Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts

Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts PDF Author: James N. M. Smith
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292757875
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the past two centuries, cowbirds have increased in numbers and extended their range across North America, while many of the native songbird species whose nests they parasitize to raise their young have declined. This timely book collects forty essays by most of the principal authorities on the biology and management of cowbirds. The book's goals are to explore the biology of cowbirds, the threats they pose to host species and populations, and the management programs that are being undertaken to minimize these threats. The book is organized into five sections, each with an extended editors' introduction that places the contributions in a broad, up-to-date setting. The sections cover: The changing abundance of cowbirds and the ways in which their numbers can be estimated. Host choice by cowbirds, the negative effects of cowbirds on particular host species, and the daily patterns of cowbird behavior. Behavioral interactions between cowbirds and specific host species. Patterns of cowbird abundance and host use across varying landscapes. Management programs designed to control cowbirds and protect threatened songbirds.

Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts

Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts PDF Author: James N. M. Smith
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292757875
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the past two centuries, cowbirds have increased in numbers and extended their range across North America, while many of the native songbird species whose nests they parasitize to raise their young have declined. This timely book collects forty essays by most of the principal authorities on the biology and management of cowbirds. The book's goals are to explore the biology of cowbirds, the threats they pose to host species and populations, and the management programs that are being undertaken to minimize these threats. The book is organized into five sections, each with an extended editors' introduction that places the contributions in a broad, up-to-date setting. The sections cover: The changing abundance of cowbirds and the ways in which their numbers can be estimated. Host choice by cowbirds, the negative effects of cowbirds on particular host species, and the daily patterns of cowbird behavior. Behavioral interactions between cowbirds and specific host species. Patterns of cowbird abundance and host use across varying landscapes. Management programs designed to control cowbirds and protect threatened songbirds.

Avian Brood Parasitism

Avian Brood Parasitism PDF Author: Manuel Soler
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319731386
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 566

Get Book Here

Book Description
Brood parasitism has become one of the most flourishing areas of research in evolutionary ecology and one of the best model systems for investigating coevolution. This subject has undergone remarkable advances during the last two decades, but has not been covered by any book in the 21st century. This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the fascinating field of avian brood parasitism. The topics covered include conspecific brood parasitism; evolution and phylogenetic history of avian brood parasites; parasitic behaviour used by brood parasites; adaptations and counter-adaptations of brood parasites and their hosts at every stage of the breeding cycle (before laying, egg, chick and fledgling stages); factors affecting the evolution of host defences and parasitic attacks; the role of phenotypic plasticity in host defences; mechanisms driving egg recognition and rejection; evolution of nest sharing or nest killing by brood parasite chicks; begging behaviour in parasitized nests and food delivery by host adults; and recognition of conspecifics by juvenile brood parasites. This volume provides a comprehensive reference resource for readers and researchers with an interest in birds, behaviour and evolution, as well as a source of hypotheses and predictions for future investigations into this dynamic subject.

Ecology and Management of Blackbirds (Icteridae) in North America

Ecology and Management of Blackbirds (Icteridae) in North America PDF Author: George M. Linz
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 135164355X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 311

Get Book Here

Book Description
Shortlisted for the 2018 TWS Wildlife Publication Awards in the edited book category The various species of new world blackbirds, often intermingled in large foraging flocks and nighttime roosts, collectively number in the hundreds of millions and are a dominant component of the natural and agricultural avifauna in North America today. Because of their abundance, conspicuous flocking behavior, and feeding habits, these species have often been in conflict with human endeavors. The pioneering publications on blackbirds were by F. E. L. Beal in 1900 and A. A. Allen in 1914. These seminal treatises laid the foundation for more than 1,000 descriptive and experimental studies on the life histories of blackbirds as well as their ecology and management in relation to agricultural damage and other conflicts such as caused by large winter roosting congregations. The wealth of information generated in over a century of research is found in disparate outlets that include government reports, conference proceedings, peer-reviewed journals, monographs, and books. For the first time, Ecology and Management of Blackbirds (Icteridae) in North America summarizes and synthesizes this vast body of information on the biology and life histories of blackbirds and their conflicts with humans into a single volume for researchers, wildlife managers, agriculturists, disease biologists, ornithologists, policy makers, and the public. The book reviews the life histories of red-winged blackbirds, yellow-headed blackbirds, common grackles, and brown-headed cowbirds. It provides in-depth coverage of the functional roles of blackbirds in natural and agricultural ecosystems. In doing so, this authoritative reference promotes the development of improved science-based, integrated management strategies to address conflicts when resolutions are needed.

The Brown-headed Cowbird and Its Riparian-dependent Hosts in New Mexico

The Brown-headed Cowbird and Its Riparian-dependent Hosts in New Mexico PDF Author: Sara H. Schweitzer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bird populations
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Get Book Here

Book Description


Cuckoo

Cuckoo PDF Author: Nick Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1620409534
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 374

Get Book Here

Book Description
A gifted biologist's careful and beguiling study of why cuckoos have got away with tricking other birds into hatching and raising their young for thousands of years. The familiar call of the common cuckoo, “cuck-oo,” has been a harbinger of spring ever since our ancestors walked out of Africa many thousands of years ago. However, for naturalist and scientist Nick Davies, the call is an invitation to solve an enduring puzzle: how does the cuckoo get away with laying its eggs in the nests of other birds and tricking them into raising young cuckoos rather than their own offspring? Early observers who noticed a little warbler feeding a monstrously large cuckoo chick concluded the cuckoo's lack of parental care was the result of faulty design by the Creator, and that the hosts chose to help the poor cuckoo. These quaint views of bad design and benevolence were banished after Charles Darwin proposed that the cuckoo tricks the hosts in an evolutionary battle, where hosts evolve better defenses against cuckoos and cuckoos, in turn, evolve better trickery to outwit the hosts. For the last three decades, Davies has employed observation and field experiments to unravel the details of this evolutionary “arms race” between cuckoos and their hosts. Like a detective, Davies and his colleagues studied adult cuckoo behavior, cuckoo egg markings, and cuckoo chick begging calls to discover exactly how cuckoos trick their hosts. For birding and evolution aficionados, The Cuckoo is a lyrical and scientifically satisfying exploration of one of nature's most astonishing and beautiful adaptations.

Scaling and Uncertainty Analysis in Ecology

Scaling and Uncertainty Analysis in Ecology PDF Author: Jianguo Wu
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402046634
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the first book of its kind – explicitly considering uncertainty and error analysis as an integral part of scaling. The book draws together a series of important case studies to provide a comprehensive review and synthesis of the most recent concepts, theories and methods in scaling and uncertainty analysis. It includes case studies illustrating how scaling and uncertainty analysis are being conducted in ecology and environmental science.

Invasive Birds

Invasive Birds PDF Author: Colleen T. Downs
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 1789242061
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 399

Get Book Here

Book Description
Examining globally invasive alien birds, the first part of this book provides an account of 32 global avian invasive species (as listed by the Invasive Species Specialist Group, ISSG). It acts as a one stop reference volume; it assesses current invasive status for each bird species, including details of physical description, diet, introduction and invasion pathways, breeding behaviour, natural habitat. It also looks at the environmental impact of each species, as well as current and future control methods. Full colour photographs assist with species identification and global distribution maps give a visual representation of the current known distributions of these species. The second part of the book discusses the biogeographical aspects of avian invasions, highlighting current and emerging invasive species across different regions of the world. The third section considers the impact of invasive species on native communities, problems associated with invasive bird management and the use of citizen science in the study of invasive birds.

Video Surveillance of Nesting Birds

Video Surveillance of Nesting Birds PDF Author: Christine Ann Ribic
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520273133
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Until recently, inferring identities of predators and monitoring cryptic behaviors at the nest was time-consuming, often with anecdotal results. No more. Video nest surveillance, so aptly revealed in this volume, has ushered in a new era of data collection that allows field workers to link environmental factors with such aspects as the temporal dynamics of predator communities in relation to what the birds are doing at their nests, thus removing much of the guesswork of earlier studies.”--Spencer G. Sealy, University of Manitoba "Video Surveillance of Nesting Birds shatters earlier beliefs about how birds interact with nest predators. Much of what we thought we knew about nesting and its hazards was flat-out wrong, as authors in this book discovered by using modern technology in the field. As simple as we would like our models of animal behavior to be, this book shows that reality is far more complex and nuanced."--Douglas H. Johnson, University of Minnesota

Status and Management of Neotropical Migratory Birds

Status and Management of Neotropical Migratory Birds PDF Author: Deborah M. Finch
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bird populations
Languages : en
Pages : 432

Get Book Here

Book Description


Brown-headed Cowbird Response to Kirtland's Warbler Habitat Management and Cowbird Trapping in Michigan

Brown-headed Cowbird Response to Kirtland's Warbler Habitat Management and Cowbird Trapping in Michigan PDF Author: Lauren A. Bailey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bird trapping
Languages : en
Pages : 300

Get Book Here

Book Description