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Christmas Bird Count data are a reliable harvest-independent index for Ruffed Grouse monitoring in the eastern United States Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-03-16 Brock Geary, Lisa Williams, C Robert Long, Reina M Tyl, Roderick B Gagne
Using data from the mid-1990s to the present, we assessed correlations of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) hunter cooperator reports from seven states to Breeding Bird Survey, Christmas Bird Count, and eBird data to determine which program’s trends best reflected patterns seen in hunter-sourced data that has historically been used for monitoring purposes. Christmas Bird Count data most closely reflected
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The spatiotemporal properties of artificial feeding schemes influence the post-fledging movement of Egyptian Vultures Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Korin Reznikov, Ron Efrat, Oded Berger-Tal, Nir Sapir
Many vulture populations have severely declined in the past decades, showing high juvenile mortality. To support these populations, feeding stations are used to increase food availability and to supply food without antibiotics and toxic compounds. Yet, supplying food at feeding stations may affect vulture behavior. We present a large-scale field experiment testing how different food provision schemes
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High inter-population connectivity and occasional gene flow between subspecies improves recovery potential for the endangered Least Bell’s Vireo Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-26 Amy G Vandergast, Barbara E Kus, Dustin A Wood, Anna Mitelberg, Julia G Smith, Elizabeth R Milano
Increasingly, genomic data are being used to supplement field-based ecological studies to help evaluate recovery status and trends in endangered species. We collected genomic data to address two related questions regarding the Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii), an endangered migratory songbird restricted to southern California riparian habitat for breeding. First, we sought to delineate the range limits
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Secondary Amazon rainforest partially recovers tree cavities suitable for nesting birds in 18–34 years Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-17 Carine Dantas Oliveira, Cintia Cornelius, Philip C Stouffer, Kristina L Cockle
Passive restoration of secondary forests can partially offset loss of biodiversity following tropical deforestation. Tree cavities, an essential resource for cavity-nesting birds, are usually associated with old forest. We investigated the restoration time for tree cavities suitable for cavity-nesting birds in secondary forest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) in central
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Saffron-cowled Blackbirds reduced nest success in Argentina’s agricultural land highlights the importance of non-agricultural habitat for its conservation Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-06 Florencia M Pucheta, Inés M Pereda, Adrián S Di Giacomo
The Saffron-cowled Blackbird (Xanthopsar flavus) is a globally endangered icterid endemic to the southern South American grasslands. Temperate grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems in South America due to their high rate of land use change. In northeastern Argentina, over the last century, the conversion of natural grasslands to livestock farming, croplands, and afforestation have resulted
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Abundance models of endemic birds of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, northern South America, suggest small population sizes and dependence on montane elevations Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Esteban Botero-Delgadillo, Enrick Meza-Angulo, Nicholas J Bayly
Abundance measures are almost non-existent for several bird species threatened with extinction, particularly range-restricted Neotropical taxa, for which estimating population sizes can be challenging. Here we use data collected over 9 years to explore the abundance of 11 endemic birds from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), one of Earth’s most irreplaceable ecosystems. We established 99 transects
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Reintroduced Oriental Stork survival differed by mitochondrial DNA haplotype Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Tomohiro Deguchi, Yuji Okahisa, Yoshito Ohsako
Long-lived territorial bird populations often consist of a few territorial breeding adults and many nonbreeding individuals. Some populations are threatened by anthropogenic activities, because of human conflicts for high-quality breeding habitat. Therefore, habitat restoration projects have been widely implemented to improve avian population status. In conjunction with habitat restoration, conservation
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Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Asaf Mayrose, Eli Haviv, Ohad Hatzofe, David Troupin, Michal Elroy, Nir Sapir
The Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) is a critically endangered species in Israel, with electrocution on power lines posing a serious threat to its population. Because retrofitting of electricity pylons to prevent mortality is a slow and costly process, it is important to prioritize the pylons in the network for quick and efficient mitigation of eagle mortality. To determine which pylons need to be
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Poor reproductive performance of Least Terns after tropical cyclones in Mississippi USA suggests delayed nesting seriously reduces colony productivity Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Abigail J Darrah
Coastal birds that rely on sandy beaches for breeding are vulnerable to catastrophic flooding events resulting from tropical cyclones. The effects of storm surge on annual productivity depend on the propensity and success of renesting attempts post-storm. From 2017 to 2021, I investigated the effects of storm surge on Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) annual productivity, renesting probability, and
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Upland Sandpipers select for later time since fire and experience high nest survival in grasslands managed with patch-burn grazing Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-11 Alexander C Rischette, Benjamin A Geaumont, Cameron A Duquette, Torre J Hovick
Upland Sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) are a grassland obligate shorebird that nests in dense vegetation structure near recently disturbed areas and could benefit from management practices that promote heterogenous vegetation structure. Upland Sandpipers primary breeding range is generally managed for livestock production using traditional practices that lack patchy disturbances to facilitate higher
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Alaska's climate sensitive Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta supports seven million Arctic-breeding shorebirds, including the majority of six North American populations Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-22 James E Lyons, Stephen C Brown, Sarah T Saalfeld, James A Johnson, Brad A Andres, Kristine M Sowl, Robert E Gill, Brian J McCaffery, Lindall R Kidd, Metta McGarvey, Brad Winn, H River Gates, Diane A Granfors, Richard B Lanctot
Baseline information about declining North American shorebird populations is essential to determine the effects of global warming at low-lying coastal areas of the Arctic and subarctic, where numerous taxa breed, and to assess population recovery throughout their range. We estimated population sizes on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska on the eastern edge of the Bering Sea. We conducted ground-based
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Rapid population decline in McKay's Bunting, an Alaskan endemic, highlights the species’ current status relative to international standards for vulnerable species Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-19 Rachel M Richardson, Courtney L Amundson, James A Johnson, Marc D Romano, Audrey R Taylor, Michael D Fleming, Steven M Matsuoka
The McKay’s Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) is endemic to Alaska, breeds solely on the remote and uninhabited St. Matthew and Hall islands (332 km2) in the central Bering Sea, and is designated as a species of high conservation concern due to its small population size and restricted range. A previous hypothesized population estimate (~2,800—6,000 individuals) was greatly increased (~31,200 individuals)
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Increasing marsh bird abundance in coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes, 2011–2021, likely caused by increasing water levels Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 Douglas C Tozer, Annie M Bracey, Giuseppe E Fiorino, Thomas M Gehring, Erin E Gnass Giese, Greg P Grabas, Robert W Howe, Gregory J Lawrence, Gerald J Niemi, Bridget A Wheelock, Danielle M Ethier
Wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America (i.e., lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) provide critical habitat for marsh birds. We used 11 years (2011–2021) of data collected by the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program at 1,962 point-count locations in 792 wetlands to quantify the first-ever annual abundance indices and trends of 18 marsh-breeding bird species
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Spatially explicit Bayesian hierarchical models improve estimates of avian population status and trends Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Adam C Smith, Allison D. Binley, Lindsay Daly, Brandon P M Edwards, Danielle Ethier, Barbara Frei, David Iles, Timothy D Meehan, Nicole L Michel, Paul A Smith
Population trend estimates form the core of avian conservation assessments in North America and indicate important changes in the state of the natural world. The models used to estimate these trends would be more efficient and informative for conservation if they explicitly considered the spatial locations of the monitoring data. We created spatially explicit versions of some standard status and trend
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Characterizing juvenile dispersal dynamics of invasive Barred Owls: Implications for management Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Whitney A Watson, Daniel F Hofstadter, Gavin M Jones, H Anu Kramer, Nicholas F Kryshak, Ceeanna J Zulla, Sheila A Whitmore, Virginia O’Rourke, John J Keane, R J Gutiérrez, M Zachariah Peery
Characterizing natal dispersal can help manage the spread of invasive species expanding their ranges in response to land use and climate change. The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is a prominent example of an apex predator undergoing a rapid range expansion, having spread from eastern to western North America where it is now hyperabundant—threatening the Northern Spotted Owl (S. occidentalis caurina) with
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Population viability analysis informs Western Grasswren translocation: Multi-population sourcing of 112 founder individuals needed to meet success criteria Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-07 Aline Gibson Vega, Amanda R Ridley, Allan H Burbidge, Michelle L Hall, Saul J Cowen
Conservation translocations have become an increasingly popular method to restore or secure vulnerable populations. However, translocations greatly vary in success. The use of population viability analysis (PVA) may increase the likelihood of meeting translocation goals. However, the quality of PVAs to inform translocations is dependent on the availability of ecological data and clear translocation
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Avoidance of offshore wind farms by Sandwich Terns in the North Sea increases with turbine density Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-18 Rob S A van Bemmelen, Jacco J Leemans, Mark P Collier, Ros M W Green, Robert P Middelveld, Chris B Thaxter, Ruben C Fijn
The expanding use of wind farms as a source of renewable energy can impact bird populations due to collisions and other factors. Globally, seabirds are one of the avian taxonomic groups most threatened by anthropogenic disturbance; adequately assessing the potential impact of offshore wind farms (OWFs) is important for developing strategies to avoid or minimize harm to their populations. We estimated
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Natal forest fragment size does not predict fledgling, pre-migration or apparent annual survival in Wood Thrushes Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Sue M Hayes, Brendan P Boyd, Alexandra M Israel, Bridget J M Stutchbury
Determining the drivers and mechanisms for first year survival of migratory songbirds has been an understudied area in population dynamics due to the difficulty in tracking juveniles once they have dispersed from the natal site. With the advancement in miniaturization of radio-tags (battery life ~400 days) and the development of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, we tracked 189 Wood Thrush (Hylocichla
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Embracing “more-than-Western” bird knowledge: A decolonial process to move from discussion to action Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-02 Bastian Thomsen, Kellen Copeland, Michael Harte, Olav Muurlink, Daniel Villar, Benjamin H Mirin, Samuel R Fennell, Anant Deshwal, Payton Campbell, Ami Pekrul, Katie L Murtough, Apoovra Kulkarni, Nishant Kumar, Jennifer Thomsen, Sarah Coose, Jon Maxwell, Zhenhuan Zhang, Dane Nickerson, Andrew Gosler
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) or local ecological knowledge (LEK) have only recently gained traction as “legitimate” science in Western academic discourse. Such approaches to inclusivity continue to face institutional, sociocultural, and equity barriers to being fully accepted in academic discourse in comparison to Western-based frameworks. Postcolonial studies have attempted to rectify this
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Invasion dynamics of the European Collared-Dove in North America are explained by combined effects of habitat and climate Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-29 Yiran Shao, Danielle Ethier, Simon Bonner
Global biodiversity is increasingly threatened by the spread of invasive species. Understanding the mechanisms influencing the initial colonization and persistence of invaders is therefore needed if conservation actions are to prevent new invasions or strive to slow their spread. The Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto, EUCO) is one of the most successful avian invasive species in North America;
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Beach recreationists perceive a lack of knowledge about shorebirds’ needs as a constraint to walking around shorebird flocks Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-19 Carolyn A Comber, Ashley A Dayer
Walking through shorebird flocks can have negative impacts on shorebird populations. Understanding human behavior is essential for minimizing disturbance. As such, we used a mixed methods approach consisting of phone interviews and a survey to explore (1) recreationists’ perceived benefits and constraints to voluntarily walking around shorebird flocks; (2) recreationists’ intentions to walk around
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Experimental reduction of a primary nest predator fails to decrease nest predation rates of sagebrush songbirds Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-15 Ashleigh M Rhea, Anna D Chalfoun
Predator removal comprises one management strategy to increase the reproductive success of a prey species of concern, particularly within human-altered landscapes. The efficacy of such an approach, however, depends partly on the extent to which predation risk is additive or compensatory, which remains unknown for many systems. We experimentally reduced the local abundance of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)
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Breeders’ age, nest-site characteristics and climatic conditions but not density-dependent effects determine Bonelli’s Eagle breeding performance: A long-term study (2002–2021) Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-13 Andrés López-Peinado, Pascual López-López
The conservation of endangered species is a crucial topic in conservation biology due to the important ecological roles these species play in their respective ecosystems. Top predators are particularly vulnerable to the variation in environmental conditions. The Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) is a long-lived bird of prey that fulfills its role as a top predator in Mediterranean ecosystems, but its
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Species-specific ecological traits, phylogeny, and geography underpin vulnerability to population declines for North American birds Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-05 Henry C Stevens, Adam C Smith, Evan R Buechley, Çağan H Şekercioğlu, Vaughn Shirey, Kenneth V Rosenberg, Frank A La Sorte, Douglas Tallamy, Peter P Marra
Species declines and extinctions characterize the Anthropocene. Determining species vulnerability to decline, and where and how to mitigate threats, are paramount for effective conservation. We hypothesized that species with shared ecological traits also share threats, and therefore may experience similar population trends. Here, we used a Bayesian modeling framework to test whether phylogeny, geography
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Similar post-fledging behavior observed in wild and reintroduced juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle in two Mediterranean islands Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-08 Olga Egea-Casas, Pascual López-López, Ernesto Álvarez, Giuseppe Cortone, Manuel Gal&án, Juan José, Iglesias-Lebrija, Mario Lo Valvo, Juan Martínez, Stefania Merlino, Carlota Viada, Massimiliano Di Vittorio
Reintroduction projects are gaining popularity; however, their relatively elevated cost and chance of failure make them debatable, hence assessing their effectiveness is essential. Within the early stages of raptors, the post-fledging dependency period (PFDP) is the one in which individuals must face dangers without having completely developed their skills. Thereby, comparing PFDP patterns concerning
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Structural complexity is a better predictor than single habitat attributes of understory bird densities in Andean temperate forests Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Victoria C Concha, Julián Caviedes, Fernando J Novoa, Tomás A Altamirano, José Tomás Ibarra
The simplification of forest structural complexity, caused by anthropogenic land-use practices, is one of the main threats to understory specialist birds. We examined the association of both single structural attributes and structural complexity, with the density of 4 understory bird species in the Global Biodiversity Hotspot “Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests” of South America. Between 2011
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Census counts of Common Murres adjusted for timing of breeding are more accurate than counts based on calendar dates Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Timothy R Birkhead, Robert D Montgomerie
Climate change has resulted in a marked advancement in the breeding phenology of many bird species. Since the timing of many monitoring programmes is based on calendar dates, changes in the timing of birds’ breeding seasons may result in a mismatch with the census period. Using data from a long-term population study of Common Murres (Uria aalge; Common Guillemots in Europe) on Skomer Island, Wales
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Increasing perceived predation risk through playbacks reduces Red-winged Blackbird abundance in agriculture late in the breeding season Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-25 Janice K Enos, Emma B Smith, Michael P Ward, John P Swaddle, Mark E Hauber
Perceived predation and brood parasitism risks strongly influence nesting habitat selection for several bird species. Here we report on a playback experiment evaluating whether perceived predation or brood parasitism risk can reduce Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) abundances in agricultural nesting habitat. We broadcast Cooper’s Hawk vocalizations (Accipiter cooperii, a predator of adult
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Survival of juvenile Florida Scrub-Jays is positively correlated with month and negatively correlated with male breeder death Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-25 Geoffrey M Carter, Eric D Stolen, David R Breininger, Stephanie A Legare, Danny K Hunt, Christopher D Schumann, William V Payne
Juvenile survival in birds is difficult to estimate but this vital rate can be an important consideration for management decisions. We estimated juvenile survival of cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) in a landscape degraded by fire suppression and fragmentation using data from marked (n = 325) and unmarked juveniles (n = 1,306) with an integrated hierarchical Bayesian
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Using foraging range and colony size to assess the vulnerability of breeding seabirds to oil across regions lacking at-sea distribution data Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-17 Nina J O’Hanlon, Alexander L Bond, Elizabeth A Masden, David Boertmann, Thomas Bregnballe, Jóhannis Danielsen, Sébastien Descamps, Aevar Petersen, Hallvard Strøm, Geir Systad, Neil A James
With the projected increases in shipping activity and hydrocarbon extraction globally, there is an increased risk of negative ecological impacts from oil pollution on the marine environment, including seabirds. Oil Vulnerability Indices (OVIs) are a common approach to assess seabird species vulnerability to oil pollution, and to identify where species are most at risk, typically across regional spatial
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Prevalence and diversity of malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) in the imperiled Saltmarsh Sparrow are greater at northern sites Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-17 Alyssa Neuhaus, Oksana Lane, Adrienne Kovach, Meaghan Conway, Michelle Kneeland, Ellen Martinsen
Malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) are important agents of infectious disease in birds and multiple factors, including warming temperatures and environmental contamination, may act to increase their geographic and host ranges. Here, we examined the role of geographical variation and environmental mercury exposure in malaria parasite infection dynamics in an imperiled songbird species with high mercury
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Breeding season forest fragment size does not create negative carry-over for adult Wood Thrushes on fall migration timing or apparent annual survival Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-14 Brendan P Boyd, Sue Hayes, Alexandra M Israel, Bridget J M Stutchbury
Although carry-over effects related to wintering habitat quality are known to influence population dynamics of migratory songbirds, the presence of breeding season carry-over is understudied in full annual cycle models. To test whether forest fragment size on the breeding grounds can impose negative carry-over effects on a migratory songbird, we fitted adult Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) with
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Preferred nesting habitat of the slow-breeding Superb Lyrebird is rare and was disproportionately impacted by Australia’s “Black Summer” megafires (2019–2020) within a World Heritage Area Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-12 Eric J Hughes, Victoria I Austin, Fiona Backhouse, Alex C Maisey, Kelsie A Lopez, Chloe S Mikles, Karan J Odom, Justin A Welbergen, Anastasia H Dalziell
Understanding nest site selection is critical to developing effective conservation management actions. The Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) is one of many endemic species extensively impacted by Australia’s unprecedented 2019–2020 megafires. Over a period of 5 months, an estimated 43% of the entire range of this slow-breeding species was burnt, with the biggest impact on the central subspecies
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Surrounding landscape, habitat and hybridization dynamics drive population structure and genetic diversity in the Saltmarsh Sparrow Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-05 Jennifer Walsh, Lindsey E Fenderson, Chris S Elphick, Jonathan B Cohen, Christopher R Field, Laura K Garey, Thomas P Hodgman, Alison R Kocek, Rebecca Longenecker, Kathleen M O’Brien, Brian J Olsen, Katharine J Ruskin, W Gregory Shriver, Adrienne I Kovach
Determining factors that shape a species’ population genetic structure is beneficial for identifying effective conservation practices. We assessed population structure and genetic diversity for Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta), an imperiled tidal marsh specialist, using 13 microsatellite markers and 964 individuals sampled from 24 marshes across the breeding range. We show that Saltmarsh Sparrow
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Turkey Vulture survival is reduced in areas of greater road density Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-06-17 Adrian Naveda-Rodriguez, Keith L Bildstein, David R Barber, Jean-François Therrien, Michael L Avery, Bryan M Kluever, Scott A Rush, Francisco J Vilella
The demography of, and factors that influence these metrics, are largely unknown for most vultures in the Americas. Survivorship of Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) may be influenced by landscape heterogeneity and human disturbance. We quantified the effects of landscape composition (Shannon’s diversity index) and configuration (contagion, edge density, and largest patch index), and human disturbance
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Tufted Puffins exhibit low levels of genetic differentiation among breeding colonies in North America Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-06-16 Brendan A Graham, J Mark Hipfner, Nora A Rojek, Shawn W Stephensen, Theresa M Burg
Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are experiencing population declines in some parts of their distribution, making this a species of increased conservation interest. Genetic data will help to identify Tufted Puffin populations of conservation importance and provide an important tool for developing conservation management plans. This species is broadly distributed across the North Pacific Ocean,
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Lead, trash, DDE, and young age of breeders linked to lower fertility in the first two decades of reintroduction for critically endangered California Condors in California Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-06-10 Victoria J Bakker, Myra E Finkelstein, Daniel F Doak, Rachel Wolstenholme, Alacia Welch, Joe Burnett, Ariana Punzalan, Joseph Brandt, Steve Kirkland, Estelle Sandhaus, Erin Lehnert, Nadya E Seal Faith
In the first comprehensive assessment of the reproductive rates of critically endangered California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) recovering from complete extirpation in the wild, we analyzed 20 years (1999–2018) of data from condor flocks in southern and central California. We found that several anthropogenic threats affected reproductive rates: (1) coastal space use by female condors was associated
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Drastic reduction of the population distribution of White Storks predicted in absence of landfills Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-06-09 Alejandro López-García, Diego Gil-Tapetado, José I Aguirre
Organic waste production has greatly increased following human sprawl and led to the development of landfills in recent decades. This abundant and reliable anthropogenic food source has favored several species, some of which consequently became overabundant. Landfills present hazards to wildlife, which may suffocate on plastic materials, tangle on cords, and get exposed to pollutants and pathogens
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More than mortality: Consequences of human activity on migrating birds extend beyond direct mortality Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-29 Claire Nemes, Sergio A Cabrera-Cruz, Meredith Anderson, Lucas W DeGroote, Joely G DeSimone, Megan Massa, Emily B Cohen
Birds must contend with an array of anthropogenic threats during their migratory journeys. Many migrants are killed due to encounters with artificial light, introduced species, pollutants, and other anthropogenic hazards, while survivors of these encounters can suffer longer-lasting negative effects. The nonlethal effects of anthropogenic threats on migrating birds are less well understood than direct
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Assessing bird diversity in Neotropical rainforests: A comparative study of camera traps and mist nets reveals complementary sampling approaches Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-27 Angela M Vargas-Daza, Juan F Betancurt-Grisales, Leydy J Cardona-Salazar, Yenny A Benavides-Ossa, Francisco E Fontúrbel, Gabriel J Castaño-Villa
Different sampling methods are used to study bird diversity in the tropics, mist nets being one of the most common approaches. However, camera traps have been used for this purpose in the last 20 years. We compared the performance of mist nets and camera traps in sampling the diversity of understory and sub-canopy birds in a Neotropical rainforest. Given its high biodiversity, obtaining accurate bird
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Passive acoustic monitoring indicates Barred Owls are established in northern coastal California and management intervention is warranted Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-25 Whitney A Watson, Connor M Wood, Kevin G Kelly, Daniel F Hofstadter, Nicholas F Kryshak, Ceeanna J Zulla, Sheila A Whitmore, Virginia O’Rourke, John J Keane, M Zachariah Peery
Barred Owls (Strix varia) have recently expanded westward from eastern North America, contributing to substantial declines in Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina). Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) represents a potentially powerful approach for tracking range expansions like the Barred Owl’s, but further methods development is needed to ensure that PAM-informed occupancy models meaningfully
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Henslow’s Sparrow shows positive response to prescribed fire rotation Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-23 Meghan P Keating, Perry J Williams, Joseph R Robb, Frances E Buderman, Jason P Lewis, Teresa Vanosdol, Ryan Harer
We examined Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii) response to prescribed fire at 32 grasslands at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Indiana from 1999 to 2009. We burned grasslands in the spring between 1999 and 2007 and monitored Henslow’s Sparrows for up to 4 yr after treatment. We used linear mixed models to analyze our data. Henslow’s Sparrow counts were correlated with time since
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Juvenile Northern Spotted Owls with higher mass and intermediate levels of corticosterone have greater long-term survival Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-04 Ashlee J Mikkelsen, Damon B Lesmeister, Kathleen M O’Reilly, Katie M Dugger
Early life experiences have carry-over effects that manifest in later life stages. Challenging rearing environments result in more energy invested in immediate survival and less energy on growth and maturation, which can decrease survival in both the short and long-term. One way to measure differences in energy allocation to growth between individuals is through physiological indices, such as concentrations
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Woodpeckers in the city: Abundances are highest in large green spaces with complex understories Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-03 Michael T Murphy, Adam Baz
We documented occurrence and relative abundance (henceforth abundance) of five woodpecker species in 36 forested green spaces in Portland, Oregon (USA), to estimate minimum area requirements (MAR; 0.5 probability of occurrence) and to test for potential influences of green space area and type (heavily treed manicured green spaces versus undeveloped natural forests), habitat features, and landscape
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Global positioning system (GPS) and platform transmitter terminal (PTT) tags reveal fine-scale migratory movements of small birds: A review highlights further opportunities for hypothesis-driven research Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-28 Autumn R Iverson, Jessica L B Schaefer, Shannon Skalos, Carly Hawkins
Studying migration is critically important for understanding the full-annual cycle of migrating birds and aids in management and conservation. In recent years, global positioning system (GPS) and platform transmitting terminal (PTT) tags have become miniaturized, revolutionizing migration research by allowing for higher location accuracy and global coverage for smaller species. We reviewed 116 primary
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Citizen science photographs indicate different timing and location use of migrating adult and juvenile Whimbrels Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-30 Chance Hines, Laura Duval, Bryan D Watts, Grant Van Horn, Eliot Miller
It is imperative to identify factors that influence population trends for declining species, but demographic parameters can be especially challenging to quantify for birds, such as Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), that breed in locations that are logistically difficult to access. At least two disjunct Whimbrel populations breed in remote and difficult to access northern latitudes but migrate through
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Is green the new black? Black-backed Woodpecker vital rates do not differ between unburned and burned forests within a pyrodiverse landscape Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-15 Mark E Kerstens, James W Rivers
Woodpeckers often reflect rapid changes to forest health and serve as indicator species to help guide forest management decisions. The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) is known for its strong association with recently burned forests and is a species of conservation concern due to habitat loss stemming from post-fire management of burned forest. Several studies have found the Black-backed
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White Storks nest at high densities near landfills changing stork nesting distributions in the last four decades in Central Spain Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-14 Alejandro López-García, José I Aguirre
Human-induced environmental changes are the main drivers of the ongoing redistribution of biodiversity. The millions of tons of organic waste that is added daily to landfills can increase the carrying capacity of ecological systems with direct effects on species´ population sizes and/or distributions. Understanding the effect of landfills on bird distribution is essential to assess management decisions
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Nest traits and major flooding events influence nest survival of Emperor Geese while regional environmental variation linked to climate does not Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-10 Jordan M Thompson, Brian D Uher-Koch, Bryan L Daniels, Joel A Schmutz, Benjamin S Sedinger
Reproductive ecology of geese that breed in the Arctic and subarctic is likely susceptible to effects of climate change, which is projected to alter environmental conditions of northern latitudes. Nest survival is an important component of productivity in geese; however, the effects of regional environmental conditions on nest survival are not well understood for some species, including the Emperor
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Integrating multiple data sources improves prediction and inference for upland game bird occupancy models Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-23 Robert L Emmet, Thomas J Benson, Maximilian L Allen, Kirk W Stodola
Bird populations have declined across North America over the past several decades. Bird monitoring programs are essential for monitoring populations, but often must strike a balance between efficiency of data collection and spatial biases. Species- or habitat-specialist-specific monitoring programs may be helpful for increasing efficiency of sampling and understanding effects of management actions
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Low Kirtland’s Warbler fledgling survival in Wisconsin plantations relative to Michigan plantations Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-21 Ashley Olah, Christine A Ribic, Kim Grveles, Sarah Warner, Davin Lopez, Anna M Pidgeon
The Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a formerly endangered habitat specialist that breeds mainly in young jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in northern Lower Michigan, USA. The species is conservation-reliant and depends on habitat management. Management actions have primarily focused on creating jack pine plantations, but the species also breeds in red pine (Pinus resinosa) plantations
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Accelerating declines of North America’s shorebirds signal the need for urgent conservation action Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-08 Paul A Smith, Adam C Smith, Brad Andres, Charles M Francis, Brian Harrington, Christian Friis, R I Guy Morrison, Julie Paquet, Bradford Winn, Stephen Brown
Shorebirds are declining to a greater extent than many other avian taxa around the world. In North America, shorebirds, along with aerial insectivores and grassland birds, have some of the highest proportions of declining species of any group. Here, we apply a new hierarchical Bayesian model to analyze shorebird migration monitoring data from across North America, from 1980 to 2019, and present the
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How to include and recognize the work of ornithologists based in the Neotropics: Fourteen actions for Ornithological Applications, Ornithology, and other global-scope journals Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-07 Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza, Kristina L Cockle, María Gabriela Núñez Montellano, Carla S Fontana, Cecilia Cuatianquiz Lima, María A Echeverry-Galvis, Ronald A Fernández-Gómez, Flavia A Montaño-Centellas, Elisa Bonaccorso, Sergio A Lambertucci, Cintia Cornelius, Carlos Bosque, Leandro Bugoni, Alejandro Salinas-Melgoza, Katherine Renton, Juan F Freile, Fernando Angulo, Lourdes Mugica Valdés, Enriqueta Velarde
Global-scope scientific journals have played an important role in upholding a colonial legacy of north-south inequities in ornithology, and they now have a key role to play in increasing equity in scientific publishing. We explore common barriers faced by ornithologists in the Neotropics (Latin America and the Caribbean) and suggest priority actions that Ornithological Applications, Ornithology, and
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Neotropical ornithology: Reckoning with historical assumptions, removing systemic barriers, and reimagining the future Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-07 Letícia Soares, Kristina L Cockle, Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza, José Tomás Ibarra, Carolina Isabel Miño, Santiago Zuluaga, Elisa Bonaccorso, Juan Camilo Ríos-Orjuela, Flavia A Montaño-Centellas, Juan F Freile, María A Echeverry-Galvis, Eugenia Bianca Bonaparte, Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas, Karina Speziale, Sergio A Cabrera-Cruz, Orlando Acevedo-Charry, Enriqueta Velarde, Cecilia Cuatianquiz Lima, Valeria S
A major barrier to advancing ornithology is the systemic exclusion of professionals from the Global South. A recent special feature, Advances in Neotropical Ornithology, and a shortfalls analysis therein, unintentionally followed a long-standing pattern of highlighting individuals, knowledge, and views from the Global North, while largely omitting the perspectives of people based within the Neotropics
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Influence of fine-scale habitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival varies by mesic and xeric site conditions Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2023-01-14 Brianne E Brussee, Peter S Coates, Shawn T O’Neil, Mark A Ricca, Jonathan E Dudko, Shawn P Espinosa, Scott C Gardner, Michael L Casazza, David J Delehanty
Resource managers and scientists across western U.S. agencies seek methodologies for identifying environmental attributes important to both wildlife conservation and broad-scale land stewardship. The Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) exemplifies a species in need of this broad-scale approach given widespread population declines that have resulted from loss and
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Teak plantations are complementary habitat for the Green Peafowl movement within the fragmented Bago Yoma range, south-central Myanmar Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-26 Lay Win, Niti Sukumal, Nay Myo Shwe, Tommaso Savini
Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation following intensive agricultural expansion, and both legal and illegal logging, have contributed to the rapid decline of the Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) over mainland Southeast Asia. Dry forest habitat in the Bago Yoma range (Myanmar) is considered one of the region’s last remaining strongholds for the species. However, the area has been fragmented over
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Weak genetic structure, shared nonbreeding areas, and extensive movement in a declining waterbird Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-23 Nicholas G Shephard, Patricia Szczys, David J Moore, Matthew W Reudink, Jeffrey N Costa, Annie M Bracey, Simeon Lisovski, Ann E McKellar
Understanding population mixing, movements, and connectivity of populations is an important first step towards effective conservation, particularly for long distance migrants that are suffering the greatest population declines, as this allows researchers to recognize how populations may face different risks throughout the annual cycle. We combined population genetic and individual tracking data to
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Eastern Whip-poor-wills have larger nonbreeding home ranges in areas with more agriculture and forest fragmentation Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-07 Aaron A Skinner, Stephen N Matthews, Michael P Ward, Ian Souza-Cole, James R Wright, Frank R Thompson, Thomas J Benson, Christopher M Tonra
Migratory bird populations can be limited by events in disparate parts of the world. Birds wintering in tropical regions are facing rapid habitat loss, climate change, and intensive agricultural regimes, potentially contributing to population declines. However, an understanding of basic nonbreeding ecology of species, such as habitat and space use, is critical for determining if this is the case. Populations
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Tall, heterogenous forests improve prey capture, delivery to nestlings, and reproductive success for Spotted Owls in southern California Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-03 Zachary A Wilkinson, H Anu Kramer, Gavin M Jones, Ceeanna J Zulla, Kate McGinn, Josh M Barry, Sarah C Sawyer, Richard Tanner, R J Gutiérrez, John J Keane, M Zachariah Peery
Predator–prey interactions can be profoundly influenced by vegetation conditions, particularly when predator and prey prefer different habitats. Although such interactions have proven challenging to study for small and cryptic predators, recent methodological advances substantially improve opportunities for understanding how vegetation influences prey acquisition and strengthen conservation planning
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Woody plant encroachment reduces density of most grassland specialists in a desert grassland but has limited influence on nest survival Condor Ornithol. Appl. (IF 2.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-03 Erik M Andersen, Robert J Steidl
Woody plants are proliferating in grassland ecosystems worldwide, altering distributions and demography of many imperiled species. The transition from grassland to shrubland is especially prevalent in semiarid regions, but the influence of woody plant encroachment (WPE) on birds that breed in desert grasslands is poorly understood, which reduces the potential for developing effective conservation actions