Steller's Jay Research Articles

CORVID SURVEY TECHNIQUES AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORVID RELATIVE ABUNDANCE AND NEST PREDATION

Abstract We conducted a four-year study on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington to assess the relationship between corvid (Gray Jay [Perisoreus canadensis], Steller's Jay [Cyanocitta stelleri], American Crow [Corvus brachyrhynchos] and Common Raven [Corvus corax]) abundance and the risk of nest predation. We assessed risk of predation through the use of artificial mid-canopy nests and assessed corvid abundance using a variety of techniques including point-count surveys, transect surveys, and the broadcast of corvid territorial and predator attraction calls. Point counts of corvid abundance had the strongest correlation with predation on artificial nests containing eggs. The relationship between nest predation rate and corvid abundance was strongest when study plots were used as replicated measures of landscape conditions rather than as independent samples. We suggest using the maximum value for each corvid species attained from several temporally replicated point-count surveys in each study plot. Corvid po...

Response of Passerine Birds to Forest Edge in Coast Redwood Forest Fragments

Abstract The response of passerine birds to forest edge was examined in old-growth and mature second-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempivirens) forest in northern California. The study objectives were to determine which common passerine species are sensitive to edges during the breeding season and to estimate edge width for forest interior species. Response to edge was measured along twelve 100 × 400 m plots extending from the edge into the forest interior to obtain relative density of birds. Plots were surveyed 4 to 5 times in 1996 and 8 to10 times in 1997. We found that 14 common passerines showed a gradient of edge sensitivity. Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) and Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) had higher relative densities near edges than in the forest interior (P < 0.05) and were categorized as edge species. Brown Creeper (Certhia americana), Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis), and Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) had lower relative densities near edges (P < 0.05) and were categorized as interior birds. Based on exponential regression models, estimated edge widths were 140 m for Varied Thrushes, 85 m for Brown Creepers, 120 m for Winter Wrens, and 125 m for Pacific-slope Flycatchers. Creation of edges would probably benefit Steller's Jays (which may be a nest predator), may not benefit Swainson's Thrushes, and may be detrimental to species that avoid edges. We recommend that edge effects be taken into consideration when planning for the conservation of bird species in the region.

RESPONSE OF PASSERINE BIRDS TO FOREST EDGE IN COAST REDWOOD FOREST FRAGMENTS

Abstract The response of passerine birds to forest edge was examined in old-growth and mature second-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempivirens) forest in northern California. The study objectives were to determine which common passerine species are sensitive to edges during the breeding season and to estimate edge width for forest interior species. Response to edge was measured along twelve 100 × 400 m plots extending from the edge into the forest interior to obtain relative density of birds. Plots were surveyed 4 to 5 times in 1996 and 8 to10 times in 1997. We found that 14 common passerines showed a gradient of edge sensitivity. Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) and Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) had higher relative densities near edges than in the forest interior (P < 0.05) and were categorized as edge species. Brown Creeper (Certhia americana), Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis), and Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) had lower relative densit...

Human Hunting of Nongame Birds at Zuni, New Mexico, U.S.A.

Abstract: Nongame bird hunting is a critical activity of the Zuni people of the southwestern United States. To help determine whether their current hunting practices may be negatively affecting bird populations on the Zuni Reservation, we interviewed 98 Zuni hunters. Nongame bird hunting was practiced by a large portion of Zuni males (45%); the most active age group was 20‐ to 49‐year‐olds. The rate a species was hunted was not a function of its abundance at Zuni but seemed instead to be related to its cultural demand. Five “species”—bluebirds ( Sialia currucoides, S. mexicana), Northern Flicker ( Colaptes auratus), woodpeckers ( Picoides villosus, P. pubescens, Melanerpes lewis), Steller's Jay ( Cyanocitta stelleri), and American Kestrel ( Falco sparverius)—made up 77% of all birds taken. The two most heavily hunted species were each taken in numbers&gt; 10,000 individuals per year. Although the greatest number of hunters were active in autumn, 31% hunted in spring, despite discouragement by the tribal government. Habitats favored by hunters were coniferous forests and riparian areas. Rates of hunting of nongame birds at Zuni equaled or exceeded those reported for game birds hunted by indigenous hunters in the Neotropics and New Mexico. The Zuni believe that some heavily hunted species are decreasing in number because of hunting. Although we cannot prove this at present, we suggest measures to mitigate possible overhunting, including the creation of refugia and a reduction of spring hunting.

Territoriality and Site‐related Dominance: On Two Related Concepts in Avian Social Organization

AbstractTerritoriality and site‐related dominance are concepts used commonly in studies of avian social organization, but the relationship between them is rarely made explicit. One reason for this is that site‐related dominance can be studied both at the level of individual dyadic dominance relationships (DDRs) and by combining all the DDRs of a bird to calculate an index of its social status; a measure of its overall ability to dominate other members of the population. This difference is illustrated by reference to published work on the Steller jay Cyanocitta stelleri, and data from our own study of a winter population of great tits Parus major. A recent review of dominance and territoriality emphasizes that territories are just one extreme of a continuum of forms of site‐related dominance, measured as the pattern of spatial variation in social status. Ecological and behavioural correlates of different forms of site‐related dominance are therefore discussed with special reference to the non‐breeding social organization of the Paridae, to illustrate the empirical questions posed by an understanding of the various forms of site‐related dominance that may occur in different species and in different populations of the same species.

ARTHROPOD FOOD OF SOME FOREST-INHABITING BIRDS

AbstractThe diets of 25 species of forest-inhabiting birds were examined in California from 1962 to 1968. Coleoptera and Hymenoptera comprised the bulk of the diets. Coleopterans were, in decreasing amounts, the most common food of the three-toed woodpecker, Steller's jay, American robin, brown creeper, hairy woodpecker (both sexes), dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker (both sexes), olive-sided flycatcher, western wood-pewee, and white-headed woodpecker (both sexes). Hymenopterans, mainly ants, were the most common food of the northern flicker, Williamson's sapsucker, red-breasted sapsucker, and acorn woodpecker. White-headed woodpecker (both sexes) also ate ponderosa-pine seeds in the fall. Hairy woodpecker (both sexes) fed on the seeds of ponderosa pine and sugar pine. Detailed estimates of foods consumed by item and volume from analyses of stomach contents of 241 specimens are presented.

Comparative physiology of the Scrub Jay ( Aphelocoma coerulescens) and the Steller's Jay ( Cyanocitta Stelleri)

1. 1. Minimum daily water requirements, standard metabolic rate, total and respiratory evaporative water loss, and the role of the unfeathered tarsi in the regulation of body temperature in the Scrub Jay ( Aphelocoma coerulescens obscura) and the Steller's Jay ( Cyanocitta stellen frontalis) were compared. 2. 2. When provided with Tenebrio larvae, Scrub Jays were able to maintain a constant body weight in the absence of drinking water whereas the Steller's Jay required 1.1% of body weight per day. 3. 3. Scrub Jays had a much wider thermoneutral zone (12.4–24.0°C) than did Steller's Jays (28.0–31.8°C). There was no significant difference in the standard metabolic rate within the thermoneutral zone or in evaporative water loss rates of the two species. 4. 4. The unfeathered tarsi appear to be important sites of non-evaporative heat loss during activity in both species. The ability to utilize the tarsi as heat dissipators at high ambient temperatures appears best developed in the Scrub Jay. 5. 5. Allopatry between the two species may be maintained by combination of behavioral and physiological differences.

Call Form in Relation to Function in the Steller's Jay

Vocalizations of the Steller's Jay and of the scrub jay for comparison were recorded in the field and analyzed together with behavior to determine relationships between acoustic form and information conveyed. Call form is a combination of acoustic structures, selected and integrated by the requirements of each kind of information that the call conveys. 1. Location appears to be conveyed by calls with wide band structure, especially over far range, by calls with rapid, regularly repeated transient notes at moderate range, and possibly by Doppler effect in flight calls. Location apparently is concealed by diffuse onset combined with narrow band, by ventriloquism, and by quietness. 2. Threat calls are noisy or dissonant in tone, sustained in tempo, and stress a moderately narrow range of low frequencies. Assertive calls with varied social functions are noisy, rhythmic, and stress a wider range and higher frequencies than threat calls. Song, lacking a territorial function, is very quiet, primarily pure or resonant in tone, sustained or irregular in temporal character, and complexly melodic. 3. Appraisive information appears to be conveyed by continuous variation in rate of notes in at least one highly rhythmic call. It is suggested that appraisive information is conveyed by gradation in design features that convey motivation. 4. Between the Steller's jay and the scrub jay different features of form distinguish each of three calls that are probably homologous. The differences apparently are not species-isolating mechanisms yet do show the trends that call divergence may take to convey species identity. Features of form that can be used to convey species identity may be those that can change because they are not constrained by acoustic form requirements of other kinds of information the call must convey.

Behavior Elicited by Electrical Stimulation of the Brain of the Steller's Jay

Many descriptive studies on communicative behavior in birds have been interpreted in terms of drives or tendencies. These concepts are rather vague and simplistic (see criticism by Hinde 1959, 1969; Brown and Hunsperger 1963; Brown 1964b), but to many workers they carried the explicit connotation of corresponding internal states (e.g., Thorpe 1951, 1954; Tinbergen 1952; van Iersel and Bol 1958). Prominent among the internal determinants of behavior is the activity pattern of the brain, yet little was accomplished in the way of correlating observations on bird behavior with the activity of histologically identified brain regions until the work of Akerman (1966) on the Rock Dove or Pigeon (Columba livia) and Phillips (1964) on the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Since then, considerable progress has been made at identifying parts of the brain from which particular displays and vocalizations can be evoked by localized electrical or chemical stimulation, and a variety of species has been studied [Domestic Chickens (Gallus gallus), Putkonen 1967; Phillips and Youngren 1972; Phillips et al. 1972; Peek and Phillips 1972; Mallard, Maley 1969; Quail (Coturnix coturnix), Potash 1970a, b; Rock Dove, Delius 1971; Goodman and Brown 1966; Ringed Turtle Dove (Streptopelia risoria), Harwood and Vowles 1967; Hutchison 1967; Komisaruk 1967; Vowles and Tarala 1973; Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Brown 1965, 1971, 1972; Newman 1970; Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus argentatus, L. fuscus), Delius 1971]. These data enable more realistic concepts about the internal states that mediate communicative behavior in birds than can be obtained from studies of behavior alone. The

Gaseous Metabolism and Water Relations of the Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia castanotis

Gaseous Metabolism and Water Relations of the Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia castanotis

Aggressiveness, Dominance and Social Organization in the Steller Jay

Aggressiveness and submissiveness are of primary importance in the motivation of behavior and as formative forces in avian social organization. In another paper (Brown, MS) their behavioral expression in the Steller Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is examined. In this paper their manifestations in the organization of a society of the Steller Jay are considered. The evolutionary consequences of aggressiveness in birds are mediated through the ecological and physiological effects of aggressive and submissive behavior in natural populations. Despite this, the studies of aggressiveness as expressed in dominance hierarchies and similar types of social relationships in captive birds far outnumber the few studies of wild birds. Since the forms of social organization taken by a number of individuals of an avian species in captivity so often differ from those in the wild, studies in the wild state are basic to the understanding of social organization. The present study contributes to the relatively meager information on dominance hierarchies in wild populations of birds. The social structure of the Steller Jay and other species, such as tits, in which dominance hierarchies in nature have been demonstrated, is excellently suited for observation of the causes and consequences of changes in aggressiveness in wild birds. Because of the regular presence of many individuals at particular loci and the possibility of determining their social rank, a sensitive index (rank) is available for the detection of slight changes in aggressiveness in a relatively large number of individuals and for the correlation of these with features of the environment and histories of individuals.

ECOGEOGRAPHIC VARIATION AND INTROGRESSION IN AN AVIAN VISUAL SIGNAL: THE CREST OF THE STELLER'S JAY, CYANOCITTA STELLERI

In animals with a strongly developed visual sense, particular behavior patterns are often associated with specialization in form and color of the structures that serve as visual signals. Birds of paradise have their almost unbelievable plumes, hummingbirds their fiery iridescent gorgets, and waterfowl an amazing variety of plumage patterns, all prominent in displays. The evolution of these specializations is often simply stated as resulting from advantages in attracting and stimulating females, or from advantages in the outcome of aggressive encounters. As is often the case with simple explanations, however, there is far more to be considered. The problems of why particular specializations evolved in certain groups, and what factors influence the kind, extent, and limit of their specialization are less often studied. This paper is concerned with factors influencing the degree of specialization in a visual signal, the crest of the Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri).

The Water Requirements of Mourning Doves and Their Use of Sea Water and NaCl Solutions

Previous articleNext article No AccessThe Water Requirements of Mourning Doves and Their Use of Sea Water and NaCl SolutionsGeorge A. Bartholomew and Richard E. MacMillenGeorge A. Bartholomew Search for more articles by this author and Richard E. MacMillen Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 33, Number 3Jul., 1960 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.33.3.30152656 Views: 7Total views on this site Citations: 30Citations are reported from Crossref Journal History This article was published in Physiological Zoology (1928-1998), which is continued by Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (1999-present). Copyright 1960 University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Todd A. Sanders Feeding trial evaluation of supplemental sodium and calcium use by pigeons, Wildlife Society Bulletin 47, no.11 (Dec 2022).https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1396A. Bermúdez–Cavero, J. A. Gil–Delgado, G. M. López–Iborra Modelling European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur L. 1758) distribution in the south eastern Iberian Peninsula, Animal Biodiversity and Conservation (Aug 2021): 279–287.https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2021.44.0279D.B. Donato, D.M. Madden-Hallett, G.B. Smith, W. Gursansky Heap leach cyanide irrigation and risk to wildlife: Ramifications for the international cyanide management code, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 140 (Jun 2017): 271–278.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.02.033Chris N. Lotz, Carlos Martínez del Rio The ability of rufous hummingbirds Selasphorus rufus to dilute and concentrate urine, Journal of Avian Biology 35, no.11 (Jan 2004): 54–62.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0908-8857.2004.03083.xJ. RUSSELL MASON, LARRY CLARK The Chemical Senses in Birds, (Jan 2000): 39–56.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012747605-6/50004-3D. B. Meyer, M. R. Kare, J. R. Mason Sense Organs, (Jan 1986): 37–73.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4862-0_2Nancy Jean Mann Comparative physiology of the Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) and the Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta Stelleri), Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 76, no.22 (Jan 1983): 305–318.https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(83)90332-8B. ROBINZON, M.R. KARE, G.K. BEAUCHAMP Comparative Aspects of Salt Preference and Intake in Birds, (Jan 1980): 69–81.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-397750-2.50013-6M. R. Kare, J. G. Rogers Sense Organs, (Jan 1976): 29–52.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-96274-5_2William R. Dawson, Albert F. Bennett Roles of metabolic level and temperature regulation in the adjustment of Western plumed pigeons (Lophophaps ferruginea) to desert conditions, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 44, no.22 (Feb 1973): 249–266.https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(73)90478-7John J. McManus Water relations and food consumption of the mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 43, no.44 (Dec 1972): 959–967.https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(72)90168-5Ernest J. Willoughby Drinking Responses of the Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) to Solutions of NaCl, MgCl 2 , and CaCl 2, The Auk 88, no.44 (Oct 1971): 828–838.https://doi.org/10.2307/4083841Cynthia Carey, Martin L. Morton A comparison of salt and water regulation in California quail (Lophortyx californicus) and Gambel's quail (Lophortyx gambelii), Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 39, no.11 (May 1971): 75–101.https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(71)90349-5Ralph R. Moldenhauer, John A. Wiens The Water Economy of the Sage Sparrow, Amphispiza belli nevadensis, The Condor 72, no.33 (Jul 1970): 265–275.https://doi.org/10.2307/1366003Robert D. Ohmart, E. Linwood Smith Use of Sodium Chloride Solutions by the Brewer's Sparrow and Tree Sparrow, The Auk 87, no.22 (Apr 1970): 329–341.https://doi.org/10.2307/4083924 Roger E. Carpenter Structure and Function of the Kidney and the Water Balance of Desert Bats, Physiological Zoology 42, no.33 (Sep 2015): 288–302.https://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.42.3.30155492Ernest J. Willoughby Water economy of the stark's lark and grey-backed finch-lark from the Namib Desert of South West Africa, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 27, no.33 (Dec 1968): 723–745.https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-406X(68)90614-2William R. Dawson, George A. Bartholomew TEMPERATURE REGULATION AND WATER ECONOMY OF DESERT BIRDS, (Jan 1968): 357–394.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4831-9868-2.50015-3Lewis Greenwald, Ward B. Stone, Tom J. Cade Physiological adjustments of the budgerygah (Melopsittacus undulatus) to dehydrating conditions, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 22, no.11 (Jul 1967): 91–100.https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-406X(67)90170-3Michael Smyth, George A. Bartholomew Effects of Water Deprivation and Sodium Chloride on the Blood and Urine of the Mourning Dove, The Auk 83, no.44 (Oct 1966): 597–602.https://doi.org/10.2307/4083151Richard E. MacMillen, John C. Snelling Water Economy of the White-Crowned Sparrow and Its Use of Saline Water, The Condor 68, no.44 (Jul 1966): 388–395.https://doi.org/10.2307/1365453Richard E. MacMillen, Charles H. Trost Water Economy and Salt Balance in White-Winged and Inca Doves, The Auk 83, no.33 (Jul 1966): 441–456.https://doi.org/10.2307/4083055Ernest J. Willoughby Water Requirements of the Ground Dove, The Condor 68, no.33 (May 1966): 243–248.https://doi.org/10.2307/1365557 Arthur E. Harriman , and Morley R. Kare Tolerance for Hypertonic Saline Solutions in Herring Gulls, Starlings, and Purple Grackles, Physiological Zoology 39, no.22 (Sep 2015): 117–122.https://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.39.2.30152424William R. Dawson, Vaughan H. Shoemaker, Harrison B. Tordoff, Arieh Borut Observations on Metabolism of Sodium Chloride in the Red Crossbill, The Auk 82, no.44 (Oct 1965): 606–623.https://doi.org/10.2307/4083223Jack W. Hudson, Alan H. Brush A comparative study of the cardiac and metabolic performance of the dove, Zenaidura macroura, and the quail, Lophortyxcalifornicus, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 12, no.22 (Jun 1964): 157–170.https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-406X(64)90170-7George A. Bartholomew, Tom J. Cade The Water Economy of Land Birds, The Auk 80, no.44 (Oct 1963): 504–539.https://doi.org/10.2307/4082856Tom J. Cade Water Economy of the Budgerygah, The Auk 79, no.33 (Jul 1962): 345–364.https://doi.org/10.2307/4082821George A. Bartholomew, Richard E. MacMillen Water Economy of the California Quail and Its Use of Sea Water, The Auk 78, no.44 (Oct 1961): 505–514.https://doi.org/10.2307/4082184 ADDENDUM, Biological Reviews 36, no.11 (Feb 1961): 28–31.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-185X.1961.tb01431.x

Occurrence of Collyriclum faba in Steller's Jay

Occurrence of Collyriclum faba in Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay in Central Alberta

Steller's Jay in Central Alberta

The Pale Races of the Steller Jay

Journal Article The Pale Races of the Steller Jay Get access Allan R. Phillips Allan R. Phillips Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Condor, Volume 52, Issue 6, 1 November 1950, Pages 252–254, https://doi.org/10.2307/1364517 Published: 01 November 1950

Post-Juvenal Molt of Steller's Jay in Captivity

Post-Juvenal Molt of Steller's Jay in Captivity

Battle between a Western Robin and Steller's Jay, Witnessed on the Campus at the University of Washington

Battle between a Western Robin and Steller's Jay, Witnessed on the Campus at the University of Washington