| relative hippocampal volume in relation to food-storing behavior in four species of woodpeckers. | previous studies have shown that those food-storing birds of the order passeriformes that remember the locations of their caches have relatively larger hippocampal complexes than do non-storing passerines. woodpeckers constitute a different avian order (piciformes), which also includes some food-storing species. we compared hippocampal volume, relative to the volume of the rest of the telencephalon, across four species of woodpeckers with disparate caching behavior. red-bellied woodpeckers (mela ... | 1997 | 9031734 |
| ticks (acari: ixodidae) and spirochetes (spirochaetaceae: spirochaetales) recovered from birds on a georgia barrier island. | from september 1997 through july 1999, 300 individuals and 46 species of birds were mist-netted and screened for ticks and spirochetes on st. catherine's island, liberty county, ga. seventy-six (25%) of the birds were parasitized by a meal intensity of 4.6 ticks. seasonally, more birds were infested with ticks during the summer (50% in 1998, 34% in 1999) than in spring (15% in 1998, 11% in 1999) or fall (21% in 1997, 20% in 1998), mainly because of severe infestations on some birds by immature s ... | 2001 | 11296828 |
| new species of parasitic quill mites of the genus picobia (acari: syringophilidae: picobiinae) from north american birds. | five new species of the genus picobia are described and illustrated: (1) p. leucophaeus sp. nov. from the laughing gull leucophaeus atricilla l. (charadriiformes: laridae) from texas; (2) p. troglodytes sp. nov. from the house wren troglodytes aedon vieillot (passeriformes: troglodytidae) from california; (3) p. cardinalis sp. nov. from the northern cardinal cardinalis cardinalis (l.) (passeriformes: cardinalidae) from texas; (4) p. carpodacus sp. nov. from the purple finch carpodacus purpureus ... | 2010 | 20939365 |
| a review of the mite subfamily harpirhynchinae (acariformes: harpirhynchidae)--parasites of new world birds (aves: neognathae). | mites of the subfamily harpirhynchinae (acariformes: cheyletoidea: harpirhynchidae) associated with neognathous birds (aves: neognathae) in the new world are revised. in all, 68 species in 8 genera are recorded. among them, 27 new species and 1 new genus are described as new for science: harpyrhynchoides gallowayi bochkov, oconnor and klompen sp. nov. from columba livia (columbiformes: columbidae) from canada (manitoba), h. zenaida bochkov, oconnor and klompen sp. nov. from zenaida macroura (col ... | 2015 | 26624161 |
| benefits to satellite members in mixed-species foraging groups: an experimental analysis. | hypotheses proposed to explain the formation of mixed-species foraging groups have focused on both foraging and antipredation benefits. mixed-species flocks of bark-foraging birds form during the winter in the eastern deciduous forests of north america. these flocks are composed of two parid nuclear species, tufted titmice, baeolophus bicolor, and either carolina or black-capped chickadees, poecile carolinensis or p. atricapillus, and several satellite species including downy woodpeckers, picoid ... | 1998 | 9787042 |
| the complete mitochondrial genome of the downy woodpecker, picoides pubescens (piciformes: picidae). | the downy woodpecker (picoides pubescens) is a species of woodpecker which is the smallest in north america. this present study firstly reported the complete mitochondrial genome of downy woodpecker. we performed assembly of mitogenome structural by spades and the picidae species dryocopus pileatus act as a reference. the mitogenome was 16 840 bp in length, which contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer rnas, 2 ribosomal rnas and 1 putative misc-feature region. the overall at content is 52. ... | 2016 | 26190078 |
| a comparative study of avian auditory brainstem responses: correlations with phylogeny and vocal complexity, and seasonal effects. | we conducted a comparative study of the peripheral auditory system in six avian species (downy woodpeckers, carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, house sparrows, and european starlings). these species differ in the complexity and frequency characteristics of their vocal repertoires. physiological measures of hearing were collected on anesthetized birds using the auditory brainstem response to broadband click stimuli. if auditory brainstem response patterns are phylogene ... | 2002 | 12471495 |
| genetic signals of demographic expansion in downy woodpecker (picoides pubescens) after the last north american glacial maximum. | the glacial cycles of the pleistocene have been recognized as important, large-scale historical processes that strongly influenced the demographic patterns and genetic structure of many species. here we present evidence of a postglacial expansion for the downy woodpecker (picoides pubescens), a common member of the forest bird communities in north america with a continental distribution. dna sequences from the mitochondrial trna-lys, and atpase 6 and 8 genes, and microsatellite data from seven v ... | 2012 | 22792306 |
| the role of testosterone in male downy woodpeckers in winter home range use, mate interactions and female foraging behaviour. | studies of the role of testosterone (t) in birds have typically focused on sexual or aggressive behaviours of males during the breeding period, but males of nonmigratory species may invest in mate and territory long before breeding, and the influence of t in facilitating nonbreeding-season behaviours is poorly understood. we gave free-living male downy woodpeckers, picoides pubescens, t-implants during the winter to determine whether elevated levels of t increased a male's ability to exclusively ... | 2006 | 16932805 |
| nonbreeding season pairing behavior and the annual cycle of testosterone in male and female downy woodpeckers, picoides pubescens. | studies in birds show that testosterone (t) concentrations vary over the annual cycle depending on mating system and life history traits. socially monogamous species show pairing behavior throughout the year and low levels of male-male aggression and are underrepresented in these studies, yet the function of testosterone could be particularly important for sexual and social interactions occurring outside the breeding season. we measured fecal t concentrations over the annual cycle and the freque ... | 2004 | 15555514 |
| variable selection on eurosta's gall size. ii. a path analysis of the ecological factors behind selection. | we examined phenotypic selection exerted by natural enemies on the gall-making fly eurosta solidaginis in an extensive field study of 16 populations, spanning four generations. gall-makers that induce small galls are vulnerable to the attack of eurytoma gigantea. this imposes upward directional selection on gall size. insectivorous birds, predominantly the downy woodpecker, are more likely to attack larvae that induce large galls than small ones, and this imposes downward directional selection. ... | 1994 | 28568264 |
| downy woodpecker foraging behavior: foraging by expectation and energy intake rate. | i describe an artificial patch system that was used to study the foraging behavior of free-roaming downy woodpeckers (picoides pubescens) in a woodlot in southeastern michigan. the artificial "patches" used were thin logs into which were drilled small holes to hold food items (bits of sunflower seed kernels). downy woodpeckers would systematically search the holes of a patch for food items and thus by manipulating the food distribution within the patches, the birds could be made to experience di ... | 1983 | 28310584 |
| flocking propensity by satellites, but not core members of mixed-species flocks, increases when individuals experience energetic deficits in a poor-quality foraging habitat. | mixed-species bird flocks are complex social systems comprising core and satellite members. flocking species are sensitive to habitat disturbance, but we are only beginning to understand how species-specific responses to habitat disturbance affect interspecific associations in these flocks. here we demonstrate the effects of human-induced habitat disturbance on flocking species' behavior, demography, and individual condition within a remnant network of temperate deciduous forest patches in india ... | 2019 | 30625186 |
| phenotypic variation reveals sites of evolutionary constraint in the androgenic signaling pathway. | steroid hormone systems play an important role in shaping the evolution of vertebrate sexual traits, but several aspects of this relationship remain unclear. for example, we currently know little about how steroid signaling complexes are adapted to accommodate the emergence of behavior in response to sexual selection. we use downy woodpeckers (dryobates pubescens) to evaluate how the machinery underlying androgen action can evolve to accommodate this bird's main territorial signal, the drum. we ... | 2019 | 31211944 |
| woodpecker drumming behavior is linked to the elevated expression of genes that encode calcium handling proteins in the neck musculature. | many animals perform elaborate physical displays for social communication. identifying molecular mechanisms that co-evolve with these complex behavioral signals can therefore help reveal how forces of selection shape animal design. to study this issue, we examined gene expression profiles in select skeletal muscles that actuate woodpecker drum displays. this remarkable whole-body signal is produced when individuals rapidly hammer their bill against trees. we found that, compared with muscles tha ... | 2018 | 29853547 |