Intro to Intro Ornithology

Tim Siegmund Regulatory Biologist, TPWD From the Beginning

• Generally supported – Birds arose from Dinosaurs – Similarities in Bone Configuration – Other Structural Similarities in Joints What Makes a Bird a Bird?

• Warm-Blooded • Feathers • Hard-Shelled Eggs • Hollow Bones

Bee Hummingbird 2 inches, 1-1.5 g Ostrich, 7 ft, 230 lbs Bird Skeleton Bird Skeleton

Walking Species Non-Specialist Diving Species

Wood Ruddy Duck Duck

Bird Digestion

Why are bird feces white? Unlike mammals, birds don't urinate. Their kidneys extract nitrogenous wastes from the bloodstream, but instead of excreting it as urea dissolved in urine as we do, they excrete it in the form of uric acid. Uric acid has a very low solubility in water, so it emerges as a white paste. This material, as well as the output of the intestines, emerges from the bird's cloaca.

In zoological anatomy, a cloaca /kloʊˈeɪkə/ is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts of certain animal species. All amphibians, birds, reptiles, and monotremes possess this orifice, from which they excrete both urine and feces, unlike placental mammals, which possess two (or three) separate orifices for evacuation. Function of Feathers

• Thermoregulation • Sexual Selection – Vibrance of Color = Good Health? – Use Feathers for Displays • Flight • Camouflague Bird Feathers Breeding Strategies

• Nest Parasitism – Brown Headed Cowbird • Social monogamy – Pair bond with 1 member of opposite sex, 92% – Duration may be one attempt, one season or many seasons – Both parents care for young, most songbirds • Polygyny – Male mates with several females , prairie chicken – Female mates with only 1 male – Parental care by female, 2% of all birds • Polyandry – Female associates with several males, jacana – Parental Care by male, 1% of all birds • Promiscuity – Indiscriminant relationships of short duration – 6% of all birds, Hummingbirds Nest Types

• Cup – Typical Songbird Nest • Indigo Bunting – Pensile-Suspended from Rim • White Eyed Vireo – Pendant-Oriole • Scrape – Chuck-will’s Widow – Killdeer

Nest Types Adherent Barn Swallow Burrow Belted Kingfisher Pendant Orchard Oriole

Nest Types • Platform – Large Birds – Red –shouldered Hawk • Cavity – Natural • Woodpeckers – Man-made • Blue Bird Time needed for representative songbirds to complete their open-cup nests. Species Typical time to Reference build nest Least Flycatcher 5 – 7 days Tarof and Briskie 2008

Loggerhead Shrike 6 – 11 days Yosef 1996 White-eyed Vireo 3 – 5 days Hopp et al. 1995 Clark’s Nutcracker 5 – 8 days Tomback 1998 Verdin about 6 days Webster 1999 Cactus Wren 1 – 6 days Proudfoot et al. 2000

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 2 – 4 days Farquhar and Ritchie 2002

Ruby-crowned Kinglet about 5 days Swanson et al. 2008

Northern Wheatear 2 – 7 days Kren and Zoerb 1997

American Robin 5 – 7 days Sallabanks and James 1999

Gray Catbird 5 – 6 days Smith et al. 2011 Cedar Waxwing 3 – 9 days Witmer et al. 1997 Yellow Warbler 4 – 10 days Lowther et al. 1999 Eastern Towhee up to 5 days Greenlaw 1996 Chipping Sparrow 2 – 8 days Middleton 1998 Scarlet Tanager 2 – 7 days Mowbray 1999 Northern Cardinal 3 – 9 days Halkin and Linville 1999

Indigo Bunting 2 – 10 days Payne 2006 Red-winged Blackbird 3 days Holcomb and Twiest 1968

Orchard Oriole 6 days Scharf and Kren 2010

Pine Siskin 5 - 6 days Dawson 1997 Time for Woodpecker to Make Nest Cavity

Species Typical time to Reference create nest cavity

Black-backed Woodpecker 21 – 28 days Dixon and Saab 2000

Downy Woodpecker 7 – 20 days Ritchison 1999 Golden-fronted Woodpecker 6 – 12 days Husak and Maxwell 1998

Hairy Woodpecker 7 – 21 days Bent 1939 Pileated Woodpecker 21 – 36 days Bull and Jackson 2011

Red-bellied Woodpecker ~14 days Shackelford et al. 2000

Red-headed Woodpecker 12 – 17 days Smith et al. 2000

White-headed Woodpecker 21 – 28 days Garrett et al. 1996 Eggs

Avian Ovary

Ovary, Oviduct, and Egg w/ Shell

Egg Development

Egg Contents

-Precoccial

-Altricial Egg Variation

Probably Started as White

Changed as Nests Moved to Exposed Areas

Some Changes for Strength

Some Changes to Signal Health

Some Changes to Deter Brood Parasites Kiwi to the EXTREME!!

Great Diversity

• Habitat Specialists – Terrestrial Birds • Desert, Forest, Savannah, Grassland, Tundra, etc. – Oceanic Birds – Wading Birds • Freshwater Marsh, Coastal Wetlands, Mudflats, etc. – Underwater Birds

Great Diversity • Feeding Specialists – Nectarivores • Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Insectivores • Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – Frugivores • Cedar Waxwing – Granivores • Mourning Dove – Piscivores • Great Blue Heron – Carnivores • Sharp-shinned Hawk – Scavengers • Turkey Vulture – Omnivores • American Crow

Migration

• Why Do Birds Migrate? – Move from low/decreasing resources – Move TO increasing or high resources – Neo-tropical migrants • Migrate from arctic and temperate areas to tropics • Texas has documented 333 of 338 N.A. neo-tropical species – Fall Migration • Head South to avoid low temperatures • Head South to take advantage of food in tropics – Spring Migration • Head North take advantage of space and food Types of Migrants

• Short Distance – High Elevations to Low Elevations – Less than 100 miles • Medium Distance – Species only move as far south as snow cover – One to Several States, less than 1,000 miles • Long Distance – US & Canada in summer to MX and C. America in winter – Typically 1,000+ miles some over 9,000 miles • Red Knot is an example

10 MINUTE BREAK!! Dealing with Constraints

• Competition – Use or Defense of a Resource Reduces Availability to Others – Food Supplies, Nest Sites, Nest Materials, Mates, and Territories – Rarely Physical often Posturing and Threats Dealing with Constraints

• Predation – Mobbing • Alarm Calls – Injury Display – Flocking Behavior – Cavity Nesting – Set Clutch Size • Mourning Dove • 2 eggs/ clutch • Up to 6 broods/ year Dealing with Constraints • Parasitism and Disease – Nest Sanitation • Use Green Vegetation • Remove Fecal Packets – Insects, Mites, Etc. – Disease Spread from Feeders • Avian Pox- wartlike growths • Salmonellosis- bacteria cause lesions on g.i. tract • Trichomoniasis- effects pigeons and doves, sores on mouth • Aspergillosis- fungus on damp feed, casue respiratory issues

Clean Feeders with 1% Bleach Every 4-8 weeks Habitat Alteration

• Conversion – Native to Non-Native – Diverse to Monoculture • Exclusion of Fire • Urbanization – Expansion of Invasives • Fragmentation – Forests – Grasslands Function of Birds in Ecosystems

• Predator • Prey • Seed Dispersal • Pollinators Conservation Concern • Habitat Loss – Grassland Birds – Forest Interior Birds – Habitat Specialists • Habitat Conversion • Non-Governmental Organizations – Audobon Society – American Ornithologist Union – Ducks Unlimited – Quail Unlimited – Others • Government Involvement – Federal – State – Local Monitoring Birds

• Point Counts – Predetermined Points for Set Period of Time – Help Determine Population and Density – Conducted Annually – While at Point • Record Species Heard/Seen • Record Habitat – Used for Mourning Dove Call County Survey, TPWD • Transects – Counts # of Birds and # of Species along Line – Only Count Birds within Certain Range of Line – Used for Specific Species of Concern Most Often – Used for Northern Bobwhite Road Surveys Monitoring Birds

• Rare Bird Reports – Verify Bird Species Outside of their Reported Range • Public Involvement – Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Breeding Bird Survey – Great Backyard Bird Count – Vary, Generally Count Bird Species at Particular Location or Particular Time Frame

Questions??