Larus Philadelphia Research Articles

Larus philadelphia

This datasheet on Larus philadelphia covers Identity, Distribution.

Assessing Seasonal Variation in Counts and Movements of Bonaparte’s Gulls Larus philadelphia on the Niagara River, Ontario

We assessed potential factors contributing to variation in counts of staging Bonaparte’s Gulls (Larus philadelphia) on the Niagara River in southern Ontario. Much of the Mississippi Flyway population of this species stages each autumn at this site, en route to the Gulf coast and Mexico. Between 1986-96, weekly or bi-weekly counts were made of gulls flying to their nocturnal roost at the mouth of the Niagara River entering Lake Ontario, to assess the seasonal and temporal patterns of movement. Counts began each year in early October, corresponding to the ‘second wave’ of gulls. Generally, this second wave of autumn movements began in early October to late November (median 1 November) and continued until late January or mid-February (median 5 February). Model selection based on a repeated measures analysis (Generalized Estimating Equations) demonstrated a quadratic relationship between counts and time of year and a linear relationship with daily count duration. Less evidence existed for the role of mean daily temperature in explaining variation (positive relationship) in counts; more data, or inclusion of different weather variables (e.g., wind, cloud cover), may demonstrate that it is more important than our models suggest. Maximum counts were from early November to late January (median 6 December). Peak daily totals per season varied between 6,300 (1993/94) and 40,000 (1990/91). Migration counts may be useful to help monitor populations of this species, provided that variables affecting seasonality in counts are accounted for and the turnover rate of individual gulls staging in the area is determined (e.g., through mark-recapture or radio-telemetry studies).

Sjeldne fugler i Norge i 2006 - Rapport fra Norsk sjeldenhetskomité for fugl (NSKF)

This is the 31st annual report from the Norwegian Rarities Committee (NSKF). The majority of records treated here are from 2006, but some older records are also included. The Norwegian rarities committee follow advises given by the Taxonomic Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Association of European Record and Rarities Committees (AERC) on issues concerning taxonomy and nomenclature. The systematic list of accepted records is set out in the following system: (1) The bird’s Norwegian name, (2) scientific name, (3) the numbers in brackets, e.g. (2, 30/32, 1), refers respectively to the ( i ) total number of records/total number of individuals up to and including 1974, ( ii ) total number of records/total number of individuals from 1975 (the foundation year of NSKF), except ( iii ) records/individuals in 2006, (4) any breeding, (5) year, (6) county, (7) number of individuals, age (1K = first calendar year etc.), sex (if known) and sometimes circumstances («rm» means that the bird was ringed), (8) site and municipality, (9) date, (10) * indicates if the record was complemented by positive evidence, and type of the evidence (F = photo, V = video-recorded, L = tape-recorded, DNA = DNA-analysis, D = found dead), (11) observers’ names in brackets, main observer(s) is specified first and emphasized with *, (12) roughly gives the species’ distribution and (13) comments concerning the records. Species, subspecies and hybrids new to the Norwegian list: With 245 accepted records presented in this report, 2006 was another good year for rare birds in Norway. A total of 42 accepted records from previous years complete the status of rare birds on the Norwegian list. There are five records presented that have been shelved. Also presented are 26 records that for some reason have not been accepted. All previous records of Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata ssp. and Bonelli’s Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli ssp. have been reassessed following the recent split of these two species. The two formerly accepted records of Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis of the subspecies vlasowae have also been reassessed based on new knowledge on the variation within the nominate subspecies. Three new species to the Norwegian category A list are presented in this report. This brings the official Norwegian list to 477 species. Included in this list are accepted records in category A-C. The new species in 2006 were Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus (Utsira, Rogaland 2nd to 15 th October) and Blackpoll Warbler Dendroica striata (Reve, Rogaland 2nd to 12th November). In addition the first two Sykes’s Warblers Hippolais rama (Forus, Rogaland 11th September 1983 and Monstermyr, Vest-Agder 20th September 1997) were accepted during the reassessment of older records. A Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena collected at Traena, Nordland 28th January 1949 has been accepted as the first Norwegian record of the holboellii subspecies. Two records of hybrid Blue-winged Teal Anas discors x Northern Shoveler A. clypeata (Aheim, More og Romsdal 7th – 9th June 2003 and Lista fyr, Vest-Agder 31 st July – 5th August 2006) have also been accepted as the national first and second records. General trends: Record numbers for Norway was recorded for the following species during 2006: Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris (eight records), Black Kite Milvus migrans (nine records), Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus (ten records), Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola (nine records) and Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor (three records). Also, 2006 saw the highest number (six records of eleven birds) for Corn Bunting in recent times, including the first successful breeding since 1939. Six records involving ten birds of Arctic Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni of the nominate subspecies was also an all time high. Also published here are the 4th & 5th Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca for Norway, 4 th American Black Duck Anas rubripes , 3rd Piedbilled Grebe Podilymbus podiceps , 2nd Little Shearwater Puffinus [assimilis] baroli , 3rd Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma monorhis , 5th Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola , 4 th American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica , 8th & 9th Bonaparte’s Gull Larus philadelphia , 4th, 8th & 9th Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis , 10th & 11th Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans , 7 th Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica , 4th Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina , 2nd Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris and 2 nd Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala (cat. D).

British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee: 30th Report (October 2003)

British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee: 30th Report (October 2003)

Species density of waterbirds in offshore habitats in western Lake Erie

Abstract Offshore censuses of birds are lacking for inland seas, such as the Laurentian Great Lakes, but may provide valuable information for managing species that are in conflict with human interests. Birds were counted along 31 established transects in four habitats in western Lake Erie: offshore of waterbird refuges, offshore of beaches with human development, on reefs and shoals, and in open water. A total of 161 10-min counts were conducted between 24 April and 1 September 2000. The mean number of aquatic bird species/km2 (species density) was greater offshore of refuges than on open water. For all habitats combined, species density increased over time. This was mainly due to the arrival of Bonaparte's Gulls (Larus philadelphia) and Great Black-backed Gulls (L. marinus), two fall and winter residents that do not breed in the study area, and increased use of open water and reefs and shoals by Herring Gulls (L. argentatus) and Ring-billed Gulls (L. delawarensis) after the nesting season. Species densit...

IN MEMORIAM: DAVID B. PEAKALL, 1931–2001

and in 1933, Marguerite Heydweiller (later Mrs. Fred Baumgartner). Twomey's studies of the Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia) in northern Alberta and at Churchill were published in The Auk (1934). A popular account of his Churchill observations appeared in The Beaver (1937), and ecological studies with V. E. Shelford were published in Ecology. The collecting experience gained at Churchill led to lifetime employment at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh for both Lloyd and Twomey. At the Carnegie Museum, Twomey was an assistant and field collector in ornithology, July 1936 through 1944; associate curator, 1945; curator of ornithology, 1946-47, and then director of education, 1948 through retirement in December 1973. He studied the birds of the Uinta Basin, Utah, in 1937. His first major expedition to western Ungava, beginning in January 1938 and lasting into early September, with spring and summer spent on the Belcher Islands, was chronicled in his book, Needle to the North (1942). He collected in Chile (Tierra del Fuego), Peru and the Galapagos Islands in 1939. He took part in Mellon-financed big game hunting expeditions to Africa in 1960, 1961, 1963, and 1964. In 1948, he inaugurated the Carnegie Institute Society lecture series. Both before and after retirement he showed wildlife and travel movies of exotic places such as Africa, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Russia. On his son's death, these movies and slides were donated to Carnegie. For information we thank Mrs. Claire Twomey of Fort Lee, New Jersey; Margie Jamieson, Twomey's daughter-in-law of Kimberly, British Columbia; and especially Robin Panza and Bernadette Callery at the Carnegie Museum.

Mercury concentrations in seawater, sediments and wild mussels from the coast of Galicia (NW Spain)

Appelquist, H., Asbirk, S., Drabek, I., 1994. Mercury monitoring: mercury stability in bird feathers. Marine Pollution Bulletin 15, 22–24. Barr, J.F., 1986. Population dynamics of the common loon (Gavia immer) associated with mercury-contaminated waters in northwestern Ontario. Canadian Wildlife Service Occasional Paper No. 56, 1–25. Beyer, N.W., Spalding, M., Morrison, D., 1997. Mercury concentrations in feathers of wading birds from Florida. Ambio 26, 97–100. Braune, B.M., Gaskin, D.E., 1987. Mercury levels in Bonaparte’s gulls (Larus philadelphia) during autumn molt in the Quoddy region, New Brunswick, Canada. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 16, 539–549. Burger, J., 1993. Metals in avian feathers: bioindicators of environmental pollution. Reviews in Environmental Toxicology 5, 203– 311. Burger, J., 1996. Heavy metal and selenium levels in feathers of Franklin’s gulls in interior North America. Auk 113, 399–407. Fimreite, N., 1974. Mercury contamination of aquatic birds in northwestern Ontario. Journal of Wildlife Management 38, 120– 131. Fitzgerald, W., 1989. Atmospheric and oceanic cycling of mercury. In: Riley, J., Chester, R. (Eds.), Chemical Oceanography. Academic Press, New York, pp. 151–186. Furness, R.W., Muirhead, S.J., Woodburn, M., 1986. Using bird feathers to measure mercury in the environment: relationships between mercury content and moult. Marine Pollution Bulletin 17, 27–30. Honda, K., Nasu, T., Tatsukawa, R., 1986. Seasonal changes in mercury accumulation in the black-eared kite, Milvus migrans lineatus. Environmental Pollution Series A Ecological and Biological 42, 325–334. Monteiro, L.R., Furness, R.W., 1995. Seabirds as monitors of mercury in the marine environment. Water Air and Soil Pollution 80, 851–870. Monteiro, L., Costa, V., Furness, R., Santos, R., 1996. Mercury concentrations in prey fish indicate enhanced bioaccumulation in mesopelagic environments. Marine Ecology Progress Series 141, 21–25. Monteiro, L.R., Granadeiro, J.P., Furness, R.W., 1998. Relationship between mercury levels and diet in Azores seabirds. Marine Ecology Progress Series 166, 259–265. Mu~ noz, J., Becker, P., 1999. The Kelp gull as bioindicator of environmental chemicals in the Magellan region. A comparison with other coastal sites in Chile. Scientia Marina 63, 495–502. Scheuhammer, A.M., 1987a. The chronic toxicity of aluminum, cadmium, mercury, and lead in birds: A review. Environmental Pollution 46, 263–295. Scheuhammer, A.M., 1987b. Reproductive effects of chronic, low-level dietary metal exposure in birds. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 52, 658–664. Scheuhammer, A.M., 1991. Effects of acidification on the availability of toxic metals and calcium to wild birds and mammals. Environmental Pollution 71, 329–376.

A large mid- winter observation of Bonaparte's Gulls, Larus philadelphia, in Head Harbour Passage, New Brunswick

A large mid- winter observation of Bonaparte's Gulls, Larus philadelphia, in Head Harbour Passage, New Brunswick

Helminth Communities in Audouin's Gulls, Larus audouinii from Chafarinas Islands (Western Mediterranean)

A survey of intestinal helminth communities of Audouin's gulls Larus audouinii, from their breeding colonies in Chafarinas Islands, western Mediterranean, Spain was conducted to determine the abundance and species diversity of intestinal parasites of these birds. The sample of 58 gulls harbored intestinal helminth infracommunities composed of species that are gull generalists, including the digeneans Cardiocephalus longicollis, Knipowitschiatrema nicolai, Condylocotyla pilodora, and Aporchis massiliensis, and the cestode Tetrabothrius cylindraceus. Two nematodes are waterfowl generalists (Cosmocephalus obvelatus and Paracuaria adunca), whereas the digenean Acanthotrema armata is an Audouin's gull specialist. The relative high values of species richness and diversity of the helminth infracommunities are comparable to those of other gulls (Larus philadelphia, Larus canus), probably reflecting the specialized, nonselective fish diet of L. audouinii.

Declines in Marine Bird Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska Coincident with a Climatic Regime Shift

-Analyses of marine bird surveys conducted in Prince William Sound, Alaska in July 1972 were compared to surveys in July 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1993 and indicated that populations of several taxa of marine birds that prey on fish have declined in Prince William Sound, but most taxa that feed on other prey species, such as benthic invertebrates, have not declined. Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), Pacific Loon (G. pacifica), cormorant (Phalacrocorax spp.), Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia), terns (Sterna spp.), Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba), Brachyramphus murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus and B. brevirostris), Parakeet Auklet (Cyclorrhynchus psittacula), Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), and Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) populations declined by >50%. Most of these are piscivores, feeding on schooling fish. Some non-piscivorous taxa, such as Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus), goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula and islandica), and Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani), have increased in Prince William Sound between 1972 and 1989-1993, although a portion of the population was killed by the T/VExxon Valdez oil spill. Declines in piscivorous bird populations also have been documented in the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, and along the California coast in the past two decades and have been coincidental to changes in forage fish species in the North Pacific Ocean. Many of the declines appear to be related to changes in forage fish abundance that occurred during a climatic regime shift in the north Pacific Ocean, although some taxa were also affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Received 11 November 1998, accepted 6January 1999.

Predation of Nesting Larids by Peregrine Falcons at Rasa Island, Gulf of California, Mexico

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) diets vary widely. On the Pacific Coast of North America, they feed on petrels and alcids (Oceanodroma, Synthliboramphus, Ptychoramphus) (Green 1916, Brooks 1926, Bent 1938, Beebe 1960), while in the Gulf of California they take Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), Black Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma melania), Least Storm-Petrel (O. microsoma), Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus), Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia), Heermann's Gull (L. heermanni) and Craveri's Murrelet (Synthliboramphus craveri) (Porter and Jenkins 1988). Due to seabird coloniality, close to exclusive dependence of individual Peregrine Falcons on particular prey species may put their survival in an inverse relation to the degree of pollution of marine areas where their prey feed. In the case of Rasa Island, 95% of the population of the two main prey species nest synchronously, providing close to 300,000 prey available for three months.

Migration of Bonaparte's Gull, Larus Philadelphia, in southeastern Manitoba

Migration of Bonaparte's Gull, Larus Philadelphia, in southeastern Manitoba

Autumn migration and comments on the breeding range of Bonapart's Gull, Larus Philadelphia, in eastern North America

Autumn migration and comments on the breeding range of Bonapart's Gull, Larus Philadelphia, in eastern North America

Mercury levels in Bonaparte's gulls (Larus Philadelphia) during autumn molt in the Quoddy region, New Brunswick, Canada

No significant between sex differences were detected in Hg concentrations in primary feathers, pectoral muscle, brain, liver, and kidney tissues of fall migrating juvenile and second-year Bonaparte's gulls (Larus Philadelphia) collected in the Quoddy region. Adults showed sexual differences only in the first 5 primary feathers, and in muscle, kidney and brain. Differences in Hg concentrations among age groups were reflected in the primary feathers and body tissues, but as the molt progressed, Hg concentrations decreased as they converged toward a minimum asymptotic Hg level for each tissue. This suggests that the body burden of Hg was reduced through its redistribution from the body tissues into the growing feathers. Mercury concentrations in premolt head feathers (pre-egg-laying) did not vary significantly between adult females and males, whereas Hg concentrations in postmolt feathers (post-egg-laying) were significantly lower in females, suggesting that egg-laying was also a route for Hg elimination. After the completion of the molt, the new feathers contained most of the body burden of Hg (93.0% in adults).

Seasonal Aspects of the Diet of Bonaparte's Gulls (Larus philadelphia) in the Quoddy Region, New Brunswick, Canada

Abstract During July-December 1978-1984, Bonaparte's Gulls (Larus philadelphia) on annual migration through the Quoddy region off New Brunswick, Canada, fed on fish, euphausiids, insects, and other marine invertebrates (mainly polychaetes and amphipods) in varying proportions as the summer and autumn progressed. The seasonal variation in the diet was related directly to food availability, which, in turn, was dictated by natural cycles of prey in the region. The frequency with which plastic particles were found in the stomachs also had a statistically significant seasonal trend. Fish provided the largest energy contribution (75-91%) to the diet at all times in the region. There was no significant difference between diets of juvenile and adult birds.

The relationship between plankton-feeding Bonaparte's and Mew Gulls and tidal upwelling at Active Pass, British Columbia

The food habits of Bonaparte's ( Larus Philadelphia ) and Mew Gulls ( L. canus ) were studied at Active Pass, British Columbia, in relation to upwelling of zooplankton. Bonaparte's Gulls fed mostly on planktonic crustaceans during September-November and again during April-May, while Mew Gulls foraged there chiefly in February and March. Both species ate predominantly the euphausiid, Thysanoessa raschii , in spring, while Bonaparte's Gulls fed mainly on the amphipods, Parathemisto pacifica and Calliopius laeviusculus , in fall. Year-round sampling of zooplankton and collection of temperature and salinity data showed gull numbers to correlate with times of maximum upwelling and abundance of zooplankton prey in surface waters. Outside the upwelling zone in Active Pass, Bonaparte's and Mew Gulls fed mostly on fishes and intertidal organisms, but also on zooplankton along tidelines.

The First Record of the Bonaparte's Gull in Japan

The authors observed and photographed a 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia at Nakaminato City, Ibaragi Pref. on 14 December 1985. It was seen with flocks of Black-headed Gulls Larus ridibundus. This is the first record of the species in Japan.

Feeding methods and diving rates of migrating larids off Deer Island, New Brunswick

A study of three species of migrating larids was undertaken off Deer Island, New Brunswick, to compare feeding methods and diving rates of birds exploiting various prey types. Bonaparte's Gulls (Larus Philadelphia) fed mainly by diving (dipping and plunging) and surface seizing, whereas Common and Arctic Terns (Sterna hirundo and S. paradisaea) acquired food by diving only. Common and Arctic Terns foraged from greater heights than Bonaparte's Gulls, and both the gulls and the terns maintained a higher foraging height while feeding on small fish than while feeding on euphausiids or, in the case of the gulls, insects. Common and Arctic Terns had a steeper dive angle than Bonaparte's Gulls, and both the gulls and the terns dove more steeply when feeding on small fish than on euphausiids. The highest diving rate occurred when Bonaparte's Gulls were dipping for insects trapped in the water surface layer. There was no significant difference in mean dipping or plunging rates between the gulls and the terns feeding on euphausiids or small fish. Bonaparte's Gulls had a lower mean rate of incomplete dives than did terns, probably because of the gulls' lesser aerial manoeuverability reducing the likelihood of altering course after dive initiation. The mean dipping rate was higher than the mean plunging rate for both the gulls and the terns since most food was taken at the surface, and plunges were necessary only for deeper prey (usually small fish). Intervals between hovering and diving were similar for both the gulls and the terns.

New marine hosts for Parorchis acanthus, Cryptocotyle lingua, Maritrema megametrios, and Maritrema gratiosum, trematodes of birds from British Columbia, Canada

New molluscan, crustacean, and avian hosts were found for four species of digenetic trematodes in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 1973 to 1977. The rediae and cercariae of Parorchis acanthus (Nicoll) were discovered in Nucella lamellosa (Gmelin). Adults were recovered after 19 days from experimental feedings of the metacercariae to a newly hatched domestic chick. The cercariae of Cryptocotyle lingua (Creplin) from the snail Littorina scutulata Gould were used to infect young fish, Leptocottus armatus Girard, Oligocottus maculosus Girard, and Platichthys stellatus (Pallas). These fish, infected with the metacercariae, were fed to newly hatched gulls, Larus glaucescens Naumann, and mature worms were found in the anterior half of the intestine after 14 and 21 days. The metacercariae of Maritrema megametrios Deblock and Rausch, found in Orchestia traskiana Stimpson and Gnorimosphaeroma oregonense (Dana), became ovigerous in Locke's solution at 40 °C at 48 h. Natural infections were found in Larus Philadelphia (Ord). The metacercariae of Maritrema gratiosum Nicoll, found in Balanus glandula Darwin, also became ovigerous in vitro. Adults were found with two other microphallid species in the intestine of one Bucephala islandica (Gmelin).

Biological Fate of DDT in a Sub-Arctic Environment

Residues of DDT plus metabolites were determined in 660 samples of soil, plants, and animals in a 16-square mile area at Fort Churchill treated with 22 airsprays at 0.22 lb/acre applied between 1947 and 1964. The average residues of DDT plus metabolites in the fat of birds ranged between 3 ppm in the willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopt4s) and 64 ppm in the arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) as compared with 0.2-12 ppm in fat from birds taken in the surrounding unsprayed areav The proportion of DDE found in the various bird species was partly dependent on the DDE production of their plant or invertebrate food. Of the tissues assessed, the pectoral muscle had the lowest residue, except in the case of the arctic tern and Bonaparte's gull (Larus philadelphia). FATE OF DDT IN THE SUB-ARCTIC * B1^0w and Brown 929 sistence and distribution of insecticidal seeddressings for control of ie wheat bulb fly, Leptohylemyia coarctata. Ann. Appl. Biol. 60( 2 ): 173-180. SCHAFER, E. W., R. I. STARR, D. J. CUNNINGHANI, AND T. I. DECINO. 1967. Substituted phenyl N-methylcarbamates as temporary immobilizing agents for birds. J. Agr. Food Chem. 1S ( 2 ) :287-289. WORONECKI, P. P., J. L. GUARINO, J. F. BESSER, AND J. W. DE GRAZIO. 1970. Carbamate baits discourage blackbirds from using feedlots. In Proc. 4th Vertebrate Pesticide Control Conf., Sacramento, California. March 3-S. Univ. California, Davis. ( In press. ) , , AND J. W. DE GRAZIO. 1967. Blackbird damage control with chemical frightening agents pp. 54-56. In Proc. 3rd Vertebrate Pesticide Control Conf., San Francisco, California. March 7-9. Univ. California, Davis. 177pp. Received for publication April 27, 1970. attractants, dyes, etc., can be incorporated without greatly altering the tablet's physical properties, and weathering characteristics can be controlled by the proper choice of binders and coating materials. These techniques for tableting, which are well documented and now routinely used in pharmacology, would allow the investigator to make uniform baits with almost any properties desired.