Roseate Spoonbill Research Articles

Petroleum Industry's Use of Seagrass Restoration as Mitigation for Construction and as a Potential Cleanup Tool

ABSTRACT The Laguna Madre in Corpus Christi, Texas has a great deal of petroleum and natural gas activity while housing a national seashore. The area is a flyway for a wide array of bird species, as well as heavily fished. Historically, the laguna had a series of infrastructure modifications, gas and oil rigs, and real estate development. In the process of placing a drilling rig, a winter storm blew the vessel with the rig off a narrow channel. To remove the vessel, other vessels had to be called. A 35-acre accident occurred. In mitigation, 75 acres of the seagrass Halodule wrightii was planted in three areas: (1) a 15-acre dredge island where a portion of the island was scraped down from upland-spoil deposit to −2 ft mlw; (2) a mile-long channel where seagrasses were restored from −7 to 10 ft mlw to −3 to ft mlw; and (3) a persistently barren site for decades (scraped by another petroleum company's vessel) was restored in the shallows while holes were filled in and seagrass planted on top. The fill throughout was from the scraping from the dredge islands. The fill was transmitted several miles by a new device. Planting of Halodule plugs proceeded from March to July 1999. Within 3 months, the shallow sites had been covered with the restored Halodule,. Endangered species of roseate spoonbills, brown pelicans, great white herons and other wading and fishing birds were regularly feeding at two sites. The deeper sites had heavy fish populations return to the area, fished by man, seagulls and pelicans. Despite a direct hit by Hurricane Bret in 1999, lateral growth at all depths was deemed governmentally satisfactory. This same procedure with seagrasses is recommended for after-effects of estuarine oil spill cleanup, and mitigation banks of seagrasses are recommended for construction or operations mitigation.

First karyotypical description of two American Ciconiiform birds, Mycteria americana (Ciconiidae) and Platalea ajaja (Threskiornithidae) and its significance for the chromosome evolutionary and biological conservation approaches

The karyotypes of Mycteria americana (Ciconiidae) and Platalea ajaja (Threskiornithidae) are described. Both species have a diploid number of 2n = 72. There are slight chromosome morphology differences, which could be related to distinct chromosome evolution pathways of these two families. Besides a better understanding of the chromosome relationships among Ciconiiformes, this first chromosome characterization of M. americana and P. ajaja is an important tool for the conservation of both species.

Great Texas birds

Preface by Suzanne Winckler Acknowledgments Introduction by John P. O'Neill Brown Pelican by Bill Graber Green Heron by Jim Peterson Reddish Egret by Rose Ann Rowlett Roseate Spoonbill by Stephen Harrigan Black-bellied Whistling Duck by Stephen E. Chip Labuda Jr. Wood Duck by Roy Bedicheck Swallow-tailed Kite by David Braun Harris's Hawk by Greg Lasley Crested Caracara by Father Tom Pincelli Plain Chachalaca by John Rowlett Greater Prairie-Chicken by Edgar B. Kincaid Jr. Northern Bobwhite by Rochelle Plasse Montezuma Quail by Frederick R. Gehlbach Wild Turkey by Edward A. Kutac Sandhill Crane by John Graves Purple Gallinule by Robert Behrstock Ruddy Turnstone by Robin Doughty Long-billed Curlew by Fred Collins Black-necked Stilt by Ted Lee Eubanks Least Tern by Douglas Slack White-winged Dove by Sally Graves Jackson Greater Roadrunner by Jim Bones Elf Owl by Pauline James as told to Leticia A. Alamia Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Ernest Franzgrote Black-chinned Hummingbird by Peter Scott Blue-throated Hummingbird by Roland Ro Wauer Green Kingfisher by Keith Arnold Golden-fronted Woodpecker by June Osborne Scissor-tailed Flycatcher by Lawrence Wright Vermilion Flycatcher by John and Gloria Tveten Cave Swallow by Kenn Kaufman Blue Jay by Ben Feltner Green Jay by John Arvin Northern Mockingbird by Michael Braun Curve-billed Thrasher by John P. O'Neill wood thrush by James A. Tucker eastern bluebird by David E. Wolf Black-capped Vireo by Terry C. Maxwell Golden-cheeked Warbler by Charles Sexton Yellow-breasted Chat by Suzanne Winckler Hooded Warbler by Victor Emanuel Painted Redstart by Kelly B. Bryan Altamira Oriole by F. P. TonyBennett Summer Tanager by Robert and Karen Benson Northern Cardinal by Fred Webster Pyrrhuloxia by Holly Carver Painted Bunting by Marie Webster Black-throated Sparrow by Randell Beavers About the Artist and the Contributors A Poem: The Law of Transmigration by Paul Turner

Long-Term Trends in Population and Community Measures of Colonial-Nesting Waterbirds in Galveston Bay Estuary

-We examined diversity measures of the colonial-nesting waterbird community in Galveston Bay Estuary from 1973-1990 to determine if trends were apparent at three levels of ecological organization (i.e., community, assemblage, and population), each representing a different level of data aggregation. The community was dominated numerically by the Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla), a species with the lowest annual variability. In general, species that exhibited high annual variability also had low mean abundances [e.g., Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) and Yellowcrowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax violaceus)]. White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) and Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) were unusual in that they were both highly variable and abundant. Trend analyses of the abundances of individual species showed that Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), and Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) declined significantly. Neotropical Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) and Sandwich Tern increased significantly, and the remaining 13 species showed no statistical change. A classification analysis identified five species assemblages. Two assemblages increased significantly in abundance, one assemblage decreased significantly, and two assemblages showed no change. At the community level, none of the indices we examined showed a significant change over the 18-year period. We hypothesized that loss of coastal marsh vegetation and the development of favorable feeding conditions outside of Galveston Bay may have caused some of the population changes we identified. Our ability to identify trends was affected by the level of data aggregation. Community measures were less sensitive to change than were assemblage and population-level data. Received 17 November 1997; accepted 24 February 1998.

Hypopi (Acari: Hypoderatidae) from the roseate spoonbill (Aves: Ciconiiformes; Threskiornithidae).

A new species and additional host records for 4 other species of quiescent deutonymphs (hypopi) of mites of the family Hypoderatidae are described from the subcutaneous adipose tissues of a roseate spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja L., in Florida. The hypopus of Phalacrodectes parvus n. sp. most closely resembles that of P. platalea Pence & Duncan from the African spoonbill, Platalea alba Scopali, in idiosomatic chaetotaxy and structure of the genital apparatus. It differs from this and other species of the genus in the shape of the idiosoma, pattern and density of idiosomatic sclerotization, the unique posterior extension of secondary sclerotization from the perigenital area, large size and more posterior location of genital seta gm, and small size and sharp-tipped spinelike structure of seta hT on tibia II. In addition to the new species, this roseate spoonbill also was infected with P. whartoni Fain and 3 other less common species of hypoderatid deutonymphs. A key to the deutonymphs of species in the genus Phalacrodectes is presented.

Habitat Use by Wading Birds in a Subtropical Estuary: Implications of Hydrography

Abstract The dynamics of foraging habitat use by long-legged wading birds was analyzed with respect to water-level fluctuation patterns in Florida Bay. Wading-bird presence at four sites situated to sample the heterogeneity of the bay was quantified by repeated surveys collected throughout the day and year. Models for habitat availability were generated using water-level data collected from continuous recorders, staff guages, and habitat profile maps. These models were tested against the survey data. Roseate Spoonbills (Ajaia ajaja) foraged on the study areas primarily at night. Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) fed both day and night, but primarily at night where the tidal range was small. Great Egrets (Casmerodius albus), Snowy (Egretta thula) and Reddish (E. rufescens) egrets, Little Blue (E. caerulea) and Tricolored (E. tricolor) herons, and White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) fed during daylight. Where tidal range was small (<5 cm) diurnal species fed throughout the day. Florida Bay has a pronounced annual water-level cycle that causes monthly mean water levels to vary by as much as 30 cm between October (high) and May (low). Models derived from hydrology data predicted that this seasonal variation in water level would have a major impact on habitat availability, particularly where tidal flux was small. The predictions were supported by survey data. At sites with minor tides, most wading-bird species had a cycle in seasonal abundance that correlated with seasonal changes in water level; only the tallest species, Ardea herodias, was uniformly present throughout the year. The large daily range in tide (x̄ = 80 cm) afforded year-round access to foraging habitat, and these abundance patterns did not exist. The seasonal variability in habitat availability has major management implications because the maintenance of stable wading-bird populations depends on the availability of alternative foraging sites when water levels are high. Historically, these sites have tended to be targeted for human development.

Digenetic Trematodes from the Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja, from the Texas Gulfcoast

Digenetic Trematodes from the Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja, from the Texas Gulfcoast

Nematode and Cestode Parasites from the Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja, including Paradilepis diminuta sp. n. (Cestoda: Dilepididae)

Paradilepis diminuta sp. n. (Cestoda: Dilepididae) is described from the roseate spoonbill Ajaia ajaja (Allen 1942) from the Texas Gulf coast. Paradilepis diminuta resembles P. transfuga (Krabbe 1869) Baer and Bona 1960, and P. brevis Burt 1940. Paradilepis diminuta differs from P. transfuga by having larger hooks and cirrus sac, and being craspedote. It differs from P. brevis by having smaller hooks and a larger cirrus sac. Also reported are the cestode Cyclustera capito Rudolphi 1819, and two nema- todes, Cosmocephalus obvelatus (Creplin 1825) and Capillaria sp. The roseate spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja, ranges from Florida through the Texas Gulf coast southward to Chile and Argentina. Although conservation efforts have stimulated increases in its population, this species is still uncom- mon throughout most of its range and few ac- counts of its helminth fauna have been pub- lished. Our study reports nematodes and cestodes recovered from two specimens of Ajaia ajaja. The hosts were collected on the Intercoastal

Interspecific Association of Olivaceous Cormorants and Roseate Spoonbills

Interspecific Association of Olivaceous Cormorants and Roseate Spoonbills

Effects of Interspecific Dominance among Egrets Commensally Following Roseate Spoonbills

Effects of Interspecific Dominance among Egrets Commensally Following Roseate Spoonbills

Feeding habitat use by colonially-breeding herons, egrets, and ibises in North Carolina

-Nine species of herons, egrets, and ibises were followed by airplane from a nesting colony near Beaufort, North Carolina to their feeding sites. Except for Cattle Egrets, which flew exclusively to fields and dumps, the birds flew mainly to saltmarsh habitat. The selection of feeding habitats by Great Egrets and Louisiana Herons was directly related to tidal depth. The Great Egret was the only species that effectively used eelgrass beds, and its use of this habitat was restricted to between 1.5 h before and after low tide. We suspect that shorter-legged herons did not use eelgrass regularly because the water was too deep. Most Great Egrets, White Ibises, Louisiana Herons, and Snowy Egrets used areas near the colony (<4 km). Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, and White Ibises flew farther from the colony at high than at low tide. Great Egrets traveled farther from the colony when they used thermals; rate of travel to feeding sites was the same, however, whether or not they used thermals. Aggressive encounters were observed at the landing sites of Great Egrets, Louisiana Herons, Snowy Egrets, and Black-crowned Night Herons. In contrast to the other species studied, Cattle Egrets and White Ibises often flew in groups to feeding sites. Indirect evidence supports the hypothesis that colonies can act as centres, wherein unsuccessful birds follow successful ones to better feeding locations. Received 31 January 1978, accepted 7 May 1978. THE use of wetland habitats by herons, egrets, and ibises (here collectively termed herons) is not well known. Jenni (1969) found that Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) feed in open areas, Little Blue Herons (Florida caerulea) in heavily vegetated areas, and Louisiana herons (Hydranassa tricolor) along banks or floating vegetation where the water level drops rapidly. Kushlan and Kushlan (1975) described the feeding habitat preferences of the White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) in southern Florida, and Meyerriecks (1962), Kushlan (1976a), and Custer and Osborn (1978) found that longer-legged herons feed in deeper water than shorter-legged ones. The distance herons travel from a colony to feeding sites is also poorly understood. Published estimates of the maximum distance (km) for various species are as follows: Cattle egret (Bulbulcus ibis) 28.5 (Bateman 1970), 25.8 (Hopkins and Murton 1969), 19.3 (Craufurd 1966, Skead 1966), and 29 (Siegfried 1971); Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja) and Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) 32.2 (Beetham 1910) and 19.3 (Nicholson 1929); Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) 40 (Kahl 1964) and 130 (Ogden et al. in press); and White Ibis, 22.9 (calculated from Bateman 1970) and 44 (Kushlan 1976b). However, the distribution of distances flown from the colony is known only for the Cattle Egret (Bateman 1970, Siegfried 1971), Wood Stork (Kahl 1964), and White Ibis (Bateman 1970). In this study we attempt to describe the area used and habitats selected by herons nesting in a colony near Beaufort, North Carolina. Unmarked herons were followed by airplane from the colony to their first landing site. Using this approach, we were able to gather information that indirectly supports the hypothesis that colonies may act as centres, wherein unsuccessful birds follow successful ones to better feeding sites (Ward and Zahavi 1973, Krebs 1974). l Present address: Office of Biological Services, National Western Energy and Land Use Team, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 USA. 733 The Auk 95: 733-743. October 1978 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.206 on Sat, 17 Dec 2016 05:22:44 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 734 CUSTER AND OSBORN [Auk, Vol. 95

The Roseate Spoonbill Breeding in Surinam

The Roseate Spoonbill Breeding in Surinam

Roseate Spoonbill Chick Attacked by Ants

Roseate Spoonbill Chick Attacked by Ants

Blood carotenoids of the roseate spoonbill

1. 1.Blood plasma samples from afult roseate spoonbills ( Ajaia ajaja) contained carotenoids in amounts of 0·88–1·4 mg/100 ml. Major proportions of canthaxanthin ( ca. 62 per cent of total carotenoids) and secondary amounts of unesterified astaxanthin ( ca. 35 per cent) were accompanied by possible traces of other xanthophylls and by a minor fraction of an epiphasic carotene-like compound ( ca. 3 per cent). 2. 2. Canthaxanthin and astaxanthin were present also in the solid parts (not the cytoplasm) of the red corpuscles, in relative proportions rather similar to those in the plasma, but in total concentrations of only about 20 per cent of those in the latter. 3. 3. The carotenoids are dissolved in or associated with the plasma lipoproteins. The high-density lipoprotein fraction carried 83 per cent of the total plasma carotenoids, the remainder being associated with the low-density fraction. 4. 4. Both the neutral and the acidogenic fractions were demonstrable in the high density lipoproteins, but only the neutral component could be discerned in the low-density lipoproteins. 5. 5. The cholesterol content of plasma was measured at 200 mg/100 ml, and showed a fourfold greater concentration in the high- than in the low-density lipoproteins, beingh thus parallel with the carotenoids in distribution.

Carotenoids of the roseate spoonbill

1. 1. Adult roseate spoonbills, Ajaia ajaja, when fed a diet rich in carotenoids, store in their feathers the two keto-carotenoids canthaxanthin and astaxanthin, both firmly anchored to keratin. 2. 2. This general condition thus resembles findings in three flamingo species and in the scarlet ibis, all of which deposit canthaxanthin in their feathers, accompanied by astaxanthin (in the American and James's flamingos) or other acidogenic carotenoids (in the Chilean flamingo and scarlet ibis). 3. 3. Ajaia's storage of astaxanthin in exposed leg skin resembles a similar condition in the American and Chilean flamingos, but the presence of astaxanthin in its blood-plasma, moreover as the predominant carotenoid therein, seems to be unique amond birds.

Two Recent Records of the Roseate Spoonbill on the Pacific Slope and High Andes of Peru

Two Recent Records of the Roseate Spoonbill on the Pacific Slope and High Andes of Peru

Roseate Spoonbills at Home The Flame Birds Robert Porter Allen

Roseate Spoonbills at Home The Flame Birds Robert Porter Allen

Roseate Spoonbill Nesting on the Sabine Refuge, Louisiana

Roseate Spoonbill Nesting on the Sabine Refuge, Louisiana

The Roseate Spoonbill.

The Roseate Spoonbill.

The Roseate Spoonbill Robert Porter Allen

The Roseate Spoonbill Robert Porter Allen