Second growth has replaced lowland forest in many parts of the Neotropics, providing valuable habitat for many resident and migrant bird species. Given the prevalence of such habitats and the potential benefit for conservation of biodiversity, it is important to understand patterns of diversity in second growth and old growth. Descriptions of species-distribution patterns may depend, however, on method(s) used to sample birds. We used data from mist nets and point counts to (1) describe species diversity and community composition in second-growth (young and old) and old-growth forests at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica; and (2) to evaluate perspectives on community composition provided by the two methods. We recorded 249 species from 39 families, including 196 species captured in mist nets (10,019 captures) and 215 recorded during point counts (15,577 observations), which represents ∼78% of the terrestrial avifauna known from La Selva (excluding accidentals and birds characteristic of aquatic or aerial habitats). There were 32 threatened species, 22 elevational migrants, and 40 latitudinal migrants. Species richness (based on rarefaction analyses of capture and count data) was greatest in the youngest site. Latitudinal migrants were particularly common in second growth; elevational migrants were present in both young and old forest, but were more important in old-growth forest. Several threatened species common in second growth were not found in old-growth forests. Trophic composition varied less among sites than did species composition. Mist nets and point counts differed in numbers and types of species detected. Counts detected more species than nets in old-growth forest, but not in young second growth. Mist nets detected 62% of the terrestrial avifauna, and point counts detected 68%. Fifty-three species were observed but not captured, and 34 species were captured but not observed. Six families were not represented by mist-net captures. Data from mist nets and point counts both support the conclusion that second-growth vegetation provides habitat for many species.

Conjunctivitis, an infectious disease caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), has produced a significant decline in eastern House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) of North America. In this paper, we present findings from two complementary studies designed to clarify annual and seasonal trends of MG infections in House Finches from the northeastern United States. The first was a field study of House Finches common to urban and residential habitat from Mercer County, New Jersey. We documented conjunctivitis in 11% (188/1,651) of the birds examined. Conjunctivitis prevalence in House Finches ranged from 0 to 43% per month, and exhibited marked seasonal fluctuation (elevations during fall and winter months and lower disease prevalence during the breeding season). There was excellent intermethod agreement on disease prevalence when measured by either presence of physical signs (conjunctivitis) or MG infection (kappa = 0.75). During the peak of the breeding season (April through June), conjunctivitis was present in a greater proportion of males lacking a cloacal protuberance than males with a cloacal protuberance (P < 0.01), but was similar between breeding and nonbreeding females. The second study, a volunteer survey, revealed the proportion of northeastern U.S. monitoring sites with at least one diseased House Finch each month ranged from a peak of 59% (August 1995) to a minimum of 12% (July 1999). Subsequent to the epidemic peak of disease in 1995, a series of recurring cycles occurred, with elevations in those proportions noted in late fall and winter and minima during the breeding season. Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis now appears endemic among House Finches of that region and demonstrates dynamics consistent with annual variation in host density.

We describe a new species of tody-tyrant of the genus Poecilotriccus, isolated in midelevation forests of the Cordillera de Colán and nearby mountains to the east in the northeastern Andes of Peru. The new species is allopatric from, and forms a probable superspecies with, the Rufous-crowned Tody-Tyrant (P. ruficeps), the nearest known populations of which inhabit the Cerro Chinguela of northern Peru. The geographic ranges of those sister taxa are divided by the North Peruvian Low, occupied by the Río Marañón, the major break in east-slope Andean forest between Venezuela and Bolivia. The new species and its allospecies, P. ruficeps are identical in color of the back and in lightness and hue of the crown, but are 100% separable in lightness, chroma, and hue of the belly; in color and pattern of the face; and in song. We infer that differences in vocalizations and facial markings would serve as premating reproductive isolating mechanisms should the two forms become sympatric.

We monitored the apparent survival of territorial and nonterritorial Pacific Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis fulva) for 20 consecutive nonbreeding seasons at a wintering ground within Bellows Air Force Station (BAFS) on the eastern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Territorial birds were especially site-faithful from season to season, and each surviving individual reoccupied the same territory held in previous seasons. On average, territorial birds were resighted for about twice as many postbanding seasons (4.2) as nonterritorial birds (1.8). Open-population modeling indicated that apparent survival varied by age and territorial status. Our most parsimonious model estimated apparent annual survival rates in territorial plovers as 0.90 for young birds (age determined from retained juvenal primaries) from their first through their second wintering season, and 0.80 for adults over numerous seasons. For nonterritorial plovers, the corresponding values were 0.82 and 0.67, respectively. Despite lower apparent survival in nonterritorial plovers, it remains uncertain whether nonterritoriality actually results in shorter life spans. Some surviving nonterritorial birds may have gone undetected (detection probability of 0.70) because of permanent emigration from the study area. Given strong site-fidelity of territorial birds and the relative certainty of detecting them (probability = 1.0), we regarded the disappearance of a plover from its territory as an indicator of mortality. From last-recorded sightings, we concluded that territorial birds died with about equal frequency during the nonbreeding and breeding seasons. Because the latter is of much shorter duration, time-relative hazards were greatest while birds were away from the wintering grounds. Winter mortality was caused by accidents (collisions with overhead wires and other obstructions), and probable predation by owls. We estimated mean additional life expectancy among territorial plovers at 5.1 years for first-year birds, and 4.5 years for unknown-age adults. The oldest known-age individual was a male that lived 13 years 10 months; in adults of uncertain ages, one male survived to a minimum age of 18 years 10 months, and two females to at least 17 years 10 months. Pacific Golden-Plovers wintering at BAFS, especially territorial birds, demonstrated relatively high rates of apparent survival combined with adaptability for coexistence with humans in an urban environment.

Using food supplementation, we tested whether food limits juvenile survival in a population of Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) in northeastern Utah. The influence of additional food on female nest attendance also was investigated because those strategies may influence predation mortality rates of juveniles. We provided supplemental food near 13 nests from close to hatching until close to independence during the 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons. Thirteen additional nests served as controls and received no supplemental food. We compared the following variables at treatment and control nests: (1) adult female mass, (2) nestling mass and size, (3) female nest attendance, and (4) juvenile survival. Following supplemental feeding, adult females from treatment nests were heavier than their control counterparts, and remained closer to the nest during the latter part of the nestling period and throughout the postfledging period. Nestlings from supplemented nests were significantly heavier than those from unsupplemented nests, but results for size measurements were equivocal. Survival rates for treatment nestlings were significantly higher than controls in 1997, but not in 1996. Those results support the hypothesis that food does not limit avian reproductive success on an annual basis. Most deaths in 1997 were the result of starvation or sibling competition. That observation, and the fact that fed nestlings were heavier, is consistent with the idea that treatment nestlings were in improved nutritional condition. Overall patterns of mass and nest-attendance for adult female goshawks supports the hypothesis that female condition and behavior are adjusted in response to food supplies. However, it is less clear what role the females' presence in the nest stand plays in mediating juvenile deaths, because we did not document predation as a primary mortality factor during the two years of this study. The apparent flexibility in female nest attendance behavior suggests that such plasticity may be an adaptation to lower the risk of predation.

The vocal signatures of the primary song form (“fitz-bew”) of the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and its northern counterpart, E. t. adastus, are distinctive. Songs of the extimus subspecies are longer (total song, note, internote) and frequencies at maximum amplitude are lower than those of adastus. I used vocal evidence to clarify the distributional limits of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and that of the geographically adjacent subspecies, E. t. adastus. Unweighted pair-group method using averaging (UPGMA) cluster analysis and canonical discriminant analysis revealed that (1) low elevation, southerly desert populations (Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Utah) have a unique vocal identity corresponding to populations in the range of E. t. extimus; (2) northerly song groups (Oregon, Colorado, and northern Utah) share a different song type corresponding to populations in the range of E. t. adastus; and (3) a departure from vocal and morphological congruence occurs for a population of high-elevation Arizona birds that, although in the currently accepted range of E. t. extimus, sings songs acoustically similar to more northern populations (E. t. adastus). Multiple regression of song distance on latitude and elevation, and a comparison of a matrix of song distances with a matrix of latitude and elevation dissimilarities, demonstrated that song populations sort out by both latitude and elevation: birds with the vocal identity of extimus occur as far north as 37°N if at low elevation, and those acoustically similar to adastus occur as far south as 33.7°N if at high elevation. The vocal background of northern New Mexico birds appears to be intermediate between that of extimus and adastus, suggesting that northern New Mexico is a zone of intermixing and intergradation between the subspecies. Pure forms of E. t. extimus apparently do not occur in Colorado because even the southernmost populations are acoustically similar to more northerly populations of adastus. A low-elevation population in western Colorado, however, stands apart from other adastus populations, suggesting moderate introgression of extimus genes into the adastus gene pool.

Between 1996 and 1998, we compared pairing success of territorial male Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapillus) in forest fragments created by forestry (n = 3) and agriculture (n = 10) to contiguous forest plots (n = 3) in the southern boreal mixedwood forest of central Saskatchewan. The percentage of Ovenbird males paired per site was lower in fragments created by agriculture (86 ± 3%) and forestry (87 ± 3%) than in contiguous forest (97 ± 3%). At the individual level, second-year males (82%) were less likely to be paired than after-second-year males (94%), whereas males closer to edges were less likely to be paired than those in forest interiors. Although pairing success differed among landscapes, those differences were smaller than reported in studies conducted in eastern North America. The high density of birds in our study area may have resulted in intense intraspecific competition, which could have prevented unpaired individuals from maintaining territories. Removal experiments in 1997 and 1998 demonstrated floaters occurred in contiguous forest, but rarely occurred in fragments created by agriculture. The presence of floaters in contiguous forest suggests the ratio of breeding to nonbreeding males in forest fragments and contiguous forest may be similar, but that the strategy (i.e. floater vs. territorial) used by unpaired birds may differ among landscapes.

Autumnal migration was studied with high-resolution radar, ceilometer, and daily census in the area of Franconia Notch, a major pass in the northern Appalachian Mountains. Under synoptic conditions favorable for migration, broadfront movements of migrants toward the south passed over the mountains, often above a temperature inversion. Birds at lower elevations appeared to be influenced by local topography. Birds moving southwest were concentrated along the face of the mountain range. Birds appeared to deviate their flights to follow local topography through the pass. Specific migratory behavior was not associated with species or species groups. Under synoptic conditions unfavorable for southward migration, multimodal movements probably associated with local flights were as dense as the southward migrations described above. Avian migrants reacting to local terrain may result in concentrations of migrants over ridge summits or other topographic features.

In this study, we investigated the role of display and mating system of the little known Neotropical Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina). Males form aggregations and execute a highly conspicuous display, resembling traditional leks. Number of displaying males declined throughout the study period, though displaying intensity during the season showed no variation. Individual males had significantly different displaying rates and also defended territories of very different sizes, ranging from 13.0 to 72.5 m², but we found no association between territory sizes and the average displaying rates of the resident males. There also is no association between displaying rates of males and size and vegetation structure of their territories. Four of seven nests were found within male territories and observations indicated that both sexes invest equally in caring for nestlings. Results suggest that the Blue-black Grassquit does not fit into the traditional lek mating system, contrary to what has been proposed in the scarce literature available. However, it is clear that these apparently monogamous birds behave like a lekking species. We speculate about the possibility that aggregation of nesting territories in this species may be due to sexual selection pressures, and suggest that the Blue-black Grassquit may be an ideal candidate to test Wagner's (1997) hidden-lek hypothesis.

I measured structural characteristics of 160 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) nests at Riske Creek, British Columbia, and placed electronic data-loggers in a subsample of 86 nests to record internal temperatures after the flickers completed nesting. Using multiple regression, I found that the best predictors of a variety of nest-cavity temperature variables were tree health, diameter of the tree at cavity height, and orientation of the cavity. Small and dead trees showed the most extreme (maximum and minimum) temperatures during the day, but, on average, were the coldest nests from the perspective of incubation. South-facing cavities reached the highest temperatures during the day, and the orientation of natural cavities was also biased towards the south. I predicted that cold nests would be energetically expensive for adults and nestlings, and found that clutch size was positively correlated with mean cavity temperature. However, there did not appear to be any relationship among nest temperature and hatching or fledging success.

Present methods of surface coal-mine reclamation in the Midwest produce large grasslands, some of which exceed 2,000 ha in extent. Total “mine grassland” production in southwestern Indiana alone is well in excess of 70 square miles (180 km²). Our work in 19 reclaimed coal mines in southwestern Indiana indicates that mine grasslands harbor many Henslow's Sparrows (Ammodramus henslowii). We base that conclusion on point-count and line-transect surveys that yielded between 200–300 singing male Henslow's Sparrows during the 1997 and 1998 breeding seasons. Those survey results imply an uncorrected population density of ∼0.10 males per hectare, and a corrected density of ∼0.16 males per hectare (correcting for undetected males). Extrapolating this corrected density to total habitat coverage suggests an overall population of a few thousand Henslow's Sparrows in the mine grasslands of southwestern Indiana. Small-scale vegetational surveys suggest that much of the within-mine variation in Henslow's Sparrow abundance reflects local vegetative structure, with males preferring sites typically associated with that species of bird: tall, dense grass-dominated vegetation with a substantial litter layer. Management for this kind of vegetative structure could greatly increase the number of Henslow's Sparrows inhabiting reclaimed mines. Midwestern mine grasslands could play a significant role in stabilizing the populations of Henslow's Sparrows and other grassland birds.

Riparian habitats typically support high diversity and density of both plants and animals. With the dramatic loss of riparian habitats, restoring them has become a priority among conservation practitioners. Diversity and density of avian species tend to increase following riparian restoration, but little is known about how restored habitats function to meet particular species' needs. Habitat structure is an important factor affecting species diversity and density and can influence nest-site selection and reproductive success. To evaluate habitat restoration, we examined interactions between habitat structure, nest-site selection, and nesting success in Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) nesting in restored, mature, and young naturally regenerating stands of riparian forest. We found that stand types differed markedly in structure, and that habitat structure influenced both nest-site selection and rates of nest loss to predation. Comparison of habitat structure among the three stand types indicated that restored stands offered fewer acceptable nest sites and poorer protection from nest predation. Concordant with those differences in habitat structure, Song Sparrows showed trends toward less density in restored stands than in mature forest, and had poorer nesting success as a result of predation.

Diversity patterns of breeding bird assemblages (exclusive of raptors and nocturnal species) of western North American oak and Australian eucalypt woodlands are derived from data recorded at 113 census sites distributed over four regions, two on each continent. Regional species richness varies by a factor of 2 among regions. The contribution to regional species totals by various diversity components is examined: α-diversity (species richness within sites), β-diversity (species turnover between sites related to differences in vegetation structure), and γ-diversity (turnover related to distance between sites, independent of habitat change). Mean α-diversity is relatively constant among regions (mean 25.5 to 29.7 species). Variation in α-diversity within regions is related to variation in vegetation structure, and bird-density variation is best predicted by a measure of vegetation density. The relationships between bird diversity and density and vegetation structure are similar in the four regions. With the influence of vegetation structure removed, there is no (Australia) or at best a modest (North America) latitudinal gradient in α-diversity. Within regions, regression analysis shows that species turnover is significantly related to both vegetation structural differences (β-diversity) and distance between sites (γ-diversity), with the latter accounting for a larger proportion of, and correlating strongly with, regional species totals. Identification of factors promoting species turnover between sites, beyond distance and vegetation effects, remains a major challenge to ecologists.

The Suiriri Flycatcher (Suiriri suiriri) of South America is represented by three distinct forms occurring in parapatry: (1) S. s. suiriri to the southwest in the Chaco/Pampas; (2) S. s. affinis located centrally in the Cerrado/southern Amazonia; and (3) S. s. bahiae to the northeast in the Caatinga. On the basis of an analysis of 366 specimens of S. suiriri, I found meager evidence for long-distance migration, little support for Bergmann's rule, and more support for Gloger's rule. I postulate that an ancestral population of S. suiriri split into three isolated populations, with the central population differentiating most rapidly into affinis, thus explaining the leapfrog pattern of greater similarity between peripheral suiriri and bahiae. After secondary contact, affinis freely hybridized with nominate suiriri in a hybrid zone to the southwest, where specimens demonstrate morphometric intermediacy and increased plumage variability; the rarity of parental phenotypes within the hybrid zone suggests that the two forms are conspecific according to the biological species concept. In the northeast, affinis may have hybridized with a remnant population of suiriri, possibly represented by poorly known bahiae. The intermediate size and increased plumage variability of bahiae resemble that of suiriri × affinis hybrids, supporting a hypothesis of hybrid origin for bahiae, but alternative hypotheses cannot be ruled out. This hypothesis of differentiation is supported by the concordant patterns of disjunction among several pairs of sister taxa of bird species that occur in the Chaco and Caatinga, with no intervening populations in the Cerrado, implying a shared historical process of vicariance. Genetic and behavioral studies are needed to elucidate further the status and history of differentiation within S. suiriri.

We provide the first comprehensive description of a bird community from a lowland rainforest site on a major island in the Solomon Islands. During two dry season visits (July 1997, June 1998) to the lower Garanga River valley on the island of Isabel, we recorded 65 resident and 6 migrant species of birds. We document relative abundances, habitat preferences, and foraging guilds for the members of the bird community. The Garanga River site sustains all but 11 of the 76 species of landbirds known from Isabel. Of those 11 species, four are small-island or beach specialists, three are montane, and four are of unknown status. Habitat heterogeneity, maintained largely by river dynamics, is a major contributor to avian diversity at the site. The avifauna is dominated by nonpasserines, especially parrots, pigeons, kingfishers, and hawks. The flightless rail Nesoclopeus woodfordi, previously regarded as rare and threatened with extinction, was common. We recorded Ixobrychus flavicollis, Falco severus, and Eudynamys scolopacea for the first time on Isabel. We also documented occurrence in the lowlands of Micropsitta finschii, Collocalia spodiopygia, Coracina caledonica, and Pachycephala pectoralis, four species previously thought to be confined to upper elevations on Isabel. The depauperate understory avifauna of the Garanga River site may be anthropogenic and could belie what otherwise seems to be an intact avifauna.

Shorebirds encounter variable and unpredictable food resources at stopover sites during migration through interior North America. We studied foraging strategies and niche dynamics of American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana), Long-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus scolopaceus), Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla), and Western Sandpipers (C. mauri) at stopover sites in 60 playa lakes of the southern Great Plains. Those species were selected because they are common in our study area during migration and represent a wide range of morphological classes. Overall foraging niches (linear combination of diet diversity, prey size, foraging-method diversity, and water depth) of avocets and dowitchers were segregated from each other and from Least and Western sandpipers. Overall foraging niches of Least and Western sandpipers were similar. Examination of single niche dimensions showed that avocets and dowitchers consumed larger prey and foraged in deeper water than did Least and Western sandpipers. Within the range of prey sizes consumed by the four individual species, all species selected small prey (0.1–5.0 mm). Preference of relatively small prey by avocets and dowitchers was likely a function of small prey being more abundant in playas than large prey (>10 mm). However, selection of small prey by Least and Western sandpipers was likely a function of lower handling costs associated with small prey. Abundance of prey items in diets of each species was not correlated with nutritional and energetic quality of prey items, but abundance of prey in the diet was correlated with abundance of prey in playa lakes. That suggests that all four shorebird species adopt an opportunistic foraging strategy during migration. Use of opportunism is likely critical for shorebirds to continue migration and arrive on breeding grounds in good condition.

Measures of repeatability have long been used to assess patterns of variation in egg size within and among females. We compared different analytical approaches for estimating repeatability of egg size of Black Brant. Separate estimates of repeatability for eggs of each clutch size and laying sequence number varied from 0.49 to 0.64. We suggest that using the averaging egg size within clutches results in underestimation of variation within females and thereby overestimates repeatability. We recommend a nested design that partitions egg-size variation within clutches, among clutches within females, and among females. We demonstrate little variation in estimates of repeatability resulting from a nested model controlling for egg laying sequence and a nested model in which we assumed laying sequence was unknown.

Eurasian Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) breeding on the salt marsh of Schiermonnikoog (Dutch Wadden Sea) lose many eggs to predators, mainly Herring (Larus argentatus) and Mew gulls (L. canus). We estimated that the probability for an egg to survive from laying until hatching was 69%. Daily egg mortality was higher during the laying period than during the incubation period. When researchers were present in the study area, oystercatchers spent more time at greater distances from the nest. We investigated whether human disturbance resulted in more eggs being lost to predators. Two experimental areas were in turn visited at high and at low frequency. From a preliminary analysis, we estimated higher daily egg mortality rates when nests were checked three times per day instead of once every other day. However, high-frequency nest checks provided more information on newly laid and lost eggs, especially during the laying period. After correcting for that extra information (by simply deleting it), the egg mortality rates were no longer different. We conclude that human disturbance did not increase egg loss, rather egg mortality rates were underestimated when nests were checked only once per two days.

Postbreeding season activities of Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) were examined during 24 h long observation periods at inland impoundments and a coastal roost site. Storks were present at inland impoundments and foraged more at night there than at other times of the day. Wood Stork attendance at the coastal roost site was significantly reduced during nocturnal low tides than during daytime low tides or at either period of higher tide levels. Presumably, storks were leaving the roost to forage on fish concentrated in tidal creeks by dropping tides. Nocturnal foraging in freshwater and estuarine systems may be an advantageous strategy for the tactile-feeding storks by reducing the likelihood of their being observed by their prey and possibly by reducing competition with other wading birds. Also, some prey species in both freshwater and saltwater environments are more active nocturnally than diurnally, this increasing their likelihood of capture by nocturnal-foraging Wood Storks. In the coastal setting, low tide events (two per ∼24 h) typically provide at least one “pulse” of stork prey in draining tidal creeks during the nocturnal period.

The brief subarctic summer limits the time available for birds to complete their reproductive activities, yet the temporal requirements of high-latitude passerine migrants are not well understood. Our analyses examined the timing of spring and autumn migration among 18 passerine species to obtain indirect estimates of the time they occupy their breeding ranges in northwestern North America. From 1992 to 1998, the Alaska Bird Observatory (64°50′N, 147°50′W) banded 31,698 individuals during the most intensive standardized mist-netting study ever conducted in subarctic North America. Among the migrants examined, the estimated number of days that species were present in interior Alaska ranged from 48 days for adult Alder Flycatchers (Empidonax alnorum) to 129 days for American Robins (Turdus migratorius). Adults departed significantly later in autumn than immatures in 10 of 18 species we examined and significantly earlier than immatures in only one species, Alder Flycatcher. Breeding range occupancy of Nearctic–Neotropic migrants occurs in this region within the range of average frost-free temperatures in Fairbanks, Alaska, and is significantly shorter in duration than among Nearctic–Nearctic (“short-distance”) migrants at this latitude.

Arabian Babblers (Turdoides squamiceps) are territorial, cooperative breeding passerines that inhabit extreme deserts and live in groups all year round. All members of the group feed nestlings in a single nest, and all group members provision at similar rates. Nestlings are altricial and fledge at about 12 to 14 days, which is short for a passerine of its body mass. Because parents and helpers feed nestlings, we hypothesized that the growth rate of nestlings is fast and that they fledge at a body mass similar to other passerine fledglings. Using a logistic growth curve, the growth rate constant (k) of nestlings was 0.450, which was 18% higher than that predicted for a passerine of its body mass. Asymptotic body mass of fledglings was 46 g, which was only 63% of adult body mass, a low percentage compared to other passerines. Energy intake retained as energy accumulated in tissue decreased with age in babbler nestlings and amounted to 0.29 of the total metabolizable energy intake over the nestling period. However, energy content per gram of body mass increased with age and averaged 4.48 kJ/g body mass. We concluded that our hypothesis was partially confirmed. Growth rate of babbler nestlings was relatively fast compared to other passerine species, but fledgling mass was relatively low.

Arabian Babblers (Turdoides squamiceps) are territorial, cooperative breeding passerines in which groups consist of parents and helpers. All members of the group feed nestlings in a single nest and all group members provision at similar rates. We hypothesized that the field metabolic rate (FMR) of Arabian Babbler nestlings is related to group feeding; that is, FMR would be greater in nestlings of larger rather than smaller sized groups. To test that hypothesis, we measured FMR of 10 day old nestlings from small (2 and 3 individuals), medium (4 and 5 individuals), and large (6 or more individuals) groups. We also determined number of hatchlings and fledglings produced per group. There was an increase in body mass and FMR from small to medium-sized groups, but there was a levelling off or decrease in those parameters in large groups. That suggests that there is an optimum group number for provisioning nestlings, above which there may be a negative effect. The relationship between group size and annual number of eggs was not significant, but there was a positive and linear relationship between group size and annual fledglings production. Thus, more eggs reached the fledgling stage with an increase in group size, suggesting that larger groups are better able to defend the nest against predators.

The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Autosub-1 made observations of the sea surface with an upward-looking echosounder during fish surveys in the vicinity of Shetland and Orkney (North Sea) in July 1999. Echograms from the AUV contained vertical traces extending downwards from the sea surface that were caused by diving seabirds. Visual observations provided evidence that those seabirds were Northern Gannets Sula bassana. Analysis of trace extent suggests a mean dive depth of 19.7 m (n = 19, SD = 7.5). Data on gannet diving depths are sparse, but this value is somewhat deeper than that accepted for the related Cape Gannet (Morus capensis, mean 5.9 m) which has been used in foraging models for the Northern Gannet. These observations have implications for our understanding of the foraging capabilities of gannets, and the interactions of gannets with commercially targeted fish species.

In this study we conducted a multiple logistic regression analysis of factors hypothesized to influence the risk of Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) brood parasitism by the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) on study sites in the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic. We collected data from Common Cuckoo nesting sites surrounding two fishponds. Our logistic regression models were based on the dichotomous dependent variable, parasitism of the Reed Warbler nest, and seven independent variables. Our first model used all data available across sites and years and resulted in a final model in which the only significant contributor was the independent variable “cuckoo view,” the view of host nests from the cuckoo's vantage point in a tree. A second model was developed using data limited to sites and years with the largest sample sizes and expected to yield the most reliable results. That model resulted in three significant contributors: site, cuckoo view, and neighborhood view. In both data sets, the odds of nest parasitism were shown to increase as the view of the host nest became more direct. However, a direct view of the focal nest raised the risk of parasitism to a much greater degree than did a direct view of the neighborhood of nests. Our results provide support for a nest-exposure hypothesis of brood parasitism risk. Although our models have identified nest exposure to be the best predictor of nest parasitism in this system, work remains to unravel the potentially complex relationship among Common Cuckoos, habitat structure, and Reed Warbler hosts.

Philopatry and dispersal distances of female Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) are presented for European populations using data from 25 breeding areas from 40 to 70°N. Female annual survival probabilities according to capture–recapture models were similar in two study areas in central Spain (45 and 52%). The present study shows that survival is underestimated by using annual local return rate in one of the two breeding populations under study in central Spain. In southern and central Europe, females were found to return equally regularly to their breeding areas, whereas in northern Europe (latitude >60°N) females returned at lower rates. I did not find that median dispersal distance varied among sites, nor was breeding distance related to locate survival rate. Therefore, the present study suggests that the decline in between-year local return rate of female Pied Flycatchers with increasing latitude over Europe may be more probably caused by differences in mortality than by geographical differences in site fidelity.

Many forest bird species show inhibition to entering open areas, including crossing habitat gaps. We examined the responses of Black-throated Blue Warblers (Dendroica caerulescens) to conspecific song playback within forest, at clearcut-forest ecotones, and across logging roads to assess movements of this Neotropical migrant into open areas. Males responded readily to song playbacks in all areas, and moved significantly farther into clearcuts than they did within intact forest (40.4 ± 2.9 m and 17.1 ± 1.2 m, respectively). Their singing, aggressive trilling, and alarm-calling rates were highest in response to playback from clearcuts, intermediate during road-crossings, and lowest within forest. Males moved farthest into the oldest regenerating clearcuts (>15 years old), indicating that vegetation structure also influences their movement into open areas. Second-year males were more responsive than older males, moving farther to reach speakers in all areas, and showing a nonsignificant trend of moving farther into clearcuts. We found that extensive movements into open areas occur in response to simulated territorial intrusion, indicating that small-scale habitat fragmentation by forestry may not disrupt territorial movements of that species.

Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) females experimentally were forced to prolong their incubation to address the question whether mass constancy during incubation and subsequent mass loss after hatching is actually related to breeding stage. Compared to unmanipulated control females a week after expected hatching, experimental females did not show any significant mass loss during prolonged incubation, whereas control females that successfully hatched their eggs dropped their mass significantly. Results show that body mass in females is associated with the reproductive stage and may reflect an adaptive strategy. High and stable incubation mass can be a fasting endurance in case of adverse weather conditions when females stay on the nest instead of foraging.

The degree of sexual size dimorphism in a number of different morphological characters was examined in a social corvid, the Alpine Chough, using measurements taken on 178 males and 144 females. A small amount of size dimorphism appeared in all morphological characters, and weight was the most dimorphic character. To identify if Alpine Choughs mate assortatively, measurements of mates were compared in 76 pairs. A positive assortative mating was found on tarsus length, and a small positive trend is suggested between body condition of partners, but that needs to be confirmed with a larger sample size.