Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts : studies in the conservation of North American passerine birds / edited by James N.M. Smith [and three others] ; foreword by Paul R. Ehrlich.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Smith, James N. M., 1944- editor.

Ehrlich, Paul R., writer of foreword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cowbirds.

Brood parasitism.

Wildlife management.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (401 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Austin, Texas : University of Texas Press, 2000.

Summary:

In the past two centuries, cowbirds have increased in numbers and extended their range across North America, while many of the native songbird species whose nests they parasitize to raise their young have declined. This timely book collects forty essays by most of the principal authorities on the biology and management of cowbirds. The book's goals are to explore the biology of cowbirds, the threats they pose to host species and populations, and the management programs that are being undertaken to minimize these threats. The book is organized into five sections, each with an extended editors' introduction that places the contributions in a broad, up-to-date setting. The sections cover: The changing abundance of cowbirds and the ways in which their numbers can be estimated. Host choice by cowbirds, the negative effects of cowbirds on particular host species, and the daily patterns of cowbird behavior. Behavioral interactions between cowbirds and specific host species. Patterns of cowbird abundance and host use across varying landscapes. Management programs designed to control cowbirds and protect threatened songbirds.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword

General Introduction

Part I. Population Trends of Cowbirds and Hosts and Relevant Methodology

1. Introduction

2. Temporal and Geographic Patterns in Population Trends of Brown-headed Cowbirds

3. Cowbird Population Changes and Their Relationship to Changes in Some Host Species

4. The Spread of Shiny and Brown-headed Cowbirds into the Florida Region

5. Brown-headed Cowbird Population Trends at a Large Winter Roost in Southwest Louisiana, 1974-1992

6. An Evaluation of Point Counts and Playbacks as Techniques for Censusing Brown-headed Cowbirds

7. The Structure and Function of Cowbird Vocalizations and the Use of Playbacks to Enhance Cowbird Detectability: Relations to Potential Censusing Biases

Part II. Cowbird Spacing Behavior, Host Selection, and Negative Consequences of Parasitism for Commonly Used Hosts

8. Introduction

9. Spatial Patterns of Breeding Female Brown-headed Cowbirds on an Illinois Site

10. Differences in Movements, Home Range, and Habitat Preferences of Female Brown-headed Cowbirds in Three Midwestern Landscapes

11. The Effects of Host Numbers on Cowbird Parasitism of Red-winged Blackbirds

12. Cowbird Brood Parasitism on a Little-Used Host: The Yellow-headed Blackbird

13. Host Selection in the Forest Interior: Cowbirds Target Ground-nesting Species

14. Reproductive Interactions between and Plumbeous vireos in Colorado

15. Effects of Multiple Parasitism on Cowbird and Wood Thrush Nesting Success

16. Comparing the Relative Effects of Brood Parasitism and Nest Predation on Seasonal Fecundity in Passerine Birds

Part III. Host-Cowbird Behavioral Interactions

17. Introduction

18. Morning Nest Arrivals in Cowbird Hosts: Their Role in Aggression, Cowbird Recognition, and Host Response to Parasitism

19. Yellow Warbler Nest Attentiveness before Sunrise: Antiparasite Strategy or Onset of Incubation?

20. The Ecology of Egg-puncture Behavior by the Shiny Cowbird in Southwestern Puerto Rico

21. Why Do Female Brown-headed Cowbirds Remove Host Eggs? A Test of the Incubation Efficiency Hypothesis

Part IV. Environmental Correlates of Cowbird Parasitism at Multiple Spatial Scales

22. Introduction

23. The Role of Vegetation in Cowbird Parasitism of Yellow Warblers

24. Association of Cowbird Parasitism and Vegetative Cover in Territories of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers

25. Interhabitat Differences in Parasitism Frequencies by Brown-headed Cowbirds in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

26. Cowbird Parasitism and Nest Predation in Fragmented Grasslands of Southwestern Manitoba

27. Cowbird Parasitism in Grassland and Cropland in the Northern Great Plains

28. Distribution and Habitat Associations of Brown-headed Cowbirds in the Green Mountains of Vermont

29. Impacts of Cowbird Parasitism on Wood Thrushes and Other Neotropical Migrants in Suburban Maryland Forests

30. Cowbird Distribution at Different Scales of Fragmentation: Trade-offs between Breeding and Feeding Opportunities

31. Brown-headed Cowbird Parasitism of Migratory Birds: Effects of Forest Area and Surrounding Landscape

32. Biogeographic, Landscape, and Local Factors Affecting Cowbird Abundance and Host Parasitism Levels

33. Cowbird Parasitism in a Fragmented Landscape: Effects of Tract Size, Habitat, and Abundance of Cowbirds and Hosts

34. Within-landscape Variation in Patterns of Cowbird Parasitism in the Forests of South-central Indiana

35. Effects of Land-use and Management Practices on the Presence of Brown-headed Cowbirds in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine

Part V. Cowbird Management, Host Population Limitation, and Efforts to Save Endangered Species

36. Introduction

37. Brown-headed Cowbird Control on Kirtland's Warbler Nesting Areas in Michigan, 1972-1995

38. Cowbird Control and the Endangered Least Bell's Vireo: A Management Success Story

39. Cowbird Control Program at Fort Hood, Texas: Lessons for Mitigation of Cowbird Parasitism on a Landscape Scale

40. Results of a Brown-headed Cowbird Control Program for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher

Contributors

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-292-78753-7

OCLC:

1286806757