DOCSLIB.ORG

Rejection Behavior by Common Cuckoo Hosts Towards Artificial Brood Parasite Eggs

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
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). Spaw (1988) used this distinction in ejection Severalhypotheses have been developed to ex- type when they considered the possibility of plain this phenomenon,the mostrecent being physicalconstraints to ejectionfor thosespecies that of Spawand Rohwer (1987).Spaw and Roh- parasitizedby Brown-headedCowbirds. They wer (1987)and Rohwerand Spaw(1988) argued compared the characteristictype of ejection that the thick eggshellof the parasiticAmerican (graspor puncture)or lack of ejectionresponse cowbird (Molothrus)species has evolved so as (acceptance)with the bill size for each of 40 to resistpuncture ejection by small host species. parasitizedpasserine species. They suggestthat They tested an assumptionof this hypothesis small bill size constrains some species from by measuring the length and the width of the grasping the cowbird eggs for ejections,and bill (the product of these two measurements that the strength of the cowbird eggslimits suc- they termed the "graspindex") of Brown-head- cessfulpuncture ejections for mostof thesespe- ed Cowbird (M. ater) hosts which had been clas- cies. Rohwer and Spaw (1988) propose that the sified as acceptorsor rejecters.They concluded costs associated with these constraints have se- that some small-sized hosts are more or less lected for acceptance.It is not clear from their forced to be acceptorsbecause of heavy cost indirect testwhich acceptorspecies are capable involved in getting rid of the thick-shelled of successfullypuncturing cowbird eggs for Brown-headedCowbird egg. This hypothesis ejections(and would do so, given sufficientse- has received support from Picman (1989) and lective pressure)and which acceptorspecies Rohwer et al. (1989). cannot puncture the cowbird egg becausethe Rothstein (1975, 1976, 1977) showed that, al- eggshell is too strong. though many parasitizedspecies accepted (or So far only one host speciesof the North did not remove) introduced nonmimetic arti- American Brown-headed Cowbird, the North- ficial eggs of Brown-headed Cowbirds, some ern Oriole (Icterusgalbula), has been shown to speciesejected them. He observedand inferred be a true puncture ejector (Rothstein 1977). To that thesepotential hosts ejected eggs from their test whether Northern Orioles experienceany 348 The Auk 108: 348-354. April 1991 April 1991] Parasite-EggRejection in Cuckoos 349 cost in puncture-ejecting the thick-shelled tance should therefore strongly select for an Brown-headed Cowbird egg, Rohwer et al. ejection responsein those speciescapable of (1989) added Brown-headed Cowbird and con- ejectingcuckoo eggs (Davies and Brooke 1989). trol eggs into oriole nests,and found that the One prediction for Common Cuckoo hosts is host speciesoccasionally damaged some of its that large-billed hosts,which can graspthe par- own eggsin the processof ejectingthe cowbird asitic egg and eject it, would be expectedto do egg. so; intermediate-billed hosts, which cannot The Common Cuckoo (Cuculuscanorus) is the graspthe parasiticegg, should puncture-eject; most abundant brood parasite in Europe, and and hosts with the smallest bills, which cannot eggsfrom this specieshave been reported from eject the parasiticegg, will desertthe nest. The nestsof > 100 different host species,but cuckoo thresholdfor initiating ejectionbehavior should chicks have not been observed in nests of all be lower for cuckoo hosts than for cowbird hosts. these potential hosts (Baker 1942, Lack 1968, Wyllie 1981). Unlike the Brown-headed Cow- MATERIAL AND METHODS bird, the Common Cuckoois regardedas a host specialist,laying eggsthat normally mimic those The fieldwork of this study was carried out in both of the hosts.Because successful parasitism by mountain and lowland areas in Central Norway the cuckooreduces the host'sbreeding success (Moksnes and Roskaft 1987, 1988, 1989; Moksnes et al. 1991). dramatically,natural selectionwill be expected We introducedartificial cuckooeggs into the nests to favor host defense mechanisms that reduce of 19 species.The eggswere made of araldite (a hard the probabilityof being parasitized(Davies and plastic)to which a small amount of fiberglasspowder Brooke 1989, Moksnes et al. 1991). as well as ground color, matching that of normal Davies and Brooke (1989) and Moksnes et al. cuckooeggs, had been added. The eggswere castin (1991) have shown that many speciesparasit- lead molds lined with a layer of silicone rubvet. A ized by the Common Cuckoo discriminateand mixture of glycerol and albumen was injected into rejectnonmimetic artificial cuckooeggs exper- the eggs.Afterwards they were painted to resemble imentally introduced into their nests. Further- cuckooeggs. They were of the samesize and weight more, cuckoo hosts with shorter bills were more asnatural CommonCuckoo eggs (for a more detailed description,see Moksnes and Roskaft1988, 1989). The likely to rejectby desertion,while specieswith plasticeggs were, however,more resistantto destruc- longer bills ejected cuckoo eggs (Davies and tion than natural ones;very few of the host species Brooke 1989). were ableto puncturethese artificial eggs. The species We parasitized experimentally 19 Common were parasitizedwith eggs painted to resemble dif- Cuckoohosts with artificial cuckooeggs and 3 ferent host species,and could therefore be mimetic hostswith artificial or natural conspecificeggs. or nonmimeticcompared with thoseof the hosteggs. We recordedthe rejectionbehavior of the hosts. We report only those caseswhere rejection occurred. From the results of these experiments, we eval- We carried out the experiments during the egg- uated, with comparative analysis, possible laying and incubation periods in 1986-1990. During physical constraintsin rejection behavior of the egg-layingperiod the eggswere exchangedafter the hosthad laid its fourth egg.Because of difficulties smallbill size.Finally, we comparedour results in locating nests during the laying period, some of with those reportedfor cowbird hosts. the artificial parasitismexperiments had to be made If we assumethat cuckooeggs are similar in during the incubationperiod also(see Moksnes and size, shape, and eggshell thickness(strength) Roskaft [1989] and Moksnes et al. [1991] for the dis- to those of cowbirds, and that the most com- tribution of theseexperiments according to the laying monly parasitizedspecies are small passetines, and incubationperiods of the hosts).There was no it is reasonableto expect that potential cuckoo differencein the rejectionbehavior according to stage hostsexperience similar constraintsin ejection in the incubation period, but some speciestended to behavior. However, unlike cowbird hosts, which accept at a higher rate during the last days before may successfullyraise some of their own off- hatching (Moksnes et al. 1991;but seealso Davies and Brooke 1989). When nests were first visited, we spring along with the cowbird nestling (e.g. cordedthe number of hosteggs. The eggswere float- Mayfield 1961, Rothstein 1975, Clark and Rob- ed (Hays and Lecroy 1971)to determineif they were ertson 1981), there is little reproductive success freshly laid or had been incubated. By floating the to a hostthat acceptsa cuckooegg becausecuck- eggsor by examiningthe embryos,we were able to oo nestlingsnormally ejectall hosteggs or nest- estimatethe laying datesfor each of the nestsin our lings shortly after they hatch. Costs of accep- sample. 350 MOKSNES,ROSY, AFT, AND BR•,• [Auk,Vol. 108 Rejectionbehavior towards artificial and conspecific dinavian museums.Egg volume was estimatedby the eggs.--We removed one of the host eggs and added formula(Hoyt
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 345 Fieldfare Put Your Logo Here
    Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze Sponsor is needed. Write your name here Put your logo here 345 Fieldfare Fieldfare. Adult. Male (09-I). Song Thrush FIELDFARE (Turdus pilaris ) IDENTIFICATION 25-26 cm. Grey head; red-brown back; grey rump and dark tail; pale underparts; pale flanks spotted black; white underwing coverts; yellow bill with ochre tip. Redwing Fieldfare. Pattern of head, underwing co- verts and flank. SIMILAR SPECIES Song Thrush has orange underwing coverts; Redwing has reddish underwing coverts; Mistle Thrush has white underwing coverts, but lacks pale supercilium and its rump isn’t grey. Mistle Thrush http://blascozumeta.com Write your website here Page 1 Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze Sponsor is needed. Write your name here Put your logo here 345 Fieldfare SEXING Male with dark or black tail feathers; red- dish feathers on back with blackish center; most have a broad mark on crown feathers. Female with dark brown tail feathers but not black; dull reddish feathers on back with dark centre (but not blackish); most have a thin mark on crown feathers. CAUTION: some birds of both sexes have similar pattern on crown feathers. Fieldfare. Sexing. Pattern of tail: left male; right fe- male. Fieldfare. Sexing. Pat- AGEING tern of Since this species doesn’t breed in Aragon, only crown feat- 2 age groups can be recognized: hers: top 1st year autumn/2nd year spring with moult male; bot- limit within moulted chestnut inner greater co- tom female. verts and retained juvenile outer greater coverts, shorter and duller with traces of white tips; pointed tail feathers.
    [Show full text]
  • Host Alarm Calls Attract the Unwanted Attention of the Brood Parasitic
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Host alarm calls attract the unwanted attention of the brood parasitic common cuckoo Attila Marton 1,2*, Attila Fülöp 2,3, Katalin Ozogány1, Csaba Moskát 4,5 & Miklós Bán 1,3,5 It is well known that avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, called hosts. It remains less clear, however, just how parasites are able to recognize their hosts and identify the exact location of the appropriate nests to lay their eggs in. While previous studies attributed high importance to visual signals in fnding the hosts’ nests (e.g. nest building activity or the distance and direct sight of the nest from vantage points used by the brood parasites), the role of host acoustic signals during the nest searching stage has been largely neglected. We present experimental evidence that both female and male common cuckoos Cuculus canorus pay attention to their host’s, the great reed warbler’s Acrocephalus arundinaceus alarm calls, relative to the calls of an unparasitized species used as controls. Parallel to this, we found no diference between the visibility of parasitized and unparasitized nests during drone fights, but great reed warblers that alarmed more frequently experienced higher rates of parasitism. We conclude that alarm calls might be advantageous for the hosts when used against enemies or for alerting conspecifcs, but can act in a detrimental manner by providing important nest location cues for eavesdropping brood parasites. Our results suggest that host alarm calls may constitute a suitable trait on which cuckoo nestlings can imprint on to recognize their primary host species later in life.
    [Show full text]
  • Salt Exploitation and Landscape Structure in a Breeding Population of the Threatened Bluethroat (Luscinia Svecica) in Salt-Pans in Western France
    Biological Conservation 107 (2002) 283–289 www.elsevier.com/locate/biocon Salt exploitation and landscape structure in a breeding population of the threatened bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) in salt-pans in western France T. Geslina,*, J.-C. Lefeuvrea, Y. Le Pajoleca, S. Questiaub, M.C. Eyberta aUMR 6553 ECOBIO, Universite´ de Rennes I, Avenue du Ge´ne´ral Leclerc, 35042 Rennes cedex, France bLaboratoire d’Ecologie animale, Universite´ d’Angers, 2 Boulevard Lavoisier, Campus Belle-Beille, 49045 Angers cedex, France Received 12 June 2001; received in revised form 10 January 2002; accepted 10 January 2002 Abstract The Gue´ rande salt-pans represent the main French breeding area of bluethroat, a migrating passerine. Salt exploitation has cre- ated a geometrical artificial landscape in which we investigated factors influencing spatial distribution and breeding success of this species using a Geographical Information System. We compared data for four sites in these salt-pans, for three zones in the most densely populated site, and for 2500 m2 grid cells defined for this same site. This study showed the influence of (1) the level of salt exploitation activity, (2) the density of bank intersections, (3) the extent of area covered by Suaeda vera bushes and (4) the structural heterogeneity. The continued management of these salt-pans enhanced bird breeding success. Thus, traditional salt exploitation contributes directly to the conservation of bluethroat, considered as an endangered species in Europe. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Breeding bluethroat; Human activity; Salt-pans area; Landscape heterogeneity; Breeding success 1. Introduction throats. Then, bluethroats decreased and finally dis- appeared with decline of salt extraction and use of The bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) is a migrating pas- banks for crops and pasture.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is So Rare?
    WHAT IS SO RARE? As a Fieldfare in April? In Massachusetts, perhaps only a Western Reef Heron or a White-faced Ibis. April here is a month of avian surprises. The 1986 birdwatching spring was off to a happy start with the discovery by schoolteacher Ralph Richards, during a lonely vigil on the cold and rainy Sunday of April 6, of a Fieldfare Turdus pilaris) in a Concord cornfield near the Sudbury River. According ta a bulletin promptly issued by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, this is a first state record, and there have been, s-ince 1878, ten prior records in North America, the most recent being the occurrence of four Fieldfares in St. John's, Newfoundland, from December 1985 to mid-January 1986. "It seems not unlikely that the Massachusetts bird originated with the same midwinter flight that brought the Newfoundland birds to North America. ..." In winter, the Fieldfare ranges from southern Scandinavia, the British Isles, and central Europe south to the Mediterranean. Outside of the breeding season, the bird's habitat choice is open fields and pastures, where it occurs gregariously in large flocks, often accompanied by Redwings (Turdus iliacus). The Fieldfare nests in northern Scandinavia (it is Norway's most common thrush), in north and central continental Europe east to Siberia, and also in Iceland and southern Greenland. The story of the establishment of the disjunct Greenland population is well documented. In January 1937, a strong southeast gale swept a flock of Fieldfares across Europe and the Atlantic to the island of Jan Mayen and the Greenland coast.
    [Show full text]
  • The Common Cuckoo Is an Effective Indicator of High Bird Species
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN The common cuckoo is an effective indicator of high bird species richness in Asia and Europe Received: 16 February 2017 Federico Morelli1, Anders Pape Møller2, Emma Nelson3, Yanina Benedetti1, Wei Liang 4, Accepted: 19 May 2017 Petra Šímová 1, Marco Moretti5 & Piotr Tryjanowski6 Published: xx xx xxxx Common cuckoo Cuculus canorus is a charismatic bird species with a dominant presence in human culture: from folklore legends to nowadays there is evidence of cuckoos being a prime candidate as a surrogate of bird diversity. Recent studies demonstrated that the cuckoo can predict hotspots of taxonomic diversity and functional diversity of bird communities in European countries. In this study, we demonstrated that the cuckoo is an excellent bioindicator at multi-spatial scale, extending cuckoo surrogacy from Europe to Asia. Even using three different survey methods (transect, square, point counts), comparing the new findings with results of our research in Europe, sites where the cuckoo is present were characterized by greater species richness, while the cuckoo was absent from sites with low species richness. The goodness of fit of models based on point counts ranged between 71 and 92%. Furthermore, the cuckoo population trend mirrors the average population trend and climate suitability of overall bird communities in Europe. The common cuckoo is therefore a suitable intercontinental bioindicator of hotspots of bird richness, even under climate change scenarios or in areas where the species co-occurs with other cuckoo species, opening a new avenue for standardized citizen science on bird biodiversity surveys worldwide. Why is the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus a fascinating bird species for humans? What are the main reasons for the species being known as “a messenger of spring and morality”1, and why is it so conspicuous in human culture? A review of folklore shows clearly that the enigmatic cuckoo has driven the collective imagination of people throughout the world for thousands of years.
    [Show full text]
  • Poland Trip Report May - June 2018
    POLAND TRIP REPORT MAY - JUNE 2018 By Andy Walker We enjoyed excellent views of Alpine Accentor during the tour. www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | T R I P R E P O R T Poland: May - June 2018 This one-week customized Poland tour commenced in Krakow on the 28th of May 2018 and concluded back there on the 4th of June 2018. The tour visited the bird-rich fishpond area around Zator to the southwest of Krakow before venturing south to the mountains along the Poland and Slovakia border. The tour connected with many exciting birds and yielded a long list of European birding highlights, such as Black-necked and Great Crested Grebes, Red-crested Pochard, Garganey, Black and White Storks, Eurasian and Little Bitterns, Black-crowned Night Heron, Golden Eagle, Western Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers, European Honey Buzzard, Red Kite, Corn Crake, Water Rail, Caspian Gull, Little, Black, and Whiskered Terns, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Lesser Spotted, Middle Spotted, Great Spotted, Black, European Green, and Syrian Woodpeckers, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Red-backed and Great Grey Shrikes, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Eurasian Jay, Alpine Accentor, Water Pipit, Common Firecrest, European Crested Tit, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Savi’s, Marsh, Icterine, and River Warblers, Bearded Reedling, White-throated Dipper, Ring Ouzel, Fieldfare, Collared Flycatcher, Black and Common Redstarts, Whinchat, Western Yellow (Blue-headed) Wagtail, Hawfinch, Common Rosefinch, Red Crossbill, European Serin, and Ortolan Bunting. A total of 136 bird species were seen (plus 8 species heard only), along with an impressive list of other animals, including Common Fire Salamander, Adder, Northern Chamois, Eurasian Beaver, and Brown Bear.
    [Show full text]
  • 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 .
    [Show full text]
  • Tour Report 30 April – 6 May 2014
    Spring Birding in Sicily Naturetrek Tour Report 30 April – 6 May 2014 Little Terns Penduline Tit Purple Swamphen Sardinian Warbler Report compiled by Dave Nevitt & Marcus John Images supplied by Peter Spillett Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report The Somerset Levels Tour Leaders: Dave Nevitt Ornithologist/Naturalist Marcus John Ornithologist/Naturalist Participants Sue Beddows Roy Beddows Ian Fletcher Laura Clare Brian Morris Bev Minett-Smith Fran Smith Peter Spillett Eve Ellis Margaret Gorely Hugh Griffiths Jenny Griffiths Norma Parrack Ann Pardy Peter Somerville Isabelle Somerville Day 1 Wednesday 30th April The trip started with a flight from Gatwick, arriving at Catania an hour late at 19:30. On the flight the group were fortunate in having good views of Vesuvius and then the snow-capped Mount Etna as the flight descended. The group met up with Dave who was already in Sicily from leading the group the previous week. After loading up in our minibuses, we left Catania and made the hour’s journey to the Case del Feudo, where we were welcomed by Jassin who was to look after our day to day needs. Having settled in to our wonderful rooms, we assembled for our “light dinner”. We sampled for the first time the superb wines which are made on the premises. What a welcome! We retired, tired but replete. Day 2 Thursday 1st May As we had put the moth trap on last night, we had a look at our catch.
    [Show full text]
  • Spring Weights of Some Palaearctic Passer- Ines in Ethiopia and Kenya: Evidence for Important Migration Staging Areas in Eastern Ethiopia
    Scopus 33: 45–52, January 2014 Spring weights of some Palaearctic passer- ines in Ethiopia and Kenya: evidence for important migration staging areas in eastern Ethiopia David Pearson, Herbert Biebach, Gerhard Nikolaus and Elizabeth Yohannes Summary Palaearctic migrants were trapped in late April and early May at a passage site near Jijiga in eastern Ethiopia. Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus and Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata were predominant, while Red-backed Shrikes Lanius collurio, Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, Reed Warblers A. scirpaceus, Garden Warblers Sylvia borin and Common Whitethroats S. communis also featured prominently. Weights were high in all species, and over 70% of the birds caught were extremely fat. Spring weights and fat scores at Jijiga were compared with those found in the same species in Kenya, and the difference was striking. In Kenya, most species had mean spring weights 10–20% above lean weight; at Jijiga, species’ mean weights ranged from 30% to 55% above lean weight. Whereas the reserves of most migrants departing from Kenya would have supported flights only as far as Ethiopia, the fat loads of birds at Jijiga indicated a potential for crossing Arabia with little need to feed. This suggests important staging and fattening grounds between these two areas, perhaps in the Acacia–Commiphora bushlands drained by the upper Juba and Shebelle rivers and their tributaries. Introduction Each year hundreds of millions of migrant passerines must set off from the Horn of Africa in April and early May on a crossing of the Arabian Peninsula (Moreau 1972). These are bound ultimately for Palaearctic breeding grounds distributed from Western Europe to Siberia and central Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • A Report of Brambling Fringilla Montifringilla from Mandala Road, Arunachal Pradesh Qupeleio De Souza
    136 Indian BirDS VOL. 10 NO. 5 (PUBL. 2 NOVEMBER 2015) and the Middle East (Ali & Ripley 1986). However, observations of the Rosy Starling in the sub-Himalayan or Himalayan areas are very rare (please see distribution map in Grimmett et al. 2011: 404). Published bird checklists, relevant to the Doon Valley in particular (Pandey et al. 1994; Mohan 1996; Singh 2000), and for similar landscapes in the region (Sharma et al. 2003) have no record of the Rosy Starling. The bird is also not listed in the official checklist of birds published by the Uttarakhand Forest Department (Mohan & Sinha 2003). Hence, according to the best of my knowledge, this species has never been observed in Uttarakhand and this sighting is a new record for the state. Since only a single individual was seen of this otherwise highly gregarious bird, it is likely that the Rosy Starling I observed was a vagrant. Acknowledgements I am grateful to Mohammed Bashir for assistance in field, and Soumya Prasad for support. Photo: Raman Kumar References Ali, S., & Ripley, S. D., 1986. Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Cuckoo-shrikes to babaxes. 2nd (Hardback) ed. Delhi: (Sponsored by Bombay Natural History Society.) Oxford University Press. Vol. 5 of 10 vols. Pp. i–xvi, 1–278+2+8 ll. 126. Rosy Starling feeding on Mallotus sp. tree, Doon Valley. Champion, H. G., & Seth, S. K., 1968. A revised survey of the forest types of India. Government of India, Delhi. Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 2011.
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand Highlights 14Th to 26Th November 2019 (13 Days)
    Thailand Highlights 14th to 26th November 2019 (13 days) Trip Report Siamese Fireback by Forrest Rowland Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Forrest Rowland Trip Report – RBL Thailand - Highlights 2019 2 Tour Summary Thailand has been known as a top tourist destination for quite some time. Foreigners and Ex-pats flock there for the beautiful scenery, great infrastructure, and delicious cuisine among other cultural aspects. For birders, it has recently caught up to big names like Borneo and Malaysia, in terms of respect for the avian delights it holds for visitors. Our twelve-day Highlights Tour to Thailand set out to sample a bit of the best of every major habitat type in the country, with a slight focus on the lush montane forests that hold most of the country’s specialty bird species. The tour began in Bangkok, a bustling metropolis of winding narrow roads, flyovers, towering apartment buildings, and seemingly endless people. Despite the density and throng of humanity, many of the participants on the tour were able to enjoy a Crested Goshawk flight by Forrest Rowland lovely day’s visit to the Grand Palace and historic center of Bangkok, including a fun boat ride passing by several temples. A few early arrivals also had time to bird some of the urban park settings, even picking up a species or two we did not see on the Main Tour. For most, the tour began in earnest on November 15th, with our day tour of the salt pans, mudflats, wetlands, and mangroves of the famed Pak Thale Shore bird Project, and Laem Phak Bia mangroves.
    [Show full text]