Publications
USGS publications associated with the Bird Banding Laboratory. For a complete listing of USGS publications:
Filter Total Items: 162
Field Marks of a Celebration: Roger Tory Peterson's Centennial Birthday
A red letter day in my life was April 27, 1934, the day I first met Roger. A birding friend, Elisha Atkins, had invited Clinton Reynolds and me to dinner to meet a famous ornithologist. We would all be going on a field trip to Newburyport on the Massachusetts coast the next day. The dinner conversation revolved about a new field guide that Mr. Peterson had just completed and that would be av
Authors
J. Dunlap, C.S. Robbins
History of 'computerization' of bird-banding records
No abstract available.
Authors
C.S. Houston, M. K. Klimkiewicz, C.S. Robbins
Timing and location of mortality of fledgling, subadult, and adult California Gulls
We investigated patterns of mortality during post-breeding migrations of California Gulls (Larus californicus) nesting near Laramie, Wyoming, USA. We used 151 recoveries and 647 sightings of banded and patagially-marked gulls to compare ratios of mortalities to observations of live birds (1) during four time periods (early and late fall migration, winter, and spring migration), (2) at two location
Authors
B.H. Pugesek, K.L. Diem
Molt and aging criteria for four North American grassland passerines
Prairie and grassland habitats in central and western North America have declined substantially since settlement by Europeans (Knopf 1994) and many of the birds and other organisms that inhabit North American grasslands have experienced steep declines (Peterjohn and Sauer 1999; Johnson and Igl 1997; Sauer, Hines, and Fallon 2007). The species addressed here, Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii), Gra
Authors
Peter Pyle, Stephanie L. Jones, Janet M. Ruth
Winter ecology of the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in southern Texas 1999-2004
This study examines the winter ecology of the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in five Texas counties surrounding Corpus Christi, in southern Texas. There is a substantial gap in information on the owl's life cycle during migration and non-breeding winter months; almost all previous research on western burrowing owls has been conducted during the breeding season. The western bur
Authors
Marc C. Woodin, Mary K. Skoruppa, Graham C. Hickman
Latitudinal variation in population structure of wintering Pacific Black Brant
Latitudinal variation in population structure during the winter has been reported in many migratory birds, but has been documented in few species of waterfowl. Variation in environmental and social conditions at wintering sites can potentially influence the population dynamics of differential migrants. We examined latitudinal variation in sex and age classes of wintering Pacific Black Brant (Brant
Authors
J.L. Schamber, James S. Sedinger, David H. Ward, K.R. Hagmeier
The state of the art in raptor electrocution research: A global review
We systematically reviewed the raptor electrocution literature to evaluate study designs and methods used in raptor electrocution research, mitigation, and monitoring, emphasizing original research published in English. Specifically, we wondered if three decades of effort to reduce raptor electrocutions has had positive effects. The majority of literature examined came from North America, western
Authors
Robert N. Lehman, P.L. Kennedy, J. A. Savidge
Enhancing bird banding information sharing across the western hemishpere
Bird banding and marking provide indispensable tools for ornithological research, management, and conservation of migratory birds and their habitats along migratory routes, breeding and non-breeding grounds. With the growing interest in international coordination of tracking bird movements, coordination amongst developing and existing programs is essential for effective data management. The Nort
Authors
A. Rojo, H. Berlanga, L. Howes, M. Tomosy
Workshop: Western hemisphere network of bird banding programs
Purpose: To promote collaboration among banding programs in the Americas. Introduction: Bird banding and marking provide indispensable tools for ornithological research, management, and conservation of migratory birds on migratory routes, breeding and non-breeding grounds. Many countries and organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean are in the process of developing or have expressed inter
Authors
A. Celis-Murillo
Adult tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) survival on the polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated Housatonic River, Massachusetts, USA
Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) were captured and banded at six sites that differed in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination levels in the Housatonic River watershed, western Massachusetts, USA, from 2000 through 2004 to test the prediction that apparent survival rates of females in more contaminated areas were lower than those from less contaminated areas. We also tested whether plumag
Authors
Christine M. Custer, T. W. Custer, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, P.M. Dummer
An efficient method of capturing Painted Buntings and other small granivorous passerines
To study survival in the eastern breeding population of the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), I developed a technique to capture a large sample of buntings for color marking with leg-bands. This involved the use of bird feeders and an array of three short mist nets located at 40 sites in four states, each site meeting five specific criteria. In five years of mist netting (1999-2003), 4174 captu
Authors
P.W. Sykes
Effects of abdominally implanted radiotransmitters with percutaneous antennas on migration, reproduction, and survival of Canada geese
Abdominally implanted radiotransmitters with percutaneous antennas are increasingly used to monitor movements, survival, and reproduction of waterbirds. However, there has been relatively little assessment of the effects of such radios on avian demographic parameters or migration. We implanted either a 26- or 35-g abdominal transmitter with percutaneous antenna in 198 adult female lesser Canada ge
Authors
Jerry W. Hupp, John M. Pearce, Daniel M. Mulcahy, David A. Miller