present during indicated year that died prior to the followingbreeding season. See text and legendto Table 1 for furtherdiscussion. SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 185 ima was less than at the present time (Vedder and Howell 1980, Wenner and Johnson 1980). The sub- stantialmorphological divergence exhibited by the Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jay, in which linear measurements and body weights average approximately 20% larger than those of the adjacent mainland population (Pi- telka 1951, Atwood 1980a), suggestsan extended pe- riod of genetic isolation. No evidence existsfor current interchange between the mainland and island Scrub Jay populations (Pitelka 1951, Jones 1975). Principal vegetation types in the Santa Cruz Island study area, located near the University of California’s Channel Islands Field Station, include (a) chaparral dominated by scrub oak (Quercusdumosa) and laurel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 tl 9 10 11 sumac (MuZosmaluurina), (b) coast live oak (Quercus YEARSAl=fER FIRST OBSERVED BREEDING ugrifoliu)woodland, (c) variably open thickets of mule- fat (Bucchurisglundulosu), (d) introduced Eucalyptus FIGURE 1. Survivorshiprates of breedingScrub Jays groves,and (e) open grassland.Additional descriptions from three populations. Regressionlines are weighted of the study area are provided in Yeaton (1974) and by sample sizes contributing to each year’s survivor- Atwood (1980b). ship estimate. See text for further discussion. Mainland California Scrub Jays were studied at the Starr Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary of the National Au- dubon Society, located approximately 12 km northeast 0.531, n = 5). Data presented by Fitzpatrick et al. of San Juan Capistrano in the coastal foothills of the (1988) also failed to indicate differential rates of mor- SantaAna Mountains. The approximately279-ha study tality between breedingmale and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Western Scrub-Jay Funerals: Cacophonous Aggregations in Response to Dead Conspecifics
    Animal Behaviour 84 (2012) 1103e1111 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Animal Behaviour journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anbehav Western scrub-jay funerals: cacophonous aggregations in response to dead conspecifics T. L. Iglesias a,b,*, R. McElreath a,c, G. L. Patricelli a,b a Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, U.S.A. b Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, U.S.A. c Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, U.S.A. article info All organisms must contend with the risk of injury or death; many animals reduce this danger by Article history: assessing environmental cues to avoid areas of elevated risk. However, little is known about how Received 23 October 2011 organisms respond to one of the most salient visual cues of risk: a dead conspecific. Here we show that Initial acceptance 16 January 2012 the sight of a dead conspecific is sufficient to induce alarm calling and subsequent risk-reducing Final acceptance 25 July 2012 behavioural modification in western scrub-jays, Aphelocoma californica, and is similar to the response Available online 27 August 2012 to a predator (a great horned owl, Bubo virginianus, model). Discovery of a dead conspecific elicits MS. number: A12-00867R vocalizations that are effective at attracting conspecifics, which then also vocalize, thereby resulting in a cacophonous aggregation. Presentations of prostrate dead conspecifics and predator mounts elicited Keywords: aggregations and hundreds of long-range communication vocalizations, while novel objects did not. In Aphelocoma californica contrast to presentations of prostrate dead conspecifics, presentations of a jay skin mounted in an bird upright, life-like pose elicited aggressive responses, suggesting the mounted scrub-jay was perceived to cacophonous aggregation cues of risk be alive and the prostrate jay was not.
    [Show full text]
  • Corvids of Cañada
    !!! ! CORVIDS OF CAÑADA COMMON RAVEN (Corvus corax) AMERICAN CROW (Corvus brachyrhyncos) YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE (Pica nuttalli) STELLER’S JAY (Cyanocitta stelleri) WESTERN SCRUB-JAY Aphelocoma californica) Five of the ten California birds in the Family Corvidae are represented here at the Cañada de los Osos Ecological Reserve. Page 1 The Common Raven is the largest and can be found in the cold of the Arctic and the extreme heat of Death Valley. It has shown itself to be one of the most intelligent of all birds. It is a supreme predator and scavenger, quite sociable at certain times of the year and a devoted partner and parent with its mate. The American Crow is black, like the Raven, but noticeably smaller. Particularly in the fall, it may occur in huge foraging or roosting flocks. Crows can be a problem for farmers at times of the year and a best friend at other times, when crops are under attack from insects or when those insects are hiding in dried up leftovers such as mummified almonds. Crows know where those destructive navel orange worms are. Smaller birds do their best to harass crows because they recognize the threat they are to their eggs and young. Crows, ravens and magpies are important members of the highway clean-up crew when it comes to roadkills. The very attractive Yellow-billed Magpie tends to nest in loose colonies and forms larger flocks in late summer or fall. In the central valley of California, they can be a problem in almond and fruit orchards, but they also are adept at catching harmful insect pests.
    [Show full text]
  • Observations on the Nest Behavior of the California Scrub Jay
    NOTES OBSERVATIONS ON THE NEST BEHAVIOR OF THE CALIFORNIA SCRUB JAY To our knowledge no one has reported sustainedobservations of the nest behavior of the California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coemlescens).Incomplete observationsof one nest were reportedby Michenerand Michener(1945). On 28 March 1972 we found a completednest on a steepravine about five feet from the ground in a Toyon (Heteromeles arbu•folia) on the Point Reyes National Seashorein Marin Co., California. We watched the nest from a blind 30 feet away for 61 hoursand 53 minuteson the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 17th days after the first egg hatchedand once during the incubationperiod. Sincethe parents had been color bandedpreviously we knew that the female was 4 years old and the male at least 3. The female laid $ eggsand incubationlasted 18 days. Bent (1946) reported that incubationwas 14 to 16 days.The malewas not observedincubating. During the only sustainedobservation of adults during the incubationperiod, the female sat on the eggsfor 3 hours and 7 minutesbefore leaving the nest. During the 51 minutesshe was off the nest sheranged over most of the defendedterritory. The young hatched one at a time during a two-day period. The night after the last young hatched it rained and the next morning at 0600 the female was observed taking a dead nestlingfrom the nest. The last nestlingto hatch was noticeably smaller than the earlier ones;we assume,therefore, that becauseof the rain and becausethe youngestnestling was probably the weakest,that this nestlingdied. When the eggshatched the male began to bring food to the female and the nestlings.Upon arrivingat the nest he would poke his beak asfar ashe couldinto the female's mouth transferring some of his food to her.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 74/Thursday, April 16, 2020/Rules
    21282 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 74 / Thursday, April 16, 2020 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR United States and the Government of United States or U.S. territories as a Canada Amending the 1916 Convention result of recent taxonomic changes; Fish and Wildlife Service between the United Kingdom and the (8) Change the common (English) United States of America for the names of 43 species to conform to 50 CFR Part 10 Protection of Migratory Birds, Sen. accepted use; and (9) Change the scientific names of 135 [Docket No. FWS–HQ–MB–2018–0047; Treaty Doc. 104–28 (December 14, FXMB 12320900000//201//FF09M29000] 1995); species to conform to accepted use. (2) Mexico: Convention between the The List of Migratory Birds (50 CFR RIN 1018–BC67 United States and Mexico for the 10.13) was last revised on November 1, Protection of Migratory Birds and Game 2013 (78 FR 65844). The amendments in General Provisions; Revised List of this rule were necessitated by nine Migratory Birds Mammals, February 7, 1936, 50 Stat. 1311 (T.S. No. 912), as amended by published supplements to the 7th (1998) AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Protocol with Mexico amending edition of the American Ornithologists’ Interior. Convention for Protection of Migratory Union (AOU, now recognized as the American Ornithological Society (AOS)) ACTION: Final rule. Birds and Game Mammals, Sen. Treaty Doc. 105–26 (May 5, 1997); Check-list of North American Birds (AOU 2011, AOU 2012, AOU 2013, SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and (3) Japan: Convention between the AOU 2014, AOU 2015, AOU 2016, AOS Wildlife Service (Service), revise the Government of the United States of 2017, AOS 2018, and AOS 2019) and List of Migratory Birds protected by the America and the Government of Japan the 2017 publication of the Clements Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) by for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Checklist of Birds of the World both adding and removing species.
    [Show full text]
  • California Native Birds
    California Native Birds De Anza College Biology 6C: Ecology and Evoluon Bruce Heyer Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo Jamaicensis) Accipitridae (hawks) • Broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. • The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon‐red above • Flies in wide circles high above ground. • Brown above, and pale underbelly • Habitat: In open country, perch on fences, poles, trees, etc. 1 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Cathardae (vultures) • Large dark birds, have a featherless red head and pale bill. Dark feathers (brown, look black from father). Have pale underside of feathers (“two‐ tone” appearance) • Commonly found in open areas. • Very few wing beats, characterisc soaring. California Quail Callipepla californica Phasianidae (partridges) • Plump, short‐necked game birds with a small head and bill. They fly on short, very broad wings. Both sexes have a comma‐ shaped topknot of feathers projecng forward from the forehead. • Adult males are rich gray and brown, with a black face outlined with bold white stripes. Females are a plainer brown and lack the facial markings. Both sexes have a paern of white, creamy, and chestnut scales on the belly. • Live in scrublands and desert areas. • Diet consists of seeds, some vegetaon, and insects 2 Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura Columbidae (doves) • Plump bodies, small bill and short legs. Pointed tail. Usually greyish‐tan with black spots on wings. White ps to tail feathers. • Beat wings rapidly, and powerfully. • Found everywhere. • Usually feeds on seeds. Rock Dove (Pigeon) Columba livia Columbidae (doves) • Larger than mourning doves, large bodies, small heads and feet. Wide, rounded tails and pointed wings. • Generally blue‐gray, with iridescent throat feathers, bright feet.
    [Show full text]
  • Sonoma County Bird List
    Sonoma County Bird List Benjamin D. Parmeter and Alan N. Wight October 23, 2018 This is a list of all of the bird species recorded in Sonoma County, California, United States as of the date shown above. A total of 456 species have been recorded. In addition, a record of Veery is currently being reviewed by the California Bird Records Committee and will be added to the Sonoma County list if accepted. The species names and order follow the eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018 which is "based largely on decisions of the North American Checklist Committee (NACC), through the Fifty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds (July 2018)." Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) Emperor Goose Anser canagicus Snow Goose Anser caerulescens Ross's Goose Anser rossii Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons Brant Branta bernicla Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Canada Goose Branta canadensis Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus Wood Duck Aix sponsa Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata Gadwall Mareca strepera Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope American Wigeon Mareca americana Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Northern Pintail Anas acuta Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Canvasback Aythya valisineria Redhead Aythya americana Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Greater Scaup Aythya marila Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Steller's Eider Polysticta stelleri King Eider Somateria spectabilis Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Delayed Dispersal in Cooperative Breeders
    The Evolution of Delayed Dispersal in Cooperative Breeders Walter D. Koenig; Frank A. Pitelka; William J. Carmen; Ronald L. Mumme; Mark T. Stanback The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 67, No. 2. (Jun., 1992), pp. 111-150. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0033-5770%28199206%2967%3A2%3C111%3ATEODDI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D The Quarterly Review of Biology is currently published by The University of Chicago Press. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/journals/ucpress.html. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. The JSTOR Archive is a trusted digital repository providing for long-term preservation and access to leading academic journals and scholarly literature from around the world. The Archive is supported by libraries, scholarly societies, publishers, and foundations. It is an initiative of JSTOR, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help the scholarly community take advantage of advances in technology. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Corvidae Species Tree
    Corvidae I Red-billed Chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Pyrrhocoracinae =Pyrrhocorax Alpine Chough, Pyrrhocorax graculus Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Temnurus temnurus Temnurus Black Magpie, Platysmurus leucopterus Platysmurus Racket-tailed Treepie, Crypsirina temia Crypsirina Hooded Treepie, Crypsirina cucullata Rufous Treepie, Dendrocitta vagabunda Crypsirininae ?Sumatran Treepie, Dendrocitta occipitalis ?Bornean Treepie, Dendrocitta cinerascens Gray Treepie, Dendrocitta formosae Dendrocitta ?White-bellied Treepie, Dendrocitta leucogastra Collared Treepie, Dendrocitta frontalis ?Andaman Treepie, Dendrocitta bayleii ?Common Green-Magpie, Cissa chinensis ?Indochinese Green-Magpie, Cissa hypoleuca Cissa ?Bornean Green-Magpie, Cissa jefferyi ?Javan Green-Magpie, Cissa thalassina Cissinae ?Sri Lanka Blue-Magpie, Urocissa ornata ?White-winged Magpie, Urocissa whiteheadi Urocissa Red-billed Blue-Magpie, Urocissa erythroryncha Yellow-billed Blue-Magpie, Urocissa flavirostris Taiwan Blue-Magpie, Urocissa caerulea Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus Cyanopica Iberian Magpie, Cyanopica cooki Siberian Jay, Perisoreus infaustus Perisoreinae Sichuan Jay, Perisoreus internigrans Perisoreus Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis White-throated Jay, Cyanolyca mirabilis Dwarf Jay, Cyanolyca nanus Black-throated Jay, Cyanolyca pumilo Silvery-throated Jay, Cyanolyca argentigula Cyanolyca Azure-hooded Jay, Cyanolyca cucullata Beautiful Jay, Cyanolyca pulchra Black-collared Jay, Cyanolyca armillata Turquoise Jay, Cyanolyca turcosa White-collared Jay, Cyanolyca viridicyanus
    [Show full text]
  • Evidence for Vocal Learning by a Scrub Jay
    202 ShortCommunications [Auk, Vol. 107 OHNO, S. 1967. Sex chromosomes and sex-linked ß J. S. QUINNß F. COOKE, & B. N. WHITE. 1987. genes. New York, Springer. DNA marker analysisdetects multiple maternity PAGE, D. C., M. E. HARPER, J. LOVE, & D. BOTSTEIN. and paternity in singlebroods of the LesserSnow 1984. Occurrence of a transpositionfrom the Goose. Nature 326: 392-394. X-chromosomelong arm to the Y-chromosome SOKAL,R. R., & F. J. ROHLF. 1969. Biometry. San short arm during human evolution. Nature 311: Franciscoß W. H. Freeman and Co. 119-123. SOUTHERN,E.g. 1975. Detection of specific se- ß B. DE MARTINvILLEßD. BARKER,A. WYMAN, R. quencesamong DNA fragmentsseparated by gel WHITEßU. FRANCKE,&D. BOTSTEIN.1982. Single- electrophoresis.J. Mol. Biol. 98: 503-517. copy sequencehybridizes to polymorphic and STRANGEL,P.W. 1986. Lackof effectsfrom sampling homologousloci on human X and Y chromo- blood from small birds. Condor 88: 244-245. somes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79: 5352-5356. TABER,R. D. 1971. Criteria of sexand age. Pp. 325- PRus,S. E., & S.C. SCHMUTZ.1987. Comparative 401 in Wildlife managementtechniquesß 3rd ed. efficiencyand accuracyof surgical and cytoge- (R. H. Giles,Ed.). Washingtonß D.C., The Wildlife netic sexing in Psittacines.Avian Diseases31: Society. 420-424. TONEßM., Y. SAKAKI, T. HASHIGUCHI, & S. MIZUNO. QUINN, T. W., & B. N. WHITE. 1987. Identification of 1984. Genus specificityand extensive methyl- restriction-fragment-lengthpolymorphisms in ation of the W chromosome-specificrepetitive genomicDNA of the LesserSnow Goose(Anser DNA sequencesfrom the domestic fowl, Gallus caerulescenscaerulescens). Mol. Biol. Evol. 4: 126- gallusdomesticus. Chromosoma 89: 228-237.
    [Show full text]
  • Acorn Dispersal by California Scrub-Jays in Urban Sacramento, California Daniel A
    ACORN DISPERSAL BY CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAYS IN URBAN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA DANIEL A. AIROLA, Conservation Research and Planning, 114 Merritt Way, Sac- ramento, California 95864; [email protected] ABSTRACT: California Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma californica) harvest and cache acorns as a fall and winter food resource. In 2017 and 2018, I studied acorn caching by urban scrub-jays in Sacramento, California, to characterize oak and acorn resources, distances jays transport acorns, caching’s effects on the jay’s territoriality, numbers of jays using acorn sources, and numbers of acorns distributed by jays. Within four study areas, oak canopy cover was <1%, and only 19% of 126 oak trees, 92% of which were coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia), produced acorns. Jays transported acorns for ≥117 days. Complete (28%) and partially recorded (72%) flights from acorn sources to caching sites averaged 160 m and ranged up to 670 m. Acorn- transporting jays passed at tree-top level above other jays’ territories without eliciting defense. At least 20 scrub-jays used one acorn source in one 17.5-ha area, and ≥13 jays used another 4.7-ha area. Jays cached an estimated 6800 and 11,000 acorns at two study sites (mean 340 and 840 acorns per jay, respectively), a rate much lower than reported in California oak woodlands, where harvest and caching are confined within territories. The lower urban caching rate may result from a scarcity of acorns, the time required for transporting longer distances, and the availability of alternative urban foods. Oaks originating from acorns planted by jays benefit diverse wildlife and augment the urban forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Pellet-Casting by a Western Scrub-Jay Mary J
    NOTES PELLET-CASTING BY A WESTERN SCRUB-JAY MARY J. ELPERS, Starr Ranch Bird Observatory, 100 Bell Canyon Rd., Trabuco Canyon, California 92679 (current address: 3920 Kentwood Ct., Reno, Nevada 89503); [email protected] JEFF B. KNIGHT, State of Nevada Department of Agriculture, Insect Survey and Identification, 350 Capitol Hill Ave., Reno, Nevada 89502 Pellet casting in birds of prey, particularly owls, is widely known. It is less well known that a wide array of avian species casts pellets, especially when their diets contain large amounts of arthropod exoskeletons or vertebrate bones. Currently pellet casting has been documented for some 330 species in more than 60 families (Tucker 1944, Glue 1985). Among the passerines reported to cast pellets are eight species of corvids: the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) (Lamore 1958, Tarvin and Woolfenden 1999), Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) (Balda 2002), Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) (Strickland and Ouellet 1993), Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) (Trost 1999), Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) (Reynolds 1995), American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) (Verbeek and Caffrey 2002), Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) (Butler 1974), and Common Raven (Corvus corax) (Temple 1974, Harlow et al. 1975, Stiehl and Trautwein 1991, Boarman and Heinrich 1999). However, the behavior has not been recorded in the four species of Aphelocoma jays (Curry et al. 2002, Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1996, Curry and Delaney 2002, Brown 1994). Here we report an observation of regurgitation of a pellet by a Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) and describe the specimen and its contents. The Western Scrub-Jay is omnivorous and forages on a variety of arthropods as well as plant seeds and small vertebrates (Curry et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Western Washington State Custom Trip Report
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: WESTERN WASHINGTON STATE CUSTOM TRIP REPORT 8 – 15 AUGUST 2019 By Christian Hagenlocher Band-tailed Pigeon was one of the many species we found on this trip. www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | TRIP REPORT Western Washington State August 2019 Overview This custom trip combined some of the classic destinations in western Washington, covering a variety of habitats from pelagic birding to the alpine slopes of Mount Rainier. We drove over 1,000 miles of roads, ranging from highways to logging roads, in search of a wide variety of species. Our total list contained 147 species (and one additional species heard only). The itinerary was adapted from our sister company Bird Treks’ Washington Tour. With only one client signed up we tailored the itinerary to meet her needs and requests for target birds. This itinerary centered around a pelagic day trip with Westport Seabirds, followed by visiting some key birding locations for owls and grouse in addition to secondary western target birds which would be lifers for the client. Detailed Report Day 1, August 8th 2029. Seattle to Westport via Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge We began with a mid-morning pickup from the client’s hotel near SeaTac, from where we jumped into Thursday morning traffic, heading toward downtown Seattle. We chose to begin the trip with a ferry boat ride from Seattle to Bremerton. After boarding the boat we walked to the observation deck with our binoculars and had great looks at the classic “Olympic Gull”— a Western Gull x Glaucous-winged Gull hybrid complex that inhabits Puget Sound.
    [Show full text]