July 31 - August 5, 2017 Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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The 135th Meeting of American Ornithology July 31 - August 5, 2017 Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan Abstract Book The Inaugural Meeting of the American Ornithological Society & 35th Meeting of the Society for Canadian Ornithologists/ Société des ornithologistes du Canada Conference Program Cover & Logo – Kirtland’s Warbler perched on a Jack Pine Branch - Michigan’s iconic bird species and one of North America’s conservation success stories. Design by Kim Fake and Outer Designs and graphics by Outer Designs. Contents Oral Presenations ............................................................ 3 Poster Presentations .................................................... 181 Presenter Contact List .................................................. 237 2 Oral Presentations Meeting abstracts Please note that author abstracts are not indexed in this online document, but the document is searchable using the search function in your PDF reader. Presenting author is the first author listed unless indicated by a diamond ❖. Egg mimicry of one brood parasite host facilitates exploitation of new hosts with similar egg types Virginia Abernathy, Australian National University; Jolyon Troscianko, University of Exeter, UK.; Naomi E. Langmore, Australian National University When brood parasites exploit multiple host species, egg rejection by hosts may select for the evolution of host‐ specific races, where each race mimics a particular host’s egg type. However, some brood parasites that exploit multiple hosts with the ability to reject foreign eggs appear to have only a single egg type. In these cases, it is unclear how the parasite egg escapes detection by its hosts. Three possible explanations are: (i) host‐specific races are present, but differences in egg morphology are difficult for the human eye to detect; (ii) the brood parasite evolves a single egg type that is intermediate in appearance between the eggs of its hosts; (iii) or the parasite evolves mimicry of one of its hosts, which subsequently allows it to exploit other species with similar egg morphology. Here we test these possibilities by quantifying parameters of egg appearance of the brood‐parasitic Pacific Koel (Eudynamys orientalis) and seven of its hosts. Koel eggs laid in the nests of different hosts did not show significant differences in color or pattern, suggesting that koels have not evolved host‐specific races. Koel eggs were similar in color, luminance and pattern to the majority of hosts, but were significantly more similar in color and luminance to one of the major hosts than to two other major hosts, supporting hypothesis (iii). Our findings suggest that mimicry of one host can allow a brood parasite to exploit new hosts with similar egg morphologies, which could inhibit the evolution of host defenses in naïve hosts. Securing the future: How to conserve populations of critically endangered endemic passerines in Kaua’i Elizabeth Abraham, Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Project; Lisa Crampton, Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Project; Justin Hite, Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Project; Bryce Masuda, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research; Michelle Clark, U.S Fish and Wildlife; John Vetter, DLNR‐DOFAW Hawaii is one of the extinction capitals of the world, having lost at least half of its native avifauna since colonization by humans, and with all but a few extant species listed as critically endangered. Alarming population trends of two endangered endemic honeycreepers on Kaua’i, ‘Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) and ‘Akeke’e (Loxops caeruleirostris), have necessitated immediate action. Largely restricted to the forests of the high elevation Alakai Plateau (>1000 m) these species face numerous threats: hurricanes; non‐native, invasive plants and animals, and deadly introduced diseases. Bird density surveys carried in 2012 found only 468 ‘Akikiki (95% CI: 231‐916) and 945 Akeke’e (95%CI: 460‐1,547) individuals, down 71% and 48% respectively since 1981, with steeper declines and range contractions since 2000. In 2013, experts deemed the creation of conservation breeding populations, along with in situ threat management, necessary to safeguard against the imminent extinction of these species. In 2015, egg collections began and collections continued in 2016 and 2017 with a goal of 60 founders per species. To date, we have collected 45 ‘Akikiki eggs from 29 nests and 10 ‘Akeke’e eggs from four nests. In addition, 150 GoodNature AOS/SCO 2017 Joint Meeting July 31 - August 5, 2017 3 Oral Presentations rat traps were deployed in 2015, with an additional 150 traps added in 2016 in order to extend our rat control along streams and ridges that are crucial nesting habitat for native birds. We have also recently partnered with the Kaua'i Watershed Alliance to document the effects of removing non‐native feral pigs on native birds within a newly fenced area of the Alaka'i. Nonbreeding abundance of Great Lakes waterbirds: integrating aerial survey data across multiple protocols Evan Adams, Biodiversity Research Institute; Beth Gardner, University of Washington; Kevin Kenow, United States Geological Survey; David Luukkonen, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Michael Monfils, Michigan State University; Bill Mueller, Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory; Kathryn Williams, Biodiversity Research Institute The Great Lakes comprise the largest surface freshwater system in the world with habitats supporting a diversity of nearshore and pelagic birds. Making large‐scale inference about bird distribution and abundance over large regions like the Great Lakes often requires integration of data from multiple sources and addressing biases associated with these sources (e.g., survey type, observation conditions, etc.). Here, we integrate data collected during aerial surveys by 5 different organizations from 2012‐14 to estimate the abundance of 8 species of nonbreeding waterbirds in 4 of the Great Lakes. Most, but not all, surveys employed distance sampling techniques to estimate detection probabilities, and each distance protocol collected data differently. To integrate these different data sources, we developed a flexible hierarchical distance sampling model that allowed each survey to have different detection models and estimate detection probability for surveys without distance data. We modeled the abundance of waterbirds in relation to static features like bathymetry and lake sediment while accounting for variation in latitude and ice coverage across the lakes. We found that both latitude and ice coverage were important predictors of the probability of a species being present in a location, and bathymetry and lake sediment type were important determinants of waterbird abundance. We tested model fit for each species and found good fit overall, but a few protocols occasionally saw poor performance. This study describes a formal method for integrating multiple data sources to improve estimation of abundance and make large‐scale inferences about nonbreeding waterbirds across the Great Lakes. Using pedigrees and genomics to understand the consequences of limited dispersal Stepfanie Aguillon, Cornell University; John W. Fitzpatrick, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station; Stephan J. Schoech, University of Memphis; Andrew G. Clark, Cornell University; Graham Coop, University of California, Davis; Nancy Chen, University of California, Davis There is strong theoretical support for the expectation that geographically limited dispersal will result in a correlation between genetic and geographic distance, commonly called isolation‐by‐distance. Despite its prevalence, to date no study has empirically demonstrated the processes generating isolation‐by‐distance within a pedigreed and genotyped population. Intensive, long‐term demographic studies and exhaustive genomic surveys in the Florida Scrub‐Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the influence of dispersal on genetic structure. Here, we used a panel of genome‐wide SNPs and extensive pedigree information to explore the role of limited dispersal in shaping patterns of isolation‐by‐distance. We found fine‐scale isolation‐by‐ distance (within ~10 km) in both sexes using genetic and pedigree‐based measures of relatedness. Isolation‐by‐ distance patterns were stronger in males than in females, consistent with known differences in dispersal East Lansing, Michigan http://aossco2017.fw.msu.edu/ 4 Oral Presentations propensity between the sexes. Using a simulation of dispersal events across the pedigree, we estimated the expected geographic distances between breeding individuals of different pedigree relationship classes. We found that most simulations did not differ from the observed distribution of geographic distances between breeding individuals of different pedigree relationship classes. Furthermore, we can reconstruct observed isolation‐by‐ distance patterns in autosomal and Z‐linked SNPs using simulations parameterized by the observed dispersal curve and immigration rate. Overall, even within a continuous breeding population, the sedentary nature of the Florida Scrub‐Jay produces genetic structure at an extremely small spatial scale that can be reconstructed with just natal dispersal distances and pedigree information. Evaluating biodiversity of sagebrush‐dependent species within sage‐grouse habitat: an example from the Wyoming Basins Cameron Aldridge, Colorado State University and USGS; Joanne Saher, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory and US Geological Survey;