Collection Of Birds Research Articles

Trends in Illegal Trade of Wild Birds in Amazonas State, Brazil

This study evaluates the seizure of birds in the state of Amazonas during twenty years (1992-2011), providing information on the sale of birds in a state recognized for its significant biodiversity. We compiled a total of 2,698 seizure records of illegal wildlife trade, which were drawn up and issued by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources - IBAMA (the Brazilian official agency for environmental license and patrol) in the state of Amazonas, during 240 months. Reports of birds seized were found in only 297 (11%) of the seizure records analyzed. The number of bird specimens ranged from 3 to 710 per year, and the taxonomic richness ranged from 1 to 24 species. Considering all seizures, there was a richness of 40 bird species, distributed in 16 families and 10 orders. Among the families analyzed, Thraupidae was the richest, with 17 species, followed by Psittacidae, with eight species. The order Passeriformes was the most represented, with 12 genera, where Sporophila was the richest, with nine species (22.5% of total species). The Saffron Finch ( Sicalis flaveola – Linnaeus, 1766), Muscovy Duck ( Cairina moschata - Linnaeus, 1758) and Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch ( Sporophila angolensis - Linnaeus, 1766) together accounted for more than half (56.9%) of the total birds seized for the period. Of the species recorded in this study, five (12.5%) were listed as Endangered. Our results suggest that the illegal trade of animals in Amazonas shows a pattern different from that which has been reported in other Brazilian states. Birds were little represented in the Amazon, and the main reason for their illegal trade was related to their use as food. In addition to the cultural aspects, the richness of vertebrates in the Amazon certainly influences the choice of animals used and marketed in the Amazon region.

RICHNESS, CELLULOLYTIC ACTIVITY, AND FUNGICIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF FUNGI FROM A BIRD BIOLOGICAL COLLECTION

Biological collections in natural history museums serve important purposes to the scientific community and the general public, however, their value and utility might be diminished by biodeterioration. We studied a biological collection that represents more than sixty years of avifauna sampling of Colombia, the country with the highest bird diversity. An initial inspection of the collection showed that the general appearance of some specimens was compromised by mold-like growth on their surfaces. We aimed at (i) identifying the taxonomic affiliation of these fungi, (ii) evaluating their cellulolytic activity, and (iii) probing chemical agents that could be utilized to control their growth. The most common fungi genera were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Chaetomium, and Trichophyton, most of which can degrade cellulose. Zinc chloride and salicylic acid showed to be effective fungicides. Based on this, we propose some actions to control the fungi-pest in this biological collection of birds.

Fourteen new additions to the list of birds of Quindío department, Colombia

Recent records of bird species in the Colombian Andes have shown that this region is not as well known as was previously believed. We compiled data from a major collection of Colombian birds and from our recent field observations to complement the bird species list of Quindío department. We report the addition of 14 species to Quindío’s checklist and data of museum vouchers for 12 species reported only from field observations. The majority of additions were from localities below 1,900 m above sea level, a zone that has been highly transformed by human activities. Our dataset, and other information, raised the number of bird species in Quindío to 560. This information must be considered in decisions about the land use in this region of the Colombian Andes.

Sequence capture of ultraconserved elements from bird museum specimens

New DNA sequencing technologies are allowing researchers to explore the genomes of the millions of natural history specimens collected prior to the molecular era. Yet, we know little about how well specific next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques work with the degraded DNA typically extracted from museum specimens. Here, we use one type of NGS approach, sequence capture of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), to collect data from bird museum specimens as old as 120years. We targeted 5060 UCE loci in 27 western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) representing three evolutionary lineages that could be species, and we collected an average of 3749 UCE loci containing 4460 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Despite older specimens producing fewer and shorter loci in general, we collected thousands of markers from even the oldest specimens. More sequencing reads per individual helped to boost the number of UCE loci we recovered from older specimens, but more sequencing was not as successful at increasing the length of loci. We detected contamination in some samples and determined that contamination was more prevalent in older samples that were subject to less sequencing. For the phylogeny generated from concatenated UCE loci, contamination led to incorrect placement of some individuals. In contrast, a species tree constructed from SNPs called within UCE loci correctly placed individuals into three monophyletic groups, perhaps because of the stricter analytical procedures used for SNP calling. This study and other recent studies on the genomics of museum specimens have profound implications for natural history collections, where millions of older specimens should now be considered genomic resources.

Juan Cristóbal Gundlach’s collections of Puerto Rican birds with special regard to types

The German naturalist Juan Cristobal Gundlach (1810–1896) conducted, while a resident of Cuba, two expeditions to Puerto Rico in 1873 and 1875–6, where he explored the southwestern, western, and northeastern regions of this island. Gundlach made repre­ sentative collections of the island’s fauna, which formed the nucleus of the first natural history museums in Puerto Rico. When the natural history museums closed, only a few specimens were passed to other institutions, including foreign museums. None of Gund­ lach’s and few of his contemporaries’ specimens have survived in Puerto Rico. We lo­ cated 191 bird specimens (43 species) collected there by Gundlach, all of which are in foreign institutions, especially Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin. Here we list all located specimens and include data associated with them. Six new species were described out of the Gundlach collections from Puerto Rico, three of which are still taxonomically recog­ nized today. Information about the types of those taxa is given.

Irrigation and avifaunal change in coastal Northwest Mexico: has irrigated habit attracted threatened migratory species?

Irrigation in desert ecosystems can either reduce or increase species diversity. Groundwater pumping often lowers water tables and reduces natural wetlands, whereas canal irrigation often creates mesic habitat, resulting in great increases in avian diversity from irrigation. Here we compare a dataset of potential natural vegetation to recent datasets from areal and satellite imagery to show that 60% of the land in the coastal plain of southern Sonora and northern Sinaloa lying below 200 m elevation has been converted by irrigation to more mesic habitats. We then use the record of bird specimens in the world’s museums from this same region of Mexico to examine the avian community before and after the development of extensive irrigation. In general these museum records show an increase in the abundance and diversity of breeding birds associated with mesic habitats. Although thorn forest birds have likely decreased in total numbers, most are common enough in the remaining thorn forest that collection records did not indicate their probable decline. Four migrants having most of their breeding ranges in the US or Canada, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Cliff Swallow, Bell’s Vireo, and Orchard Oriole, apparently have increased dramatically as breeders in irrigated habitats of NW Mexico. Because these species have decreased or even largely disappeared as breeding birds in parts of the US or Canada, further research should assess whether their increases in new mesic habitats of NW Mexico are linked to their declines as breeding birds in Canada and the US For Bell’s Vireo recent specimens from Sinaloa suggest its new breeding population in NW Mexico may be composed partly of the endangered Least Bell’s Vireo.

What is the taphonomic agent responsible for the avian accumulation? An approach from the Middle and early Late Pleistocene assemblages from Payre and Abri des Pêcheurs (Ardèche, France)

The acquisition of quick-flying small prey has been a widely discussed topic over the last decades, especially since the emergence of archaeological bird collections more ancient than expected, with evidence of anthropogenic processing. Residue analyses carried out on stone tools at the Payre site in France (MIS 8–5) suggest human activity on birds; however, no direct analyses have been carried out on avian specimens from the site. Similarly, no detailed data from numerous bird bones have been obtained from a nearby site, Abri des Pêcheurs (MIS 5–3), which could also provide important information about subsistence strategies in the region. Bird bones from both sites were analyzed here within the framework of the taphonomic methodology and identified a wide variety of avian specimens, suggesting nocturnal raptors and small mammal carnivores as main accumulator agents. Despite the anthropogenic activity at Payre proposed from lithic residue and use-wear analyses, bird bones do not reveal any hominid intervention. Our attempt here is to explain this apparent contradiction and discuss possible hypotheses regarding the presence of avian specimens at both archaeological sites.

Prevalence and diversity of avian malaria parasites in migratory Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger, Laridae, Charadriiformes) from the Brazilian Amazon Basin.

The Medium Solimões River region in the Brazilian Amazon Basin is an area utilized for reproduction and nesting by a variety of species of migratory aquatic birds such as Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger). These migratory birds form mixed-species reproductive colonies with high population densities and exhibit a large range of migration routes. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and diversity of the avian malaria parasites Plasmodium and Haemoproteus in Black Skimmers, on the basis of the association between microscopic observation of blood smears and amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (mtDNA cyt-b). The overall prevalence rates of the parasites for juvenile and adult bird specimens were 16% (5/31) and 22% (15/68), respectively. Sequencing the mtDNA cyt-b marker revealed two Plasmodium lineages, which had been previously described in different regions of the American continent, including a Neotropical region in Southeast Brazil, and one Haemoproteus lineage. The fact that avian malarial parasites have been found infecting the Black Skimmers in the Brazilian Amazon ecosystem, which exhibits considerable diversity, highlights the importance of these migratory birds as a potential source of infection and dispersion of pathogens to other susceptible birds of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions.

A historical specimen of enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia representing a new taxon with a specialized neck morphology

We describe Holbotia ponomarenkoi gen. et sp. nov., the first articulated specimen of an enantiornithine bird from Mongolia, unearthed in 1977 from Early Cretaceous deposits and formerly thought to be a pterosaur. The specimen shows a series of morphological details that are either unique to the new taxon or very poorly known for Enantiornithes. A previously unobserved specialized cervical morphology, the development of a crest on the caudal surface of the distal tibia, and the presence of unusually widely spaced small teeth in the lower jaw are unique features of Holbotia. The results of a phylogenetic analysis indicate that Holbotia is more closely related to the Late Cretaceous edentulous Gobipteryx than to the Early Cretaceous enantiornithines with reduced dentition (Longipterygidae), which implies a different evolutionary pathway for the loss of teeth in Enantiornithes, as compared with Ornithuromorpha. The only preserved cervical vertebra of Holbotia ponomarenkoi displays partly ventrally facing prezygapophyseal articular surfaces, otherwise found only in the darters (Anhingidae), which implies an unusually increased degree of neck mobility. Morphology of the palate, described in detail for an Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird for the first time, is roughly similar to that of Archaeopteryx and non-avian paravians. It shows that the evolution of specialized rostral morphology in Early Cretaceous enantiornithines was possible with retention of the primitive palatal structure, in contrast to modern birds (Neornithes), where the diversification of skull types was coupled with the evolution of several types of palate.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:42845FFC-4E4B-4FEE-9D76-0B5A7D9E127B

‘I am Ali Wallace’: The Malay Assistant of Alfred Russel Wallace

The famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace collected natural history specimens throughout Southeast Asia from 1854–1862. One of the least known of the players in Wallace’s story is his Malay assistant Ali, from Sarawak. This article combines the surviving evidence to bring Ali and his role in the expedition out of the shadows. Several corrections to traditional accounts are emphasized; these include the fact that Ali was not always a collecting assistant, but at first a cook; Ali did not travel with Wallace for the rest of his voyage, but left him for an entire year; and Ali may have collected the majority of Wallace’s bird specimens. In addition, Ali’s wages and itinerary are reconstructed for the first time. It is concluded that Ali made a major contribution to Wallace’s scientific understanding of the Malay archipelago, not just with new ornithological discoveries like Wallace’s Standard Wing (Semioptera wallacii) , but by his contributions of knowledge.

History of the natural history of Sable Island

Documenting of natural history flourished with exploration of remote parts of North America during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but the earliest published observations on the biota of Sable Island, along with casual observations in the journals of successive superintendents are vague, and emphasize exploitability. John Gilpin’s 1854 and 1855 visits were the first by a knowledgeable naturalist. His published 1859 “lecture” includes sketchy descriptions of the flora, birds, pinnipeds, and a list of collected marine molluscs. Reflecting growth of ‘cabinet’ natural history in New England, J. W. Maynard in 1868 collected a migrant sparrow in coastal Massachusetts, soon named Ipswich Sparrow and recognized as nesting on Sable Island. This persuaded New York naturalist Jonathan Dwight to visit the island in June-July1894 and produce a substantial monograph on the sparrow. He in turn encouraged Superintendent Bouteiller’s family to send him many bird specimens, some very unusual, now in the American Museum of Natural History. Dominion Botanist John Macoun made the first extensive collection of the island’s plants in 1899, but only wrote a casual account of the biota. He possibly also promoted the futile tree-planting experiment in May 1901 directed by William Saunders, whose son, W. E., published some observations on the island’s birds, and further encouraged the Bouteillers to make and publish systematic bird observations, 1901-1907. This account closes with Harold St. John’s 1913 stay on the island and his first truly modern treatment of the island’s flora in 1921. Little more was added before modern biological research was initiated, arguably with censuses and biological sampling of seals in the early 1960s.

Excessive bird collecting in Malawi: a new threat

SummaryMalawi is under heavy pressure for land by an increasing human population, and there is little natural habitat left outside gazetted wildlife and forest reserves. Widespread collecting of birds in Malawi’s small protected rain forests by the National Museum of Malawi in conjunction with Western academic institutions has been taking place almost yearly since 2001 and has continued until at least 2011. The collection of specimens, although often a contentious issue, does have scientific value but should be undertaken in a limited way with careful evaluation of the populations from which birds are being taken. We consider that the numbers collected are likely to pose a threat to some bird populations in view of their isolation and the slow turn-over rates of breeding individuals. Collecting has been carried out in some of the same reserves two or three times within a few years. Examples are given of very small populations in Malawi and adjacent Mozambique where the slightest off-take would be very dangerous. Many species have been collected during their breeding season, which we find both wasteful and unethical. Several of the species collected occur in no more than one or two reserves today in Malawi and in such instances we recommend their complete protection. We are also concerned about the example presented to the local communities, reserve wardens and young conservation biologists by the off-take of hundreds of birds in official reserves which were primarily set up for the protection of wildlife.

The identity of Richard of Richard's pipit (Anthus richardi Vieillot, 1818)

Richard's pipit (Anthus richardi) is an annual vagrant to Europe from its eastern Palaearctic breeding grounds. It was first described in 1818 by Louis Vieillot from specimens obtained in eastern France and named for Richard de Lunéville. Although Richard was then a fairly well known natural history collector his identity became lost to succeeding generations of naturalists. He is identified here as Charles Richard (1745–1835), the director of the postal service at Lunéville. Some of his bird specimens still survive amongst the Baillon Collection at La Châtre but other birds, including the three syntypes of Richard's pipit, have not been traced.

Trematodes in wetland birds of Karelia (based on materials from the 319th USSR helminthological expedition, 1958-1962)

In 1958–1962 the 319 th USSR Helminthological Expedition was implemented in Karelia during the summer-autumn period. 34 Trematoda species were found in 119 wetland bird specimens collected. The highest diversity was demonstrated by the families Diplostomidae (10 species) and Echinostomatidae (7). Sixteen and 7 trematode species were registered for the first time in Karelian territory and in the European North of Russia, respectively. The largest number of trematode species was found in Larus fuscus (13 species) and Anas platyrhynchos (8).

Jean Delacour (1890–1985) – eine Retrospektive zum 30. Todestag

Jean Delacour (1890–1985) was an outstanding Franco-American ornithologist and aviculturist in the 20th century. He was most famous for his faunistic expeditions, his ornithological research and his speciose living bird collections in Villers-Bretonneux and Clères, with some 3000 individuals in the time between the World Wars. A short biographical sketch is given and the relevance of Delacour's work for today's aviculturists is requested.

Type Specimens of Birds in the American Museum of Natural History Part 12. Passeriformes: Ploceidae, Sturnidae, Buphagidae, Oriolidae, Dicruridae, Callaeidae, Grallinidae, Corcoracidae, Artamidae, Cracticidae, Ptilonorhynchidae, Cnemophilidae, Paradisaeidae, and Corvidae

ABSTRACT This 12th and last part of “Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History” includes taxa in the passerine families included in volume 15 of Peters' Check-list of birds of the world (Mayr and Greenway, 1962). The original description of each name has been consulted and the currently accepted name of the taxon has been listed with reference to recent publications. The coordinates and modern names of type localities are given when found and comments on taxonomic history are provided. In this part, 355 names are treated. This part of the type list, as well as all previous parts, are searchable and available for download from the AMNH Library website (http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/).

West Nile virus in American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) in Canada: projecting the influence of climate change

The present study examined the influence of climate change on the spread of West Nile virus (WNV) in Canada among American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) by first identifying the significant climatic and environmental determinants of positive WNV cases in American crow specimens from 2009 to 2013. Using this information, we projected climate change scenarios on the potential spread of WNV in American crow species in Canada for three time periods: 2015–2039, 2040–2069, and 2070–2099. Using bird specimen, meteorological and land-use data, the statistical association between positive WNV cases in American crows and the environment was assessed by means of a general linear mixed model. Statistical results revealed that temperature and precipitation were significantly related to positive cases of WNV in American crows. Thus, climate change projections of summer mean temperature averages were projected for the three time periods. Climate change scenarios were created and imported into Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) and an algorithm was applied using the raster calculator to spatially delineate current and future areas of risk. Spatial analyses revealed that increased warming in the near future may increase the latitudinal extension of WNV in American crows in Canada.

“Attractive to Strangers and Instructive to Students.” The McCullochs’ 19th Century Bird Collection in Dalhousie College

Thomas McCulloch, Presbyterian minister and educator, founder of Pictou Academy, first President of Dalhousie College 1838-1843, established a museum in Pictou, NS, by 1828, including a bird collection. To McCulloch, the order of the natural world instilled in students principles of a liberal education and a model of society. His first collections were sold, but when McCulloch came to Dalhousie in 1838 he started a new collection, hoping to make it the basis of a provincial museum. In this he was aided by his son Thomas, who had been trained as a taxidermist. The younger McCulloch kept and expanded the collection until his death, after which it passed to Dalhousie College. The current McCulloch Collection, mainly the work of Thomas McCulloch junior, seems to exemplify purposes and practices of 19th century natural history. But research shows that the collection has a hybrid origin and must be viewed with great caution as an historical artifact. This is a case study in the difficulty of interpreting 19th century natural history collections without careful examination of their history.

Morphological and ancient DNA analyses reveal inaccurate labels on two of Buller's bird specimens

Historical museum skins are an important genetic resource for taxonomic, phylogeographic and conservation genetic research. However, their utility can be compromised by errors in specimen labels concerning taxonomic identity, collection locality and collector. Here we use morphological comparisons and ancient DNA analysis to show that two Auckland Island Shags (Leucocarbo colensoi) in the Sir Walter Buller collection of the Canterbury Museum, New Zealand, are mislabelled. Given that Buller was able to identify these taxa prior to their supposed collection dates, it suggests erroneous labelling and/or poor record keeping. Despite the importance of Buller's collections for ornithological research, our findings reinforce previous conclusions that caution is required when utilising these avian specimens.

Maidstone's woodpecker – an unexpected bird specimen in the herbarium of Sir Hans Sloane

It had long been believed that none of the bird, egg or nest specimens that had been in the collection of Sir Hans Sloane at his death in 1753 had survived. However, a specimen of a rhinoceros hornbill, originally in Sloane's hands, was discovered in the Natural History Museum's collections in London in 2003, and three more Sloane hornbill specimens have subsequently come to light. In addition, we report here a most unexpected discovery, that of the head of a woodpecker among the pages of one of Sloane's bound volumes of pressed plants. The context suggests that the head, like its associated plant specimens, was probably collected in south-east Asia about 1698–1699 by Nathanael Maidstone, an East India Company trader, the material reaching Sloane via William Courten after the latter's death in 1702. A detailed description of the head is provided, along with observations on its identity and possible provenance.