A. Poole’s research while affiliated with Wildlife Conservation Society and other places

... Of the approximate 400 bird species observed in Missouri, 110 species that regularly nest or migrate through the state depend on wetlands for a portion of their life cycle (Jacobs 2001). We selected 5 focal SMB species that rely on Missouri wetlands during spring migration: king rail (Rallus elegans), Virginia rail (Rallus limicola), sora (Porzana carolina), American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) and least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis; Lowther et al. 2009, Sauer et al. 2013 Meanley 2020) because they represent the life-history needs of most SMB species likely using wetlands in Missouri during spring migration (Robbins and Easterla 1992. ...

Reference:

Secretive marsh bird habitat relationships at mid‐continent spring migration stopover sites

... What may be a driver for the evolution of functional precociality of the hind limbs in smaller species of herons, subsequently displayed in typical foraging modes in adults? In general, small species with accelerated foot prehensility, e.g., Green Heron, are mostly solitary or loosely colonial nesters ( Davis and Kushlan 2020 ), and/or nest close to the ground or just above water (e.g., Least Bittern nests in emergent vegetation only 15-76 cm above the water's surface: Poole et al. 2020 ; Zigzag Heron, of which there is little known, is also a solitary nester, as is the American Bittern: HeronConservation 2020 ). Thus, nestlings of these species are more vulnerable to predators (e.g., lack "safety in numbers") compared with densely colonial species and/or those that nest higher in trees; they also typically have smaller body sizes and consequently Evolutionary dynamics in herons 13 Fig. 4 Relationship between the de viation of f emur length from isometry with leg length and behavioral mode without ( A ) and with ( B ) phylogenetic corrections. ...

Reference:

Morphological Covariance and Onset of Foot Prehensility as Indicators of Integrated Evolutionary Dynamics in the Herons (Ardeidae)

... American Bittern 7-14 1 (n/a) Lowther et al. (2020 ); Baicich & Harrison (1997 ) Zigzag Heron n/a 1 (n/a) Mathews & Brooke (1988 ) Least Bittern 4-5 1 (16%) Nero (1950 ); Weller (1961 ); Baicich & Harrison (1997 ); Corman (2005 ) Great Blue Heron 21 (40%) Pratt (1970 ) Gray Heron 2 25-27 (54%) Voisin (1991 ) Goliath Heron 21 (50%) Kushlan & Hancock (2005 ) Purple Heron 2 20 (45%) Tomlinson (1975 ) Great that isometry between overall size and length measurements are expected to result in slope parameters that are not different than one-third. We tested for this relationship using lo g 10 -transformed linear measurements of the leg lengths and cranium dimensions as dependent variables and lo g 10 -transformed body mass as a predictor variable in a GLM. ...

Reference:

Morphological Covariance and Onset of Foot Prehensility as Indicators of Integrated Evolutionary Dynamics in the Herons (Ardeidae)

... Juvenile Least Bitterns may benefit from this management in their early stages of development because they use their nest for 12-18 d post-hatch (Bogner andBaldassarre 2002, Poole et al. 2020), although with decreasing frequency after 5 d posthatch, and continue to use the area surrounding the nest for an additional 1-2 weeks (Nero 1950). During this time, it is assumed they are being provisioned equally by their parents through regurgitation; however, very limited information exists to support or refute this idea, in part because adults and fledglings are cryptic (Nero 1950, Poole et al. 2020. Approximately 30 d post-hatch, fledgling Least Bitterns may separate from their parents, which also coincides with the age when fledglings attain flight (29 d; Bogner and Baldassarre 2002). ...

Reference:

Post-fledging survival and habitat use of juvenile Least Bitterns (Ixobrychus exilis)

... is a relatively common forest songbird that breeds throughout much of eastern and central North America (Wyatt and Francis 2002 ). This species nests in primary and secondary deciduous and mixed forest as well as thickets, scrubland, and park areas. ...

Reference:

Effects of Forest Management on Postfledging Survival of Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

... Robins are the most abundant and widespread Turdidae in North America, and are gregarious in the nonbreeding season when feeding flocks can exceed 250 individuals (Sallabanks and James 1999). Both species of waxwings are highly social throughout the year, with the largest flocks occurring in winter (Witmer et al. 1997; Witmer 2002). European Starlings are considered one of the most numerous bird species on the continent and are very gregarious all year (Cabe 1993). ...

Reference:

Birds that Eat Nonnative Buckthorn Fruit (Rhamnus cathartica and Frangula alnus, Rhamnaceae) in Eastern North America

... The fact that Acadian flycatchers occur in areas with no hemlock forest in their breeding range (Allen et al. 2020), showed no difference in nesting success between hemlock and hardwood areas (Becker et al. 2008), and have a preference for different forest types in the southern part of their range (Whitehead and Taylor 2002) might suggest their flexibility to explore alternative habitats if hemlock stands are lost or decline in quality following adelgid infestation. A similar pattern was suggested for black-throated green warblers in Kentucky: the species is associated with other types of coniferous habitat throughout their range, and that can buffer severe bird decline in some areas of the state (Brown and Weinkam 2014). ...

Reference:

Quantifying regional-scale impacts of hemlock woolly adelgid invasion on North American forest bird communities

... Range-restricted species including Common Black-Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus), Violet-crowned Hummingbird (Amazilia violiceps), and Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) construct most, if not all of their nests in cottonwoods and sycamores at their riparian breeding grounds (Hunter et al. 1987;Smith and Finch 2014;Wethington 2002). In addition to nest sites, cottonwoods maintain populations of arthropods, such as cicadas (Tibicen marginatus) and floodplain crickets (Gryllus alogus), by providing food, water, and oviposition sites ( Sabo et al. 2008;Smith et al. 2006a). ...

Reference:

Climate Change and Wildfire Effects in Aridland Riparian Ecosystems: An Examination of Current and Future Conditions

... This protocol consists of a 5-min passive listening period followed by 1-min periods of 30 sec of playback and 30 sec of listening for each focal species. We broadcast calls of Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicencusis), Least Bittern, King Rail (Ralus elegans), Purple Gallinule and Limpkin as suggested by the Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocol and because these species have been recorded breeding in the area (Bryan 2002;West and Hess 2002;Poole et al. 2009). Recordings of calls were obtained from the National Marsh Bird Survey Coordinator (Conway 2011). ...

Reference:

Estimating Effects of Habitat Characteristics on Abundances of Three Species of Secretive Marsh Birds in Central Florida

... For example, carotenoidbased red colouration in house finches Haemorhous mexicanus becomes increasingly more saturated and hue becomes more yellow-shifted in the spring following moult (McGraw and Hill 2004). Melanin-based plumage in fox sparrows Passerella iliaca also changes colour over time (Weckstein et al. 2002), possibly due to UV exposure or accumulation of dirt and oils on the feathers (Montgomerie 2006). Additionally, colour in many species changes with age -sometimes dramatically through delayed plumage maturation (Hawkins et al. 2012) and sometimes more subtly as individuals age (Marini et al. 2015, Ward et al. 2021; therefore, it is important for studies to assess the environmental, biological, ontological and temporal influences on feather colour to help unravel the mechanisms regulating this phenotypic trait. ...

Reference:

A tail of plumage colouration: disentangling geographic, seasonal and dietary effects on plumage colour in a migratory songbird