Numenius Americanus Research Articles

Nest Success, Habitat Utilization and Nest-Site Selection of Long-Billed Curlews in the Columbia Basin, Oregon

Breeding ecology of Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) in northcentral Oregon was studied during spring and summer, 1978-1979. Five habitats were used by territorial curlews, and habitat selection by adults with and without broods was studied. Both adults and adults with broods used habitats significantly different from availability. A preference for habitats of low vertical profile and low vertical density (plant parts/volume/ height) was observed; habitats with tall, dense shrubs or weedy annual vegetation were generally avoided. Nest density varied from 0-9 nests/40 ha. Highest nest density occurred in cheatgrass habitats. Nest success as computed by the Mayfield method was 0.69 in 1978 (n = 40) and 0.65 in 1979 (n = 61). Predators destroyed 10 (4) and 16% (10) of the nests in 1978 and 1979, respectively. Eight of 14 (57%) nests over both years were destroyed by mammalian predators; at least three (21%) were taken by crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) or magpies (Pica pica). Nest predation rate was significantly lower in annual grass habitats. Differences between nest sites and randomly selected habitats were related to vertical stratification of vegetation. Vegetative cover was important in only the bunchgrass habitat. Overall, nest sites were less complex above 5 cm than surrounding areas. Significant differences in nest-site structure between habitats were observed for five of six paired comparisons, indicating some plasticity in nest-site selection by breeding curlews.

Conservation of Habitats for Shrubsteppe Birds

Extending over a year, all the birds that could be detected were counted on two transects which together sampled an area of 1.39 km2. Only 37 species were recorded during 82 surveys. Total bird density during the spring (March–June) was 43.0 birds/km2, and the density for the entire year was 26.7 birds/km2. The characteristic nesting birds were Western Meadowlark, Sage Sparrow, Burrowing Owl, Mourning Dove, Horned Lark, Long-billed Curlew, Lark Sparrow, and Loggerhead Shrike. Western Meadow-larks and Sage Sparrows were the most abundant nesting birds, having an average density of 11.2 and 7.8 birds/km2, respectively. Seasonal distribution of birds varied with species, but most species were present only from March to September.Sixty-three per cent of the habitat surveyed was dominated by Big Sagebrush, 26% was dominated by Cheatgrass, and the remaining 11% was dominated by Spiny Hopsage. Big Sagebrush habitat supported a greater total bird density than the Cheatgrass or Hopsage habitats. Sage Sparrows were closely associated with Sagebrush habitats, while Western Meadowlarks showed no strong habitat affinities.Extensive habitat modifications induced by more than a century of agriculture and livestock grazing have greatly depleted native Shrubsteppe habitat in the Columbia Basin. Over the past 40 years, the Hanford Site has served as a refugium for Shrubsteppe habitat that supports populations of native Shrubsteppe birds. The concept of the Hanford Site as a refugium for native Shrubsteppe habitat and Shrubsteppe nesting birds is favourably discussed.

Distribution of gizzard nematodes (Habronematoidea, Acuarioidea) of New World shorebirds (Charadriiformes), with special reference to localities of transmission

Eleven species of gizzard nematodes were found in 27 of 41 (66%) species of the Charadriidae, Haematopodidae, Recurvirostridae, and Scolopacidae. They were found mainly in large shorebirds, possibly because they use large crustaceans (e.g., decapods) as intermediate hosts. The presence of identifiable larvae indicated that five species are transmitted in marine environments: (1) Stellocaronema skrjabini, found in 15 shorebird species, is transmitted on the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the United States and Peru; (2) Schistorophus skrjabini, found in three shorebird species, is transmitted on the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the United States; (3) Sciadiocara umbellifera, found in nine shorebird species, is transmitted along the coasts of Texas and Peru; (4) Viktorocara capillaris, found in six shorebird species, is transmitted on the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the United States; (5) Viktorocara limosae, found in 13 shorebird species, is transmitted on the Pacific coast of the United States. Acuaria sp. was found in two long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) breeding in Alberta and one sanderling (Calidris alba) wintering in Peru. Streptocara sp. was found in four shorebird species, and the presence of larvae in a willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) indicated that transmission takes place in Alberta. Chevreuxia americana, found in six shorebird species, was most common in American avocets (Recurvirostra americana) and black-bellied plovers (Pluvialis squatarola). Sciadiocara bihamata was found in four shorebird species but was most common in black-bellied plovers. Sciadiocara cucullatus was found in one long-billed curlew collected in Texas. Sobolevicephalus lichtenfelsi was found in marbled godwits (Limosa fedoa) and willets.

Unusual finding of encapsulated nematode larvae (Spiruroidea) in Bartramia longicauda and Numenius americanus (Charadriiformes) in western Canada.

Third-stage spiruroid larvae were found encapsulated on the serosa of the small and large intestines and in the mesentery of one of 15 adult upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) from Manitoba, Canada, and three of 18 adult long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) from Alberta, Canada. The larvae resemble third-stage larvae of Physocephalus sexalatus and birds may serve as a paratenic host of this unidentified spiruroid species.

Population Ecology of the Long-Billed Curlew (Numenius Americanus) in Western Idaho

Abstract In western Idaho, a breeding population of Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) remained relatively stable over a 7-yr period. Productivity was monitored closely from 1977 through 1979. Clutch mortality rates did not differ significantly among years, and mean clutch survival for a 32-day nesting period (4 days egg laying and 28 days incubation) was 40% for all 3 yr combined. Females laid just one clutch (usually of 4 eggs) each season, and mean clutch size was significantly smaller in 1979 than in 1977 and 1978. Estimated fledging success ranged from 0.40 in 1977 to 0.17 in 1978 and was consistently greater for females that nested early each season. Mean annual adult survival was estimated at 85% based on resightings of color-marked individuals. Limited data for subadult survival precluded complete demographic analysis. Nevertheless, given the estimates of productivity and adult survival pooled for 3 yr, survival of subadults from fledging until first breeding as 3-year-olds needed to be only 58% to maintain the stable population size observed through 1983.

Egg Size and Laying Date of Long-Billed Curlews Numenius americanus: Implications for Female Reproductive Tactics

Annual differences in reproductive effort by female long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) were clearly associated with changes in environmental conditions. During pre-laying in 1977 and 1978, long-billed curlews foraged almost exclusively on their breeding territories where vegetation height was generally short. Females did little flying prior to laying, and heavier females with relatively greater wing-disc loading laid larger egg and clutch volumes earlier in the season than did lighter females with lesser wing-disc loading. Tall, dense residual vegetation covered most upland breeding territories during pre-laying in 1979; and until grazing livestock broke down or removed this standing-dead vegetation, long-billed curlews regularly flew to undefended foraging sites on agricultural lands within 10 km of their territories. Nesting began significantly later in 1979 for all females, and lighter females not only laid earlier in the season, but they also laid larger eggs than heavier females. Path analyses indicated that body mass alone was a poor predictor of egg volume each year. Moreover, reduced egg volume was predicted by both high wing-disc loading and early laying only in 1979, suggesting that flight costs early in this season interfered with the ability of females to produce larger eggs. Reduced egg and clutch volumes by heavier females may have been a consequence of differential flight costs if these females were unable to accumulate sufficient reserves for larger eggs. More likely though, this reduced reproductive effort was a time saving and hence adaptive response to late nesting; further delay to produce larger eggs might have risked chick survival later in the season when conditions tend to deteriorate.

Nestling birds as prey of breeding Long-billed Curlews, Numenius americanus

Nestling birds as prey of breeding Long-billed Curlews, Numenius americanus

Organochlorine-Induced Mortality and Residues in Long-Billed Curlews from Oregon

Journal Article Organochlorine-Induced Mortality and Residues in Long-Billed Curlews from Oregon Get access Lawrence J. Blus, Lawrence J. Blus U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Pacific Northwest Field Station, 480 SW Airport Road, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Charles J. Henny, Charles J. Henny U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Pacific Northwest Field Station, 480 SW Airport Road, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Alexander J. Krynitsky Alexander J. Krynitsky U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland 20708 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Condor, Volume 87, Issue 4, November 1985, Pages 563–565, https://doi.org/10.2307/1367968 Published: 01 November 1985 Article history Received: 04 January 1985 Accepted: 25 June 1985 Published: 01 November 1985

Winter Range Expansion of the Long-Billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) to South America

Winter Range Expansion of the Long-Billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) to South America

Natal philopatry and breeding area fidelity of long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus): Patterns and evolutionary consequences

Long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) appear unique among scolopacid shorebirds so far studied in possessing a significant sex bias in natal philopatry. We resighted 9 curlews at least attempting to breed that were color-banded as chicks; 8 of these were males. Male curlews also cooperate extensively with neighbors in mobbing potential chick predators. This mutualistic behavior may have evolved through kin selection among philopatric males. If so, we would expect such an evolutionary consequence to lead to a similar sex bias in breeding area fidelity. Yet our resightings of colorbanded adults over 4 consecutive years indicate that males and females were equally likely to return to previous nesting territories. Excessive disturbance such as capture and nest loss within a single breeding season was correlated with the likelihood of breeding dispersal by females but not males. This suggests potentially stronger breeding area fidelity of males.

Notes on parasites of the long-billed curlew, Numenius americanus, from eastern New Mexico.

Two long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus Bechstein) were collected near Elida, Roosevelt Co., New Mexico. Two species of endoparasites were recovered, the cestode Choanotaenia numenii Owen, 1946 and the acanthocephalan Mediorhynchus papillosus Van Cleave, 1916. Three mallophagan species, Cummingsiella longistricola (Wilson, 1937), Austromenopon crocatum (Nitzsch, 1866) and Lunaceps numenii numenii (Denny, 1844), were also recovered. All represent new distribution records while M. papillosus and L. numenii numenii also represent new host records.

The Long-Billed Curlew in Saskatchewan: Status and Distribution

The Long-Billed Curlew in Saskatchewan: Status and Distribution

Helminths of Shorebirds from the Texas Gulfcoast. I. Digenetic Trematodes from the Long-Billed Curlew, Numenius americanus

Trematodes found in 10 Numenius americanus from the Galveston area included Pelmatostomum americanum sp. n. (Echinostomatidae) from the intestine; Paratrema numenii gen. et sp. n. (Philophthalmidae) from the Bursa Fabricii and lower intestine; and the following previously known species, all representing new host records: Maritrema arenaria and Probolocorphye glandulosa (Microphallidae); Lyperosomum oswaldoi and L. sinuosum (Dicrocoeliidae); Cyclocoelum obscurum (Cyclocoelidae); Himasthla rhigedana (Echinostomatidae); and Parorchis acanthus (Philophthalmidae). New taxa are diagnosed and H. rhigedana is redescribed.

Long-Billed Curlew with Supernumerary hallux

Long-Billed Curlew with Supernumerary hallux

Coastal Records of the Long-billed Curlew for British Columbia

Coastal Records of the Long-billed Curlew for British Columbia

Observations at a Long-Billed Curlew Nest

Observations at a Long-Billed Curlew Nest

Vocalizations of the Long-Billed Curlew

Journal Article Vocalizations of the Long-Billed Curlew Get access Dennis M. Forsythe Dennis M. Forsythe Department of Zoology Utah State University Logan, Utah 84321 Present address: Department of Biology, The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina 29409. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Condor, Volume 72, Issue 2, 1 April 1970, Pages 213–224, https://doi.org/10.2307/1366634 Published: 01 April 1970 Article history Accepted: 24 March 1969 Published: 01 April 1970

Conducta alimentaria de cuatro especies de aves playeras (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae) en Chametla, B.C.S., México

Feeding behaviour of four species for large shorebirds (Scolopacidae) was studied in a tidal mudflat, Chametla, Mexico, to determine the foraging efficiency of Limosa fedoa, Numenius phaeopus, Numenius americanus and Catoptrophorus semipalmatus in a stopover/wintering area; and their activity with the tide cicle. The study area was visited in the winter of 1993 during the daylight hours. Each species was observed for 15 min during each tide type. The tide type does not affect the frequency with which the species use the different foraging strategies. In general, probing was more efficient than pecking. Considering distribution and prey, L. fedoa had the highest efficiency with this feeding strategy. Both species of Numenius were more efficient with pecking than other species. C. semipalmatus has the highest efficiency because it is an oportunistic species, L. fedoa is generalistic, both Numenius are especialists and C. semipalmatus is oportunistic.

Notes on the Long-Billed Curlew

Notes on the Long-Billed Curlew

A New Species and New Records of the Genus Toritrombicula (Acarina, Trombiculidae) from Birds of Sonora, Mexico

Toritrombicula (Whartonacarus) dupliseta, sp. n. is described from larvae taken off a longbilled curlew, Numenius a. americanus, and a black-bellied plover, Squaterola squaterola, from Bahia Kino, Sonora, Mexico. Other species of chiggers listed for the first time from Sonora and the North American continent are: Toritrombicula (Whartonacarus) thompsoni, comb. n., and Toritrombicula (Whartonacarus) shiraii, comb. n. Additional new combinations are: Toritrombicula (Whartonacarus) anous Wharton, Toritrombicula (Whartonacarus) nativitatis (Hoffmann), Toritrombicula (Toritrombiciula) hasegawai (Sasa et al.), and Toritrombicula (Toritrombicula) pluvius (Wharton). Neacariscus Vercammen-Grandjean 1960, new synonymy, is placed in Toritrombicula. Among the many chiggers from western Mexico sent to us by Dr. J. Knox Jones, Jr. of The University of Kansas were larvae taken off birds from the vicinity of Bahia Kino, Sonora, which belong to one new and two named species of the genus Toritrombicula, subgenus Whartonacarus. Five species seem to belong to the subgenus Whartonacarus VercammenGrandjean: Toritrombicula thompsoni (Brennan), which is the type species of subgenus, T. anous (Wharton), T. nativitatis (Hoffmann), T. shiraii (Sasa et al.), and the new species described below. They have similar larval morphology, distribution, and hosts. Whartonacarus originally was named as a subgenus of the genus Neacariscus (Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960). The type species of Neacariscus is Acariscus pluvius Wharton, and although similar to species of Whartonacarus, it seems to be more closely related to members of the genus Toritrombicula Sasa et al. 1953, type species, Trombicula hasegawai Sasa et al. Therefore, Neacariscus is placed in synonymy Received for publication 11 February 1966. * Studies upon which this paper is based were supported by a U. S. Public Health Service Research Grant AI-3407, from the NIAID. Specimens provided by Dr. J. Knox Jones, Jr. of The University of Kansas were taken under a contract (DA 49-193-MD-2215) between the U. S. Army Medical Research Command and The University of Kansas. t Contribution from the Department of Biology, California State College at Long Beach, California. with Toritrombicula, whereas Whartonacarlts is retained as a subgenus. The terminology usually follows that of Wharton et al. (1951) and all measurements are in microns. Except for specimens from the United States National Museum (USNM), the larvae are in The Chigger Research Collection, California State College at Long Beach (CSCLB). Toritrombicula (Whartonacarus) dupliseta, sp. n.