Publications
USGS publications associated with the Bird Banding Laboratory. For a complete listing of USGS publications:
Filter Total Items: 162
Full-service hotels, convenience stores, or fire escapes? Evaluating the functional role of stopover sites for Neotropical migrants following passage across the Gulf of Mexico in autumn
Nearctic Neotropical migratory songbirds incur the highest mortality during migration. En-route, songbirds rely on a network of stopover sites to rest, refuel, and/or seek refuge during poor weather. Conservation strategies prioritize protection of sites that best meet these needs. However, the specific function of a stopover site is expected to vary in relation to factors, such as geographic loca
Authors
Lauren E. Solomon, Antonio Celis-Murillo, Michael P. Ward, Jill L. Deppe
Decision-support framework for linking regional-scale management actions to continental-scale conservation of wide-ranging species
Anas acuta (Northern pintail; hereafter pintail) was selected as a model species on which to base a decision-support framework linking regional actions to continental-scale population and harvest objectives. This framework was then used to engage stakeholders, such as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives’ (LCCs’) habitat management partners within areas of importance to pintails, while maximizing c
Authors
Erik E. Osnas, G. Scott Boomer, James H. Devries, Michael C. Runge
Evaluation of a two-season banding program to estimate and model migratory bird survival
The management of North American waterfowl is predicated on long-term, continental scale banding implemented prior to the hunting season (i.e., July–September) and subsequent reporting of bands recovered by hunters. However, single-season banding and encounter operations have a number of characteristics that limit their application to estimating demographic rates and evaluating hypothesized limiti
Authors
Patrick K. Devers, Robert L. Emmet, G. Scott Boomer, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, J. Andrew Royle
Local fruit availability and en route wind conditions are poor predictors of bird abundance and composition during fall migration in coastal Yucatán Peninsula
In migratory stopover habitats, bird abundance and composition change on a near daily basis. On any given day, the local bird community should reflect local environmental conditions but also the environments that birds encountered previously along their migratory route. For example, during fall migration, the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico receives birds that have just crossed the Gulf o
Authors
Richard E Feldman, Antonio Celis-Murillo, Jill L. Deppe, Alfredo Dorantes-Euan
Divergent movement patterns of adult and juvenile ‘Akohekohe, an endangered Hawaiian Honeycreeper
The movement patterns of birds across a landscape are often highly variable and influenced by complex interactions between individuals and environments. Because periods of movement can be marked by high mortality, especially among juvenile birds, understanding these patterns may be vital for the conservation of many bird species. However, these patterns can be challenging to quantify. We used radi
Authors
Alex X Wang, Eben H. Paxton, Hanna L Mounce, P. Marcos Gorresen
Transmitter effects on growth and survival of Forster’s tern chicks
Radio‐telemetry is a commonly used scientific technique that allows researchers to collect detailed movement, habitat use, and survival data of animals; however, evidence indicates that using telemetry can affect behavior and survival. Using multiple breeding colonies and years, we investigated the effects of attached radio‐transmitters on growth and survival of Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri ) c
Authors
Mark P. Herzog, Josh T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Sarah H. Peterson
Adult survival of common eiders in Maine
Although most species of sea ducks are poorly studied, much is known about the population dynamics of the American race of Somateria mollissma dresseri (Common Eider). Although Common Eiders typically have high adult survival and low recruitment rates, their populations in Maine have declined since the early 1990s. Wildlife managers hypothesized this decline was due to reduced adult survival; ther
Authors
R. B. Allen, Daniel McAuley, G. Zimmerman
Community-based conservation and recovery of native species on Monuriki Island, Fiji
The small uninhabited island of Monuriki (40.4 ha) in western Fiji is of national and international conservation concern for its several protected species. Exotic invasive species and a Category 5 cyclone have exacerbated conservation challenges. The cooperation of local, national, and international stakeholders continues to be crucial in restoration of the island’s native flora and fauna. This su
Authors
Robert N. Fisher, Jone Niukula, Peter S. Harlow, Sia Rasalato, Ramesh Chand, Baravi Thaman, Elenoa Seniloli, Joeli Vadada, Steve Cranwell, J. Jed Brown, Kim Lovich, Nunia Thomas-Moko
Annual survival, site fidelity, and longevity in the eastern coastal population of the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) based on a 20-year mark-recapture/resighting study
A long-term study of annual survival, longevity, and site fidelity in the eastern coastal population of the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) during the breeding season was conducted from 1999 through 2018 in the outer coastal plain of the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States. Painted Buntings were uniquely color-banded from 1999 through 2003 at 40 study sites that were paired at 20 lo
Authors
Paul W. Jr Sykes, Mary Freeman, Joan J. Sykes, John T. Seginak, M. David Oleyar, Joshua P. Egan
Effects of leg flags on nest survival of four species of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds
Marking wild birds is an integral part of many field studies. However, if marks affect the vital rates or behavior of marked individuals, any conclusions reached by a study might be biased relative to the general population. Leg bands have rarely been found to have negative effects on birds and are frequently used to mark individuals. Leg flags, which are larger, heavier, and might produce more dr
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, Richard B. Lanctot, Stephen C. Brown, H. River Gates, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Megan L. Boldenow, Jenny A. Cunningham, Andrew C. Doll, Tyrone F. Donnelly, Willow B. English, Samantha E. Franks, Kristen Grond, Patrick Herzog, Brooke L. Hill, Steve J. Kendall, Eunbi Kwon, David B. Lank, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Jennie Rausch, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Audrey R. Taylor, David H. Ward, Paul F. Wood, Brett K. Sandercock
Monitoring breeding and migration of neotropical migratory birds at Naval Base Coronado, Remote Training Site, Warner Springs, San Diego County, California, 5-year summary, 2013–17
We operated a bird banding station on the Naval Base Coronado, Remote Training Site, Warner Springs (RTSWS), in northeastern San Diego County, California, during the bird breeding season (spring/summer) from 2013 to 2017 and during migration (fall) from 2013 to 2016. The station was established in spring 2013 as part of the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program and continue
Authors
Suellen Lynn, Katie A. Hall, Melanie C. Madden, Barbara E. Kus
Post-spring migration colony-site prospecting by Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii)
We recorded banded Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) and unbanded individuals mated to banded individuals in May and the first third of June in 2001 and 2002 to quantify post spring migration prospecting by this species at Falkner Island, Connecticut, USA. In 2001, more than one quarter: 34/125 (27.2%) of those observed by 19 May and 38/150 (25.3%) of those observed by 25 May did not remain at this
Authors
Jeffrey A. Spendelow, Adam J. Eichenwald