Exam 3 Flashcards
1
Q
Avian mating systems: Polygyny
A
- one male and multiple females
- about 2% of birds and 5% are in North America
- > most nest in marshes or grasslands
ex: red-winged blackbird - multiple females nest within male’s territory and he breeds with all of them, but does not provide parental care
- females do this because less help with young, but access to high quality habitats
2
Q
Canopy Nesters
A
- Oriole
- Warbling Vireo
- Bald Eagle
3
Q
Order Columbiformes
A
- Passenger Pigeon
- once the most abundant bird in North America
- > flocks of hundreds of millions
- > covered the sky for 14 hours
- driven to extinction by humans
- > declined precipitously 1870-1890
- > last observed in 1914
- the last passenger pigeon died in captivity in 2014
- > Martha
4
Q
Red-cockaded woodpecker (RCWs)
A
- native to Longlead Pine ecosystems
- can live up to 16 years
- > work in family groups
- > cooperative breeders
- create nest cavities in living trees
- > can take YEARS to make a new cavity
- > fungus promotes softening of wood
5
Q
Family Pandionidae
A
- Osprey
- feeds on fish
- distinctive crook in wings with dark wrist patch
- plunges into water head and feet first
- reversible outer toe and sharp spicules on feet
- > Zygodactyl toe arrangement
6
Q
Order Piciformes Common Features
A
- “the woodpeckers and their allies”
- bill shapes vary greatly
- only on family in North America
- > Picidae (woodpeckers)
- zygodactyl
- > 2 forward and 2 backward facing toes on their feet
- > Osprey have the same arrangement
- highly arboreal
- cavity nesters
- altricial offspring
- peck wood for feeding
- > size and shape of holes can indicate species
- peck wood to attract mates and defend territory
7
Q
Nest vulnerability based on location
A
Most vulnerable 1. Ground nests 2. Tree nests 3. Cavity nests Least vulnerable
8
Q
Family Ardeidae
A
- Herons, Bitterns, egrets
- many with long pointed bills for spear fishing
- 4 toes, not webbed
9
Q
Cavity nesters
A
- Woodpeckers
- Wood Ducks
- Tree Swallows
- Great-horned Owl
- Bluebirds
10
Q
Order Strigiformes Common Features
A
- “The Nocturnal Birds of Prey”
- Owls
- nocturnal
- large round heads
- big eyes that are fixed in their socket
- > rotate head up to 270 degrees
- silent flight
- predatory
- use cavities, or nests of other species
- altricial offspring
- offset ears help triangulate on prey
- small, hooked beak
- some of the strongest talons of all birds
- cryptically colored
- owls tear off shreds of prey and swallow chunks whole
- > no crop, so will carry whole prey to young
- > regurgitate a pellet of undigested bones and fur
11
Q
Avian mating systems:
Promiscuity
A
- pairing is extremely brief, together for copulation only
- about 6% of species
- males and females gather to form Leks during brief breeding period
- males display in courtship arenas that contain few or no resources and females choose
- males are usually noisy and colorful
- less than 10% of males achieve 70-80% of mating
Ex: Sage Grouse Lek
12
Q
Diurnal Birds of Prey; 2 Orders and the families in each
A
- Accipitriformes
- Family Cathartidae
- Family Pandionidae
- Family Accipitridae - Falconiformes
13
Q
Family Picidae Common Characteristics
A
- woodpeckers
- stiffened tail
- chisel-like bills
- > tip renews itself
- barbed tongue used to extract wood boring insects
- woodpeckers strike wood at 13-15 mph up to 12,000 times per day
14
Q
Avian Nests
A
- provide protection
- create a microclimate for eggs
- nest location is usually crucial
- > typically isolated and hidden
- > but exposed and conspicuous for some species
- > organized in colonies, or rookeries
- a few species do not nest, instead they rely on nests of others
- > brood parasites!
- brood parasitisms
- > laying eggs in the nest of other eggs with hopes that your offspring will be raised by others
ex: cuckoos, brown headed cowbirds
15
Q
Family Cathartidae
A
- new world vultures
- vultures
- most hold wings in a dihedral (V-shape)
- carrion-eaters
- head and neck naked
- skin rough
- sexes alike
1. Black Vulture - grey/black head
- underside of wing tips are white
- toes extend past tail
2. Turkey Vulture - red head
- underside of wing is dark towards the front and light towards the back
- tail extends past toes
16
Q
Avian mating systems: Polyandry
A
- one female and multiple males
- very few, under 1% of species
ex: spotted sandpiper - > female lays for about 4 mates; Jacana
- > females are larger and more colorful
- multiple males set up nests in her territory and she lays eggs in all
- male does all the incubation and caring for young
- advantageous for the male for the same reason for females under polygyny
- > males get access to a high quality habitat
ex: spotted sandpiper - > female lays for about 4 mates
17
Q
Super Order Neognathae
A
- about 29 Orders
1. Anseriformes - Waterfowl
2. Pelecaniformes - Water birds
3. Charadriiformes - Shorebirds
4. Galliformes - Chicken-like birds
5. Accipitriformes - Hawks
6. Falconiformes - Birds of prey
7. Strigiformes - Owls
8. Columbiformes - Pigeons and Doves
9. Piciformes - Woodpeckers
10. Apodiformes - Swifts and Hummingbirds
11. Passeriformes - Perching birds
18
Q
Ground Nesters
A
- Bobwhite
- many Ducks
- Geese
19
Q
Incubation length
A
- each species has a predictable incubation length
- > about 12 days inn woodpeckers, cuckoos and small songbirds
- > can last 65-95 days in albatrosses and kiwis
- egg size is a major determinant of the length of an incubation period
- > larger eggs = longer incubation
20
Q
Composition of an Avian egg
A
- depending on the species, yolk makes up 20-70% of an egg
- > more yolk means a better developed hatchling
21
Q
Determinate vs Interdeterminate Layers
A
- birds come in two varieties
1. Determinate Layers - lay fixed number of eggs no matter what, then stop and begin to incubate
2. Indeterminate Layers - will replace eggs if some are removed OR will stop laying if eggs are added
EX: Flicker experiment
-> with egg removal, Flicker laid 71 eggs in 73 days bc they kept removing the eggs
22
Q
Can you think of any disadvantages associated with having to having to incubate your eggs longer?
A
- more extreme weather events
- more opportunities for predation of eggs
- balance your needs with the needs of the offspring
23
Q
Mid-height Nesters
A
- Robin
- Blue Jay
24
Q
Family Troglodytidae
A
- “The Wrens”
- small
- bills thin and curved
- often cocked tail
- diet is insects
25
Q
Order Passeriformes: Oscines
A
- the Songbirds
- 17 families of songbirds in North America
- make up the majority of neotropical migrants
- > neotropical migrants are birds that breed in North America and spend winter in Central and South America, or the Caribbean
- migrate hundreds to thousands of miles each year
- some shore birds and raptors are also neotropical migrants
26
Q
Family Parulidae
A
- “The Warblers or Wood Warblers”
- small
- Warble = to sing
- many brightly colored
- yellow is common
- diet is mainly insects
27
Q
Order Pelecaniformes Common Features
A
- “The long-legged Water/Wading Birds”
- pelicans, herons and ibises
- long-legs and long-necks
- eat fish
- > specialized bills
- associated with water
- many breed in colonies called rookeries
- altricial young
28
Q
Order Galliformes: ring necked pheasant debate
A
- invasive species, or a valuable game bird?
- native to Asia and introduced into the US in the 1880s
- dominate the game-bird hunting industry
- > 1.7 billion dollars annually
- stocked on private and public land for hunting
29
Q
The avian egg in comparison to reptile eggs
A
- Like reptilian eggs
- protective shell
- includes all nutrients and water required for development
- Still needs oxygen from the external environment
- > Shell facilitates gas exchange - Unlike reptiles
- Increased calcification creates a harder shell
- Parents usually do the incubating
- > Reptile eggs are kept warm via a location for warmth (not much parental involvement)
30
Q
Species with Precocial Young
A
- Order Anseriformes: Family Anatidae
- Order Charadriiformes
- Order Galliformes
31
Q
The Avian Egg characteristics
A
- the egg shell varies in thickness
- > Ostriches have the thickest egg shells
- > paper thin in some species
- if too thin will break and if too thick hatchlings can not break through - egg size increases as body size increases
- eggs come in a variety of colors and shapes
- the benefits of a pointed egg is to avoid the egg falling out of its nest, or off a cliff
- > egg will roll in a circle
32
Q
Avian mating systems: (Social) Monogamy
A
- one male and one female
- 90% of avian species are socially monogamous
- most partners cheat sexually
- > regardless, partners stay together until young disperse and some partner for life
- benefit of monogamy is that they can raise more young than one parent would alone
