Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts: Studies in the Conservation of North American Passerine Birds

Published by University of Texas Press 2000

Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts

Studies in the Conservation of North American Passerine Birds

Edited by: James N. M. Smith , Terry L. Cook , Stephen I. Rothstein , Scott K. Robinson and Spencer G. Sealy
With contributions by: Paul R. Ehrlich

https://doi.org/10.7560/777385

Overview
Contents

About this book

In the past two centuries, cowbirds have increased in numbers and extended their range across North America, while many of the native songbird species whose nests they parasitize to raise their young have declined. This timely book collects forty essays by most of the principal authorities on the biology and management of cowbirds. The book's goals are to explore the biology of cowbirds, the threats they pose to host species and populations, and the management programs that are being undertaken to minimize these threats.

The book is organized into five sections, each with an extended editors' introduction that places the contributions in a broad, up-to-date setting. The sections cover:

The changing abundance of cowbirds and the ways in which their numbers can be estimated.
Host choice by cowbirds, the negative effects of cowbirds on particular host species, and the daily patterns of cowbird behavior.
Behavioral interactions between cowbirds and specific host species.
Patterns of cowbird abundance and host use across varying landscapes.
Management programs designed to control cowbirds and protect threatened songbirds.

Author / Editor information

James N. M. Smith teaches at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Terry L. Cook works for the Nature Conservancy in Seattle. Stephen I. Rothstein teaches at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Scott K. Robinson holds joint appointments at the Illinois Natural History Survey and the University of Illinois, Champaign. Spencer G. Sealy teaches at the University of Manitoba.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Foreword Cowbirds and Bull-hockey Paul R. Ehrlich Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
General Introduction Brown-headed Cowbirds as a Model System for Studies of Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology James N. M. Smith and Stephen I. Rothstein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I. Population Trends of Cowbirds and Hosts and Relevant Methodology
1. Introduction Stephen I. Rothstein and Scott K. Robinson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
2. Temporal and Geographic Patterns in Population Trends of Brown-headed Cowbirds Bruce G. Peterjohn, John R. Sauer and Sandra Schwarz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
3. Cowbird Population Changes and Their Relationship to Changes in Some Host Species David A. Wiedenfeld Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
4. The Spread of Shiny and Brown-headed Cowbirds into the Florida Region Alexander Cruz, John W. Prather, William Post and James W. Wiley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
5. Brown-headed Cowbird Population Trends at a Large Winter Roost in Southwest Louisiana, 1974-1992 Brent Ortego Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
6. An Evaluation of Point Counts and Playbacks as Techniques for Censusing Brown-headed Cowbirds R. Kirk Miles and David A. Buehler Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	63
7. The Structure and Function of Cowbird Vocalizations and the Use of Playbacks to Enhance Cowbird Detectability: Relations to Potential Censusing Biases Stephen I. Rothstein, Chris Farmer and Jared Verner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
Part II. Cowbird Spacing Behavior, Host Selection, and Negative Consequences of Parasitism for Commonly Used Hosts
8. Introduction James N. M. Smith, Spencer G. Sealy and Terry L. Cook Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
9. Spatial Patterns of Breeding Female Brown-headed Cowbirds on an Illinois Site Arlo Raim Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
10. Differences in Movements, Home Range, and Habitat Preferences of Female Brown-headed Cowbirds in Three Midwestern Landscapes Frank R. Thompson and William D. Dijak Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	100
11. The Effects of Host Numbers on Cowbird Parasitism of Red-winged Blackbirds Christy A. Carello and Gregory K. Snyder Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	110
12. Cowbird Brood Parasitism on a Little-Used Host: The Yellow-headed Blackbird Alfred M. Dufty Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	115
13. Host Selection in the Forest Interior: Cowbirds Target Ground-nesting Species D. Caldwell Hahn and Jeff S. Hatfield Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	120
14. Reproductive Interactions between and Plumbeous vireos in Colorado Jameson F. Chace, Alexander Cruz and Rebecca E. Marvil Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	128
15. Effects of Multiple Parasitism on Cowbird and Wood Thrush Nesting Success Cheryl L. Trine Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
16. Comparing the Relative Effects of Brood Parasitism and Nest Predation on Seasonal Fecundity in Passerine Birds Joseph A. Grzybowski and Craig M. Pease Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
Part III. Host-Cowbird Behavioral Interactions
17. Introduction James N. M. Smith and Spencer G. Sealy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
18. Morning Nest Arrivals in Cowbird Hosts: Their Role in Aggression, Cowbird Recognition, and Host Response to Parasitism Dirk E. Burhans Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
19. Yellow Warbler Nest Attentiveness before Sunrise: Antiparasite Strategy or Onset of Incubation? Spencer G. Sealy, D. Glen McMaster, Sharon A. Gill and Diane L. Neudorf Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	169
20. The Ecology of Egg-puncture Behavior by the Shiny Cowbird in Southwestern Puerto Rico Tammie K. Nakamura and Alexander Cruz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	178
21. Why Do Female Brown-headed Cowbirds Remove Host Eggs? A Test of the Incubation Efficiency Hypothesis Brian D. Peer and Eric K. Bollinger Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
Part IV. Environmental Correlates of Cowbird Parasitism at Multiple Spatial Scales
22. Introduction James N. M. Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
23. The Role of Vegetation in Cowbird Parasitism of Yellow Warblers William H. Howe and Fritz L. Knopf Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	200
24. Association of Cowbird Parasitism and Vegetative Cover in Territories of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers Jamie C. Uyehara and Mary J. Whitfield Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	204
25. Interhabitat Differences in Parasitism Frequencies by Brown-headed Cowbirds in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia David Ward and James N. M. Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	210
26. Cowbird Parasitism and Nest Predation in Fragmented Grasslands of Southwestern Manitoba Stephen K. Davis and Spencer G. Sealy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	220
27. Cowbird Parasitism in Grassland and Cropland in the Northern Great Plains Rolf R. Koford, Bonnie S. Bowen, John T. Lokemoen and Arnold D. Kruse Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
28. Distribution and Habitat Associations of Brown-headed Cowbirds in the Green Mountains of Vermont Daniel R. Coker and David E. Capen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	236
29. Impacts of Cowbird Parasitism on Wood Thrushes and Other Neotropical Migrants in Suburban Maryland Forests Barbara A. Dowell, Jane E. Fallon, Chandler S. Robbins, Deanna K. Dawson and Frederick W. Fallon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	244
30. Cowbird Distribution at Different Scales of Fragmentation: Trade-offs between Breeding and Feeding Opportunities Therese M. Donovan, Frank R. Thompson and John R. Faaborg Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255
31. Brown-headed Cowbird Parasitism of Migratory Birds: Effects of Forest Area and Surrounding Landscape Lisa J. Petit and Daniel R. Petit Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	265
32. Biogeographic, Landscape, and Local Factors Affecting Cowbird Abundance and Host Parasitism Levels Frank R. Thompson, Scott K. Robinson, Therese M. Donovan, John R. Faaborg, Donald R. Whitehead and David R. Larsen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	271
33. Cowbird Parasitism in a Fragmented Landscape: Effects of Tract Size, Habitat, and Abundance of Cowbirds and Hosts Scott K. Robinson, Jeffrey P. Hoover and James R. Herkert Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	280
34. Within-landscape Variation in Patterns of Cowbird Parasitism in the Forests of South-central Indiana Donald E. Winslow, Donald R. Whitehead, Carolyn Frazer Whyte, Matthew A. Koukal, Grant M. Greenberg and Thomas B. Ford Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	298
35. Effects of Land-use and Management Practices on the Presence of Brown-headed Cowbirds in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine Mariko Yamasaki, Toni M. McLellan, Richard M. DeGraaf and Christine A. Costello Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	311
Part V. Cowbird Management, Host Population Limitation, and Efforts to Save Endangered Species
36. Introduction Stephen I. Rothstein and Terry L. Cook Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	323
37. Brown-headed Cowbird Control on Kirtland's Warbler Nesting Areas in Michigan, 1972-1995 Michael E. DeCapita Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	333
38. Cowbird Control and the Endangered Least Bell's Vireo: A Management Success Story John T. Griffith and Jane C. Griffith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	342
39. Cowbird Control Program at Fort Hood, Texas: Lessons for Mitigation of Cowbird Parasitism on a Landscape Scale Timothy J. Hayden, David J. Tazik, Robert H. Melton and John D. Cornelius Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	357
40. Results of a Brown-headed Cowbird Control Program for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Mary J. Whitfield Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	371
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	379
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	381

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 400

eBook

Published: July 5, 2010
ISBN: 9780292787537