Final report: Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis) surveys and habitat availability modeling on the Santa Clara River, California, 26 March 2020
The data and R scripts used in Attard et al. 2021 "Ecological drivers of eggshell wettabilit... more The data and R scripts used in Attard et al. 2021 "Ecological drivers of eggshell wettability in birds" published in Journal of The Royal Society Interface are divided into two compressed folders. Description of each folder and the files contained are provided below.<br><b><br></b><b>FOLDER 1: EGGSHELL WETTABILITY RAW DATA AND R SCRIPT TO PROCESS DATA</b>This folder contains all the raw excel files for contact angle over time across 441 bird species as well as the R script (1_Rmarkdown_Extract_wettability_data.Rmd) used to combine and process these data to obtain specimen specific wettability measures and species averages. Influential values were removed based on cook's distance. The water droplet contact angle were extracted at specific time points to obtain two response variables: initial contact angle and spreadability, as described in the manuscript.<b><br></b>Contact angles were recorded every ~0.5 seconds star...
Supplementary material from "Ecological drivers of eggshell wettability in birds
Complex and at times extreme environments have pushed many bird species to develop unique eggshel... more Complex and at times extreme environments have pushed many bird species to develop unique eggshell surface properties to protect the embryo from external threats. Because microbes are usually transmitted into eggs by moisture, some species have evolved hydrophobic shell surfaces that resist water absorption, while also regulating heat loss and the exchange of gases. Here, we investigate the relationship between the wettability of eggshells from 441 bird species and their life-history traits. We measured the initial contact angle between sessile water droplets and the shell surface, and how far the droplet spread. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we show that body mass, annual temperature and eggshell maculation primarily explained variance in water contact angle across eggshells. Species nesting in warm climates were more likely to exhibit highly hydrophobic eggshells than those nesting in cold climates, potentially to reduce microbial colonization. In non-passerines, immacul...
Studies in Avian Biology is a series of works too long for The Condor, published at irregular int... more Studies in Avian Biology is a series of works too long for The Condor, published at irregular intervals by the Cooper Ornithological Society. Manuscripts for consideration should be submitted to the editor. Style and format should follow those of previous issues. Price $18.00 including postage and handling. All orders cash in advance; make checks payable to Cooper Ornithological Society. Send orders to Cooper Ornithological Society, % Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology,
The review process is essential to the maintenance of high scientific standards in a journal. The... more The review process is essential to the maintenance of high scientific standards in a journal. The efforts of individual reviewers are remarkable, and we take this opportunity to acknowledge publicly those who contributed reviews during the period that Volume was in preparation (reviews completed between July and June ). Individuals who reviewed two or more manuscripts are signified by an asterisk. We also acknowledge the hard work of the Associate Editors, listed on the inside of the front cover of The Auk, whose impartial assessments of the manuscripts and the reviewers' comments provided the basis for their recommendations to the Editor. Memorials and book reviews were solicited and managed by Alan H. Brush and R. Todd Engstrom, respectively.
We compared the uses and definitions of habitat-related terms in 50 articles from 1980 to 1994 to... more We compared the uses and definitions of habitat-related terms in 50 articles from 1980 to 1994 to operational definitions we derived from the literature. Only 9 (18%) of the arti- cles we reviewed defined and used habitat-related terms consistently and according to our definitions of the terms. Forty-seven articles used the term "habitat;" however, it was only defined and used consistent with our definition in 5 articles (11 %) and was confused with vegetation association or defined incompletely in 42 papers (89%). "Habitat type" was the term most commonly used incorrectly; 1 6 of 1 7 times (94%) it was used to indi- cate vegetation association, but habitat and vegetation association are not synonymous. Authors did not provide definitions for habitat use, selection, preference, or availability 23 of 28 times (82%). We concluded that habitat terminology was used vaguely in 82% of the articles we reviewed. This distorts our communication with scientists in other di...
This paper quantifies the distribution and abundance of birds in the White Mountains, lnyo and Mo... more This paper quantifies the distribution and abundance of birds in the White Mountains, lnyo and Mono counties, California, during spring-summer 1989-91, to establish a baseline for monitoring the area's avifauna. Overall, 58 species were encountered in the single-leaf pinyon-Utah juniper (Pinus monophylla-]uniperus osteospenna) 7.One, and 61 species in the bristlecone-limber pine (P. longaeva.-P. flexilis) zone. The bristlecone-limber pine zone had a significantly greater overall bird ahundance relative to the pinyon-juniper. Both zones were characterized hy few velY abundant species, a few moderately abundant species, and numerous rare species. The Black-throated Gray Warbler (scientific names in tables), Gray Flycatcher, and Pinyon Jay were the most abundant species in the pinyon-juniper, whereas the Clark's Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, and Cassin's Finch were the most abundant species in the bristlecone-limber pine. There were few ecological or taxonomic replacements of species between zones, with the differences in distribution and abundance related primarily to the interaction between elevation and vegetation. Significant inter-year variation in abundance was found for about 20 species in each zon<.-'-more species showed declining rather than increasing trends. The Mountain Chickadee and White-breasted Nuthatch declined, whereas the Gray Flycatcher and Rock Wren increased across years in both zones. Reasons for declines in some spedes might be the severe drought that continued throughout this study.
This chapter reviews studies on songbird ecology conducted in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado; ... more This chapter reviews studies on songbird ecology conducted in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado; studies from outside this region are mentioned when they bear direct relevance to our primary region. The studies were conducted in sites where ponderosa pine occurred at least in equal coverage with other trees. We also include studies conducted in pine-oak (pine predominant) or oak-pine (oak predominant) woodlands of southeastern Arizona and Southwestern New Mexico. Our review begins with population studies, including research on distribution, abundance, and trends in population numbers. We then discuss the various roles of birds in the ponderosa pine forest. Next we cover the multifaceted topic of avian natural history and habitat preferences, including use of vegetation and special habitat features, nest predation, foraging habits, and migration habits. We also review the prioritization systems for identifying species of special research and management concern.
Nest-boxes were monitored from 1988 to 1992 on 5 grids in the pinyon-juniper ( Pinus-Juniperus ) ... more Nest-boxes were monitored from 1988 to 1992 on 5 grids in the pinyon-juniper ( Pinus-Juniperus ) woodlands of the White and Inyo Mountains, California, to determine breeding phenology and productivity of cavity-nesting birds, and characteristics of used and non-used nest-boxes. We found a total of 112 nests of 6 species. Bewicks Wrens ( Thryomanes bewicki i; 64 nests), Mountain Chickadees ( Poecile gambeli ; 18), Ash-throated Flycatchers ( Myiarchus cinerascens ; 12), and Juniper Titmice ( Baeolophus ridgwayi ; 11) were the most common species utilizing the boxes. Nest phenology and numbers of young were similar to values reported elsewhere in the literature for the species, although nesting success for Mountain Chickadees appeared lower in our study. Chickadees were associated with relatively dense, mature vegetation on southern slopes. Juniper Titmice used areas with tall juniper shrubs and generally sparse vegetation. Bewicks Wrens used areas with short trees, sparse vegetation, ...
We used ratio telemetry to describe nighttime movements and daytime den sites of pinyon mice ( Pe... more We used ratio telemetry to describe nighttime movements and daytime den sites of pinyon mice ( Peromyscus truei ) in the White Mountains of California, 1991-1993. Characteristics of nighttime relocations and den sites for mice concurred with previously reported habitat-use information for the species and supported the claim that pinyon mice use multiple daytime sites. However, males and females were associated with different habitat characteristics at den sites, indicating differential microhabitat selection by the sexes, perhaps related to reproductive constraints on females. Pinyon mice also exhibited high variability in den site habitat use in the summer, but low variability in the fall and winter. The dens of male mice were farther apart than those of females, and home range areas averaged 2.9 ha ( s = 4.27 ha) for 8 males , and 0.8 ha ( s = 0.76 ha) for 7 females (overall ‾ x = 1.7 + 2.97 ha). These areas were larger than those reported for other species of Peromyscus . The com...
The Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) is a polytypic species widespread in the southw... more The Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) is a polytypic species widespread in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Though closer in plumage characteristics to the desert subspecies anthonyi, populations resident in coastal sage scrub on the coastal slope of Ventura County and Los Angeles County occupy an ecological niche more similar to that of the more southerly subspecies sandiegensis. Because of fragmentation of habitat associated with urbanization, the populations on southern California’s coastal slope are almost entirely isolated from those of the deserts, and apparently from each other. They are declining precipitously for reasons not entirely understood but certainly related to loss, fragmentation, and degradation of suitable habitat. In 2012, we organized a volunteer effort to map the entire population in Ventura County and found 111 active, accessible territories with at least one adult or a fresh nest. Additional areas to which we did not have access could r...
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