Lee Tibbitts (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Tundra Swans, a species that nests in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters across a broad area of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite...
Data from Bristle-Thighed Curlews at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu, Hawaii, 2012-2014 Data from Bristle-Thighed Curlews at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu, Hawaii, 2012-2014
This data package includes two tables of data for Bristle-thighed curlews (Numenius tahitiensis) captured 2012-2014 on the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge O'ahu, Hawaii (21.68 N, 157.95 W). One table provides capture, banding, morphology, and genetic data. The second table provides mark-resight data for estimating the size of the wintering population on Oahu in April of 2014.
Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Northern Pintails, a duck species that, in Alaska, nests throughout the state and in adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite...
Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Blue-winged Teal, a duck species that breeds throughout much of North America and whose wintering range includes neotropical areas of the Caribbean and Central and South America, thus providing a migratory link between the continents of North and South America. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Blue-winged...
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Marbled Godwits, a large-bodied shorebird that, in Alaska, nests in the southwestern portion of the state. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data
Migratory Timing and Site Use of Marbled Godwits Breeding in Alaska, 2008-2015 Migratory Timing and Site Use of Marbled Godwits Breeding in Alaska, 2008-2015
This dataset contains migration timing and land-based location information from nine Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa beringiae) equipped with solar-powered satellite transmitters on breeding grounds near Ugashik, Alaska, in June of 2008. Transmitters were programmed with a duty cycle of 10 hr on and 48 hr off, yielding 10,858 locations (47-3,490 locations per bird, depending on the...
Data for Montane-breeding Bird Distribution and Abundance across National Parks of Southwestern Alaska, 2004-2008 Data for Montane-breeding Bird Distribution and Abundance across National Parks of Southwestern Alaska, 2004-2008
Observation data and model covariate data from breeding bird inventory conducted during May-June 2004 and 2008 primarily in montane areas (>100 m above sea level) in Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve (Aniakchak NMP), Katmai National Park and Preserve (Katmai NPP), and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (Lake Clark NPP) in southwestern Alaska. Observers conducted 1,021 point...
Filter Total Items: 55
When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands
The ecological reasons for variation in avian migration, with some populations migrating across thousands of kilometres between breeding and non-breeding areas with one or few refuelling stops, in contrast to others that stop more often, remain to be pinned down. Red Knots Calidris canutus are a textbook example of a shorebird species that makes long migrations with only a few stops...
Authors
Theunis Piersma, Eva Kok, Chris J. Hassell, Yvonne I. Verkuil, Guangchun Lei, He-Bo Peng, Eldar Rakhimberdiev, Paul Howey, Julia Karagicheva, T. Lee Tibbitts, Ying-Chi Chan
Ecological insights from three decades of animal movement tracking across a changing Arctic Ecological insights from three decades of animal movement tracking across a changing Arctic
The Arctic is entering a new ecological state, with alarming consequences for humanity. Animal-borne sensors offer a window into these changes. Although substantial animal tracking data from the Arctic and subarctic exist, most are difficult to discover and access. Here, we present the new Arctic Animal Movement Archive (AAMA), a growing collection of more than 200 standardized...
Authors
Sarah C Davidson, Gil Bohrer, Eliezer Gurarie, Scott LaPoint, Peter J Mahoney, Natalie Boelman, Jan UH Eitel, Laura R. Prugh, Lee A. Vierling, Jyoti Jennewein, Emma Grier, Ophelie Couriot, Allicia P Kelly, Arjan JH Meddens, Ruth Y Oliver, Roland Kays, Martin Wikelski, Tomas Aarvak, Josh T. Ackerman, Monica Almeida e Silva, José A. Alves, Erin Bayne, Bryan Bedrosian, Jerrold L. Belant, Andrew M Berdahl, Alicia Berlin, Dominique Berteaux, Joel Bety, Dmitrij Boiko, Travis L. Booms, Bridget L Borg, Stan Boutin, W. Sean Boyd, Kane Brides, Stephen C. Brown, Victor N. Bulyuk, Kurt K Burnham, David Cabot, Michael L. Casazza, Katherine S. Christie, Erica H. Craig, Shanti E. Davis, Tracy Davison, Dominic Demma, Christopher R. DeSorbo, Andrew E. Dixon, Robert Domenech, Gotz Eichhorn, Kyle Elliott, Joseph R. Evenson, Klaus-Michael Exo, Steven Ferguson, Wolfgang Fiedler, Aaron T. Fisk, J. Fort, Alastair Franke, Mark R. Fuller, Stefan Garthe, Gilles Gauthier, Grant Gilchrist, Petr Glazov, Carrie E. Gray, David Gremillet, Larry Griffin, Mike Hallworth, Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Holly Hennin, J Mark Hipfner, James Hodson, James A. Johnson, Kyle Joly, Kimberly Jones, Todd E. Katzner, Jeff W Kidd, Elly Knight, Michael N. Kochert, Andrea Kolzsch, Helmut Kruckenberg, Benjamin J Lagassé, Sandra Lai, Jean-François Lamarre, Richard B. Lanctot, Nicholas C Larter, A David Latham, Christopher J. Latty, James P. Lawler, Don-Jean Leandri-Breton, Hansoo Lee, Stephen B. Lewis, Oliver P. Love, Jesper Madsen, Mark Maftei, Mark L. Mallory, Buck Mangipane, Mikhail Y. Markovets, Peter P. Marra, Rebecca L McGuire, Carol McIntyre, Emily A McKinnon, Tricia A. Miller, Sander Moonen, Tong Mu, Gerhard JDM Muskens, Janet Ng, Kerry L Nicholson, Ingar Jostein Oien, Cory T. Overton, Patricia A Owen, Allison G. L. Patterson, Aevar Petersen, Ivan Pokrovsky, Luke L. Powell, Rui Prieto, Petra Quillfeldt, Jennie Rausch, Kelsey Russell, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Hans Schekkerman, Joel A. Schmutz, Philipp Schwemmer, Dale R. Seip, Adam Shreading, Mónica A. Silva, Brian W. Smith, Fletcher Smith, Jeff P. Smith, Katherine RS Snell, Aleksandr Sokolov, Vasiliy Sokolov, Diana V Solovyeva, Mathew S Sorum, Grigori Tertitski, J. F. Therrien, Kasper Thorup, T. Lee Tibbitts, Ingrid Tulp, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Rob van Bemmelen, Steve Van Wilgenburg, Andrew L. Von Duyke, Jesse Watson, Bryan D Watts, Judy A Williams, Matthew Wilson, Jay Wright, Michael A Yates, David Yurkowski, Ramūnas Žydelis, Mark Hebblewhite
Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
Shorebirds—which include sandpipers, plovers, and oystercatchers—are perhaps best known by their presence on sandy beaches, running along the water’s edge while they probe for food. But they are probably less recognized for their impressive long-distance migrations. Millions of individuals travel from across the globe to breed throughout Alaska each spring, making these birds a familiar...
Authors
Dan Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, John Pearce
After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures
Determining the sex of birds quickly in the field can help in studies of behavior and distribution, and when selecting particular sexes for deploying tracking devices or collecting samples. However, discerning males from females is difficult in species that are plumage monomorphic and have overlapping sexual-size dimorphism, as in Buff-breasted Sandpipers Calidris subruficollis. We...
Authors
Juliana Bose de Almeida, Iara F. Lopes, Lewis Oring, T. Lee Tibbitts, Lisa M. Pajot, Richard B. Lanctot
A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap
Despite the wealth of studies on seasonal movements of birds between southern nonbreeding locations and High Arctic breeding locations, the key mechanisms of navigation during these migrations remain elusive. A flight along the shortest possible route between pairs of points on a sphere (‘orthodrome’) requires a bird to be able to assess its current location in relation to its migration...
Authors
Eva Kok, T. Lee Tibbitts, David C. Douglas, Paul Howey, Anne Dekinga, Benjamin Gnep, Theunis Piersma
Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth
Birds often exhibit diagnostic traits that differ among individuals of the same species with regard to factors like sex, age, or breeding status. Shorebirds exhibit a wide diversity of colors, shapes, and sizes of their bills, and these traits are commonly used to determine the sex of individuals. In curlews (genus Numenius), length alone accurately separates the sexes in some species...
Authors
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Colleen M. Handel, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill
Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags
We used Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags to track migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers Pluvialis fulva in 2017 and 2018 from Moorea Island, at the extreme southeastern edge of the species’ winter range. Of 20 tagged birds, 13 uploaded locations during all or part of their northward migration. The birds departed in mid-April traveling a long (8,250–10,200 km) northwestward track. Ten individuals...
Authors
Oscar W. Johnson, T. Lee Tibbitts, Michael F. Weber, David R. Bybee, Roger H. Goodwill, Andrea Bruner, Errika J. Smith, Emmalee L. Buss, Trinity Q.A. Waddell, Daxton Brooks, Carolyn Smith, Jean-Yves Meyer
Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews
Suitable habitat for Arctic-breeding migratory shorebirds is decreasing at their traditional wintering islands and atolls in the Central Pacific Flyway (i.e., Oceania) due to habitat degradation, reclamation, and sea-level rise. To maintain the size and resiliency of their populations, migratory shorebirds will need to expand their winter ranges by either colonizing new sites or...
Authors
T. Lee Tibbitts, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Jared G. Underwood, Vijay P. Patil
Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking
Satellite‐based technologies that track individual animal movements enable the mapping of their spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence. This is particularly useful in poorly studied or remote regions where there is a need for the rapid gathering of relevant ecological knowledge to inform management actions. One such region is East Asia, where many intertidal habitats are being...
Authors
Yin-Chi Chan, T. Lee Tibbitts, Tamar Lok, Chris Hassell, He-Bo Peng, Zhijun Ma, Zhengwang Zhang, Theunis Piersma
Shorebird subsistence harvest and indigenous knowledge in Alaska: Informing harvest assessment and management, and engaging users in shorebird conservation Shorebird subsistence harvest and indigenous knowledge in Alaska: Informing harvest assessment and management, and engaging users in shorebird conservation
Limited data on harvest and population parameters are major impediments to assess shorebird harvest sustainability. Because of sharp declines in shorebird populations, timely conservation efforts require approaches that account for uncertainty in harvest sustainability. We combined harvest assessment and ethnographic research to better understand shorebird conservation concerns related...
Authors
Naves. Liliana, Jacqueline Keating, T. Lee Tibbitts, Daniel R. Ruthrauff
Satellite tracking of gulls and genomic characterization of fecal bacteria reveals environmentally mediated acquisition and dispersal of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska Satellite tracking of gulls and genomic characterization of fecal bacteria reveals environmentally mediated acquisition and dispersal of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Gulls (Larus spp.) have frequently been reported to carry Escherichia coli exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR E. coli); however, the pathways governing the acquisition and dispersal of such bacteria are not well-described. We equipped 17 landfill-foraging gulls with satellite transmitters and collected gull fecal samples longitudinally from four locations on the Kenai Peninsula...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Jonas Bonnedahl, Hanna Woksepp, Jorge Hernandez, John Reed, T. Lee Tibbitts, Bjorn Olsen, David C. Douglas, Andrew M. Ramey
Flexible timing of annual movements across consistently used sites by Marbled Godwits breeding in Alaska Flexible timing of annual movements across consistently used sites by Marbled Godwits breeding in Alaska
The study of avian movement has detailed a spectrum of strategies for the timing and use of sites throughout the annual cycle, from near randomness to complete consistency. New tracking devices now permit the repeated tracking of individual animals throughout the annual cycle, detailing previously unappreciated levels of variation within migratory systems. Godwits (genus Limosa) have...
Authors
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Tundra Swans, a species that nests in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters across a broad area of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite...
Data from Bristle-Thighed Curlews at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu, Hawaii, 2012-2014 Data from Bristle-Thighed Curlews at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu, Hawaii, 2012-2014
This data package includes two tables of data for Bristle-thighed curlews (Numenius tahitiensis) captured 2012-2014 on the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge O'ahu, Hawaii (21.68 N, 157.95 W). One table provides capture, banding, morphology, and genetic data. The second table provides mark-resight data for estimating the size of the wintering population on Oahu in April of 2014.
Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Northern Pintails, a duck species that, in Alaska, nests throughout the state and in adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite...
Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Blue-winged Teal, a duck species that breeds throughout much of North America and whose wintering range includes neotropical areas of the Caribbean and Central and South America, thus providing a migratory link between the continents of North and South America. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Blue-winged...
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Marbled Godwits, a large-bodied shorebird that, in Alaska, nests in the southwestern portion of the state. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data
Migratory Timing and Site Use of Marbled Godwits Breeding in Alaska, 2008-2015 Migratory Timing and Site Use of Marbled Godwits Breeding in Alaska, 2008-2015
This dataset contains migration timing and land-based location information from nine Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa beringiae) equipped with solar-powered satellite transmitters on breeding grounds near Ugashik, Alaska, in June of 2008. Transmitters were programmed with a duty cycle of 10 hr on and 48 hr off, yielding 10,858 locations (47-3,490 locations per bird, depending on the...
Data for Montane-breeding Bird Distribution and Abundance across National Parks of Southwestern Alaska, 2004-2008 Data for Montane-breeding Bird Distribution and Abundance across National Parks of Southwestern Alaska, 2004-2008
Observation data and model covariate data from breeding bird inventory conducted during May-June 2004 and 2008 primarily in montane areas (>100 m above sea level) in Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve (Aniakchak NMP), Katmai National Park and Preserve (Katmai NPP), and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (Lake Clark NPP) in southwestern Alaska. Observers conducted 1,021 point...
Filter Total Items: 55
When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands
The ecological reasons for variation in avian migration, with some populations migrating across thousands of kilometres between breeding and non-breeding areas with one or few refuelling stops, in contrast to others that stop more often, remain to be pinned down. Red Knots Calidris canutus are a textbook example of a shorebird species that makes long migrations with only a few stops...
Authors
Theunis Piersma, Eva Kok, Chris J. Hassell, Yvonne I. Verkuil, Guangchun Lei, He-Bo Peng, Eldar Rakhimberdiev, Paul Howey, Julia Karagicheva, T. Lee Tibbitts, Ying-Chi Chan
Ecological insights from three decades of animal movement tracking across a changing Arctic Ecological insights from three decades of animal movement tracking across a changing Arctic
The Arctic is entering a new ecological state, with alarming consequences for humanity. Animal-borne sensors offer a window into these changes. Although substantial animal tracking data from the Arctic and subarctic exist, most are difficult to discover and access. Here, we present the new Arctic Animal Movement Archive (AAMA), a growing collection of more than 200 standardized...
Authors
Sarah C Davidson, Gil Bohrer, Eliezer Gurarie, Scott LaPoint, Peter J Mahoney, Natalie Boelman, Jan UH Eitel, Laura R. Prugh, Lee A. Vierling, Jyoti Jennewein, Emma Grier, Ophelie Couriot, Allicia P Kelly, Arjan JH Meddens, Ruth Y Oliver, Roland Kays, Martin Wikelski, Tomas Aarvak, Josh T. Ackerman, Monica Almeida e Silva, José A. Alves, Erin Bayne, Bryan Bedrosian, Jerrold L. Belant, Andrew M Berdahl, Alicia Berlin, Dominique Berteaux, Joel Bety, Dmitrij Boiko, Travis L. Booms, Bridget L Borg, Stan Boutin, W. Sean Boyd, Kane Brides, Stephen C. Brown, Victor N. Bulyuk, Kurt K Burnham, David Cabot, Michael L. Casazza, Katherine S. Christie, Erica H. Craig, Shanti E. Davis, Tracy Davison, Dominic Demma, Christopher R. DeSorbo, Andrew E. Dixon, Robert Domenech, Gotz Eichhorn, Kyle Elliott, Joseph R. Evenson, Klaus-Michael Exo, Steven Ferguson, Wolfgang Fiedler, Aaron T. Fisk, J. Fort, Alastair Franke, Mark R. Fuller, Stefan Garthe, Gilles Gauthier, Grant Gilchrist, Petr Glazov, Carrie E. Gray, David Gremillet, Larry Griffin, Mike Hallworth, Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Holly Hennin, J Mark Hipfner, James Hodson, James A. Johnson, Kyle Joly, Kimberly Jones, Todd E. Katzner, Jeff W Kidd, Elly Knight, Michael N. Kochert, Andrea Kolzsch, Helmut Kruckenberg, Benjamin J Lagassé, Sandra Lai, Jean-François Lamarre, Richard B. Lanctot, Nicholas C Larter, A David Latham, Christopher J. Latty, James P. Lawler, Don-Jean Leandri-Breton, Hansoo Lee, Stephen B. Lewis, Oliver P. Love, Jesper Madsen, Mark Maftei, Mark L. Mallory, Buck Mangipane, Mikhail Y. Markovets, Peter P. Marra, Rebecca L McGuire, Carol McIntyre, Emily A McKinnon, Tricia A. Miller, Sander Moonen, Tong Mu, Gerhard JDM Muskens, Janet Ng, Kerry L Nicholson, Ingar Jostein Oien, Cory T. Overton, Patricia A Owen, Allison G. L. Patterson, Aevar Petersen, Ivan Pokrovsky, Luke L. Powell, Rui Prieto, Petra Quillfeldt, Jennie Rausch, Kelsey Russell, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Hans Schekkerman, Joel A. Schmutz, Philipp Schwemmer, Dale R. Seip, Adam Shreading, Mónica A. Silva, Brian W. Smith, Fletcher Smith, Jeff P. Smith, Katherine RS Snell, Aleksandr Sokolov, Vasiliy Sokolov, Diana V Solovyeva, Mathew S Sorum, Grigori Tertitski, J. F. Therrien, Kasper Thorup, T. Lee Tibbitts, Ingrid Tulp, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Rob van Bemmelen, Steve Van Wilgenburg, Andrew L. Von Duyke, Jesse Watson, Bryan D Watts, Judy A Williams, Matthew Wilson, Jay Wright, Michael A Yates, David Yurkowski, Ramūnas Žydelis, Mark Hebblewhite
Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
Shorebirds—which include sandpipers, plovers, and oystercatchers—are perhaps best known by their presence on sandy beaches, running along the water’s edge while they probe for food. But they are probably less recognized for their impressive long-distance migrations. Millions of individuals travel from across the globe to breed throughout Alaska each spring, making these birds a familiar...
Authors
Dan Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, John Pearce
After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures
Determining the sex of birds quickly in the field can help in studies of behavior and distribution, and when selecting particular sexes for deploying tracking devices or collecting samples. However, discerning males from females is difficult in species that are plumage monomorphic and have overlapping sexual-size dimorphism, as in Buff-breasted Sandpipers Calidris subruficollis. We...
Authors
Juliana Bose de Almeida, Iara F. Lopes, Lewis Oring, T. Lee Tibbitts, Lisa M. Pajot, Richard B. Lanctot
A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap
Despite the wealth of studies on seasonal movements of birds between southern nonbreeding locations and High Arctic breeding locations, the key mechanisms of navigation during these migrations remain elusive. A flight along the shortest possible route between pairs of points on a sphere (‘orthodrome’) requires a bird to be able to assess its current location in relation to its migration...
Authors
Eva Kok, T. Lee Tibbitts, David C. Douglas, Paul Howey, Anne Dekinga, Benjamin Gnep, Theunis Piersma
Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth
Birds often exhibit diagnostic traits that differ among individuals of the same species with regard to factors like sex, age, or breeding status. Shorebirds exhibit a wide diversity of colors, shapes, and sizes of their bills, and these traits are commonly used to determine the sex of individuals. In curlews (genus Numenius), length alone accurately separates the sexes in some species...
Authors
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Colleen M. Handel, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill
Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags
We used Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags to track migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers Pluvialis fulva in 2017 and 2018 from Moorea Island, at the extreme southeastern edge of the species’ winter range. Of 20 tagged birds, 13 uploaded locations during all or part of their northward migration. The birds departed in mid-April traveling a long (8,250–10,200 km) northwestward track. Ten individuals...
Authors
Oscar W. Johnson, T. Lee Tibbitts, Michael F. Weber, David R. Bybee, Roger H. Goodwill, Andrea Bruner, Errika J. Smith, Emmalee L. Buss, Trinity Q.A. Waddell, Daxton Brooks, Carolyn Smith, Jean-Yves Meyer
Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews
Suitable habitat for Arctic-breeding migratory shorebirds is decreasing at their traditional wintering islands and atolls in the Central Pacific Flyway (i.e., Oceania) due to habitat degradation, reclamation, and sea-level rise. To maintain the size and resiliency of their populations, migratory shorebirds will need to expand their winter ranges by either colonizing new sites or...
Authors
T. Lee Tibbitts, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Jared G. Underwood, Vijay P. Patil
Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking
Satellite‐based technologies that track individual animal movements enable the mapping of their spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence. This is particularly useful in poorly studied or remote regions where there is a need for the rapid gathering of relevant ecological knowledge to inform management actions. One such region is East Asia, where many intertidal habitats are being...
Authors
Yin-Chi Chan, T. Lee Tibbitts, Tamar Lok, Chris Hassell, He-Bo Peng, Zhijun Ma, Zhengwang Zhang, Theunis Piersma
Shorebird subsistence harvest and indigenous knowledge in Alaska: Informing harvest assessment and management, and engaging users in shorebird conservation Shorebird subsistence harvest and indigenous knowledge in Alaska: Informing harvest assessment and management, and engaging users in shorebird conservation
Limited data on harvest and population parameters are major impediments to assess shorebird harvest sustainability. Because of sharp declines in shorebird populations, timely conservation efforts require approaches that account for uncertainty in harvest sustainability. We combined harvest assessment and ethnographic research to better understand shorebird conservation concerns related...
Authors
Naves. Liliana, Jacqueline Keating, T. Lee Tibbitts, Daniel R. Ruthrauff
Satellite tracking of gulls and genomic characterization of fecal bacteria reveals environmentally mediated acquisition and dispersal of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska Satellite tracking of gulls and genomic characterization of fecal bacteria reveals environmentally mediated acquisition and dispersal of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Gulls (Larus spp.) have frequently been reported to carry Escherichia coli exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR E. coli); however, the pathways governing the acquisition and dispersal of such bacteria are not well-described. We equipped 17 landfill-foraging gulls with satellite transmitters and collected gull fecal samples longitudinally from four locations on the Kenai Peninsula...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Jonas Bonnedahl, Hanna Woksepp, Jorge Hernandez, John Reed, T. Lee Tibbitts, Bjorn Olsen, David C. Douglas, Andrew M. Ramey
Flexible timing of annual movements across consistently used sites by Marbled Godwits breeding in Alaska Flexible timing of annual movements across consistently used sites by Marbled Godwits breeding in Alaska
The study of avian movement has detailed a spectrum of strategies for the timing and use of sites throughout the annual cycle, from near randomness to complete consistency. New tracking devices now permit the repeated tracking of individual animals throughout the annual cycle, detailing previously unappreciated levels of variation within migratory systems. Godwits (genus Limosa) have...
Authors
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government