Research Wildlife Biologist Steve Matsuoka explores how climate change affects the reproductive success of Alaska’s diverse bird communities, which include more than 100 species that migrate to Alaska each year world to breed.
On this page, learn about USGS work on Beak Deformities and Boreal Partners in Flight.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems
Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS)
Alaska provides breeding habitat for >140 regularly occurring species of landbirds, half of which breed predominantly north of the U.S.–Canada border. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska, but most northern species are inadequately monitored by that continental program because of a paucity of roads. Boreal Partners in Flight developed the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS) to monitor breeding populations of landbirds in the vast off-road areas of Alaska and to complement data collected from the roadside BBS.
Beak Deformities in Landbirds
The Alaska Science Center began research on a cluster of beak deformities in landbirds in Alaska in 1999. We have since identified more than 3,000 Black-capped Chickadees affected by this disease, known as avian keratin disorder, which represents the highest concentration of such abnormalities ever recorded in a wild bird population! More recently, increasing numbers of other species, including nuthatches, woodpeckers, crows, and jays have also been reported with beak deformities by biologists and local residents.
Boreal Partners in Flight
Alaska Landbird Resource Information System, the official web site for Boreal Partners in Flight! Here is the place to learn more about the Boreal Partners in Flight program and our efforts to understand and conserve northern populations of landbirds.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Boreal Partners in Flight
Changing Arctic Ecosystems
Beak Deformities in Landbirds
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Data for Estimating McKay's Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) Population Change on St. Matthew and Hall Islands, Alaska
Arthropod Abundance and Shrub Cover and Height on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2015-2016
Plasmodium Parasite Infection Data from Mosquitoes Collected in South-central Alaska, 2016
Blood Parasite Infection Data from Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus), Alaska, 2007-2008
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Research Wildlife Biologist Steve Matsuoka explores how climate change affects the reproductive success of Alaska’s diverse bird communities, which include more than 100 species that migrate to Alaska each year world to breed.
Female McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island.
Female McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island.
Male McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island
Male McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island
Male Wilson's Warbler. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Male Wilson's Warbler. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a beak that has grown long and crossed
A Black-capped Chickadee with a beak that has grown long and crossed
Male Lapland Longspur in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Male Lapland Longspur in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Short-eared Owl. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Short-eared Owl. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
A closeup of a male Willow Ptarmigan.
Yellow Warbler nest in a tall shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Yellow Warbler nest in a tall shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
American Golden-Plover nest in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
American Golden-Plover nest in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
A Boreal Chickadee with a mildly deformed beak.
A Boreal Chickadee with a mildly deformed beak.
A Red-breasted Nuthatch captured at an Anchorage banding station
A Red-breasted Nuthatch captured at an Anchorage banding station
Young Arctic Warbler with a band, Seward Peninsula, Alaska.
Young Arctic Warbler with a band, Seward Peninsula, Alaska.
American Tree Sparrow in low to medium shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
American Tree Sparrow in low to medium shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Savannah Sparrow sitting on a hummock in dwarf shrub meadow habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Savannah Sparrow sitting on a hummock in dwarf shrub meadow habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Adult male Bluethroat with bands on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska.
Adult male Bluethroat with bands on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight
A black-capped chickadee with a normal beak captured at an Anchorage banding station.
A black-capped chickadee with a normal beak captured at an Anchorage banding station.
A Black-capped Chickadee with an upper beak slightly longer than the lower beak. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening and may suffer high rates of mortality.
A Black-capped Chickadee with an upper beak slightly longer than the lower beak. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening and may suffer high rates of mortality.
A Slate-colored Junco on Middleton Island, Alaska.
A Slate-colored Junco on Middleton Island, Alaska.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Rapid population decline in McKay's Bunting, an Alaskan endemic, highlights the species’ current status relative to international standards for vulnerable species
Point count offsets for estimating population sizes of north American landbirds
Revealing migratory path, important stopovers and non-breeding areas of a boreal songbird in steep decline
Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion
Implications of historical and contemporary processes on genetic differentiation of a declining boreal songbird: The rusty blackbird
Climate-change refugia in boreal North America: What, where, and for how long?
At the end of the road: Lessons learned from comparing model- and design-based approaches to estimate population sizes of boreal birds in Alberta, Canada
Further information on the avifauna of St. Matthew and Hall Islands, Bering Sea, Alaska
Cryptic and extensive hybridization between ancient lineages of American crows
Prevalence and diversity of avian blood parasites in a resident northern passerine
Evaluating time-removal models for estimating availability of boreal birds during point count surveys: Sample size requirements and model complexity
Avian keratin disorder of Alaska black-capped chickadees is associated with Poecivirus infection
Below are news stories associated with this project.
On this page, learn about USGS work on Beak Deformities and Boreal Partners in Flight.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems
Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS)
Alaska provides breeding habitat for >140 regularly occurring species of landbirds, half of which breed predominantly north of the U.S.–Canada border. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska, but most northern species are inadequately monitored by that continental program because of a paucity of roads. Boreal Partners in Flight developed the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS) to monitor breeding populations of landbirds in the vast off-road areas of Alaska and to complement data collected from the roadside BBS.
Beak Deformities in Landbirds
The Alaska Science Center began research on a cluster of beak deformities in landbirds in Alaska in 1999. We have since identified more than 3,000 Black-capped Chickadees affected by this disease, known as avian keratin disorder, which represents the highest concentration of such abnormalities ever recorded in a wild bird population! More recently, increasing numbers of other species, including nuthatches, woodpeckers, crows, and jays have also been reported with beak deformities by biologists and local residents.
Boreal Partners in Flight
Alaska Landbird Resource Information System, the official web site for Boreal Partners in Flight! Here is the place to learn more about the Boreal Partners in Flight program and our efforts to understand and conserve northern populations of landbirds.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Boreal Partners in Flight
Changing Arctic Ecosystems
Beak Deformities in Landbirds
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Data for Estimating McKay's Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) Population Change on St. Matthew and Hall Islands, Alaska
Arthropod Abundance and Shrub Cover and Height on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2015-2016
Plasmodium Parasite Infection Data from Mosquitoes Collected in South-central Alaska, 2016
Blood Parasite Infection Data from Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus), Alaska, 2007-2008
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Research Wildlife Biologist Steve Matsuoka explores how climate change affects the reproductive success of Alaska’s diverse bird communities, which include more than 100 species that migrate to Alaska each year world to breed.
Research Wildlife Biologist Steve Matsuoka explores how climate change affects the reproductive success of Alaska’s diverse bird communities, which include more than 100 species that migrate to Alaska each year world to breed.
Female McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island.
Female McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island.
Male McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island
Male McKay's Bunting on St. Matthew Island
Male Wilson's Warbler. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Male Wilson's Warbler. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a beak that has grown long and crossed
A Black-capped Chickadee with a beak that has grown long and crossed
Male Lapland Longspur in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Male Lapland Longspur in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Short-eared Owl. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Short-eared Owl. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
A closeup of a male Willow Ptarmigan.
Yellow Warbler nest in a tall shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Yellow Warbler nest in a tall shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
American Golden-Plover nest in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
American Golden-Plover nest in dwarf shrub mat habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
A Boreal Chickadee with a mildly deformed beak.
A Boreal Chickadee with a mildly deformed beak.
A Red-breasted Nuthatch captured at an Anchorage banding station
A Red-breasted Nuthatch captured at an Anchorage banding station
Young Arctic Warbler with a band, Seward Peninsula, Alaska.
Young Arctic Warbler with a band, Seward Peninsula, Alaska.
American Tree Sparrow in low to medium shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
American Tree Sparrow in low to medium shrub thicket habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Savannah Sparrow sitting on a hummock in dwarf shrub meadow habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Savannah Sparrow sitting on a hummock in dwarf shrub meadow habitat. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Adult male Bluethroat with bands on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska.
Adult male Bluethroat with bands on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues.
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight
A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight
A black-capped chickadee with a normal beak captured at an Anchorage banding station.
A black-capped chickadee with a normal beak captured at an Anchorage banding station.
A Black-capped Chickadee with an upper beak slightly longer than the lower beak. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening and may suffer high rates of mortality.
A Black-capped Chickadee with an upper beak slightly longer than the lower beak. Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is a disease characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening and may suffer high rates of mortality.
A Slate-colored Junco on Middleton Island, Alaska.
A Slate-colored Junco on Middleton Island, Alaska.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Rapid population decline in McKay's Bunting, an Alaskan endemic, highlights the species’ current status relative to international standards for vulnerable species
Point count offsets for estimating population sizes of north American landbirds
Revealing migratory path, important stopovers and non-breeding areas of a boreal songbird in steep decline
Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion
Implications of historical and contemporary processes on genetic differentiation of a declining boreal songbird: The rusty blackbird
Climate-change refugia in boreal North America: What, where, and for how long?
At the end of the road: Lessons learned from comparing model- and design-based approaches to estimate population sizes of boreal birds in Alberta, Canada
Further information on the avifauna of St. Matthew and Hall Islands, Bering Sea, Alaska
Cryptic and extensive hybridization between ancient lineages of American crows
Prevalence and diversity of avian blood parasites in a resident northern passerine
Evaluating time-removal models for estimating availability of boreal birds during point count surveys: Sample size requirements and model complexity
Avian keratin disorder of Alaska black-capped chickadees is associated with Poecivirus infection
Below are news stories associated with this project.