Short Communications
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
STERLING WILDLIFE BIOLOGY and SERIEMA NATURE TOURS Presents
STERLING WILDLIFE BIOLOGY and SERIEMA NATURE TOURS presents: Northeast Argentina and extension to NW Argentina DATES: 27 October to 9 November 2013 with extension to 16 November REFERENCES: B = Breakfast | L = Lunch | BL = Box Lunch | D = Dinner Flights = Recommended - not included in quotation DAY FLIGHTS DATES ACTIVITIES OVERNIGHT MEALS Characteristic Birds Grey-necked Wood-Rail, Wattled Jacana, Monk Parakeet, DAY 1 Arrival in Argentina and transfer to hotel. Glittering-bellied Emerald, Spectacled Tyrant, Great 27 Oct Afternoon excursion to Costanera Sur Nature Buenos Aires L-D Pampa-Finch, Black-and-Rufous Warbling-Finch, Masked Reserve. Yellowthroat, Masked Gnatcatcher. Early departure to San Clemente for birding the pampas grasslands on the way. Midday arrival in DAY 2 28t Oc San Clemente and check-in hotel. Afternoon San Clemente B-L-D Spotted Tinamou, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Southern birding near town. Screamer, Snowy-crowned Tern, Black Skimmer, American Oystercatcher, White-rumped Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Red Very early drive towards Mar del Plata (200 Km) DAY 3 29t Oc San Clemente B-L-D Knot, Am. Golden Plover, Olrog´s Gull, Dot-winged Crake, for a Pelagic trip off shore. American Painted-Snipe, Field Flicker, Firewood Gatherer, Hudson' s Canastero, Bay-capped wren-spinetail, Warbling Doradito, Correndera Pipit, Hellmayr's Pipit, AM and PM birding near San Clemente. Punta Scarlet-headed Blackbird. DAY 4 30 Oct Rasa migratory bird reserve and other areas San Clemente B-L-D near town. After some early early birding near town, we'll AR 2758 return to buenos aires to catch a flight to DAY 5 AEP1830 31 Oct Posadas B-L-D Posadas. -
Onetouch 4.0 Scanned Documents
/ Chapter 2 THE FOSSIL RECORD OF BIRDS Storrs L. Olson Department of Vertebrate Zoology National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC. I. Introduction 80 II. Archaeopteryx 85 III. Early Cretaceous Birds 87 IV. Hesperornithiformes 89 V. Ichthyornithiformes 91 VI. Other Mesozojc Birds 92 VII. Paleognathous Birds 96 A. The Problem of the Origins of Paleognathous Birds 96 B. The Fossil Record of Paleognathous Birds 104 VIII. The "Basal" Land Bird Assemblage 107 A. Opisthocomidae 109 B. Musophagidae 109 C. Cuculidae HO D. Falconidae HI E. Sagittariidae 112 F. Accipitridae 112 G. Pandionidae 114 H. Galliformes 114 1. Family Incertae Sedis Turnicidae 119 J. Columbiformes 119 K. Psittaciforines 120 L. Family Incertae Sedis Zygodactylidae 121 IX. The "Higher" Land Bird Assemblage 122 A. Coliiformes 124 B. Coraciiformes (Including Trogonidae and Galbulae) 124 C. Strigiformes 129 D. Caprimulgiformes 132 E. Apodiformes 134 F. Family Incertae Sedis Trochilidae 135 G. Order Incertae Sedis Bucerotiformes (Including Upupae) 136 H. Piciformes 138 I. Passeriformes 139 X. The Water Bird Assemblage 141 A. Gruiformes 142 B. Family Incertae Sedis Ardeidae 165 79 Avian Biology, Vol. Vlll ISBN 0-12-249408-3 80 STORES L. OLSON C. Family Incertae Sedis Podicipedidae 168 D. Charadriiformes 169 E. Anseriformes 186 F. Ciconiiformes 188 G. Pelecaniformes 192 H. Procellariiformes 208 I. Gaviiformes 212 J. Sphenisciformes 217 XI. Conclusion 217 References 218 I. Introduction Avian paleontology has long been a poor stepsister to its mammalian counterpart, a fact that may be attributed in some measure to an insufRcien- cy of qualified workers and to the absence in birds of heterodont teeth, on which the greater proportion of the fossil record of mammals is founded. -
La Brea and Beyond: the Paleontology of Asphalt-Preserved Biotas
La Brea and Beyond: The Paleontology of Asphalt-Preserved Biotas Edited by John M. Harris Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Science Series 42 September 15, 2015 Cover Illustration: Pit 91 in 1915 An asphaltic bone mass in Pit 91 was discovered and exposed by the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science and Art in the summer of 1915. The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History resumed excavation at this site in 1969. Retrieval of the “microfossils” from the asphaltic matrix has yielded a wealth of insect, mollusk, and plant remains, more than doubling the number of species recovered by earlier excavations. Today, the current excavation site is 900 square feet in extent, yielding fossils that range in age from about 15,000 to about 42,000 radiocarbon years. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Archives, RLB 347. LA BREA AND BEYOND: THE PALEONTOLOGY OF ASPHALT-PRESERVED BIOTAS Edited By John M. Harris NO. 42 SCIENCE SERIES NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Luis M. Chiappe, Vice President for Research and Collections John M. Harris, Committee Chairman Joel W. Martin Gregory Pauly Christine Thacker Xiaoming Wang K. Victoria Brown, Managing Editor Go Online to www.nhm.org/scholarlypublications for open access to volumes of Science Series and Contributions in Science. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Los Angeles, California 90007 ISSN 1-891276-27-1 Published on September 15, 2015 Printed at Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas PREFACE Rancho La Brea was a Mexican land grant Basin during the Late Pleistocene—sagebrush located to the west of El Pueblo de Nuestra scrub dotted with groves of oak and juniper with Sen˜ora la Reina de los A´ ngeles del Rı´ode riparian woodland along the major stream courses Porciu´ncula, now better known as downtown and with chaparral vegetation on the surrounding Los Angeles. -
California Condor (Gymnogyps Californianus) 5-Year Review
California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region June 2013 Acknowledgement: The Service gratefully acknowledges the commitment and efforts of the California Condor Recovery Program partners for their many on-going contributions towards condor recovery. Our partners were instrumental both in ensuring that we used the best available science to craft our analyses and recommendations in this 5-year review and in providing individual feedback that was used to refine this document. Photo Credit: Unless otherwise indicated, all photos, charts, and graphs are products of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Page | 2 5-YEAR REVIEW California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) I. GENERAL INFORMATION Purpose of 5-Year Reviews: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is required by section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) to conduct a status review of each listed species at least once every 5 years. The purpose of a 5-year review is to evaluate whether or not the species’ status has changed since it was listed (or since the most recent 5-year review). Based on the 5- year review, we recommend whether the species should be removed from the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, changed in status from endangered to threatened, or changed in status from threatened to endangered. Our original listing as endangered or threatened is based on the species’ status considering the five threat factors described in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. These same five factors are considered in any subsequent reclassification or delisting decisions. -
Titanis Walleri: Bones of Contention
Bull. Fla. Mus. Nat. Hist. (2005) 45(4): 201-229 201 TITANIS WALLERI: BONES OF CONTENTION Gina C. Gould1 and Irvy R. Quitmyer2 Titanis walleri, one of the largest and possibly the last surviving member of the otherwise South American Phorusrhacidae is re- considered in light of all available data. The only verified phorusrhacid recovered in North America, Titanis was believed to exhibit a forward-extending arm with a flexible claw instead of a traditional bird wing like the other members of this extinct group. Our review of the already described and undescribed Titanis material housed at the Florida Museum of Natural History suggest that Titanis: (1) was like other phorusrhacids in sporting small, ineffectual ratite-like wings; (2) was among the tallest of the known phorusrhacids; and (3) is the last known member of its lineage. Hypotheses of its range extending into the Pleistocene of Texas are challenged, and herein Titanis is presumed to have suffered the same fate of many other Pliocene migrants of the Great American Interchange: extinction prior to the Pleistocene. Key Words: Phorusrhacidae; Great American Biotic Interchange; Florida; Pliocene; Titanis INTRODUCTION men on the tarsometatarsus, these specimens were as- Titanis walleri (Brodkorb 1963), more commonly known signed to the Family Phorusrhacidae (Brodkorb 1963) as the North American ‘Terror Bird’, is one of the larg- and named after both a Titan Goddess from Greek my- est known phorusrhacids, an extinct group of flightless thology and Benjamin Waller, the discoverer of the fos- carnivorous birds from the Tertiary of South America, sils (Zimmer 1997). Since then, isolated Titanis mate- and most likely, the last known member of its lineage rial has been recovered from three other localities in (Brodkorb 1967; Tonni 1980; Marshall 1994; Alvarenga Florida (Table 1; Fig. -
Ornithological Literature
Wilson Bull., 99(l), 1987, pp. 138-150 ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE CURRENT ORNITHOLOGY. Vol. 2. By Richard F. Johnston (ed.). Plenum Press, New York, New York, 1985:364 pp., 43 numbered text figs., 26 tables. $41.00.-It is refreshing to find that one can pick up a book with a pretentious-sounding title and find the contents to be exactly as advertised. Not only do the chapters deal with some of the hottest (current) topics in ornithology, but these chapters are written by the established authorities in the respective fields. In the selection of some of the subjects for treatment, Johnston has shown elegant insight; in one case his choice of authors reveals subtle genius in his command of issues and the personalities involved, as I will argue below. The book contains nine chapters. The first, entitled “Data Analysis and the Design of Experiments in Ornithology,” by Frances C. James and Charles E. McCulloch, is worth the price of the book to experimental ornithologists. It is a clearly written, no-nonsense analysis of experimental models and hypothesis testing, and includes an appendix defining and explaining the important statistical techniques and terms used in analysis these days, and offering the pros and cons of each. The good news is that Popperian hypothesis testing (rejection of series of null hypotheses leading inexorably closer to the “truth”) need not be the only valid approach to research. Indeed, the authors maintain strenuously, the art of inference is alive and well. Numerous areas of ornithological and other field investigations are not yet suited (for lack of maturity or precision) to the kinds of simple, unambiguous hypotheses that have been long used in molecular biology. -
Microchromosomes Are Building Blocks of Bird, Reptile and Mammal Chromosomes
bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.06.451394; this version posted July 7, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. Microchromosomes are building blocks of bird, reptile and mammal chromosomes Paul D. Waters1†, Hardip R. Patel2†, Aurora Ruiz-Herrera3,4, Lucía Álvarez-González3,4, Nicholas C. Lister1, Oleg Simakov5, Tariq Ezaz6, Parwinder Kaur7, Celine Frere8, Frank Grützner9, Arthur Georges6 and Jennifer A. Marshall Graves6,10* 1School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Science, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia 2The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia 3Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Spain. 4Genome Integrity and Instability Group, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Spain 5 Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna University of Vienna, Austria 6 Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra ACT 2601 Australia 7 School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 6009 Perth, Australia 8 Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia 9 School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 10 School of Life sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3068, Australia †Equal contribution *Corresponding author: Professor J.A.M. Graves, School of Life Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3068, Australia. -
'Hyperdisease' Responsible for the Late Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction?
Ecology Letters, (2004) 7: 859–868 doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00643.x REPORT Was a ÔhyperdiseaseÕ responsible for the late Pleistocene megafaunal extinction? Abstract S. Kathleen Lyons,1* Felisa A. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the end Pleistocene extinction of Smith,1 Peter J. Wagner,2 Ethan large bodied mammals. The disease hypothesis attributes the extinction to the arrival of a P. White1 and James H. Brown1 novel ÔhyperdiseaseÕ brought by immigrating aboriginal humans. However, until West 1 Department of Biology, Nile virus (WNV) invaded the United States, no known disease met the criteria of a University of New Mexico, hyperdisease. We evaluate the disease hypothesis using WNV in the United States as a Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA model system. We show that WNV is size-biased in its infection of North America birds, 2Department of Geology, Field but is unlikely to result in an extinction similar to that of the end Pleistocene. WNV Museum of Natural History, infects birds more uniformly across the body size spectrum than extinctions did across Chicago, IL 60605, USA Present address: S. Kathleen mammals and is not size-biased within orders. Our study explores the potential impact Lyons, National Center for of WNV on bird populations and provides no support for disease as a causal mechanism Ecological Analysis and for the end Pleistocene megafaunal extinction. Synthesis, University of California – Santa Barbara, Keywords Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA. Disease hypothesis, end-Pleistocene extinctions, mammals, megafauna, size-biased *Correspondence: E-mail: extinctions, West Nile virus. [email protected] Ecology Letters (2004) 7: 859–868 The disease hypothesis attributes the extinction of large INTRODUCTION mammals during the late Pleistocene to indirect effects of The mammalian faunas of Australia and the New World are the newly arrived aboriginal humans (MacPhee & Marx depauperate today. -
Red-Legged Seriema Care Manual
RED-LEGGED SERIEMA (Cariama cristata) CARE MANUAL CREATED BY AZA RED-LEGGED SERIEMA SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN® IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE AZA GRUIFORMES TAXON ADVISORY GROUP Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) Care Manual Red-Legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) Care Manual Published by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in association with the AZA Animal Welfare Committee Formal Citation: AZA Red-legged Seriema SSP (2013). Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) Care Manual. Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Silver Spring, MD. Original Completion Date: May 2013 Authors and Significant contributors: Sara Hallager, Smithsonian National Zoological Park Dr Sharmie Johnson, DVM, Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium. Reviewers: The AZA Gruiformes Taxon Advisory Group Steering Committee James Ballance, Zoo Atlanta Celia Falzone, Ellen Trout Zoo Jennifer Evans, Tracy Aviary Jo Gregson, Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, United Kingdom Cathy King, Vogelpark Walsrode, Germany AZA Staff Editors: Maya Seaman, MS, Animal Care Manual Editor Consultant Felicia Spector, MA, AZA ACM intern Candice Dorsey, PhD, Director, Animal Conservation Debborah Colbert, PhD, Vice President, Animal Conservation & Science Cover Photo Credits: Josh Caraballo Disclaimer: This manual presents a compilation of knowledge provided by recognized animal experts based on the current science, practice, and technology of animal management. The manual assembles basic requirements, best practices, and animal care recommendations to maximize capacity for excellence in animal care and welfare. The manual should be considered a work in progress, since practices continue to evolve through advances in scientific knowledge. The use of information within this manual should be in accordance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning the care of animals. -
Parasitaemia Data and Molecular Characterization of Haemoproteus Catharti from New World Vultures (Cathartidae) Reveals a Novel Clade of Haemosporida Michael J
Yabsley et al. Malar J (2018) 17:12 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-017-2165-5 Malaria Journal RESEARCH Open Access Parasitaemia data and molecular characterization of Haemoproteus catharti from New World vultures (Cathartidae) reveals a novel clade of Haemosporida Michael J. Yabsley1,2* , Ralph E. T. Vanstreels3,4, Ellen S. Martinsen5,6, Alexandra G. Wickson1, Amanda E. Holland1,7, Sonia M. Hernandez1,2, Alec T. Thompson1, Susan L. Perkins8, Christopher J. West9, A. Lawrence Bryan7, Christopher A. Cleveland1,2, Emily Jolly1, Justin D. Brown10, Dave McRuer11, Shannon Behmke12 and James C. Beasley1,7 Abstract Background: New World vultures (Cathartiformes: Cathartidae) are obligate scavengers comprised of seven species in fve genera throughout the Americas. Of these, turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) and black vultures (Coragyps atratus) are the most widespread and, although ecologically similar, have evolved diferences in morphology, physiology, and behaviour. Three species of haemosporidians have been reported in New World vultures to date: Haemoproteus catharti, Leucocytozoon toddi and Plasmodium elongatum, although few studies have investigated haemosporidian parasites in this important group of species. In this study, morphological and molecular methods were used to investi- gate the epidemiology and molecular biology of haemosporidian parasites of New World vultures in North America. Methods: Blood and/or tissue samples were obtained from 162 turkey vultures and 95 black vultures in six states of the USA. Parasites were identifed based on their morphology in blood smears, and sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and nuclear adenylosuccinate lyase genes were obtained for molecular characterization. Results: No parasites were detected in black vultures, whereas 24% of turkey vultures across all sampling locations were positive for H. -
AOU and Audubon Report: Status of the California Condor and Efforts To
Status of the California Condor and Efforts to Achieve its Recovery Prepared by the AOU Committee on Conservation, California Condor Blue Ribbon Panel, A Joint Initiative of The American Ornithologists’ Union and Audubon California Jeffrey R. Walters, Scott R. Derrickson, D. Michael Fry, Susan M. Haig, John M. Marzluff, Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr. August 2008 Status of the California Condor and Efforts to Achieve its Recovery August 2008 Prepared by the AOU Committee on Conservation, California Condor Blue Ribbon Panel, A Joint Initiative of The American Ornithologists’ Union and Audubon California Panel Members: Jeffrey R. Walters (chairman), Virginia Tech University Scott R. Derrickson, Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park D. Michael Fry, American Bird Conservancy Susan M. Haig, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center John M. Marzluff, University of Washington Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service Assisted by: Brock B. Bernstein Karen L. Velas, Audubon California This report was supported with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Morgan Family Foundation, and other private donors. © Copyright 2008 The American Ornithologists’ Union and Audubon California INTRODUCTION The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) has long been symbolic of avian conservation in the United States. Its large size, inquisitiveness and association with remote places make it highly charismatic, and its decline to the brink of extinction has aroused a continuing public interest in its plight. By 1982 only 22 condors remained, and the last wild bird was trapped and brought into captivity in 1987, rendering the species extinct in the wild (Snyder and Snyder 2000). At that time, some questioned whether viable populations could ever exist again in the natural environment, and whether limited conservation funds should be expended on what they viewed as a hopeless cause (Pitelka 1981). -
Functional Correlation Between Habitat Use and Leg Morphology in Birds (Aves)
Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKBIJBiological Journal of the Linnean Society0024-4066The Linnean Society of London, 2003? 2003 79? Original Article HABITAT and LEG MORPHOLOGY IN BIRDS ( AVES )A. ZEFFER ET AL. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 79, 461–484. With 9 figures Functional correlation between habitat use and leg morphology in birds (Aves) ANNA ZEFFER, L. CHRISTOFFER JOHANSSON* and ÅSA MARMEBRO Department of Zoology, Göteborg University, Box 463, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden Received 17 May 2002; accepted for publication 12 December 2002 Many of the morphological features of animals are considered to be adaptations to the habitat that the animals uti- lize. The habitats utilized by birds vary, perhaps more than for any other group of vertebrates. Here, we study pos- sible adaptations in the morphology of the skeletal elements of the hind limbs to the habitat of birds. Measurements of the lengths of the femur, tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus of 323 bird species from 74 families are used together with body mass data, taken from the literature. The species are separated into six habitat groups on the basis of lit- erature data on leg use. A discriminant analysis of the groups based on leg morphology shows that swimming birds, wading birds and ground living species are more easily identified than other birds. Furthermore, functional predic- tions are made for each group based on ecological and mechanical considerations. The groups were tested for devi- ation from the norm for all birds for three indices of size- and leg-length-independent measures of the bones and for a size-independent-index of leg length.