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At least 577 records · Page 32Linked to original sources

USGS2017

Mammalian mesocarnivore visitation at tortoise burrows in a wind farm

There is little information on predator–prey interactions in wind energy landscapes in North America, especially among terrestrial vertebrates. Here, we evaluated how proximity to roads and wind turbines affect mesocarnivore visitation with desert tortoises ( Gopherus agassizii ) and their burrows in a wind energy landscape. In 2013, we placed motion-sensor cameras facing the entrances of 46 active desert tortoise burrows in a 5.2-km 2 wind energy facility near Palm Springs, California, USA. Cameras recorded images of 35 species of reptiles, mammals, and birds. Counts for 4 species of mesocarnivores at desert tortoise burrows increased closer to dirt roads, and decreased closer to wind turbines. Our results suggest that anthropogenic infrastructure associated with wind energy facilities could influence the general behavior of mammalian predators and their prey. Further investigation of proximate mechanisms that underlie road and wind turbine effects (i.e., ground vibrations, sound emission, and traffic volume) and on wind energy facility spatial designs (i.e., road and wind turbine configuration) could prove useful for better understanding wildlife responses to wind energy development. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

California↗

USGS2007

Using conservation value to assess land restoration and management alternatives across a degraded oak savanna landscape

1. Managers considering restoration of landscapes often face a fundamental challenge - what should be the habitat composition of the restored landscape? We present a method for evaluating an important conservation trade-off inherent in making that decision. 2. Oak savannas and grasslands were historically widespread across central North America but are now rare. Today, in north-west Indiana, USA, habitats spanning a range of woody vegetation density, from nearly treeless open habitats to forests, occur across the conserved landscape where savannas probably once dominated. To understand the benefits of different potential landscape compositions, we evaluated how different proportions of five habitats - open, savanna, woodland, scrub and forest - might affect the conservation value of the north-west Indiana landscape for birds. Two variables of potential conservation importance were examined: species diversity, a measure of avian community richness, and conservation index, the percentage of a bird species' global population occurring on a hectare of landscape, summed across all bird species present. Higher values of conservation index were associated with higher local densities of globally more rare and more threatened species. 3. Conservation index and species diversity were correlated negatively across hypothetical landscapes composed of different proportions of the five habitats. Therefore, a management trade-off existed between conservation index and species diversity because landscapes that maximized species diversity differed from landscapes that maximized conservation index. 4. A landscape of 50% open, 22% savanna, 15% scrub and 13% forest was predicted to represent a compromise at which conservation index and species diversity reached the same percentage of their maxima. In contrast, the current landscape is dominated by forest. 5. Synthesis and applications. We quantified the trade-off between two potential aspects of a landscape's conservation value for birds - the landscape's ability to promote avian species diversity and the landscape's use by threatened avian species. This quantification allowed us to evaluate the ability of different landscape compositions to achieve preferable trade-off compromises, such as maximizing diversity for a given level of landscape use by threatened species. Managers can use these trade-off results to determine which landscape compositions are associated with particular conservation and management priorities.

Journal of Applied Ecology↗

USGS1991

H4IIE rat hepatoma cell bioassay-derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in colonial fish-eating waterbird eggs from the Great Lakes

Fish-eating waterbirds from the Great Lakes of North America have shown symptoms of poisoning similar to those observed in laboratory exposures of various avian species to planar halogenated hydrocarbons (PHHs). PHHs, include among others, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and have been implicated in some of the reproductive problems of Great Lakes waterbirds. The objectives of this study were to assess the overall potencies of PCB-containing extracts from colonial water-bird eggs taken from the Great Lakes and to compare the potencies with the location and spatial distribution of the colonies. The potencies of the extracts were assessed by their ability to induce cytochrome P450IA1-associated ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells as compared to the standard, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD). The H4IIE bioassay-derived TCDD-equivalents (TCCD-EQs) in the waterbird eggs concur with residue analyses and biological data from other studies. The greatest concentrations of TCDD-EQs were found in waterbird eggs from historically polluted, industrialized or urbanized areas in which the reproductive impairment of colonial waterbirds was most severe. However, significant concentrations of TCDD-EQs were detected at all sites tested; with a range of 49 to 415 pg TCDD-EQ/g egg, uncorrected for extraction efficiencies. The H4IIE bioassay proved to be a useful biomonitoring tool to assess the overall potency of complex PHH mixtures in environmental samples.

Beaver Island Group, Green Bay, Lake Erie, Lake Hu↗

USGS2017

Potential for water borne and invertebrate transmission of West Nile virus in the Great Salt Lake, Utah

In November and December of 2013, a large mortality event involving 15,000 - 20,000 eared grebes ( Podiceps nigricollis ) occurred at the Great Salt Lake (GSL), UT. The onset of the outbreak in grebes was followed by a mortality event in > 86 bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ). During the die-off, West Nile virus (WNV) was detected by RT-PCR or viral culture in carcasses of grebes and eagles submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center. However, no mosquito activity, the primary vector of WNV, was detected by the State of Utah's WNV monitoring program. Transmission of WNV has rarely been reported during the winter in North America in the absence of known mosquito activity; however, the size of this die-off, the habitat in which it occurred, and the species involved are unique. We experimentally investigated whether WNV could survive in water with a high saline content, as found at the GSL, and whether brine shrimp, the primary food of migrating eared grebes on the GSL, could have played a role in transmission of WNV to feeding birds. We found that WNV can survive up to 72 h at 4°C in water containing 30 — 150 ppt NaCl and brine shrimp, incubated with WNV in 30 ppt NaCl, may adsorb WNV to their cuticle and, through feeding, may infect epithelial cells of their gut. Both mechanisms may have potentiated the WNV die-off in migrating eared grebes on the GSL.

Utah↗

USGS2017

Adaptive harvest management for the Svalbard population of pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus)

This document describes progress to date on the development of an adaptive harvest-management strategy for maintaining the Svalbard population of pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) near their target level (60,000) by providing for sustainable harvests in Norway and Denmark. Specifically, this report provides an assessment of the most recent monitoring information and its implications for the harvest management strategy. The development of an adaptive harvest management (AHM) strategy requires specification of four elements: (a) a set of alternative population models, which bound the uncertainty about effects of harvest and other relevant environmental factors; (b) a set of probabilities (or weights) describing the relative credibility of the alternative models, which are updated each year based on a comparison of model predictions and monitoring information; (c) a set of alternative harvest quotas from which to choose; and (d) a management objective function, by which alternative harvest strategies can be evaluated and a mathematically optimal strategy identified. By combining varying hypotheses about survival and reproduction, a suite of nine models were developed. Those models represent a wide range of possibilities concerning the extent to which demographic rates are density dependent, and the extent to which spring temperatures influence survival and reproduction. Five of the models incorporate density-dependent mechanisms that would maintain the population near a carrying capacity (i.e., in the absence of harvest) of 65,000 – 129,000 depending on the specific model. The remaining four models are density independent and predict an exponentially growing population even with moderate levels of harvest. The most current set of monitoring information was used to update model weights for the period 1991 – 2016. Current model weights suggest little evidence for density-dependent survival and reproduction. These results suggest that the pink-footed goose population may have recently experienced a release from density-dependent mechanisms, corresponding to the period of most rapid growth in population size. There is equivocal evidence for the effect of May temperature days in Svalbard (number of days with temperatures above freezing) on survival and reproduction. Beginning with the 2016 hunting season, harvest quotas are chosen on an annual basis rather than every three years because of the potential to better meet management objectives. The optimal harvest strategy, however, remains “knife-edged,” meaning that small changes in resource status can precipitate large changes in the annual harvest quota. This potential outcome is likely to be of concern to hunters, and we are investigating ways in which large swings in harvest quotas might be dampened. Based on updated model probabilities, the recent observations of record-high population size (88,000), the aboveaverage proportion of the population comprised of one-year-old birds (0.196), and temperature days in Svalbard (4), the suggested harvest quota for the 2017 hunting season is 36,000. Last year the quota was 25,000, yet a harvest of only 16,143 was realized. We are increasingly concerned that with the return of average spring temperatures in Svalbard, the population will continue to grow beyond managers’ ability to control it, as is the case with many goose populations in Europe and North America.

EGMP Technical Report↗

USGS2007

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 Europe, and South Africa. In spite of intensive and often sustained effort by industry and governments across three continents for 30 years, reductions in the incidence of electrocution have been demonstrated in only a few studies. Reliable rate estimates of electrocution mortality generally are unavailable, with some exceptions. Nearly half of 110 studies we analyzed in detail were retrospective reviews of historical mortality records, banding data, or results of necropsies on dead birds received at pathology and veterinary facilities. Among prospective studies, less than half used unbiased approaches to sampling and many did not provide enough detail to assess the sampling design used. At this time, few researchers can demonstrate the reliability of standardized retrofitting procedures or the effectiveness of monitoring techniques. Future progress in reducing raptor mortalities on power lines will benefit from properly designed studies that generate rate estimates of mortality, address biasing factors, and include predictions concerning risk and techniques to reduce risk that can be tested in the field or laboratory.

Biological Conservation↗

USGS2016

Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos canadensis) from three areas in western North America; initial results and conservation implications

Understanding the genetics of a population is a critical component of developing conservation strategies. We used archived tissue samples from golden eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos canadensis ) in three geographic regions of western North America to conduct a preliminary study of the genetics of the North American subspecies, and to provide data for United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) decision-making for golden eagle management. We used a combination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences and 16 nuclear DNA (nDNA) microsatellite loci to investigate the extent of gene flow among our sampling areas in Idaho, California and Alaska and to determine if we could distinguish birds from the different geographic regions based on their genetic profiles. Our results indicate high genetic diversity, low genetic structure and high connectivity. Nuclear DNA Fst values between Idaho and California were low but significantly different from zero (0.026). Bayesian clustering methods indicated a single population, and we were unable to distinguish summer breeding residents from different regions. Results of the mtDNA AMOVA showed that most of the haplotype variation (97%) was within the geographic populations while 3% variation was partitioned among them. One haplotype was common to all three areas. One region-specific haplotype was detected in California and one in Idaho, but additional sampling is required to determine if these haplotypes are unique to those geographic areas or a sampling artifact. We discuss potential sources of the high gene flow for this species including natal and breeding dispersal, floaters, and changes in migratory behavior as a result of environmental factors such as climate change and habitat alteration. Our preliminary findings can help inform the USFWS in development of golden eagle management strategies and provide a basis for additional research into the complex dynamics of the North American subspecies.

Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon↗

USGS2016

Limited evidence of intercontinental dispersal of avian paramyxovirus serotype 4 by migratory birds

Avian paramyxovirus serotype 4 (APMV-4) is a single stranded RNA virus that has most often been isolated from waterfowl. Limited information has been reported regarding the prevalence, pathogenicity, and genetic diversity of AMPV-4. To assess the intercontinental dispersal of this viral agent, we sequenced the fusion gene of 58 APMV-4 isolates collected in the United States, Japan and the Ukraine and compared them to all available sequences on GenBank. With only a single exception the phylogenetic clades of APMV-4 sequences were monophyletic with respect to their continents of origin (North America, Asia and Europe). Thus, we detected limited evidence for recent intercontinental dispersal of APMV-4 in this study.

Infection, Genetics and Evolution↗

USGS2022

Functional wetland loss drives emerging risks to waterbird migration networks

Migratory waterbirds (i.e., shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl) rely on a diffuse continental network of wetland habitats to support annual life cycle needs. Emerging threats of climate and land-use change raise new concerns over the sustainability of these habitat networks as water scarcity triggers cascading ecological effects impacting wetland habitat availability. Here we use important waterbird regions in Oregon and California, United States, as a model system to examine patterns of landscape change impacting wetland habitat networks in western North America. Wetland hydrology and flooded agricultural habitats were monitored monthly from 1988 to 2020 using satellite imagery to quantify the timing and duration of inundation—a key delimiter of habitat niche values associated with waterbird use. Trends were binned by management practice and wetland hydroperiods (semi-permanent, seasonal, and temporary) to identify differences in their climate and land-use change sensitivity. Wetland results were assessed using 33 waterbird species to detect non-linear effects of network change across a diversity of life cycle and habitat needs. Pervasive loss of semi-permanent wetlands was an indicator of systemic functional decline. Shortened hydroperiods caused by excessive drying transitioned semi-permanent wetlands to seasonal and temporary hydrologies—a process that in part counterbalanced concurrent seasonal and temporary wetland losses. Expansion of seasonal and temporary wetlands associated with closed-basin lakes offset wetland declines on other public and private lands, including wildlife refuges. Diving ducks, black terns, and grebes exhibited the most significant risk of habitat decline due to semi-permanent wetland loss that overlapped important migration, breeding, molting, and wintering periods. Shorebirds and dabbling ducks were beneficiaries of stable agricultural practices and top-down processes of functional wetland declines that operated collectively to maintain habitat needs. Outcomes from this work provide a novel perspective of wetland ecosystem change affecting waterbirds and their migration networks. Understanding the complexity of these relationships will become increasingly important as water scarcity continues to restructure the timing and availability of wetland resources.

California, Nevada, Oregon↗

USGS2013

Impacts of migratory Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) on microbial water quality in the central Platte River, Nebraska, USA

Wild birds have been shown to be significant sources of numerous types of pathogens that are relevant to humans and agriculture. The presence of large numbers of migratory birds in such a sensitive and important ecosystem as the Platte River in central Nebraska, USA, could potentially serve a significant source of bird-derived pathogens in the water/sediment and riverine environment. In 2009 and 2010, a study was completed to investigate the potential water-quality impacts of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese on the microbial water quality of the central Platte River during their spring migration period. Fecal material, river-bottom sediment, and water samples were collected from January through May of each year during the spring migration season of Sandhill Cranes in the Central Flyway of North America. Results indicate that several types of fecal indicator bacteria and from a range of viral, protozoan, and bacterial pathogens, Campylobacter jejuni were present in Sandhill Crane excreta, and at significantly higher frequency and densities in water and sediments when the Sandhill Cranes were present, particularly during evening roosts within the Platte River environment. Therefore, further investigation of the health significance of avian pathogens is warranted for the Platte River in Central Nebraska during migration of Sandhill Cranes and other waterfowl.

Nebraska↗

USGS2022

Effects of weather variation on waterfowl migration: Lessons from a continental-scale generalizable avian movement and energetics model

We developed a continental energetics-based model of daily mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) movement during the non-breeding period (September to May) to predict year-specific migration and overwinter occurrence. The model approximates movements and stopovers as functions of metabolism and weather, in terms of temperature and frozen precipitation (i.e., snow). The model is a Markov process operating at the population level and is parameterized through a review of literature. We applied the model to 62 years of daily weather data for the non-breeding period. The average proportion of available habitat decreased as weather severity increased, with mortality decreasing as the proportion of available habitat increased. The most commonly used locations during the course of the non-breeding period were generally consistent across years, with the most inter-annual variation present in the overwintering area. Our model revealed that the distribution of mallards on the landscape changed more dramatically when the variation in daily available habitat was greater. The main routes for avian migration in North America were predicted by our simulations: the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific flyways. Our model predicted an average of 77.4% survivorship for the non-breeding period across all years (range = 76.4%–78.4%), with lowest survivorship during autumn (90.5 ± 1.4%), intermediate survivorship in winter (91.8 ± 0.7%), and greatest survivorship in spring (93.6 ± 1.1%). We provide the parameters necessary for exploration within and among other taxa to leverage the generalizability of this migration model to a broader expanse of bird species, and across a range of climate change and land use/land cover change scenarios.

Ecology and Evolution↗

USGS1974

PCB's and p,p'DDE in the blood of cachectic patients

The pheasant, in its North American range, seems to have had its greatest success in glaciated or in other areas associated with calcareous soils. Success has been slight in areas deficient in calcium.....In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, no environmental difference other than presence or absence of limestone was discovered that might explain the high population in the limestone valley and the scarcity of pheasants in the non-calcareous Piedmont area....Pheasants at the Patuxent Refuge, when given limestone grit, reproduced successfully on a diet roughly comparable to the natural pheasant diet but failed to reproduce adequately on such a diet when granite grit, instead of limestone, was supplied.....A supplement of powdered calcium carbonate in the diet was adequate t,o permit production of eggs by birds on the granite grit.....Birds receiving granite grit had apparently normal eggs in the ovary but failed to ovulate more than a very few eggs. The precise role of calciun~i n permitting ovulation was not investigated.....It is concluded that calcium, which is low in the natural pheasant diet, must be supplemented in some way to permit pheasants to reproduce. Scarcity of this element in non-calcareous areas may well explain the failure of the pheasant in many parts of North America.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

USGS2016

Range expansion by Passer montanus in North America

Passer montanus became established in a small area of central North America following its introduction in 1870. P. montanus underwent minimal range expansion in the first 100 years following introduction. However, the North American population of P. montanus is now growing in size and expanding in geographic distribution, having expanded approximately 125 km to the north by 1970. We quantify the distance of spread by P. montanus from its introduction site in the greater St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois, USA area, using distributional (presence) data from the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count surveys for the period of 1951 to 2014. Linear regressions of the average annual range center of P. montanus confirmed significant shifts to the north at a rate of 3.3 km/year ( P < 0.001) km/year. Linear regressions of the linear and angular distance of range center indicates significant northern movement (change in angle of mean range center; P < 0.001) since 1951. Our results quantify the extent of a northward range expansion, and suggesting a probable spread of this species northward.

Biological Invasions↗

USGS2015

Whooping crane stopover site use intensity within the Great Plains

Whooping cranes ( Grus americana ) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate twice each year through the Great Plains in North America. Recovery activities for this endangered species include providing adequate places to stop and rest during migration, which are generally referred to as stopover sites. To assist in recovery efforts, initial estimates of stopover site use intensity are presented, which provide opportunity to identify areas across the migration range used more intensively by whooping cranes. We used location data acquired from 58 unique individuals fitted with platform transmitting terminals that collected global position system locations. Radio-tagged birds provided 2,158 stopover sites over 10 migrations and 5 years (2010–14). Using a grid-based approach, we identified 1,095 20-square-kilometer grid cells that contained stopover sites. We categorized occupied grid cells based on density of stopover sites and the amount of time cranes spent in the area. This assessment resulted in four categories of stopover site use: unoccupied, low intensity, core intensity, and extended-use core intensity. Although provisional, this evaluation of stopover site use intensity offers the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners a tool to identify landscapes that may be of greater conservation significance to migrating whooping cranes. Initially, the tool will be used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other interested parties in evaluating the Great Plains Wind Energy Habitat Conservation Plan.

Alberta, Iowa, Kansas, Manitoba, Minnesota, Missou↗

USGS2023

Investing in a nest egg: Intraspecific variation in the timing of egg laying across a latitudinal gradient

Avian reproductive strategies vary widely, and many studies of life-history variation have focused on the incubation and hatching stages of nesting. Birds make proximate decisions regarding reproductive investment during the laying stage, and these decisions likely constrain and tradeoff with other traits and subsequent behaviors. However, we know relatively little about egg-laying stage behaviors given the difficulty of locating and monitoring nest sites from the onset of laying. We used non-invasive continuous video recording to quantify variation in the egg-laying behaviors of burrowing owls ( Athene cunicularia) along a 1400-km latitudinal gradient in western North America. Burrowing owls laid eggs disproportionately in the morning hours, and that tendency was strongest among first eggs in a clutch. However, selection appeared to act more strongly on laying intervals (the time between laying of consecutive eggs) than on the diel time of laying, and laying intervals varied widely among and within clutches. Laying intervals declined seasonally and with increasing clutch size but increased with increasing burrow temperature and as a function of laying stage nest attentiveness, which may be a strategy to preserve egg viability. Laying interval was positively correlated with the duration of hatching intervals, suggesting that laying interval duration is one mechanism (along with timing of incubation onset) that generates variation in hatching asynchrony. Our results lend support to two general hypotheses to explain laying schedules; selection favors laying eggs in the morning, but other selective pressures may override that pattern. These conclusions indicate that allocation decisions during laying are an important part of avian life-history strategies which are subject to energetic constraints and tradeoffs with other traits.

Oecologia↗

USGS2020

Mast seeding patterns are asynchronous at a continental scale

Resource pulses are short duration, high magnitude, rare events that drive the dynamics of both plant and animal populations and communities1. Mast seeding is perhaps the most common type of resource pulse occurring in terrestrial ecosystems2, is characterized by the synchronous and highly variable production of seed crops by a population of perennial plants3,4, and is widespread both taxonomically and geographically5. The rare production of abundant seed crops (‘mast events’) that are orders of magnitude higher than in low seed years lead to high reproductive success in seed consumers, and has cascading impacts in ecosystems2,6. While it is suggested that mast seeding is synchronized at continental scales7, studies are largely constrained to local areas covering 10-100’s of kilometers. Furthermore, summer temperature, which acts as a cue in mast seeding8, shows patterns at continental scales manifested as a juxtaposition of positive and negative anomalies that have been linked to irruptive movements of boreal seed eating birds9. Here we show a breakdown in synchrony of mast seeding patterns across space, leading to asynchrony at a continental scale. We found in an analysis of synchrony for a transcontinental North America tree species spanning distances >5,200 km that mast seeding patterns were significantly asynchronous at distances >2,000 km apart. Other studies have shown declines in synchrony across distance, but not asynchrony. Spatio-temporal variation in summer temperatures at the continental scale drives patterns of synchrony in mast seeding, and we anticipate this impacts the spatial dynamics of numerous seed-eating communities, from insects to small mammals to the large-scale migration patterns of boreal seed eating birds.

Nature Plants↗

USGS2016

Survey for West Nile virus antibodies in wild ducks, 2004-06, USA

Detection of West Nile virus (WNV) in ducks has been reported in North America in isolated cases of mortality in wild waterbirds and following outbreaks in farmed ducks. Although the virus has been noted as an apparent incidental finding in several species of ducks, little is known about the prevalence of exposure or the outcome of infection with WNV in wild ducks in North America. From 2004–06, we collected sera from 1,406 wild-caught American Wigeon ( Anas americana ), Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ), and Northern Pintail ( Anas acuta ) ducks at national wildlife refuges (NWRs) in North Dakota and Wood Ducks ( Aix sponsa ) at NWRs in South Carolina and Tennessee. We measured the prevalence of previous exposure to WNV in these ducks by measuring WNV antibodies and evaluated variation in exposure among species, age, and year. Additionally, we evaluated the performance of a commercial antibody to wild bird immunoglobulin in duck species that varied in their phylogenetic relatedness to the bird species the antibody was directed against. As determined by a screening immunoassay and a confirmatory plaque reduction neutralization assay, the prevalence of WNV antibody was 10%. In light of experimental studies that show ducks to be relatively resistant to mortality caused by WNV, the antibody prevalence we detected suggests that wild ducks may be less-frequently exposed to WNV than expected for birds inhabiting wetlands where they may acquire infection from mosquitoes.

North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee↗

USGS2014

Waterfowl in Cuba: Current status and distribution

Cuba and its satellite islands represent the largest landmass in the Caribbean archipelago and a major repository of the region’s biodiversity. Approximately 13.4% of the Cuban territory is covered by wetlands, encompassing approximately 1.48 million ha which includes mangroves, flooded savannas, peatlands, freshwater swamp forests and various types of managed wetlands. Here, we synthesise information on the distribution and abundance of waterfowl on the main island of Cuba, excluding the numerous surrounding cays and the Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), and report on band recoveries from wintering waterfowl harvested in Cuba by species and location. Twenty-nine species of waterfowl occur in Cuba, 24 of which are North American migrants. Of the five resident Anatid species, three are of conservation concern: the West Indian Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea (globally vulnerable), White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis (regional concern) and Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus (regional concern). The most abundant species of waterfowl wintering in Cuba include Blue-winged Teal A. discors , Northern Pintail A. acuta , and Northern Shoveler A. clypeata . Waterfowl banded in Canada and the United States and recovered in Cuba included predominantly Blue-winged Teal, American Wigeon and Northern Pintail. Banding sites of recovered birds suggest that most of the waterfowl moving through and wintering in Cuba are from the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. Threats to wetlands and waterfowl in Cuba include: 1) egg poaching of resident species, 2) illegal hunting of migratory and protected resident species, 3) mangrove deforestation, 4) reservoirs for irrigation, 5) periods of pronounced droughts, and 6) hurricanes. Wetland and waterfowl conservation efforts continue across Cuba’s extensive system of protected areas. Expanding collaborations with international conservation organisations, researchers and governments in North America will enhance protection of waterfowl and wetlands in Cuba.

Wildfowl↗