| avian and mammalian hosts for spirochete-infected ticks and insects in a lyme disease focus in connecticut. | spirochetes and their vectors and reservoirs were studied in a lyme disease focus in east haddam, connecticut, from mid-may through september 1983. ixodes dammini subadults were comparable in number on white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus) (means = 2.9 +/- 3.6 sd) to those on 27 different species of birds (means = 2.3 +/- 4.2 sd) representing 11 families within the order passeriformes. less commonly found ticks on birds (means less than or equal to 0.1) were immature ixodes dentatus and haemap ... | 1984 | 6516460 |
| mycoplasma sturni from blue jays and northern mockingbirds with conjunctivitis in florida. | northern mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos) and blue jays (cyanocitta cristata) in a florida (usa) wildlife care facility developed clinical signs and gross lesions suggestive of the ongoing outbreak of mycoplasma gallisepticum (mg) conjunctivitis in house finches (carpodacus mexicanus) and american goldfinches (carduelis tristis). mycoplasmal organisms were cultured from conjunctival/corneal swabs of birds with sinusitis, conjunctivitis, and/or epiphora. all of the isolates tested were identified ... | 1998 | 9577796 |
| mycoplasmosis in captive crows and robins from minnesota. | mycoplasma sturni is a recently described organism previously associated with conjunctivitis in european starlings (sturnus vulgaris), northern mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos) and blue jays (cyanocitta cristata). herein we describe the isolation of m. sturni from an american crow (corvus brachyrhynchos) presenting with conjunctivitis. a nested-pcr was designed for identification of m. sturni in clinical specimens and the sensitivity of the reaction was found to be 10 colony-changing units. the ... | 2001 | 11504228 |
| host feeding patterns of established and potential mosquito vectors of west nile virus in the eastern united states. | an important variable in determining the vectorial capacity of mosquito species for arthropod-borne infections is the degree of contact of the vector and the vertebrate reservoir. this parameter can be estimated by examining the host-feeding habits of vectors. serological and polymerase chain reaction based methods have been used to study the host-feedings patterns of 21 mosquito species from new york, new jersey, and tennessee, 19 of which previously have been found infected with west nile viru ... | 2004 | 15018775 |
| mosquito and arbovirus activity during 1997-2002 in a wetland in northeastern mississippi. | the species composition and population dynamics of adult mosquitoes in a wetland near iuka, ms, were analyzed over a 6-yr period (1997-2002) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (pcr) detection rates of arboviruses determined during five of those years. blood meals of three likely vector species were identified using a pcr-based method that allows identification of the host to species. culex erraticus (dyar & knab) composed 51.9% of the population during the 6-yr period with 295 f ... | 2004 | 15185956 |
| west nile virus epizootiology in the southeastern united states, 2001. | we investigated mosquito and bird involvement in west nile virus (wnv) transmission in july 2001 in jefferson county, fl, and lowndes county, ga. we detected 16 wnv-infected pools from culex quinquefasciatus, cx. salinarius, cx. nigripalpus, and culiseta melanura. in florida, 11% of 353 bird sera neutralized wnv. antibody prevalence was greatest in northern cardinal (cardinalis cardinalis, 75%), northern mockingbird (mimus polyglottus, 50%), common ground-dove (columbina passerina, 25%), common ... | 2005 | 15815153 |
| avian hosts for west nile virus in st. tammany parish, louisiana, 2002. | west nile virus (wnv) infections in free-ranging birds were studied in slidell, st. tammany parish, louisiana, after a human encephalitis outbreak peaked there in july 2002. seroprevalence in resident, free-ranging wild birds in one suburban site was 25% and 24% in august and october, respectively, indicating that most transmission had ceased by early august. mortality rates, seroprevalence rates, host competence, and crude population estimates were used in mathematical models to predict actual ... | 2005 | 16354808 |
| west nile virus antibodies in avian species of georgia, usa: 2000-2004. | west nile virus (wnv) was first isolated in the state of georgia in the summer of 2001. as amplifying hosts of wnv, avian species play an important role in the distribution and epidemiology of the virus. the objective of this study was to identify avian species that are locally involved as potential amplifying hosts of wnv and can serve as indicators of wnv transmission over the physiographic and land use variation present in the southeastern united states. avian serum samples (n=14,077) from 83 ... | 2006 | 16584328 |
| west nile virus surveillance in east baton rouge parish, louisiana. | west nile virus (wnv) was detected for the first time in louisiana in the fall of 2001. surveillance data collected from east baton rouge parish in 2002 were examined to establish baseline data on wnv activity, to support the current design of disease surveillance programs, and to target vector control efforts in the parish. the first indications of wnv activity were from a dead northern cardinal collected in february and from a live male cardinal sampled on 14 march. in mosquito pools, wnv was ... | 2007 | 17536365 |
| studies of trichomonad protozoa in free ranging songbirds: prevalence of trichomonas gallinae in house finches (carpodacus mexicanus) and corvids and a novel trichomonad in mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos). | this study refutes the accepted dogma that significant pathogenic effects of trichomonas gallinae are limited to columbiformes and raptors in free ranging bird populations in north america. trichomonads were associated with morbidity and mortality amongst free ranging house finches (carpodacus mexicanus), mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos) and corvids (scrub jay: aphelocoma californica; crow: corvus brachyrhynchos; raven: corvus corax) in northern california. prevalence of trichomonad infection wa ... | 2009 | 19278788 |
| host feeding patterns of culex mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) in east baton rouge parish, louisiana. | host feeding patterns were examined for four species of culex mosquitoes collected from 18 sites in or adjacent to east baton rouge parish, la, from november 2002 to october 2004. host dna from 37 bloodfed culex coronator dyar and knab, 67 bloodfed cx. salinarius coquillett, 112 bloodfed cx. nigripalpus theobald, and 684 bloodfed cx. quinquefasciatus say were identified. the percentages of bloodmeals containing mammalian dna were 94.6% for cx. coronator, 82.1% for cx. salinarius, 66.1% for cx. n ... | 2010 | 20380306 |
| the culex pipiens complex in the mississippi river basin: identification, distribution, and bloodmeal hosts. | members of the culex pipiens complex are the primary vectors of st. louis encephalitis virus and west nile virus in the mississippi river basin (mrb). the cx. pipiens complex in the mrb is composed of 4 taxa: cx. p. pipiens form pipiens, cx. p. quinquefasciatus, hybrids between cx. p. pipiens f. pipiens and cx. p. quinquefasciatus, and cx. p. pipiens form molestus. three studies on bloodmeal hosts with large sample sizes have been conducted on members of the cx. pipiens complex in the mrb includ ... | 2012 | 23401948 |
| diversity and phylogenetic relationships of hemosporidian parasites in birds of socorro island, méxico, and their role in the re-introduction of the socorro dove (zenaida graysoni). | the socorro dove zenaida graysoni , endemic to socorro island, was last reported in the wild in 1972. fortunately, the species has been propagated in zoos in europe and the united states, and plans are under way to re-introduce it to its native habitat. this will be the first known attempt to return a bird species extinct in the wild to its ancestral island. in order to assess the disease threats the socorro dove may face, the avifauna of socorro island, with a specific focus on socorro ground d ... | 2013 | 23043349 |
| urban mockingbirds quickly learn to identify individual humans. | practically all animals are affected by humans, especially in urban areas. although most species respond negatively to urbanization, some thrive in human-dominated settings. a central question in urban ecology is why some species adapt well to the presence of humans and others do not. we show that northern mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos) nesting on the campus of a large university rapidly learn to assess the level of threat posed by different humans, and to respond accordingly. in a controlled ... | 2009 | 19451622 |
| quantification of low levels of organochlorine pesticides using small volumes (<or=100 microl) of plasma of wild birds through gas chromatography negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry. | a solid phase extraction and gas chromatography with negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry in scan mode (gc-nci-ms) method was developed to identify and quantify for the first time low levels of organochlorine pesticides (ocs) in plasma samples of less than 100 microl from wild birds. the method detection limits ranged from 0.012 to 0.102 pg/microl and the method reporting limit from 0.036 to 0.307 pg/microl for alpha, gamma, beta and delta-hexachlorocyclohexane (hch), heptachlor, aldri ... | 2007 | 17240024 |
| phylogenetic analysis of avian poxviruses among free-ranging birds of virginia. | polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify a portion of the avian poxvirus core 4b gene of infected free-ranging birds that presented at the wildlife center of virginia during the 2003 and early 2004 years. the species of bird infected were a great blue heron (ardea herodias), two american crows (corvus brachyrhyncos), two american robins (turdus migratorius), two mourning doves (zenaida macroura), a red-tailed hawk (buteo jamaicensis), a blue-gray gnatcatcher (polioptila caerulea), a norther ... | 2005 | 16405007 |
| tetratrichomonas gallinarum encephalitis in a mockingbird (mimus polyglottos). | | 1996 | 9026073 |
| epidemiological investigation for arboviruses in jamaica, west indies. | arbovirus investigation in jamaica was undertaken between 1960 and 1975. serological studies showed that antibodies to dengue type virus and st. louis encephalitis virus (sle) were prevalent throughout the island for several years. in urban communities, the incidence of dengue antibody was higher than for sle; however, in children under 10 years of age antibody to both viruses was rarely present. in rural areas, sle was prevalent in adults and children. this virus was isolated fom culex nigripal ... | 1980 | 7406115 |
| hemoprotozoa in mourning doves and other small birds of western oklahoma. | blood smears obtained from 370 birds live-trapped in western oklahoma were examined for hemoprotozoa. haemoproteus spp. were found in 189 (90.4%) mourning doves (zenaida macroura), one oriole (icterus galbula), two mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos), and three brown thrashers (toxostoma rufum). plasmodium sp. was present in one brown thrasher. haemoproteus spp. in the mourning dove were identified as h. sacharovi and h. maccallumi, with the latter species predominating. the average parasitemia for ... | 1975 | 811816 |
| sub-lethal exposure to lead is associated with heightened aggression in an urban songbird. | many urban areas have elevated soil lead concentrations due to prior large-scale use of lead in products such as paint and automobile gasoline. this presents a potential problem for the growing numbers of wildlife living in urbanized areas as lead exposure is known to affect multiple physiological systems, including the nervous system, in vertebrate species. in humans and laboratory animals, low-level lead exposure is associated with neurological impairment, but less is known about how lead may ... | 2019 | 30447598 |
| forage ratio analysis of the southern house mosquito in college station, texas. | culex quinquefasciatus is the principal vector of west nile virus (wnv) in the south central united states, yet limited data on host utilization are available. we evaluated host utilization over a 3-month period in 2013 in a residential landscape in college station, texas. pcr sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 gene permitted molecular identification of vertebrate bloodmeals to the species level. forage ratio analysis identified bird species that were overutilized and underutil ... | 2018 | 29920164 |
| bloodmeal host selection of culex quinquefasciatus (diptera: culicidae) in las vegas, nevada, united states. | st. louis encephalitis virus (slev) and west nile virus (wnv) have recently emerged in the southwestern united states. surveillance for arboviruses in las vegas, nv, detected a surge of slev activity in the southern house mosquito (culex quinquefasciatus say) during 2016. to identify candidate avian amplifiers, we assessed the identification, viral infection, and immune status of vertebrate hosts for 195 blood-engorged cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes collected in august and september 2016. blood ... | 2019 | 30668743 |
| the influence of sexual selection and interspecific competition on mockingbird song (mimus polyglottos). | | 1974 | 28564842 |
| autumnal territorial aggression is independent of plasma testosterone in mockingbirds. | mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos) show intense territorial activity in the autumn as newcomers attempt to establish space within resident populations. examination of autumnal territorial behavior showed that unmated males sing more and engage in more territorial fights than mated males. newcomers that have just acquired space also sing more and show more territorial fights than birds resident to the population for at least one prior season. among established residents, the average number of terri ... | 1990 | 2286368 |
| testosterone stimulates reproductive behavior during autumn in mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos). | mockingbirds normally secrete little or no testosterone during the period of autumnal territoriality. to determine the behavioral effects of exogenously administered testosterone, 20-mm lengths of silastic tubing filled with crystalline testosterone were implanted into free-living resident mockingbirds during the autumn. control residents were given sealed empty implants. focal animal sampling showed that t-implanted males sang significantly more than controls. perhaps as a consequence, a signif ... | 1991 | 2066082 |
| bird dispersal of the larval stage of a seed predator. | multiflora rose seeds containing larvae of the phytophagous wasp megastigmus aculeatus nigroflavus were fed to a caged mockingbird (mimus polyglottos). ninety percent of the seeds were recovered from the bird's feces, and there was no significant difference in subsequent emergence of the wasps from these seeds when compared to controls. this study indicates the dispersal of seed-feeding hymenoptera by avian frugivores may be a widespread and significant phenomenon. | 1994 | 28307045 |
| hormonal correlates of breeding status, nest construction, and parental care in multiple-brooded northern mockingbirds, mimus polyglottos. | blood samples were taken from free-living male and female mockingbirds to determine correlations between plasma steroids and breeding behavior. plasma levels of testosterone (t), estradiol (e2), progesterone (p), and corticosterone (b) were assessed during pre-breeding courtship, while males built nests, while females incubated, while parents fed young, and while males built new nests as pairs continued to care for dependent fledglings. samples were also taken from unmated males holding spring t ... | 1995 | 7782060 |
| developing microsatellites when they are rare: trinucleotide repeat loci in the northern mockingbird mimus polyglottos. | the great value of microsatellite loci to population studies spurs their development. however, finding loci is difficult when microsatellites are uncommon in the genome. because trinucleotide-repeat loci are rare in northern mockingbirds mimus polyglottos, we sought a new method for developing a suite of loci. here we show that a bacterio-phage cloning vector, lambda zap express (stratagene, la jolla, ca, usa) has several features which make it suitable for this purpose. using this vector, we ma ... | 1997 | 9394466 |
| development of the corticosterone stress response in young northern mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos). | in birds, additional adrenocortical secretion in response to stressors often redirects an individual's ongoing activities toward immediate life-saving activities, usually by facilitating an increase in food searching and food intake needed to meet periods of increased energy demand. we asked whether young birds, who are entirely dependent on parents for food acquisition and therefore unable to manipulate their own food intake, fail to show an adult-like adrenocortical response to the acute stres ... | 2000 | 10936039 |
| motor mechanisms of a vocal mimic: implications for birdsong production. | the diverse vocal performances of oscine songbirds are produced by the independent but coordinated patterns of activity in muscles controlling separate sound generators on the left and right sides of their duplex vocal organ, the syrinx. species with different song styles use the two sides of their syrinx in different ways to produce their species-typical songs. understanding how a vocal mimic copies another species' song may provide an insight into whether there are alternative motor mechanisms ... | 2004 | 15129958 |
| two-voice complexity from a single side of the syrinx in northern mockingbird mimus polyglottos vocalizations. | the diverse vocal signals of songbirds are produced by highly coordinated motor patterns of syringeal and respiratory muscles. these muscles control separate sound generators on the right and left side of the duplex vocal organ, the syrinx. whereas most song is under active neural control, there has been a growing interest in a different class of nonlinear vocalizations consisting of frequency jumps, subharmonics, biphonation and deterministic chaos that are also present in the vocal repertoires ... | 2008 | 18515729 |
| microsatellite primers for the four galápagos mockingbird species (mimus parvulus, mimus macdonaldi, mimus melanotis and mimus trifasciatus). | nineteen di- and tetranucleotide and one trinucleotide microsatellite dna markers were isolated from the galápagos mockingbird (mimus parvulus) and tested for cross-species amplification in the other three mockingbird species in the galápagos. in addition, primers for two microsatellite loci previously developed for mimus polyglottos were redesigned to obtain shorter amplification fragments. the number of alleles per locus and species ranged from 1 to 8, and expected heterozygosity varied from 0 ... | 2009 | 21564952 |
| estimating vocal repertoire size is like collecting coupons: a theoretical framework with heterogeneity in signal abundance. | vocal repertoire size is an important behavioural measure in songbirds and mammals with complex vocal communication systems, and has traditionally been used as an indicator of individual fitness, cognitive ability, and social structure. estimates of asymptotic repertoire size have typically been made using curve fitting techniques. however, the exponential model usually applied in these techniques has never been provided with a theoretical justification based on probability theory, and the model ... | 2015 | 25791282 |
| balancing selection and genetic drift create unusual patterns of mhciiβ variation in galápagos mockingbirds. | the extracellular subunit of the major histocompatibility complex mhciiβ plays an important role in the recognition of pathogens and the initiation of the adaptive immune response of vertebrates. it is widely accepted that pathogen-mediated selection in combination with neutral micro-evolutionary forces (e.g. genetic drift) shape the diversity of mhciiβ, but it has proved difficult to determine the relative effects of these forces. we evaluated the effect of genetic drift and balancing selection ... | 2016 | 27545344 |
| generalist birds promote tropical forest regeneration and increase plant diversity via rare-biased seed dispersal. | regenerated forests now compose over half of the world's tropical forest cover and are increasingly important as providers of ecosystem services, freshwater, and biodiversity conservation. much of the value and functionality of regenerating forests depends on the plant diversity they contain. tropical forest diversity is strongly shaped by mutualistic interactions between plants and fruit-eating animals (frugivores) that disperse seeds. here we show how seed dispersal by birds can influence the ... | 2016 | 27859154 |
| patterns of knemidokoptes jamaicensis (acari: knemidokoptidae) infestations among eight new avian hosts in the dominican republic. | the ectoparasitic mite knemidokoptes jamaicensis turk burrows into the cornified epithelium of the legs and feet of passeriform birds and has been reported from 12 species of north american birds. here we establish new host and distribution records for k. jamaicensis from eight species of birds from three habitats in the dominican republic. these species include hispaniolan pewee (contopus hispaniolensis bryant), northern mockingbird (mimus polyglottos l.), cape may warbler (dendoica tigrina gme ... | 2001 | 11372970 |
| evidence of oxyspirura petrowi in migratory songbirds found in the rolling plains of west texas, usa. | three northern mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos) and one curve-billed thrasher (toxostoma curvirostre) from the rolling plains of texas, usa were sampled for eyeworms in september 2013. all four birds were infected with the eyeworm oxyspirura petrowi. | 2014 | 24807355 |
| a multi-year study of mosquito feeding patterns on avian hosts in a southeastern focus of eastern equine encephalitis virus. | abstract. eastern equine encephalitis virus (eeev) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that cycles in birds but also causes severe disease in humans and horses. we examined patterns of avian host use by vectors of eeev in alabama from 2001 to 2009 using blood-meal analysis of field-collected mosquitoes and avian abundance surveys. the northern cardinal (cardinalis cardinalis) was the only preferred host (fed on significantly more than expected based on abundance) of culiseta melanura, the enzootic vect ... | 2011 | 21540380 |
| mockingbirds imitate frogs and toads across north america. | vocal mimicry is taxonomically widespread among birds, but little is known about mimicry of non-avian models. prior studies show preferential imitation of avian models whose sounds are acoustically similar to the non-imitative songs of the vocal mimic. based on these studies and anecdotes about frog imitations by northern mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos), we hypothesized which anuran models would be most likely to get imitated by mockingbirds across their geographic range. we tested our hypothes ... | 2019 | 31586643 |