The AukPub Date : 2020-12-11DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa041
S. Haig, K. Hobson, B. Sandercock, R. Bowman, L. A. Whittingham
{"title":"2020 Elliott Coues Award to Thomas Smith","authors":"S. Haig, K. Hobson, B. Sandercock, R. Bowman, L. A. Whittingham","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa041","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"93 6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115574980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-12-11DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa038
S. Haig, K. Hobson, B. Sandercock, R. Bowman, L. A. Whittingham
{"title":"2020 Elliott Coues Award to André Dhondt","authors":"S. Haig, K. Hobson, B. Sandercock, R. Bowman, L. A. Whittingham","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa038","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128901335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-12-11DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa039
S. Haig, K. Hobson, B. Sandercock, R. Bowman, L. A. Whittingham
{"title":"2020 Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award to Jaime Collazo","authors":"S. Haig, K. Hobson, B. Sandercock, R. Bowman, L. A. Whittingham","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa039","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"131 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122292203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-11-18DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa059
R. B. Payne
{"title":"William Ryan Dawson, 1927–2020","authors":"R. B. Payne","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa059","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"141 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132430803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-09-25DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa061
Leesia C. Marshall
{"title":"100 Years Ago in the American Ornithologists' Union","authors":"Leesia C. Marshall","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa061","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"246 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116054980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-09-19DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa062
T. Sillett
{"title":"Thank you to the reviewers of the 2020 Auk, Volume 137","authors":"T. Sillett","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa062","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114923645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-09-16DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa060
Nicholas A. Mason, R. C. Bowie
{"title":"Plumage patterns: Ecological functions, evolutionary origins, and advances in quantification","authors":"Nicholas A. Mason, R. C. Bowie","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa060","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Birds exhibit remarkable variation in plumage patterns, both within individual feathers and among plumage patches. Differences in the size, shape, and location of pigments and structural colors comprise important visual signals involved in mate choice, social signaling, camouflage, and many other functions. While ornithologists have studied plumage patterns for centuries, recent technological advances in digital image acquisition and processing have transformed pattern quantification methods, enabling comprehensive, detailed datasets of pattern phenotypes that were heretofore inaccessible. In this review, we synthesize recent and classic studies of plumage patterns at different evolutionary and organismal scales and discuss the various roles that plumage patterns play in avian biology. We dissect the role of plumage patches as signals within and among species. We also consider the evolutionary history of plumage patterns, including phylogenetic comparative studies and evolutionary developmental research of the genetic architecture underlying plumage patterns. We also survey an expanding toolbox of new methods that characterize and quantify the size, shape, and distribution of plumage patches. Finally, we provide a worked example to illustrate a potential workflow with dorsal plumage patterns among subspecies of the Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) in western North America. Studies of plumage patterning and coloration have played a prominent role in ornithology thus far, and recent methodological and conceptual advances have opened new avenues of research on the ecological functions and evolutionary origins of plumage patterns in birds. LAY SUMMARY Birds have many different plumage patterns that arise from coloration motifs within feathers as well as differences in color among body regions. Plumage patterns play various roles in bird biology. They are involved in mate choice and territoriality, social interactions, camouflage from predators, and many other functions. There is a rich history of detailed study on plumage patterns, which we review and synthesize in this manuscript. Recent advances in photography and image processing algorithms have opened new avenues of research on plumage patterns. These open-source methods enable efficient, repeatable, and scalable analytical pipelines. We illustrate one possible pipeline with a worked example of geographic variation in dorsal plumage patterns among populations of Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) in the western United States. Looking ahead, enhanced capacity and scalability for digital photography analyses will reveal new discoveries regarding the ecology and evolution of avian plumage patterns.","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122611043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-09-14DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa055
V. Ellis, A. Fecchio, R. Ricklefs
{"title":"Haemosporidian parasites of Neotropical birds: Causes and consequences of infection","authors":"V. Ellis, A. Fecchio, R. Ricklefs","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa055","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon are among the best studied parasites of Neotropical birds. Here, we describe variation in haemosporidian prevalence (i.e. the proportion of infected individuals in a sampled population) in Neotropical birds. We review correlates of haemosporidian prevalence (including several avian life-history traits, climate, and season) and the population and evolutionary consequences of infection for Neotropical birds. We find that prevalence varies among avian taxonomic families, genera, and even among species within the same genus, suggesting that prevalence reflects multiple factors, some of which (e.g., avian incubation period) are associated with avian family-level variation in prevalence while others (e.g., avian abundance) are associated with variation in prevalence among closely related host species. We find few correlates of prevalence that have been consistently demonstrated across studies. Prevalence in populations of many Neotropical birds has been estimated by microscopic examination of blood smears, which affords limited opportunity for comparison with data generated by molecular methods. However, at one site in the Brazilian Cerrado for which we have data, prevalence determined by microscopy does not correlate with prevalence determined by molecular methods for Plasmodium, but the 2 data types are positively correlated for Haemoproteus. Haemosporidians have been hypothesized to play a role in avian sexual selection, and we find the prevalence of Haemoproteus to be lower in polygynous species than in socially monogamous species in the Neotropics, confirming a pattern shown previously among Nearctic birds. LAY SUMMARY Many Neotropical birds are infected by insect-vectored blood parasites belonging to the order Haemosporida. These haemosporidian parasites, commonly known as “avian malaria” parasites, infect bird species to varying degrees. The proportion of birds in a population that are infected (parasite prevalence) has been related to variation in several avian traits, including length of incubation period and nesting height, climate, and other factors, but the patterns are not consistent among studies. We review proposed causes of variation in haemosporidian prevalence and potential consequences of infection for bird populations. Haemosporidian parasites have plausibly been involved in the evolution of colorful plumage and mating systems in birds. Here we find evidence for lower prevalence of haemosporidian infection associated with polygyny (where individual males mate with multiple females) in the Neotropics. Avian haemosporidian parasites exert an important influence on the health and adaptive responses of Neotropical birds.","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127532024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-09-12DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa056
P. Hackett
{"title":"Bird Bonds: Sex, Mate-Choice and Cognition in Australian Native Birds","authors":"P. Hackett","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa056","url":null,"abstract":"b a Some parts of this book are novel, interesting, or stimulating; the bibliography is useful. Much, however, has less to do with sex and mate-choice than with cognition and brain chemistry, some already appearing in the author’s Bird Minds (Kaplan 2016). Substantial parts are of value, notably where broad cognitive issues and research are discussed. Kaplan suggests that habitat complexity promotes avian intelligence, that pair-bonding is more than just about reproduction, and that bonding and cooperative group living correlate with longevity. As in Bird Minds, however, this book contains anthropomorphism, speculation (much unfounded), and factual errors so numerous that I cannot note them all. In presenting and interpreting her anecdotal observations of bird behaviour, the author is as much out of her depth as previously (see reviews of her bird books by Jarman & Jones 2005; Brigham 2008; Frith 2018; Ley 2018).","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114784862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The AukPub Date : 2020-09-07DOI: 10.1093/auk/ukaa053
L. Figueira, P. Martins, C. Ralph, Jaime L. Stephens, J. Alexander, Jared D. Wolfe
{"title":"Effects of breeding and molt activity on songbird site fidelity","authors":"L. Figueira, P. Martins, C. Ralph, Jaime L. Stephens, J. Alexander, Jared D. Wolfe","doi":"10.1093/auk/ukaa053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa053","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The prebasic molt is a perilous period for songbirds, characterized by heightened energetic demands and vulnerability to predators. Given these vulnerabilities, songbirds are under selective pressure to locate and use quality habitat during the prebasic molt, potentially resulting in site fidelity between years. In this study, we aimed to determine how differences in breeding and molting activity affected site fidelity for a diversity of species at the landscape scale. To accomplish our objective, we used 31 yr of banding data from northern California and southern Oregon for 16 species of songbirds with Cormack-Jolly-Seber analyses and weighted linear regression models to assess the effects of molting and breeding activity on the probability of a species returning to a site in subsequent years. Despite substantial variation in site use for breeding and/or molting, each study species had at least some locations that were used for both breeding and molting. Captured breeding birds (n = 18,574) were much more common than molting birds (n = 7,622). Breeding activity was positively correlated with higher site fidelity for 10 of the 16 species, while we found little evidence of a relationship between molting activity and site fidelity. Only the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) showed increased site fidelity with increased presence of molt activity. It is likely that a shifting mosaic of food resources during the post-breeding period drives dynamic movements of songbirds in search of the necessary resources to successfully complete their annual molt. LAY SUMMARY Birds rely on a myriad of food resources and habitats to reproduce and successfully complete their annual molt. We used long-term capture data to assess how 16 species of songbirds varied their use of different habitats during the breeding and molting seasons in northern California and southern Oregon. Additionally, we determined how breeding and molting activities influenced the chance of an individual returning to a site year after year. While breeding increased an individual's chance of using the same site between years, we found little evidence that molt affected an individual's propensity to return to a site. Unlike breeding territories, birds appear less likely to return to the same area to molt year after year. This flexibility is likely necessary to locate dispersed and unpredictable food resources during the molting season.","PeriodicalId":382448,"journal":{"name":"The Auk","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123468323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}