| use of observed wild bird activity on poultry farms and a literature review to target species as high priority for avian influenza testing in 2 regions of canada. | the risk of avian influenza outbreaks in poultry is partially dependent on the probability of contact between domestic poultry and wild birds shedding avian influenza (ai) virus. the major objective of this study was to document wild bird activity on poultry farms to determine which wild bird species should be targeted for ai surveillance in canada. we collected data in 2 major poultry producing regions of canada, southwestern ontario and the fraser valley of british columbia, on the relative ab ... | 0 | 22851777 |
| black-tailed prairie dogs and the structure of avian communities on the shortgrass plains. | we tested the hypothesis that black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) influence avian community structure on the shortgrass prairie. we surveyed 36 prairie dog towns and 36 paired sites without prairie dogs during summer and fall of 1997, 1998, and 1999 in the oklahoma panhandle. our surveys totaled 9,040 individual observations for 73 avian species. significantly distinct avian communities were present on prairie dog towns when compared to sites within four different macrohabitats of t ... | 2004 | 14685848 |
| multilocus phylogeny of the avian family alaudidae (larks) reveals complex morphological evolution, non-monophyletic genera and hidden species diversity. | the alaudidae (larks) is a large family of songbirds in the superfamily sylvioidea. larks are cosmopolitan, although species-level diversity is by far largest in africa, followed by eurasia, whereas australasia and the new world have only one species each. the present study is the first comprehensive phylogeny of the alaudidae. it includes 83.5% of all species and representatives from all recognised genera, and was based on two mitochondrial and three nuclear loci (in total 6.4 kbp, although not ... | 2013 | 23792153 |
| new species of parasitic nasal mites infesting birds in manitoba, canada (mesostigmata, rhinonyssidae). | mites (acari, acariformes, parasitiformes) are one of the most diverse and abundant groups of arthropods associated with birds. several families of mites have colonised the respiratory tract of birds, the rhinonyssidae (mesostigmata) being the most diverse. there are 66 species of rhinonyssids (59 named, seven undescribed species) reported from canadian birds. two new species of rhinonyssids were discovered while surveying nasal mites from birds in manitoba, canada, and are herein described as s ... | 2018 | 30283232 |
| adaptive variation in body size and skeletal proportions of horned larks of the southwestern united states. | | 1973 | 28564929 |
| limited phylogeographic signal in sex-linked and autosomal loci despite geographically, ecologically, and phenotypically concordant structure of mtdna variation in the holarctic avian genus eremophila. | phylogeographic studies of holarctic birds are challenging because they involve vast geographic scale, complex glacial history, extensive phenotypic variation, and heterogeneous taxonomic treatment across countries, all of which require large sample sizes. knowledge about the quality of phylogeographic information provided by different loci is crucial for study design. we use sequences of one mtdna gene, one sex-linked intron, and one autosomal intron to elucidate large scale phylogeographic pat ... | 2014 | 24498139 |
| diet niche relationships among north american grassland and shrubsteppe birds. | we consider the dietary relationships of the numerically dominant breeding bird species in four north american grassland/shrubsteppe habitats, sampled over 2-3 consecutive years. overall, the diets of these species contained primarily insects: orthopterans comprised 29% of the diet biomass, coleopterans 24%, and lepidopteran larvae 23%, while seeds contributed 15% of the average diet. these diets varied substantially, however, and we evaluated several aspects of this variation. intersexual diffe ... | 1979 | 28309503 |
| livestock grazing supports native plants and songbirds in a california annual grassland. | over eight years we measured the effects of plant community composition, vegetation structure, and livestock grazing on occurrence of three grassland bird species-western meadowlark (sturnella neglecta), horned lark (eremophila alpestris), and grasshopper sparrow (ammodramus savannarum)-at sites in central california during breeding season. in california's mediterranean-type climatic region, coastal and inland grassland vegetation is dominated by exotic annual grasses with occasional patches of ... | 2017 | 28614358 |
| flight muscle catabolism during overnight fasting in a passerine bird, eremophila alpestris. | brood-rearing passerine birds often have sparse lipid reserves coupled with potentially high energy demands. this may necessitate increased fasting protein catabolism; however, the largest source of protein, flight muscle, must be maintained. this problem was examined in the horned lark (eremophila alpestris), a 28-g passerine. overnight fasting caused significant depletion of protein in flight muscle and liver, but not in other muscle groups. proteolytic enzyme activity of the flight muscle dou ... | 1992 | 1506494 |
| impacts of a severe drought on grassland birds in western north dakota. | we studied the effect of a severe drought on the population dynamics and community structure of grassland birds in western north dakota. during the spring and summer of 1988 the northern great plains suffered one of the warmest, driest periods in its recorded history. we compared the changes in bird populations and nesting productivity over a 3-yr period before, during, and after the drought. total grassland bird density declined 61% (p < .05) between june 1987 and june 1988. densities of six of ... | 1992 | 27759255 |
| determination of anthraquinone in technical material, formulations, and lettuce by high performance liquid chromatography. | foraging on lettuce seeds and seedlings by horned larks (eremophila alpestris) causes millions of dollars in losses to the california lettuce crop annually. anthraquinone (aq; 9,10-anthracenedione) has been shown to deter pest birds from consuming the seeds and seedlings of several plant species and was evaluated as a repellent to horned larks when applied to lettuce seedlings. a set of analytical methods using simple liquid extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis ... | 2002 | 12059136 |
| comparative phylogeography of five avian species: implications for pleistocene evolutionary history in the qinghai-tibetan plateau. | pleistocene climate fluctuations have shaped the patterns of genetic diversity observed in extant species. in contrast to europe and north america where the effects of recent glacial cycles on genetic diversity have been well studied, the genetic legacy of the pleistocene for the qinghai-tibetan (tibetan) plateau, a region where glaciation was not synchronous with the north hemisphere ice sheet maxima, remains poorly understood. here, we compared the phylogeographical patterns of five avian spec ... | 2010 | 20002586 |
| considering spatial scale and reproductive consequences of habitat selection when managing grasslands for a threatened species. | habitat selection that has fitness consequences has important implications for conservation activities. for example, habitat characteristics that influence nest success in birds can be manipulated to improve habitat quality with the goal of ultimately improving reproductive success. we examined habitat selection by the threatened streaked horned lark (eremophila alpestris strigata) at both the breeding-site (territory) and nest-site scales. larks were selective at both spatial scales but with co ... | 2016 | 27322196 |
| associations of grassland bird communities with black-tailed prairie dogs in the north american great plains. | colonial burrowing herbivores can modify vegetation structure, create belowground refugia, and generate landscape heterogeneity, thereby affecting the distribution and abundance of associated species. black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) are such a species, and they may strongly affect the abundance and composition of grassland bird communities. we examined how prairie dog colonies in the north american great plains affect bird species and community composition. areas occupied by pra ... | 2013 | 23330695 |
| vulnerability of subarctic and arctic breeding birds. | recent research predicts that future climate change will result in substantial biodiversity loss associated with loss of habitat for species. however, the magnitude of the anticipated biodiversity impacts are less well known. studies of species vulnerability to climate change through species distribution models are often limited to assessing the extent of species' exposure to the consequences of climate change to their local environment, neglecting species sensitivity to global change. the likel ... | 2017 | 28052503 |
| songbird response to rest-rotation and season-long cattle grazing in a grassland sagebrush ecosystem. | grazing on natural rangelands, which are areas dominated by native vegetation that are used for livestock grazing, can achieve desired vegetation outcomes, preserve native habitat, and economically benefit multiple stakeholders. it is a powerful tool that can be manipulated to reduce wildlife declines and benefit ecosystems. however, the benefits of conservation grazing systems on many wildlife communities remain relatively unexplored. we compared songbird communities between two grazing systems ... | 2017 | 28946000 |
| sex-specific parental care strategies via nestling age: females pay more attention to nestling demands than males do in the horned lark, eremophila alpestris. | in many species, nestling demands vary continuously during early development and both parents have different parental care strategies at each nestling age. sexual conflict arises when each parent expects its partner investing more in parental care. it is largely unknown how the two parents respond to the dynamics of nestling demands and resolve the sexual conflict during nestling period, especially on qinghai-tibetan plateau. to address this question, we monitored parental care behaviors of horn ... | 2014 | 24882094 |
| [ecomorphological explanations of passerines coexistence in alpine meadow]. | species ecomorphological characteristics are the evolutionary results of selective pressures that have enabled individuals of a given species to survive and reproduce. closely related species co-occurring in homogeneous environments should be morphologically distinct to partition limited resources, so as to minimize interspecific competition. from 1983 to 2012, we studied the ecomorphological characteristics of nine passerine species in alpine meadow. results showed six ecomorphological characte ... | 2013 | 23775990 |
| direct and indirect effects of a keystone engineer on a shrubland-prairie food web. | keystone engineers are critical drivers of biodiversity throughout ecosystems worldwide. within the north american great plains, the black-tailed prairie dog is an imperiled ecosystem engineer and keystone species with well-documented impacts on the flora and fauna of rangeland systems. however, because this species affects ecosystem structure and function in myriad ways (i.e., as a consumer, a prey resource, and a disturbance vector), it is unclear which effects are most impactful for any given ... | 2020 | 33006165 |
| effects of granular formulations of terbufos and fonofos applied to cornfields on mortality and reproductive success of songbirds. | : this field study used a precise method of assessing effects of insecticides on bird populations by establishing a marked population before application and determining survival rates of known individuals after application of the insecticides. we investigated the effects of two organophosphate granular insecticides applied to cornfields in southwestern ontario to combat the corn rootworm (diabrotica spp.). nine control fields and 11 treated fields, six of which were treated with fonofos (dyfonat ... | 1995 | 24197620 |
| biomolecular analyses reveal the age, sex and species identity of a near-intact pleistocene bird carcass. | ancient remains found in permafrost represent a rare opportunity to study past ecosystems. here, we present an exceptionally well-preserved ancient bird carcass found in the siberian permafrost, along with a radiocarbon date and a reconstruction of its complete mitochondrial genome. the carcass was radiocarbon dated to approximately 44-49 ka bp, and was genetically identified as a female horned lark. this is a species that usually inhabits open habitat, such as the steppe environment that existe ... | 2020 | 32081985 |
| adaptive rangeland management benefits grassland birds utilizing opposing vegetation structure in the shortgrass steppe. | rangelands are temporally and spatially complex socioecological systems on which the predominant land use is livestock production. in north america, rangelands also contain approximately 80% of remaining habitat for grassland birds, a guild of species that has experienced precipitous declines since the 1970s. while livestock grazing management may benefit certain grassland bird species by generating the vegetation structure and density they prefer, these outcomes are poorly understood for avian ... | 2020 | 31605648 |
| de novo assembly of a high-quality reference genome for the horned lark (eremophila alpestris). | the horned lark (eremophila alpestris) is a small songbird that exhibits remarkable geographic variation in appearance and habitat across an expansive distribution. while e. alpestris has been the focus of many ecological and evolutionary studies, we still lack a highly contiguous genome assembly for the horned lark and related taxa (alaudidae). here, we present clo_ealp_1.0, a highly contiguous assembly for e. alpestris generated from a blood sample of a wild, male bird captured in the altiplan ... | 2020 | 31857331 |