Snow Buntings Research Articles

A note on bird song: Samuel Hearne’s observations on the Snow Bunting (<em>Plectrophenax nivalis</em>)

In 1795, the Arctic explorer Samuel Hearne recorded detailed observations on the distribution, ecology, molt, and behaviour of the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis). The most significant of his observations was that Snow Buntings imitated the vocalizations of Atlantic Canaries (Serinus canarius) when housed with that species. His account has apparently not been widely recognized by ornithologists, but it is one of the first such observations on bird’s acquisition of vocalizations.

Snow buntings sing individually distinctive songs and show inter-annual variation in song structure

Birds use song to communicate with conspecifics, and song can influence both intra-sexual competition and inter-sexual mate choice. Some birds produce repertoires consisting of hundreds of songs while others produce a single song type. For species with a single-song repertoire, there are varying levels of inter-individual variation which can be the result of environmental, genetic, and physiological factors. Male Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) typically produce a single song type, and while syllable sharing occurs between individuals, many researchers have anecdotally noted the individuality of each male's song. To investigate this long-held assertion, we performed a detailed bioacoustic analysis of male Snow Buntings recorded in the Canadian Arctic. We use canonical discriminant analysis to provide quantitative evidence confirming that male Snow Buntings sing individually distinctive songs. Furthermore, we present the first evidence that some Snow Buntings exhibit inter-annual variation in song structure; while songs remain consistent within each year, two males changed their song type between years. Inter-individual variation in song content can have important behavioral implications, because it facilitates individual recognition and can affect individual fitness.

Invertebrate communities inhabiting nests of migrating passerine, wild fowl and sea birds breeding in the High Arctic, Svalbard

Nests of birds often possess a diverse invertebrate fauna, but almost no descriptions of the invertebrate fauna of bird nests from the High Arctic exist in spite of numerous studies at lower latitudes. Seventy-seven nests belonging to common eider, barnacle goose, glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake and snow bunting were examined for the invertebrate fauna from Kongsfjorden and Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Twenty-seven nest-living species were found and thirty-one species in soil under common eider nests. The diversity in most of the nests was poor. True nidiculous species were absent, and ectoparasites dominated in nests of all bird species; the flea; Ceratophyllus vagabundus vagabundus in the nests of common eider, barnacle goose and glaucous gull, Mioctenopsylla arctica arctica in the nests of black-legged kittiwake; and the parasitic mesostigmatid mite Dermanyssus hirundinis in the nests of snow bunting. The most diverse group in nests was opportunistic soil-living oribatid mites. If soil samples taken beneath common eider nests are included, five species or genera of invertebrates not previously recorded from Svalbard were found: Cyrtozetes sp., Liochthonius simplex (Acari: Oribatida), Protaphorura subuliginata (Collembola: Onychiuridae) and larvae of Parochlus kiefferi and Paralimnophyes sp. (Diptera: Chironomidae). Of these, Cyrtozetes sp. is probably an undescribed species. The chironomid larvae from black-legged kittiwake nests have probably been transported together with nest material. With the exception of the ectoparasites, little indicates that invertebrates preferentially exploit nests in Svalbard, as most species were free living and are normally common in soils.

Extra-pair paternity in relation to regional and local climate in an Arctic-breeding passerine

Reproductive processes are affected by local and regional climate variation. Birds breeding in the Arctic may experience strong energetic constraints, which will affect their reproductive output. Recent research has emphasized the importance of extra-pair copulation as a means of improving reproductive output. In this paper, we explore ecological and climatic determinants that may explain variation in extra-pair paternity (EPP) in an arctic-breeding passerine, the snow bunting Plectrophenax nivalis. EPP occurred in 10.8 % of the young and 20.9 % of the broods sampled from 1999 to 2003. We found that the proportion of extra-pair young in a nest was positively related to the body size and age of the social male and weakly negatively related to the local average minimum temperature prior to the onset of egg laying. These results suggest that older and larger males lost a larger share of paternity than smaller and younger males, and that the relative loss of paternity decreased with cold weather during the female’s fertile period. Large and old males spend less time mate guarding compared to small and young males and may allocate more time towards extra-pair forays, and thus lose more paternity in their own nest. Climatic conditions most likely constrain the total energy budget with less energy available for extra-pair activity in cold weather.

The oxidative costs of territory quality and offspring provisioning

The costs of reproduction are an important constraint that shapes the evolution of life histories, yet our understanding of the proximate mechanism(s) leading to such life-history trade-offs is not well understood. Oxidative stress is a strong candidate measure thought to mediate the costs of reproduction, yet empirical evidence supporting that increased reproductive investment leads to oxidative stress is equivocal. We investigated whether territory quality and offspring provisioning increase oxidative stress in male snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) using a repeated sampling design. We show that arrival oxidative stress is not a constraint on territory quality or the number of offspring fledged. Nevertheless, owners of higher-quality territories experienced an oxidative cost, with this cost increasing more rapidly in younger males. Males that provisioned offspring at a high rate also experienced increased oxidative stress. Together, these findings support the potential role of oxidative stress in mediating life-history trade-offs. Future work should consider that reproductive workload is not limited to offspring care, and other activities - including territory defence - may contribute significantly to the costs of reproduction.

Nesting Ecology of McKay's Buntings on St. Matthew Island, Alaska

The McKay's Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) is one of the rarest passerine species in North America and breeds solely on St. Matthew and Hall islands in the remote Bering Sea, Alaska. We examined the nesting ecology of this poorly studied species on St. Matthew Island in 1982, 1983, and 2003. We found that the high breeding density of the McKay's Bunting may account for the lower clutch size and number of young fledged per successful nest compared to its sister species, the Snow Bunting (P. nivalis). The proportion of eggs that successfully hatched was higher for McKay's Buntings than Snow Buntings breeding at other Arctic locations in North America. Daily nest survival declined during egg-laying and incubation and increased throughout the nestling period. Nesting chronology was earlier in 2003 compared to the 1980s; however, daily nest survival was similar between decades. To assess how McKay's Buntings are responding to climate-mediated changes to physical and biotic conditions, we recommend monitoring the species' reproductive rates and population size.

Alula size signals male condition and predicts reproductive performance in an Arctic‐breeding passerine

While studies of achromatic plumage signaling are scarce relative to chromatic ornaments, achromatic ornaments have the potential to act as an efficient form of visual communication due to the highly conspicuous contrast between black and white body regions. Recently, achromatic plumage reflectance has been shown to indicate condition, yet the condition‐dependence of achromatic patch size remains unstudied. Here we show the first evidence that alula size, an achromatic plumage patch, has the potential to signal a male’s condition and predict reproductive performance. In Arctic‐breeding snow buntings Plectrophenax nivalis, the size of the alula simultaneously predicted pre‐breeding physiological health and the number of offspring produced, through an intermediate variable (lay date). Snow buntings appear to pair assortatively; males and females arriving earlier pair together, and changes in body condition over the breeding season are positively related within pairs. We suggest that simple achromatic plumage patches, like alula size, have the potential to act as condition‐dependent signals. Consequently, females may benefit from assessing these signals to reliably evaluate a male’s condition and reproductive potential as a means of maximizing their reproductive success.

Population trends of birds in alpine habitats at Ammarnäs in southern Swedish Lapland 1972–2011

All birds were counted along six permanent routes (total length 90 km) located in the low alpine zone (800–1,000 m.a.s.l.) at Ammarnäs, southern Lapland, during forty years, 1972–2011. Eighty-three species were recorded; average 41 species and 1,677 birds per year. Number of species as well as population size increased for waterfowl, waders and other non-passerines but not for passerines. Thirteen of the thirty-eight most regular species had significant population trends, twelve of them positive. The route counts correlated well with the number of pairs in two adjacent territory mapping plots. The trends also correlated positively with those found in all mountain routes of the Swedish Bird Survey. Although not quite significant this similarity indicates that common large-scale factors are involved in governing the local population changes. Several of the species that have their main distribution at lower levels are expanding their ranges into the alpine zone. Despite the predominance of positive trends some species have more or less severe problems, requiring deeper studies or conservation measures: Melanitta fusca, Aythya marila, Philomachus pugnax, Eremophila alpestris and Plectrophenax nivalis.

Multiple achromatic plumage ornaments signal to multiple receivers

We investigated whether achromatic plumage traits can act as multiple ornaments in an Arctic-breeding passerine, the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis). Specifically, we examine whether multiple ornaments are providing multiple differing messages, are redundant, are unreliable signals of male quality, or are aimed at different receivers. We measured plumage reflectance and pigmentation patterns made conspicuous during male inter- and intrasexual displays that advertise different plumage regions. Our results indicate that although several aspects of male plumage may have redundant messages, different body regions appear aimed at different receivers. The wings of males—displayed primarily toward females during courtship—appear to indicate a pair’s future reproductive performance. Conversely, melanin-based plumage reflectance displayed during intrasexual threat displays provides information on territory features and a male’s capacity to defend it (i.e., territory size, territory quality, testosterone levels). Taken together, we suggest that snow buntings have multiple ornaments that provide information of differential importance in inter- versus intrasexual communication. This study demonstrates that achromatic plumage traits can serve in complex communication. Key wor ds: achromatic plumage, individual quality , multiple ornaments, multiple receivers, Plectrophenax nivalis. [Behav Ecol]

First Report of a Snow Bunting × Lapland Longspur Hybrid

In late April 2011, photographs of an apparent male snow bunting ( Plectrophenax nivalis ) × Lapland longspur ( Calcarius lapponicus ) hybrid were taken at St. Lewis Inlet, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, while the bird was foraging in a mixed flock of both species along a previously documented spring migratory route. As far as we are aware, this is the first hybridization of these species documented anywhere in the world. The bird was identified as a male on the basis of longspur nape coloration, and it appears to have the head, beak, and back coloration and patterning of a Lapland longspur, but the chin, chest and throat, and overall appearance of a snow bunting. Although our research team has banded more than 50 000 birds of both species over the past 30 years across the latitudinal range of both species, we have never observed such a hybrid. While these Arctic-breeding species overlap spatially and temporally during wintering, migration, and breeding, longspurs and buntings have distinct sexual characters and breed in different ecological niches, which may account for the reproductive isolation or low rates of hybridization of these species. While we were unable to conduct detailed morphological or genetic comparisons on this particular individual for phylogenic interpretation, this report highlights the importance of reporting field observations that may indicate ecological changes affecting the hybridization rates of these inaccessible Arctic species.

The Shadows that Rush Past by R. A. Qitsualik

Qitsualik, Rachael A. The Shadows that Rush Past. Iqaluit: Inhabit Media, Inc., 2011. Print. Rachael Qitsualik is an Inuit who was “born into the traditional 1950’s culture of iglu-building and dog-sledding”. She is now a renowned re-teller of Inuit folktales, as well as a translator, writer, scholar and aboriginal rights activist. This book, which contains four tales of scary creatures, shows Quitsualik demonstrating her mastery of story telling. In her introduction, she tells us that the stories “[defy] death and decay, they are songs of immortality.” Her stories are full of wisdom. For example in Nanurluk, she tells us “that even the oddest personality quirk can turn out to be a gift in the right situation”. All the stories come from a time when there were many strange creatures in the Arctic world: half-human, half-animal monsters who ate people, animals that spoke to humans and giant insects that could strip a body to a skeleton in a matter of hours. It was the time when the world was forming. “These were the days, you see, when human beings recognized the Land as one might a dear relative; and the Land, in turn, recognized humankind.” In each of the stories, Qitsualik engages the reader through vivid detail. For example in Nanurluk, the hunter, Nakasungnak rushes headlong into the mouth of the giant maurading polar bear. “Nakasungnak fell forward, into the bear’s throat. It was probably a good thing, since the bear’s response to having a person in its mouth was to snap its jaws closed, and if Nakasungnak’s legs had still been dangling outside the mouth when that had happened, well, a pair of boots might have fallen to the beach, feet still in them.” (26) Qitsualik also engages readers by speaking directly to them. In Amautalik”, she says, “I warned you that I would tell you what was under her parka. Wriggling among the flaking folds of her skin were lice. The size of puppies.” The stories are illustrated with 19 full page illustrations by Emily Fiegenschuh and Larry MacDougall. Fiegenschuh has used full-colour illustrations to create realistic images of the mythical world. The cover illustration of the amautalik, with her one blue eye and one brown eye, being driven mad by the snow bunting is Fiegenschuh’s work. MacDougall illustrated two stories with bi-colour drawings, sepia tones for the creatures and humans and blue for the ice and snow. Though quite different styles, both illustrators help to evoke the fear and wonder that the stories are meant to convey. This is an excellent selection for upper elementary readers. Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

Strong Migratory Connectivity in a Declining Arctic Passerine

Abstract Determining how animal populations are linked in space and time is important for identifying factors influencing population dynamics and for effective conservation and management. Arctic-breeding migratory passerines are declining and at risk due to forecasted climate change, but are a challenge to monitor due to their inaccessible breeding locations, long-distance migration routes and small body size. For the first time, we combine sub-gram geolocator technology and stable-isotope analysis with mark-recapture (banding) and citizen science data to determine patterns of migratory connectivity for multiple populations of a declining North American Arctic-breeding passerine, snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis). We show strong evidence for an east-west parallel migratory system, with Hudson Bay acting as a migratory divide. While band recoveries suggest strong migratory connectivity among eastern wintering populations (more than 95% of band recoveries reveal connections between western Greenland and eastern North America), novel application of geolocators and stable-hydrogen isotope analysis to a Canadian breeding population revealed a high degree of migratory connectivity within western North American wintering populations. Our results also show distinct differences in migratory distance between eastern and western populations, and illustrate how applying multiple techniques can effectively be used to track migration patterns of remote populations. Differences in annual distribution and migratory distance suggest that separate consideration of eastern and western wintering populations may improve future conservation and management efforts for this species.

The bird ectoparasite Dermanyssus hirundinis (Acari, Mesostigmata) in the High Arctic; a new parasitic mite to Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Ectoparasites are common on birds and in their nests. Amongst these parasites are diverse gamasid mite species that can lead to irritation, disease transmission and blood loss. Few studies of the ectoparasites of birds breeding in the High Arctic exist. The parasitic mite, Dermanyssus hirundinis, was found in nests of snow buntings Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis, both natural nests and within nesting boxes, on Spitsbergen. Densities per nest varied from sporadic to greater than 26,000 individuals. This is the northernmost observation of this parasite. The mite was present in new nests, nests constructed the previous year and nests not utilized the previous summer. The parasite survives at least 18 months without access to a blood meal and can tolerate the Arctic winter, surviving temperatures below -20°C. D. hirundinis is hence well adapted to arctic conditions. Only females were observed suggesting that this population is facultatively parthenogenetic.

Distribution and diversity of the soil mites of Svalbard, with redescriptions of three known species (Acari: Oribatida)

ABSTRACT Three species of oribatid mites, Camisia dictyna Colloff, 1993, Ceratoppia sphaerica (L. Koch, 1879) and Diapterobates notatus (Thorell, 1871) are studied in detail, and their supplementary descriptions with precise illustrations are presented. The specimens were collected from the soils of the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis Linnaeus, 1758) nest site areas in the Arctic archipelago Svalbard. Camisia dictyna is recorded as new to the fauna of this region. A revised checklist of all recorded oribatid mite species in Svalbard is presented with additional remarks on their taxonomic status, habitat preferences and geographical distribution. The patterns of taxonomic diversity and geographical distribution reveal that although the majority of the species are cryophilous, there are only few species that are geographically restricted to Svalbard and adjacent regions.

ВЕСЕННИЙ ПРОЛЕТ ПТИЦ В НИЖНЕМ ТЕЧЕНИИ РЕКИ УССУРИ В 2005 ГОДУ

Results of tracking spring migration of birds from the permanent observation post in the lower reaches of the Ussuri River in 2005 are presented. Data collected from April, 1 to May, 11 include bird arrival dates, terms of flight of 82 bird species belonging to 12 groups. In absolute figures 32273 individual birds were registered. The research revealed that Baikal Teal (Anas formosa), Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), Common Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus), Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis), White Wagtail (Motacilla alba), Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) are the highest in number in the migratory flow structure.

Breeding Bird Surveys at Alexandra Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut (1980–2008)

Long-term monitoring of bird populations in the Arctic is of considerable interest as this area is experiencing rapid climate warming; however, multi-decadal studies in the Canadian High Arctic are rare. Over five summers between 1980 and 2008, we conducted breeding bird surveys by walking transects and mapping territories in a periglacial lowland on east-central Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. In all survey years, snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus), and Baird's sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) were the most abundant species. Over the study period, the assemblage of breeding bird species appears to have changed little, except for an increase in Lapland longspur. In the summer of 2008, we also compared two techniques for censusing territories. We found that spot-mapping, a simple and cost-effective method, produced similar results to the more labour-intensive active-flushing. Spot-mapping is therefore suitable for conducting bird surveys in northern locations where the vegetation is short, the terrain is flat, and the visibility is extensive. In the coming years, it will be important to continue monitoring Arctic birds to determine how climate change is affecting their breeding populations.

Contamination of an arctic terrestrial food web with marine-derived persistent organic pollutants transported by breeding seabirds

At Cape Vera, Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), a colony of northern fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis) concentrates and releases contaminants through their guano to the environment. We determined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from seabirds were transferred to coastal food webs. Snow buntings ( Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most contaminated species, with ∑PCB and ∑DDT (mean: 168, 106 ng/g ww) concentrations surpassing environmental guidelines for protecting wildlife. When examined collectively, PCB congeners and DDT in jewel lichen ( Xanthoria elegans) were lower in samples taken farther from the seabird colony, and increased with increasing δ 15N values. However, only concentrations of p’p-DDE:∑DDT and PCB-95 were significantly correlated inversely with distance from the seabird cliffs. Linkages between marine-derived POPs and their concentrations in terrestrial mammals were less clear. Our study provides novel contaminant data for these species and supports biovector transport as a source of organic contaminants to certain components of the terrestrial food web.

From Carolyn Jackson

from Carolyn Jackson Carolyn Jackson A clerk in a Moab, Utah, bookstore suggested that I read something by Terry Tempest Williams after I exhausted its supply of Edward Abbey titles, and I’m glad she did. Born in 1955, Williams is a worthy successor to Abbey, who lived in the desert Southwest and died in 1989. A naturalist by education and vocation, Williams has the gift of seeing universality in the specific, whether she’s at the Great Salt Lake or in a Rwandan village. She is also a spiritual seeker—raised a fifth-generation Mormon, but a dissenter from some Latter Day Saints teachings. Where Abbey’s quest led to civil disobedience, Williams’s might lead to a hair-raising vision or a profound insight. Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place Terry Tempest Williams Pantheon, 1991, Out of Print. 320 pages, Available in Vintage Paperback, $13.95. [End Page 171] This is Williams’s masterpiece. She wrote it in a time of impending change: a rise in water level was destroying the wildlife sanctuary in the Great Salt Lake, where she studied migratory birds; her mother, Diane, developed ovarian cancer; and a developer had big plans for the neighborhood in Salt Lake City where she and her artist husband, Brooke, lived contentedly. I think the book’s strength comes from Williams’s discipline in moving between her deep mourning for what is being lost and her ability to focus on the exquisite beauty that is immediately before her—whether it’s a rare snow bunting, or a deep navy bathrobe with tiny stars that her mother buys. Her analogies come effortlessly. “After supper, we would spread out our sleeping bags in a circle, heads pointing to the center like a covey of quail, and watch the Great Basin sky fill with stars,” she recalls of family camping trips. “Our attachment to the land was our attachment to each other.” Williams’s ancestors came to Utah pushing carts 150 years ago. She draws strength from this, but at the same time, there is a palpable tension between her independent spirit (she gives the finger to a bunch of yahoos who destroy a burrowing owl nest) and the patriarchal norms of the church. She is proudly feminist, having grown up with the example of strong women like her mother, who fought off breast cancer when her four children were young, and her grandmother Mimi, who took her on her first Audubon field trip when she was nine. Sadly, by the time the book ends, Williams is 34 years old and already the matriarch of her family. In a chapter called “The Clan of One-Breasted Women,” we learn the meaning of the title’s reference to an unnatural history. Leap Terry Tempest Williams Pantheon, 2000, Out of Print. 352 Pages, Available in Vintage Paperback, $16.95. When we catch up with Williams almost a decade later, she and Brooke have moved to the Red Rock country of southeastern Utah. But this book is set in Madrid, where she has communed intermittently for seven years with Hieronymus Bosch’s painting El jardin de las delicias in the Prado museum. This triptych from the fifteenth century is referred to in English as The Garden of Earthly Delights, but as a girl, Williams was familiar only with the outer panels—Adam and Eve with Jesus in Paradise, and Hell on the other side. They were tacked to the wall over the bed where she slept in her grandparents’ [End Page 172] home. Only as an adult did she discover the magnificent center panel. (A reproduction of the painting comes with the book.) Williams moves fluidly from the Prado to Utah, in and out of her own psyche, and inside the painting as a contained world. She obviously knows her way around an art studio, but her naturalist’s eye finds 35 species of birds in The Garden. There’s something else here: Williams is a religious mystic. In Refuge, she wrote, “I was raised to believe in a spirit world, that life exists before the earth and will continue to exist afterward, that each human being, bird and bulrush, along with all...

Diversification at high latitudes: speciation of buntings in the genusPlectrophenaxinferred from mitochondrial and nuclear markers

High-latitude diversification is a process characterized by speciation and extinction due to climatically driven vicariance and dispersal events. McKay's buntings (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) are high-latitude island endemic songbirds, and their global range is restricted to Beringia. Snow buntings (P. nivalis), their closest relatives, are distributed throughout the Holarctic, breeding in available habitat surrounding the island range of McKay's buntings. We sequenced 1123 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA for 40 individuals of each species and analysed a total of 913 AFLPs for 57 individuals. Both marker types suggested weak but significant genetic differentiation. Analysis of sequence data indicated divergence occurring when the current breeding range of McKay's buntings was a hill on the Beringian steppe (approximately 18,400 to approximately 73,700 years before present), suggesting that snow buntings were restricted to lower latitudes by ice sheets. Ancestral effective population size estimates indicate a founder event in McKay's buntings followed by an expansion and then a reduction in effective size. Rising sea levels and asymmetric hybridization from McKay's buntings into the postglacially-colonizing population of snow buntings could account for this reduction. Reproductive isolation is likely maintained through differential arrival dates on breeding grounds and the high breeding density of McKay's buntings. This recent, high-latitude divergence best fits a model of founder event speciation driven by vicariance and oscillations in habitat due to climate change.

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: Sixth report

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: Sixth report