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At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources
USGS1977

Hawaiian Bird Bibliography

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Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, ↗
USGS1978

Hawaiian Bird Bibliography

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Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, ↗
USGS1995

Point count length and detection of forest neotropical migrant birds

Comparisons of bird abundances among years or among habitats assume that the rates at which birds are detected and counted are constant within species. We use point count data collected in forests of the Mid-Atlantic states to estimate detection probabilities for Neotropical migrant bird species as a function of count length. For some species, significant differences existed among years or observers in both the probability of detecting the species and in the rate at which individuals are counted. We demonstrate the consequence that variability in species' detection probabilities can have on estimates of population change, and discuss ways for reducing this source of bias in point count studies.

General Technical Report↗
USGS1986

DDE, DDT + dieldrin: Residues in American kestrels and relations to reproduction

Captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) given long-term dietary dosages of DDT and dieldrin in combination, at low and high rates, were compared with controls to determine the effects of the toxicants on reproductive success and eggshell thickness. Additional kestrels were dosed with DDE to determine its effect on shell thickness. Tissues of birds that died or were sacrificed, and eggs, were analyzed for DDE, DDD, DDT, and dieldrin. Eight paired birds, mostly males, given a high dosage of DDT + dieldrin died of dieldrin poisoning. Three periods of heavy mortality involving only dosed birds, which occurred in summer 1966, fall 1967, and spring 1968, followed temperature declines and other stress factors. Organochlorine concentrations in tissues of sacrificed birds and eggs in all units of the DDT + dieldrin study were significantly different among treatments. Residue concentrations in tissues of birds on high dosage of DDT + dieldrin were about 3 times higher than those on low dosage, a difference similar to the relative magnitude of the dose rates. Concentrations of some toxicants, especially DDE, were significantly higher in tissues of males than females, although these differences were difficult to interpret because males generally were sacrificed later than females. Concentrations in tissues and eggs of dosed yearlings, placed on clean food 7 to 9 weeks before pairing, were often significantly lower than in those yearlings that remained on dosage. Concentrations of each toxicant were usually highly correlated (r > 0.85) among tissues, especially for DDE and dieldrin. Organochlorine concentrations in brains and eggs could be predicted from concentrations in carcasses. DDE and dieldrin concentrations in eggs were about one-half those in carcasses, DDD about one-seventh, and DDT 1.5 to 2 times higher in eggs than carcasses. Eggshells of DDT + dieldrin-dosed kestrels were 6-23% thinner than eggshells of corresponding controls in different groups and years. Organochlorine concentrations in eggs and tissues of females were poorly correlated with shell thickness. Of the four toxicants in eggs, DDE was significantly and most closely correlated with fledging success. Interpretation of direct comparisons between our DDT + dieldrin studies and most current field situations are difficult because contaminant profiles in our birds are unlike those in most field samples.

Fish and Wildlife Technical Report↗
USGS1989

Migration of radio-marked whooping cranes from the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population: Patterns of habitat use, behavior, and survival

Use of migration stop-overs by radio-tracked whooping cranes (Grus americana) was studied in fall 1981-83 and spring 1983-84. Information on habitat use, time-activity budgets, and hazards encountered is presented for a sample of 27 individuals, including 9 radio-marked birds. Survival rate is calculated for radio-marked birds and compared with estimates for birds not radio-marked. Distribution patterns of birds for which complete stopover information is available are contrasted with distributions derived from opportunistic observations.

Fish and Wildlife Technical Report↗
USGS1989

A computer program for sample size computations for banding studies

Sample sizes necessary for estimating survival rates of banded birds, adults and young, are derived based on specified levels of precision. The banding study can be new or ongoing. The desired coefficient of variation (CV) for annual survival estimates, the CV for mean annual survival estimates, and the length of the study must be specified to compute sample sizes. A computer program is available for computation of the sample sizes, and a description of the input and output is provided.

Fish and Wildlife Technical Report↗
USGS1989

Program CONTRAST--A general program for the analysis of several survival or recovery rate estimates

This manual describes the use of program CONTRAST, which implements a generalized procedure for the comparison of several rate estimates. This method can be used to test both simple and composite hypotheses about rate estimates, and we discuss its application to multiple comparisons of survival rate estimates. Several examples of the use of program CONTRAST are presented. Program CONTRAST will run on IBM-cimpatible computers, and requires estimates of the rates to be tested, along with associated variance and covariance estimates.

Fish and Wildlife Technical Report↗
USGS1990

Dicofol (Kelthane) as an environmental contaminant: A review

Dicofol is persistent in soil and on plants. No compelling evidence exists that dicofol breaks down or is metabolized to DDTr in nature. Dicofol does not accumulate in birds as rapidly as DDE, and it has reproductive effects that are less harmful than DDE. Fish, birds, and mammals are reproductively sensitive to dicofol products, but levels presently found in wildlife are below levels shown experimentally to cause significant harm. Eggs of fish-eating wild birds from citrus, cotton, and apple-growing areas should be analyzed for dicofol residues. Nest success of fish-eating birds in the most contaminated populations should be studied to evaluate the environmental effects of dicofol.

Fish and Wildlife Technical Report↗
USGS2011

Acute toxicity of two lampricides, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and a TFM: 1% niclosamide mixture, to sea lamprey, three species of unionids, haliplid water beetles, and American eel

We conducted a series of toxicological treatments with 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and a TFM:1% 2′,5-dichloro-4′-nitrosalicylanilide (niclosamide) mixture, two compounds used to control larval sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) in Great Lakes tributaries, to evaluate the acute toxicity of the lampricides to a number of nontarget species of concern. Treatments were conducted with yellow stage American eel ( Anguilla rostrata ), adult and larval haliplid water beetles (Haliplus spp.), a surrogate for the endangered Hungerford’s crawling water beetle ( Brychius hungerfordi ), and adults of three unionid species—giant floater ( Pyganadon grandis ), fragile papershell ( Leptodea fragilis ), and pink heelsplitter ( Potamilus alatus ). Treatments were conducted using a serial dilution system consisting of nine test concentrations and an untreated control with 20% dilution between concentrations. Narcosis was evident among giant floaters exposed to the TFM and the TFM:1% niclosamide mixture and among pink heelsplitters exposed to the TFM:1% niclosamide mixture only but mostly at concentrations greater than 2-fold that required to kill 100% of larval sea lamprey (minimum lethal concentration (MLC)). Tests with the haliplid beetle suggest the risks to the Hungerford’s crawling water beetle associated with TFM applications are minimal. Concentrations over 2-fold the sea lamprey MLC did not kill adult or larval water beetles. Preliminary behavioral observations suggest water beetles may avoid treatment by crawling out of the water. Adult water beetles exposed to TFM at 3-fold the sea lamprey MLC were observed above the water line more often than controls. The lampricide TFM was not acutely toxic to American eel. Mortalities were rare among American eel exposed to TFM concentrations up to 7-fold the observed sea lamprey MLC. Similarly, for the TFM:1% niclosamide mixture, mortalities were rare among American eel exposed to nearly 5-fold the observed sea lamprey MLC. Overall, acute TFM toxicity was not evident among any of the species examined in this study at concentrations targeted to control larval sea lamprey. Results for the adult unionids should be viewed with caution due to the lack of replication in the treatments.

Technical Report↗
USGS2011

Vegetation assessment of forests of Pagan Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

As part of the Marianas Expedition Wildlife Surveys-2010, the forest vegetation of the island of Pagan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), was sampled with a series of systematic plots along 13 transects established for monitoring forest bird populations. Shrubland and grassland were also sampled in the northern half of the island. Data collected were woody plant density, tree diameter at breast height, woody plant density in height classes below 2 m, and ground cover measured with the point-intercept method. Coconut forests ( Cocos nucifera ) were generally found to have low native tree diversity, little regeneration of trees and shrubs in the forest understory, and little live ground cover. The sole exception was a coconut-dominated forest of the northeast side of the island that exhibited high native tree diversity and a large number of young native trees in the understory. Ironwood ( Casuarina equisetifolia ) forests on the northern half of the island were nearly monocultures with almost no trees other than ironwood in vegetation plots, few woody plants in the understory, and low ground cover dominated by native ferns. Mixed native forests of both northern and southern sections of the island had a diversity of native tree species in both the canopy and the sparse understory. Ground cover of native forests in the north had a mix of native and alien species, but that of the southern half of the island was dominated by native ferns and woody plants. During vegetation surveys in June–July 2010, 215 vascular plant species were observed on Pagan; 21 new island records of alien plants and 12 new island records of native plants were documented. Many of the new and recently sighted alien plants of the northern section of the island appeared to be in the incipient stage of invasion. Most of the new native plant sightings and a number of other rare tree and shrub species of Pagan were limited to forests of the rugged southern half of the island.

Pagan Island↗
USGS1973

Effects of exploitation, environmental changes, and new species on the fish habitats and resources of Lake Erie

No other lake as large as Lake Erie (surface area, 25,690 km 2 ) has been subjected to such extensive changes in the drainage basin, the lake environment, and the fish populations over the last 150 years. Deforestation and prairie burning led to erosion of the watershed and siltation of valuable spawning grounds. Marsh spawning areas were drained. Lake-to-river spawning migrations of sturgeon, walleye, and other fishes were blocked by mill dams. Accelerated cultural nutrient loading increased total dissolved solids by nearly 50% (1920-70). Phosphate loading reached 469 metric tons per year by the 1950's and continued to increase. The biomass of phytoplankton increased 20-fold between 1919 and 1963. Oxygen demand for decomposition of these algae so degraded oxygen regimes in the western and central basins by the 1950's that the once abundant mayfly nymphs were destroyed and the central basin hypolimnion became anoxic. The sequence of disappearance or severe depletion of fish species was as follows: lake trout, sturgeon, lake herring, lake whitefish, sauger, blue pike, and walleye. Yellow perch are now declining. All resources were intensively exploited at one time or another. Lake trout suffered only this stress, but changes in the watershed significantly stressed sturgeon and lake whitefish. Degradation of the lake spawning grounds, benthos, and oxygen regimes culminated in severe stress by the 1950's on the remnants of the lake herring and lake whitefish, and on the sauger, blue pike, and walleye. Additional mortality may have been imposed on walleye and blue pike fry by predacious smelt that successfully colonized Lake Erie after first appearing in 1932. The cultural stresses, in the probable order of greatest to least net effects on the fish community of Lake Erie, appear to have been: (1) an intense, opportunistic, ineffectively controlled commercial fishery; (2) changes in the watershed, such as erosion and siltation of stream beds and inshore lake areas, and construction of dams in tributaries; (3) nutrient loading, destruction of biota, and reduction of dissolved oxygen; and (4) the competitive and predatory activities of invading species.

Lake Erie↗