DOCSLIB.ORG

Trinidad and Tobago February 26–March 6, 2019 New Dates with Sue Maccallum

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Trinidad and Tobago February 26–March 6, 2019 New Dates with Sue Maccallum Trinidad and Tobago February 26–March 6, 2019 New dates with Sue MacCallum Tufted Coquette, by Patricia Maxwell Wood In all the lush Caribbean, there is no place more popular for birders than the exquisite, mountainous two-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Here there is easy access to an extraordinary diversity of the world’s most stunningly beautiful birds, including scarlet ibises, rufous-tailed jacamars, white-tailed tropicbirds, and over 17 different kinds of hummingbirds. There are over 430 bird species here, many of them South American since the islands are as close as 7 miles from Venezuela. We will stay at the world-famous Asa Wright Nature Centre, a charming lodge located in a 2,000-acre tract of rainforest high in the Arima Valley of the island’s Northern Range. Visitors usually see more than 40 species of birds before breakfast. In contrast, Tobago’s avifauna is more Caribbean in its makeup, and here we will stay at the charming Blue Waters Inn. A comfortable and relaxing birding trip, this tour is a long- standing favorite, particularly for those who are new to tropical birding. Trinidad & Tobago with Sue MacCallum, Feb 26–Mar 6, 2019 Day 1: Feb. 26–Arrive and Explore the Asa Wright Nature Centre Birding on the world-famous Asa Wright verandah, by Dave Larson Plan to arrive at Piarco International Airport, Port of Spain, in late afternoon/evening (we will send flight recommendations once the traveler minimum has been met). You will be met by an Asa Wright Nature Centre guide and/or Mass Audubon naturalist Sue MacCallum, who will take you to the Centre. The Centre is located about an hour’s drive away in the Northern Range. We’ll settle in, relax on the Centre’s wide verandah, and marvel at the almost tame hummingbirds, tanagers, honeycreepers, and other birds that frequent the feeders. At 6 p.m., we’ll enjoy rum punch and then dinner. This evening, we’ll get to know each other and review the itinerary and target species. Overnight: Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge (D) || http://asawright.org/ Commonly Seen at the Feeders: White-chested Emerald; White-necked Jacobin; Rufous-breasted and Little hermit; Copper-rumped Hummingbird; Tufted Coquette; Crested Oropendola; Blue-gray, Palm, White-lined, Silver-beaked, and Turquoise tanager; Barred Antshrike; Purple and Green honeycreeper; and Violaceous Euphonia. Seen from the Verandah: Double-toothed Kite; Scaled Pigeon; Black-tailed Tityra; Common Black, Gray-lined, White, and Zone-tailed hawk; Channel-billed Toucan; Bearded Bellbird; Yellow-breasted, Piratic, and Boat-billed flycatcher; Yellow-olive Flatbill; Tropical Pewee; Tropical Kingbird; Tegu Lizard; and Red-rumped Agouti. Mass Audubon Travel | massaudubon.org/travel | [email protected] | 800-289-9504 Trinidad & Tobago with Sue MacCallum, Feb 26–Mar 6, 2019 Day 2: Feb. 27–Introductory Birding on Forest Trails/Night Birding Barred Antshrike, by Patricia Maxwell Wood Morning begins with the raucous calls of Crested Oropendolas and a host of other exotic sounds. A first- time visitor could see 20 to 30 life birds before breakfast and 40 species overall. After breakfast, we’ll have a guided tour along several trails through the sanctuary. Many participants will enjoy the challenge of spotting a Bearded Bellbird as its distinctive “BONK!” echoes throughout the forest. Not far from a known bellbird lek in the trees are two species of manakins attending their leks closer to the ground. The afternoon will be free to allow you to relax, enjoy the trails on your own, and adjust to the tropical sun and heat. Birding from the verandah of Asa Wright Nature Centre is one of the world’s most pleasant and exciting ornithological experiences. Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, Tufted Coquette, Barred Antshrike, and Green Honeycreeper are just some of the exciting species one can expect. After dinner, we will set off on a slow drive in the Arima Valley (or simply walk the grounds), looking for target night species. Overnight: Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge (BLD) Mass Audubon Travel | massaudubon.org/travel | [email protected] | 800-289-9504 Trinidad & Tobago with Sue MacCallum, Feb 26–Mar 6, 2019 Morning Birding Highlights: Trinidad Motmot, Cocoa and Spectacled thrush, Gray-fronted Dove, White-bearded and Golden-headed manakin, Green-backed Trogon, Channel-billed Toucan, Chestnut Woodpecker, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Turquoise and Bay-headed tanager, Green Hermit, Tufted Coquette, Black-throated Mango, Forest Elaenia, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Yellow Oriole, White-necked Thrush, Rufous-breasted Wren, White-flanked Antwren, and Bearded Bellbird. Night Birding Possibilities: Fork-tailed Palm-Swift, Sulphury Flycatcher, Moriche Oriole (extremely rare), White-tailed Nightjar, Common Pauraque, Common Potoo, Tropical Screech-Owl, and Barn Owl. Day 3: Feb. 28–Birding Trinidad’s Northern Range and Blanchisseuse Road After breakfast, we will head out on a scenic, all-day excursion following a lush and winding mountain road that passes over the Northern Range towards the seaside village of Blanchisseuse. Trinidad’s Northern Range is an eastern extension of the Coastal Cordillera of Venezuela, a connecting range to the Andes. We’ll leave just after breakfast to drive north on the Blanchisseuse Road into the upper elevations of the Northern Range forest. This is the only road on the island that bisects the Northern Range before finally descending to the Caribbean coastline at the fishing village of Blanchisseuse. Here we reach the highest elevation possible by motor vehicle, some 2,200 ft. Our day will be spent birding both quiet country roads and wide forest tracks seeking species more easily found at this higher altitude. Our picnic lunch will be enjoyed in the village of Brasso Seco where clean washroom facilities are available. We’ll make numerous roadside birding stops, never walking far from the vehicles. There are always coolers with both water and fruit juice on board. Towards midafternoon, we’ll stop our northward journey at the village of Morne le Croix. Here we’ll take afternoon tea and cakes while looking for additional species such as Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Pale- breasted Spinetail, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, and Yellow-rumped Cacique before a late afternoon drive back south to the Centre in time for a shower before rum punch and dinner. Overnight: Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge (BLD) Birding Highlights: Short-tailed Hawk; Blue-headed Parrot; Lilac-tailed Parrotlet; Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl; Collared and Green-backed trogon; Golden-olive, Red-rumped, and Chestnut woodpecker; Stripe-breasted Spinetail; Streaked Xenops; Cocoa and Plain-brown woodcreeper; White-bellied Antbird; Black-faced Antthrush; Gray-throated Leaftosser; Dusky-capped, Slaty- capped, Streaked, and Euler's flycatcher; Gray-breasted Martin; Rufous-breasted Wren; Long-billed Gnatwren; White-necked Thrush; Golden-fronted Greenlet; Speckled and Hepatic tanager; Blue Dacnis; and Golden-crowned Warbler. Bright blooms of the forest canopy attract a number of nectar- feeding birds. Mass Audubon Travel | massaudubon.org/travel | [email protected] | 800-289-9504 Trinidad & Tobago with Sue MacCallum, Feb 26–Mar 6, 2019 Day 4: March 1–Rare Oilbirds and Caroni Swamp Oilbird, by Patricia Maxwell Wood This morning, we’ll enjoy coffee, tea, and breakfast on the verandah followed by a walk to see the Centre’s resident Oilbirds. We will start on a short but steep path to Dunston Cave, a riparian grotto at AWNC. Here, we’ll enjoy exclusive access to a breeding colony of Oilbirds—nocturnal, fruit-eating birds that congregate here at one of the world’s most accessible nesting caves. In the afternoon, we’ll bird while en route to Caroni Swamp. We’ll search the mangroves of Caroni National Park for new species and then head to the dock. While birding by boat, we’ll keep an eye out for Ruschenberger’s Tree Boa and Silky Anteater, then moor at a quiet spot in the mangroves to let the sunset show begin. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of Scarlet Ibises cloud the sky as they come to roost. Overnight: Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge (BLD) Caroni Highlights: Long-winged Harrier, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Bicolored Conebill, Masked (Red-capped) Cardinal, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Green-throated Mango, Northern Waterthrush, Anhinga, Striated Heron, White-cheeked Pintail, Large-billed Tern, Pied Water-Tyrant, Common Potoo, and Scarlet Ibis. Mass Audubon Travel | massaudubon.org/travel | [email protected] | 800-289-9504 Trinidad & Tobago with Sue MacCallum, Feb 26–Mar 6, 2019 Day 5: March 2–Aripo Savannah and Arena Forest After breakfast, we’ll depart for the Aripo Savannah, an area of natural savannah and palm marsh at lower elevation, just over an hour’s drive from the Centre. The Aripo Savannah today exists as a remnant of what once was a major habitat type of lowland Trinidad. This remnant, seasonally wet savannah is now surrounded by extensively altered landscapes where sugar cane is grown, as well as small-scale agriculture and housing development sprawl. This field trip involves a number of stops in known bird-rich areas for frequent scans of roadside and open-area vegetation. An old USA airbase from World War II, Waller Field, has groves of Moriche Palms, which are focal points for Fork-tailed Palm- Swift, Piratic and Sulphury flycatcher, and Epaulet (Moriche) Oriole. Open skies are good to scan for Long-winged Harrier, Yellow-headed Caracara, and Zone-tailed and Savannah hawk. We’ll walk quiet farm roads before a short drive brings us to a walkable, unused railway track. During the morning, we will be seeking species that habitually associate with Moriche Palms, including Moriche Oriole (subspecies of Epaulet Oriole), Fork-tailed Palm-Swift, Sulphury Flycatcher, and Red- bellied Macaw. But the site is also good for Savannah Hawk, Striped and Little cuckoo, Ruby-topaz and White-tailed Goldenthroat hummingbird, Green-rumped Parrotlet, and Crimson-crested and Lineated woodpecker.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Lesser Antilles Incuding Trinidad
    The brilliant Lesser Antillean Barn Owl again showed superbly. One of several potential splits not yet recognized by the IOC (Pete Morris) THE LESSER ANTILLES INCUDING TRINIDAD 5 – 20/25 JUNE 2015 LEADERS: PETE MORRIS After our successful tour around the Caribbean in 2013, it was great to get back again this year. It all seemed pretty straightforward this time around, and once again we cleaned up on all of the available endemics, po- 1 BirdQuest Tour Report:The Lesser Antilles www.birdquest-tours.com The fabulous White-breasted Thrasher from Martinique (Pete Morris) tential splits and other goodies. For sure, this was no ordinary Caribbean holiday! During the first couple of weeks we visited no fewer than ten islands (Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados and Grenada), a logistical feat of some magnitude. With plenty of LIAT flights (the islanders refer to LIAT as ‘Leave Island any Time’ and ‘Luggage in Another Terminal’ to name but two of the many funny phrases coined from LIAT) and unreliable AVIS car hire reservations, we had our work cut out, but in the end, all worked out! It’s always strange birding on islands with so few targets, but with so many islands to pack-in, we were never really short of things to do. All of the endemics showed well and there were some cracking highlights, including the four smart endemic amazons, the rare Grenada Dove, the superb Lesser Antillean Barn Owl, the unique tremblers and White-breasted Thrashers, and a series of colourful endemic orioles to name just a few! At the end of the Lesser Antilles adventure we enjoyed a few days on Trinidad.
    [Show full text]
  • Antbird Guilds in the Lowland Caribbean Rainforest of Southeast Nicaragua1
    The Condor 102:7X4-794 0 The Cooper Ornithological Society 2000 ANTBIRD GUILDS IN THE LOWLAND CARIBBEAN RAINFOREST OF SOUTHEAST NICARAGUA1 MARTIN L. CODY Department of OrganismicBiology, Ecology and Evolution, Universityof California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. Some 20 speciesof antbirdsoccur in lowland Caribbeanrainforest in southeast Nicaragua where they form five distinct guilds on the basis of habitat preferences,foraging ecology, and foraging behavior. Three guilds are habitat-based,in Edge, Forest, and Gaps within forest; two are behaviorally distinct, with species of army ant followers and those foraging within mixed-species flocks. The guilds each contain 3-6 antbird species. Within guilds, species are segregatedby body size differences between member species, and in several guilds are evenly spaced on a logarithmic scale of body mass. Among guilds, the factors by which adjacent body sizes differ vary between 1.25 and 1.75. Body size differ- ences may be related to differences in preferred prey sizes, but are influenced also by the density of the vegetation in which each speciescustomarily forages. Resumen. Unas 20 especies de aves hormiguerasviven en el bosque tropical perenni- folio, surestede Nicaragua, donde se forman cinquo gremios distinctos estribando en pre- ferencias de habitat, ecologia y comportamiento de las costumbresde alimentacion. Las diferenciasentre las varias especiesson cuantificadaspor caractaristicasde1 ambiente vegetal y por la ecologia y comportamientode la alimentaci6n, y usadospara definir cinco grupos o gremios (“guilds”). Tres gremios se designanpor las relacionesde habitat: edge (margen), forest (selva), y gaps (aberturasadentro la selva); dos mas por comportamiento,partidarios de army ants (hormigasarmadas) y mixed-speciesflocks (forrejando en bandadasde especies mexcladas).
    [Show full text]
  • Topazes and Hermits
    Trochilidae I: Topazes and Hermits Fiery Topaz, Topaza pyra Topazini Crimson Topaz, Topaza pella Florisuginae White-necked Jacobin, Florisuga mellivora Florisugini Black Jacobin, Florisuga fusca White-tipped Sicklebill, Eutoxeres aquila Eutoxerini Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Eutoxeres condamini Saw-billed Hermit, Ramphodon naevius Bronzy Hermit, Glaucis aeneus Phaethornithinae Rufous-breasted Hermit, Glaucis hirsutus ?Hook-billed Hermit, Glaucis dohrnii Threnetes ruckeri Phaethornithini Band-tailed Barbthroat, Pale-tailed Barbthroat, Threnetes leucurus ?Sooty Barbthroat, Threnetes niger ?Broad-tipped Hermit, Anopetia gounellei White-bearded Hermit, Phaethornis hispidus Tawny-bellied Hermit, Phaethornis syrmatophorus Mexican Hermit, Phaethornis mexicanus Long-billed Hermit, Phaethornis longirostris Green Hermit, Phaethornis guy White-whiskered Hermit, Phaethornis yaruqui Great-billed Hermit, Phaethornis malaris Long-tailed Hermit, Phaethornis superciliosus Straight-billed Hermit, Phaethornis bourcieri Koepcke’s Hermit, Phaethornis koepckeae Needle-billed Hermit, Phaethornis philippii Buff-bellied Hermit, Phaethornis subochraceus Scale-throated Hermit, Phaethornis eurynome Sooty-capped Hermit, Phaethornis augusti Planalto Hermit, Phaethornis pretrei Pale-bellied Hermit, Phaethornis anthophilus Stripe-throated Hermit, Phaethornis striigularis Gray-chinned Hermit, Phaethornis griseogularis Black-throated Hermit, Phaethornis atrimentalis Reddish Hermit, Phaethornis ruber ?White-browed Hermit, Phaethornis stuarti ?Dusky-throated Hermit, Phaethornis squalidus Streak-throated Hermit, Phaethornis rupurumii Cinnamon-throated Hermit, Phaethornis nattereri Little Hermit, Phaethornis longuemareus ?Tapajos Hermit, Phaethornis aethopygus ?Minute Hermit, Phaethornis idaliae Polytminae: Mangos Lesbiini: Coquettes Lesbiinae Coeligenini: Brilliants Patagonini: Giant Hummingbird Lampornithini: Mountain-Gems Tro chilinae Mellisugini: Bees Cynanthini: Emeralds Trochilini: Amazilias Source: McGuire et al. (2014)..
    [Show full text]
  • Bird Ecology, Conservation, and Community Responses
    BIRD ECOLOGY, CONSERVATION, AND COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO LOGGING IN THE NORTHERN PERUVIAN AMAZON by NICO SUZANNE DAUPHINÉ (Under the Direction of Robert J. Cooper) ABSTRACT Understanding the responses of wildlife communities to logging and other human impacts in tropical forests is critical to the conservation of global biodiversity. I examined understory forest bird community responses to different intensities of non-mechanized commercial logging in two areas of the northern Peruvian Amazon: white-sand forest in the Allpahuayo-Mishana Reserve, and humid tropical forest in the Cordillera de Colán. I quantified vegetation structure using a modified circular plot method. I sampled birds using mist nets at a total of 21 lowland forest stands, comparing birds in logged forests 1, 5, and 9 years postharvest with those in unlogged forests using a sample effort of 4439 net-hours. I assumed not all species were detected and used sampling data to generate estimates of bird species richness and local extinction and turnover probabilities. During the course of fieldwork, I also made a preliminary inventory of birds in the northwest Cordillera de Colán and incidental observations of new nest and distributional records as well as threats and conservation measures for birds in the region. In both study areas, canopy cover was significantly higher in unlogged forest stands compared to logged forest stands. In Allpahuayo-Mishana, estimated bird species richness was highest in unlogged forest and lowest in forest regenerating 1-2 years post-logging. An estimated 24-80% of bird species in unlogged forest were absent from logged forest stands between 1 and 10 years postharvest.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue of the Amphibians of Venezuela: Illustrated and Annotated Species List, Distribution, and Conservation 1,2César L
    Mannophryne vulcano, Male carrying tadpoles. El Ávila (Parque Nacional Guairarepano), Distrito Federal. Photo: Jose Vieira. We want to dedicate this work to some outstanding individuals who encouraged us, directly or indirectly, and are no longer with us. They were colleagues and close friends, and their friendship will remain for years to come. César Molina Rodríguez (1960–2015) Erik Arrieta Márquez (1978–2008) Jose Ayarzagüena Sanz (1952–2011) Saúl Gutiérrez Eljuri (1960–2012) Juan Rivero (1923–2014) Luis Scott (1948–2011) Marco Natera Mumaw (1972–2010) Official journal website: Amphibian & Reptile Conservation amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 13(1) [Special Section]: 1–198 (e180). Catalogue of the amphibians of Venezuela: Illustrated and annotated species list, distribution, and conservation 1,2César L. Barrio-Amorós, 3,4Fernando J. M. Rojas-Runjaic, and 5J. Celsa Señaris 1Fundación AndígenA, Apartado Postal 210, Mérida, VENEZUELA 2Current address: Doc Frog Expeditions, Uvita de Osa, COSTA RICA 3Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Museo de Historia Natural La Salle, Apartado Postal 1930, Caracas 1010-A, VENEZUELA 4Current address: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Río Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Laboratório de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Av. Ipiranga 6681, Porto Alegre, RS 90619–900, BRAZIL 5Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Altos de Pipe, apartado 20632, Caracas 1020, VENEZUELA Abstract.—Presented is an annotated checklist of the amphibians of Venezuela, current as of December 2018. The last comprehensive list (Barrio-Amorós 2009c) included a total of 333 species, while the current catalogue lists 387 species (370 anurans, 10 caecilians, and seven salamanders), including 28 species not yet described or properly identified. Fifty species and four genera are added to the previous list, 25 species are deleted, and 47 experienced nomenclatural changes.
    [Show full text]
  • Nesting Behavior of Reddish Hermits (Phaethornis Ruber) and Occurrence of Wasp Cells in Nests
    NESTING BEHAVIOR OF REDDISH HERMITS (PHAETHORNIS RUBER) AND OCCURRENCE OF WASP CELLS IN NESTS YOSHIKA ONIKI REDraSHHermits (Phaethornisruber) are small hummingbirdsof the forested tropical lowlands east of the Andes and south of the Orinoco (Meyer de Schauensee,1966: 161). Five birds mist-nettedat Belem (1 ø 28' S, 48ø 27' W, altitude 13 m) weighed2.0 to 2.5 g (average2.24 g). I studiedtheir nestingfrom 14 October1966 to October1967 at Belem, Brazil, in the Area de PesquisasEco16gicas do Guam•t (APEG) and MocamboForest reserves,in the Instituto de Pesquisase Experimentaqfio Agropecu•triasdo Norte (IPEAN). Names of forest types used and the Portugueseequivalents are: tidal swamp forest (vdrze'a), mature upland forest (terra-/irme) and secondgrowth (capoeira). In all casescapo.eira has been in mature upland situations. At Belem Phaethornisruber is commonall year in the lower levels of secondgrowth (capoeira) where thin branchesare plentiful. Isolated males call frequently from thin horizontal branches,never higher than 2.5-3.0 m. The male sits erect and wags his tail forward and backward as he squeaksa seriesof insectlike"pi-pi-pipipipipipi" notes, 18-20 times per minute; the first two or three notesare short and separated,the rest are run togetherrapidly. The bird sometimesstops calling for someseconds and flasheshis tongue in and out several times during the interval. I foundno singingassemblies of malehermits such as Davis (1934) describes for both the Reddishand Long-tailedHermits (Phaethornissuperciliosus). and Snow (1968) for the Little Hermit (P. longuemareus). Breeding season.--The monthly rainfall at Belem in the year of the study was 350 to 550 mm from January to May and 25 to 200 mm from June to December,with lows in October and November and highs in March and April.
    [Show full text]
  • Guyana's Wildlife Management Regulations And
    Guyana’s wildlife management regulations & you © CIFOR/Quadad de Freitas LICENSING To obtain a domestic licence for any category of wildlife use, applicants will be required to: 1. Pick-up an application form from the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and .....Management Commission (GWCMC) office or download an application .....from their website. 2. Submit an application form along with the application fee of GYD 2 000. 3. Show proof of customers (where applicable). 4. Show proof of having adequate housing for trapped wildlife (applicable to trappers and middlemen). 5. For wild meat vendors, show proof of permission from the veterinary public health and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority to handle, tranport, ...store, display and sell meat for human consumption. 6. Declare possession of any licensed firearms. 7. Produce any other documents deemed necessary by the commission. Please note that international trade licenses have different application and approval procedures. Persons or organisations interested in this type of license have are asked to make contact with the GWCMC. License Type Necessary for Class Who needs this Validity Cost (GYD) A person who harvests for Any individual who Class I subsistence use and is not a 1 Year 10 000 harvests wildlife recreational hunter Wildlife species from the A person who harvests for Class Ii 1 Year 10 000 Trapping natural environment sale for subsistence use or A legally recognized for sale Class Iii indigenous village council 1 Year 50 000 who harvests for sale Any individual who Middlemen
    [Show full text]
  • Observations of Hummingbird Feeding Behavior at Flowers of Heliconia Beckneri and H
    SHORT COMMUNICATIONS ORNITOLOGIA NEOTROPICAL 18: 133–138, 2007 © The Neotropical Ornithological Society OBSERVATIONS OF HUMMINGBIRD FEEDING BEHAVIOR AT FLOWERS OF HELICONIA BECKNERI AND H. TORTUOSA IN SOUTHERN COSTA RICA Joseph Taylor1 & Stewart A. White Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, CB23 6DH, UK. Observaciones de la conducta de alimentación de colibríes con flores de Heliconia beckneri y H. tortuosa en El Sur de Costa Rica. Key words: Pollination, sympatric, cloud forest, Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, Green Hermit, Phaethornis guy, Violet Sabrewing, Campylopterus hemileucurus, Green-crowned Brilliant, Heliodoxa jacula. INTRODUCTION sources in a single foraging bout (Stiles 1978). Interactions between closely related sympatric The flower preferences shown by humming- flowering plants may involve competition for birds (Trochilidae) are influenced by a com- pollinators, interspecific pollen loss and plex array of factors including their bill hybridization (e.g., Feinsinger 1987). These dimensions, body size, habitat preference and processes drive the divergence of genetically relative dominance, as influenced by age and based floral phenotypes that influence polli- sex, and how these interact with the morpho- nator assemblages and behavior. However, logical, caloric and visual properties of flow- floral convergence may be favored if the ers (e.g., Stiles 1976). increased nectar supplies and flower densities, Hummingbirds are the primary pollina- for example, increase the regularity and rate tors of most Heliconia species (Heliconiaceae) of flower visitation for all species concerned (Linhart 1973), which are medium to large (Schemske 1981). Sympatric hummingbird- clone-forming herbs that usually produce pollinated plants probably face strong selec- brightly colored floral bracts (Stiles 1975).
    [Show full text]
  • Dacninae Species Tree, Part I
    Dacninae I: Nemosiini, Conirostrini, & Diglossini Hooded Tanager, Nemosia pileata Cherry-throated Tanager, Nemosia rourei Nemosiini Blue-backed Tanager, Cyanicterus cyanicterus White-capped Tanager, Sericossypha albocristata Scarlet-throated Tanager, Sericossypha loricata Bicolored Conebill, Conirostrum bicolor Pearly-breasted Conebill, Conirostrum margaritae Chestnut-vented Conebill, Conirostrum speciosum Conirostrini White-eared Conebill, Conirostrum leucogenys Capped Conebill, Conirostrum albifrons Giant Conebill, Conirostrum binghami Blue-backed Conebill, Conirostrum sitticolor White-browed Conebill, Conirostrum ferrugineiventre Tamarugo Conebill, Conirostrum tamarugense Rufous-browed Conebill, Conirostrum rufum Cinereous Conebill, Conirostrum cinereum Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch, Pseudochloris citrina Gray-hooded Sierra Finch, Phrygilus gayi Patagonian Sierra Finch, Phrygilus patagonicus Peruvian Sierra Finch, Phrygilus punensis Black-hooded Sierra Finch, Phrygilus atriceps Gough Finch, Rowettia goughensis White-bridled Finch, Melanodera melanodera Yellow-bridled Finch, Melanodera xanthogramma Inaccessible Island Finch, Nesospiza acunhae Nightingale Island Finch, Nesospiza questi Wilkins’s Finch, Nesospiza wilkinsi Saffron Finch, Sicalis flaveola Grassland Yellow-Finch, Sicalis luteola Orange-fronted Yellow-Finch, Sicalis columbiana Sulphur-throated Finch, Sicalis taczanowskii Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch, Sicalis uropigyalis Citron-headed Yellow-Finch, Sicalis luteocephala Patagonian Yellow-Finch, Sicalis lebruni Greenish Yellow-Finch,
    [Show full text]
  • Brazil: the Pantanal and Amazon, July 2015
    Tropical Birding Trip Report Brazil: The Pantanal and Amazon, July 2015 BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon 1-15 July 2015 TOUR LEADER: Nick Athanas Report and photos, except for the Blue Finch, by Nick Athanas. Thanks to Mark Gawn for sharing his Blue Finch photo Bare-eyed Antbird was one of many highlights from this fun trip From the unparalleled biodiversity of the primeval Amazonian forest to the amazing abundance of wildlife in the Pantanal, this tour is always fascinating and great fun, and the superb lodges and tasty food make it especially enjoyable. This year was wetter than normal and we even got soaked once in the Pantanal, which is almost unheard of in July; the extra water definitely helped the overall bird numbers, so I certainly was not complaining, and it was still pretty darn dry compared to most South American tours. When I asked the group at the end of the trip for favorite sightings, everyone mentioned something totally different. There were so many memorable sightings that trying to pick one, or even a few, was almost futile. Some that were mentioned, in no real order, included: superb close-ups of Bare-eyed Antbirds at an antswarm at Cristalino (photo above); the “ginormous” Yellow Anaconda we saw crossing the Transpantanal Highway on our last full day, the minute and fabulous Horned Sungem from the Chapada, a superb encounter with the rare White-browed Hawk from one of the towers at Cristalino, our very successful hunt for the newly-described Alta Floresta Antpitta, and last but far from least, the magnificent Jaguar we saw for an extended period of time along the banks of the Três Irmãos River.
    [Show full text]
  • Observations on New Or Unusual Birds from Trainidad, West Indies
    474 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS SUMMARY CLAUSEN, G., R. SANSON, AND A. STORESUND. 1971. The HbO, dissociation curve of the fulmar and Blood respiratory properties have been compared in the herring gull. Respir. Physiol. 12 :66-70. antarctic birds. Blood hemoglobin content, hemato- DANZER, L. A., AND J. E. COHN. 1967. The dis- crit, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration sociation curve of goose blood. Respir. Physiol. (MCHC) are higher in three species of penguins 3:302-306. than in the Giant Fulmar and the antarctic Skua. HOLMES, A. D., M. G. PIGGOT, AND P. A. CAhwmLL. Penguin chicks show lower hemoglobin values than 1933. The hemoglobin content of chicken blood. adults. HbO, dissociation curves show higher affin- J. Biol Chem. 103:657. ity in diving than nondiving birds. Among penguins, LENFANT, C., AND K. JOHANSEN. 1965. Gas trans- the Chinstrap Penguin, practicing longer and deeper port by the hemocyanin containing blood of the dives, has blood with higher O? affinity than the other cephalopod, Octopus dofleini. Amer. J. Physiol. species. The Bohr effect is similarly higher in diving 209:991-998. than nondiving birds. The adaptive value of the blood LENFANT, C., G. L. KOOYMAN, R. ELSNER, AND C. M. respiratory properties is discussed in the context of DRABEK. 1969. Respiratory function of blood behavior and mode of life of the species studied. of the adelie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae. Amer. ACKNOWLEDGMENT J. Physiol. 216: 1598-1600. LUTZ, P. L., I. S. LoNchrmn, J. V. TUTTLE, AND K. This work was supported by the National Science SCHMIDT-NIELSEN. 1973. Dissociation curve of Foundation under grants GV-25401 and GB-24816 bird blood and effect of red cell oxygen consump- to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for opera- tion.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comprehensive Species-Level Molecular Phylogeny of the New World
    YMPEV 4758 No. of Pages 19, Model 5G 2 December 2013 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution xxx (2013) xxx–xxx 1 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev 5 6 3 A comprehensive species-level molecular phylogeny of the New World 4 blackbirds (Icteridae) a,⇑ a a b c d 7 Q1 Alexis F.L.A. Powell , F. Keith Barker , Scott M. Lanyon , Kevin J. Burns , John Klicka , Irby J. Lovette 8 a Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 9 55108, USA 10 b Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA 11 c Barrick Museum of Natural History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA 12 d Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14950, USA 1314 15 article info abstract 3117 18 Article history: The New World blackbirds (Icteridae) are among the best known songbirds, serving as a model clade in 32 19 Received 5 June 2013 comparative studies of morphological, ecological, and behavioral trait evolution. Despite wide interest in 33 20 Revised 11 November 2013 the group, as yet no analysis of blackbird relationships has achieved comprehensive species-level sam- 34 21 Accepted 18 November 2013 pling or found robust support for most intergeneric relationships. Using mitochondrial gene sequences 35 22 Available online xxxx from all 108 currently recognized species and six additional distinct lineages, together with strategic 36 sampling of four nuclear loci and whole mitochondrial genomes, we were able to resolve most relation- 37 23 Keywords: ships with high confidence.
    [Show full text]