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USGS1991

Clarifications and corrections of the dates of issue of some publications containing descriptions of North American birds

The date of issue of a work containing a new scientific name determines the date the name is available and, therefore, the priority of the name with respect to other applied to the same taxon. Differences between the dates printed in publications and the actual dates of issues often resulted from procedures in distribution and erratic publishing schedules, especially before the twentieth century. Distribution, including that to subscribers, was usually the responsibility of the author (Jackson, 1975: 14-15). Early publications were customarily issues in parts (Price, 1982) and the dated title page was usually issued last, which complicates matters of establishing an actual publication date. Early bibliographic works, especially those of Sherborn (e.g., 1902-1933), Mathews (e.g., 1911, 1919, 1925), Waterhouse (e.g., 1885, 1889, 1937), Zimmer (1926), and Richmond (e.g., 1899b, 1902, 1917), have provided information on the actual dates of issue of many ornithological works. Many modern publications (e.g. American Ornithologists' Union [A.O.U.], 1957, 1983; various volumes of Peters's check-lists) have neglected recent, and some older, bibliographic works on several sources of scientific names of birds that affect the proper citations. Here, we clarify information on the dates of issue of some publications on North American ( sensu , A.O.U., 1983) birds. In the event the actual day of issue cannot be determined, the last day of the month or year, whichever was known, or, lacking such information, the printed date, is the date of availability of the scientific name (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1985: Article 21). Sources for determining the dates of issue include bibliographic works and the invaluable notes of Charles W. Richmond (in the Division of Birds library, Smithsonian Institution). In the following, books are listed alphabetically by the author of the scientific names, and journals by the first word in their title.

Archives of Natural History↗

USGS2008

North American Bird Banding and quantitative population ecology

Early bird-banding programs in North America were developed to provide descriptions of bird migration and movement patterns. This initial interest in description quickly evolved into more quantitative interests in two ways. There was (1) interest in quantifying migration and movement patterns, and (2) rapid recognition that re-observations of marked birds provided information about other parameters relevant to population dynamics. These included survival rate, recruitment rate, and population size. The evolution of methods for estimating population size, survival, recruitment, and movement is reviewed and we show it to be closely tied to bird-banding data. These estimation methods have been used with bird-banding data to draw important inferences about evolutionary ecology, population ecology, and population management. Illustrative examples of such inferences are provided.

Book chapter↗

USGS1995

Population trends of the loggerhead shrike from the North American Breeding Bird Survey

North American Breeding Bird Survey data indicated a general decline in Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) populations during 1966-1993. At the continental level, shrikes declined at an average rate of 2.9% per year. Average rates of regional declines varied from 2.5-3.4% annually. These declines were prevalent in most states, provinces, and physiographic strata. Only the Edwards Plateau, High Plains, and Great Plains Roughlands strata, and Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, and South Dakota apparently have stable breeding populations. Severe winter weather during 1976-1979 may have contributed to this decline in the eastern half of the continent, combining with other factors during the winter and breeding seasons that have been implicated in the rangewide decline of this species.

Book chapter↗

USGS2019

Influence of forest harvest severity and time since perturbation on conservation of North American birds

I calculated avian conservation scores, based on published quantitative assessment of bird presence (typically relative abundance) and regional Partners in Flight conservation concern score of each species. I related these avian conservation scores to severity of forest perturbation (i.e., % retention) and number of years since perturbation for forest stands within North America. I characterized avian response to perturbation by comparing avian conservation score on perturbed stands with that of paired unperturbed reference stands. Positive avian response to perturbation, representative of improved avian conservation status, was found when forest retention was >20% of coniferous forests or 25%–75% of hardwood forests. Positive avian response was greatest ~10 years after perturbation that retained 58% of conifer forests or 49% of hardwood forests. Increased avian conservation scores following perturbation may last for up to 23 years after perturbation but occur and diminish sooner with greater forest retention. Average annual avian response, over 23 years post-perturbation, was greatest when 30%–50% of hardwood stands were retained and when 50%–70% of conifer stands were retained.

Forest Ecology and Management↗

USGS2011

Migratory flyway and geographical distance are barriers to the gene flow of influenza virus among North American birds

Despite the importance of migratory birds in the ecology and evolution of avian influenza virus (AIV), there is a lack of information on the patterns of AIV spread at the intra‐continental scale. We applied a variety of statistical phylogeographic techniques to a plethora of viral genome sequence data to determine the strength, pattern and determinants of gene flow in AIV sampled from wild birds in North America. These analyses revealed a clear isolation‐by‐distance of AIV among sampling localities. In addition, we show that phylogeographic models incorporating information on the avian flyway of sampling proved a better fit to the observed sequence data than those specifying homogeneous or random rates of gene flow among localities. In sum, these data strongly suggest that the intra‐continental spread of AIV by migratory birds is subject to major ecological barriers, including spatial distance and avian flyway.

California, Oregon, Washington↗

USGS2021

Poecivirus is present in individuals with beak deformities in seven species of North American birds

Avian keratin disorder (AKD), a disease of unknown etiology characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth, has increasingly affected wild bird populations since the 1990s. A novel picornavirus, poecivirus, is closely correlated with disease status in Black-capped Chickadees ( Poecile atricapillus ) in Alaska. However, our knowledge of the relationship between poecivirus and beak deformities in other species and other geographic areas remains limited. The growing geographic scope and number of species affected by AKD-like beak deformities require a better understanding of the causative agent to evaluate the population-level impacts of this epizootic. Here, we tested eight individuals from six avian species with AKD-consistent deformities for the presence of poecivirus: Mew Gull ( Larus canus ), Hairy Woodpecker ( Picoides villosus ), Black-billed Magpie ( Pica hudsonia ), American Crow ( Corvus brachyrhynchos ), Red-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta canadensis ), and Blackpoll Warbler ( Setophaga striata ). The birds were sampled in Alaska and Maine (1999−2016). We used targeted PCR followed by Sanger sequencing to test for the presence of poecivirus in each specimen and to obtain viral genome sequence from virus-positive host individuals. We detected poecivirus in all individuals tested, but not in negative controls (water and tissue samples). Furthermore, we used unbiased metagenomic sequencing to test for the presence of other pathogens in six of these specimens (Hairy Woodpecker, two American Crows, two Red-breasted Nuthatches, Blackpoll Warbler). This analysis yielded additional viral sequences from several specimens, including the complete coding region of poecivirus from one Red-breasted Nuthatch, which we confirmed via targeted PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. This study demonstrates that poecivirus is present in individuals with AKD-consistent deformities from six avian species other than Black-capped Chickadee. While further investigation will be required to explore whether there exists a causal link between this virus and AKD, this study demonstrates that poecivirus is not geographically restricted to Alaska, but rather occurs elsewhere in North America.

Alaska, Maine↗

USGS2023

Modeled distribution shifts of North American birds over four decades based on suitable climate alone do not predict observed shifts

As climate change alters the global environment, it is critical to understand the relationship between shifting climate suitability and species distributions. Key questions include whether observed changes in population abundance are aligned with the velocity and direction of shifts predicted by climate suitability models and if the responses are consistent among species with similar ecological traits. We examined the direction and velocity of the observed abundance-based distribution centroids compared with the model-predicted bioclimatic distribution centroids of 250 bird species across the United States from 1969 to 2011. We hypothesized that there is a significant positive correlation in both direction and velocity between the observed and the modeled shifts. We then tested five additional hypotheses that predicted differential shifting velocity based on ecological adaptability and climate change exposure. Contrary to our hypotheses, we found large differences between the observed and modeled shifts among all studied bird species and within specific ecological guilds. However, temperate migrants and habitat generalist species tended to have higher velocity of observed shifts than other species. Neotropical migratory and wetland birds also had significantly different observed velocities than their counterparts, which may be due to their climate change exposure. The velocity based on modeled bioclimatic suitability did not exhibit significant differences among most guilds. Boreal forest birds were the only guild with significantly faster modeled-shifts than the other groups, suggesting an elevated conservation risk for high latitude and altitude species. The highly idiosyncratic species responses to climate and the mismatch between shifts in modeled and observed distribution centroids highlight the challenge of predicting species distribution change based solely on climate suitability and the importance of non-climatic factors traits in shaping species distributions.

Science of the Total Environment↗

USGS2025