Reproductive success, growth and survival of black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and snowy egret (Egretta thula) chicks in coastal Virginia
R. Michael Erwin, J.G. Haig, Daniel B. Stotts, Jeffrey S. Hatfield
1996, The Auk (113) 119-130
We studied reproductive success, growth, and survival of Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) chicks in two mixed-species heronries on marsh islands in Chincoteague Bay, Accomack County, Virginia in 1992 and 1993. We attached radio transmitters with mortality sensors to the oldest chicks (A-chicks) in 11 to...
Tyrannula minima Baird & Baird, 1843 (currently Empidonax minimus) and Contopus pertinax Cabanis & Heine, 1859 (Aves, Passeriformes): Proposed conservation of the specific names
C.S. Robbins
1996, Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature (53) 137-138
No abstract available....
Can earthworms survive fire retardants?
W. N. Beyer, A. Olson
1996, Fire Management Notes (56) 25-27
Most common fire retardants are foams or are similar to common agricultural fertilizers, such as ammonium sulfate and ammonium phosphate. Although fire retardants are widely applied to soils, we lack basic information about their toxicities to soil organisms. We measured the toxicity of five fire retardants (Firetrol...
New records of predaceous diving beetles (Coleoptera:Dytiscidae) in Maine
L.R. Boobar, K.E. Gibbs, J. R. Longcore, A.M. Perillo
1996, Entomological News (107) 267-271
Locations, habitat descriptions, and collection dates are listed for new records of 4 genera and 12 species of predaceous diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in Maine. Previously, 17 genera and 53 species of the aquatic beetle were reported from Maine....
Observations of a grooved anterior fang in Psammodynastes pulverulentus: Does the mock viper resemble a protoelapid?
Kate Jackson, Thomas H. Fritts
1996, Journal of Herpetology (30) 128-131
No abstract available....
Description of adults, eggshells, nestling, fledgling, and nest of the poo-uli
A. Engilis Jr., T.K. Pratt, C. B. Kepler, A.M. Ecton, K.M. Fluetsch
1996, The Wilson Bulletin (108) 607-619
The Poo-uli (Melamprosops phaeosoma), a Hawaiian honeycreeper discovered on the island of Maui in 1973 and now near extinction, is represented in museums by only two specimens. Based on the first observations of a nesting pair and re-examination of the two specimens, we describe the adult male and female, eggshells,...
Neotropical migratory breeding bird communities in riparian forests of different widths along the Altamaha River, Georgia
M.F. Hodges Jr., D.G. Krementz
1996, The Wilson Bulletin (108) 496-506
-We surveyed riparian forest corridors of different widths along the lower Altamaha River in Georgia in 1993 and 1994 to investigate the relationship between forest corridor width and Neotropical breeding bird community diversity and abundance. Species richness and abundance of three of six focal species increased with increasing forest corridor...
Trail degradation as influenced by environmental factors: A state-of-the-knowledge review
Y.-F. Leung, J. L. Marion
1996, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (51) 130-136
Excerpt: Human use and misuse of land has been causing extensive degradation of the very natural resources on which we depend. National parks, wilderness and other protected natural or semi-natural areas (referred to as natural areas hereafter) represent efforts to preserve our natural heritage from further exploitation. Such areas...
Dependence of waterbirds and shorebirds on shallow-water habitats in the Mid-Atlantic coastal region: An ecological profile and management recommendations
R.M. Erwin
1996, Estuaries (19) 213-219
Waterbirds (waterfowl, colonially nesting wading and seabirds, ospreys [Pandion haliaetus], and bald eagles [Haliaeetus leucocephalus]) and shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, and relatives) may constitute a large fraction of the toplevel carnivore trophic component in many shallow-water areas of the mid-Atlantic region. The large biomass of many species (>1 kg body mass...
Toxicity of seleno-l-methionine, seleno-dl-methionine, high selenium wheat, and selenized yeast to mallard ducklings
G. H. Heinz, D. J. Hoffman, L. J. LeCaptain
1996, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (30) 93-99
The toxicity of four chemical forms of selenium (seleno-L-methionine, seleno-DL-methionine, selenized yeast, and high selenium wheat) was compared in day-old mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos). In the first experiment, in which the basal diet was 75% wheat, survival after 2 weeks was lower for ducklings fed 30 μg/g selenium as seleno-L-methionine...
Nesting behavior of the poo-uli
C. B. Kepler, T.K. Pratt, A.M. Ecton, A. Engilis Jr., K.M. Fluetsch
1996, The Wilson Bulletin (108) 620-638
We describe two sequential nestings of a pair of Poo-uli (Melamprosops phaeosoma), a Hawaiian honeycreeper nearing extinction. Similarities to nesting of most other honeycreepers included: nest site in ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha Gaud.) canopy; breeding in March through June; monogamous breeding system with the putative male helping build the nest,...
Accumulation of chlorinated benzenes in earthworms
W. N. Beyer
1996, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (57) 729-736
Chlorinated benzenes are widespread in the environment. Hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene and all isomers of dichlorobenzenes, trichlorobenzenes, and tetrachlorobenzenes, have been detected in fish, water, and sediments from the Great Lakes. This paper describes a long-term (26 week) experiment relating the concentrations of chlorinated benzenes in earthworms to 1) the...
Toxicity and oxidative stress of different forms of organic selenium and dietary protein in mallard ducklings
D. J. Hoffman, G. H. Heinz, L. J. LeCaptain, J.D. Eisemann, G.W. Pendleton
1996, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (31) 120-127
Concentrations of over 100 ppm (mg/kg) selenium (Se) have been found in aquatic plants and insects associated with irrigation drainwater and toxicity to fish and wildlife. Composition of diet for wild ducklings can vary in selenium-contaminated environments. Earlier studies have compared toxicities and oxidative stress of Se as selenite to...
Developmental toxicity of PCB 126 (3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl) in nestling American kestrels (Falco sparverius)
David J. Hoffman, Mark J. Melancon, P. N. Klein, Clifford P. Rice, John D. Eisemann, Randy K. Hines, James W. Spann, Grey W. Pendleton
1996, Fundamental and Applied Toxicology (34) 188-200
Planar PCB congeners are embryotoxic and teratogenic to birds including American kestrels. The developmental toxicity of 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) was studied in the posthatching kestrel as a model for the eagle. Nestlings were dosed orally for 10 days with 5 μl/g body weight of corn oil (controls) or the planar...
Detecting trends in raptor counts: power and type I error rates of various statistical tests
Jeff S. Hatfield, W.R. Gould IV, Brett A. Hoover, M.R. Fuller, E. L. Lindquist
1996, Wildlife Society Bulletin (24) 505-515
We conducted simulations that estimated power and type I error rates of statistical tests for detecting trends in raptor population count data collected from a single monitoring site. Results of the simulations were used to help analyze count data of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from 7 national forests in Michigan,...
Dispersal and habitat use by post-fledging juvenile snowy egrets and black-crowned night-herons
R.M. Erwin, J.G. Haig, Daniel B. Stotts, Jeff S. Hatfield
1996, The Wilson Bulletin (108) 342-356
We studied the postfledging dispersal movements and habitat use of juvenile Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) (SNEG) and Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) (BCNH) in coastal Virginia using a dye (picric acid) and radiotelemetry. Results from monitoring radiomarked birds revealed significant differences both years between species, with SNEGs...
First-time observer effects in the North American Breeding Bird Survey
W. L. Kendall, B.G. Peterjohn, J.R. Sauer
1996, The Auk (113) 823-829
Currently the operational analysis of Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data by the National Biological Service accounts for observer differences in estimating the trend for each route, but within-observer differences are not modeled. We tested for the existence of a form of within-observer differences in skill level, namely a change in...
Purification and immunochemical detection of β-naphthoflavone-and phenobarbital-induced avian cytochrome P450 enzymes
R.L. Brown, P.E. Levi, E. Hodgson, M. J. Melancon
1996, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (15) 2293-2298
Livers from mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were treated with either β-naphthoflavone (50 mg/kg) or phenobarbital (70 mg/kg). Purification of induced hepatic cytochrome P450 was accomplished using both DEAE and hydroxyapatite columns, as well as sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separation. Polyclonal antibodies to these proteins were then produced in young...
Malocclusion in the jaws of captive bred Arctic wolves
N.E. Federoff
1996, Canadian Field-Naturalist (110) 683-687
Similar abnormalities in the skulls of captive Arctic Wolves (Canis lupus arctos) and a wild Arctic wolf found dead on Ellesmere Island, Canada, in 1986 are described. The malocclusion is likely to be recessively inherited and would be expressed more frequently in association with increased levels of inbreeding....
Small mammal populations in Maryland meadows during four years of herbicide (brominal®) applications
D. R. Clark Jr., C.A. Moulton, J.E. Hines, D. J. Hoffman
1996, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (15) 1544-1550
The herbicide Brominal® was applied at the recommended rate to one plot in each of three paired 0.6-ha plots; the other three plots were used as controls. Plots were sprayed once in the fall of 1988 and 1989 and twice in the spring of 1990 and 1991. Small mammals were...
Coexistence and community structure of tropical trees in a Hawaiian montane rain forest
Jeff S. Hatfield, William A. Link, Deanna K. Dawson, E. L. Lindquist
1996, Biotropica (28) 746-758
We measured the diameter at breast height of all trees and shrubs > 5 meters in height, including standing dead trees, on 68 0.04-hectare study plots in a montane, subtropical rain forest on Mauna Loa, Hawai`i. The canopy species consisted of 88 percent Metrosideros polymorpha (ohia) and 12 percent...
Age-specific survival and philopatry in three species of European ducks: A long-term study
Peter Blums, Aivars Mednis, I. Bauga, J.D. Nichols, J.E. Hines
1996, Condor (98) 61-74
Capture-recapture and band recovery models were used to estimate age-specific survival probabilities for female Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata), Common Pochards (Aythya ferina), and Tufted Ducks (Aythya.fuligula) at Engure Marsh, Latvia, in 1964-1993. We banded more than 65,100 day-old ducklings of both sexes and captured 10,211 incubating females (3,713 new...
Trouble in paradise: The brown tree snake in the western Pacific
T. H. Fritts, G.H. Rodda
1996, Aquatic Nuisance Species Digest (1) 26-27
The brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) was recognized as a pest species by Congress in Section 1209 of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (NANPCA). Like aquatic pests, tree snakes are sometimes dispersed by ships, have wide-ranging effects on natural and human communities, and threaten to...
A field data assessment of contemporary models of beach cusp formation
J.R. Allen, N.P. Psuty, B.O. Bauer, R.W.G. Carter
1996, Journal of Coastal Research (12) 622-629
Cusp formation was observed during an instrumented, daily profiled, time series of a reflective beach in Canaveral National Seashore, Florida on January 5, 1988. The monitored cusp embayment formed by erosion of the foreshore and the cusp series had a mean spacing of approximately 28...
Endocrine and developmental effects of environmental contaminants in birds
J.B. French Jr., P.F.P. Henry, M. A. Ottinger, Barnett A. Rattner
1996, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Avian Endocrinology (6) abstract n
