Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-166). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1995. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-155). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boise State University, 2009. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 91 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-37).

Thesis (M.S.)--Boise State University, 2009. / Title from t.p. of PDF file (viewed May 27, 2010). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1997. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Apr. 2, 2005). Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-68).

Thesis (M.S.)--Simon Fraser University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-149).

In most birds the dispersal process is usually initiated with a straight emigration from the natal site and the cessation of parental care. Yet for some species, particularly those with extended periods of parental care (such as many large raptors like golden eagles), individuals can carry out prospecting movements prior to dispersing. Prospecting behaviour probably involves individuals searching and evaluating sites, and may influence further decisions made at later stages of the dispersal process. I used long life GPS satellite transmitters fitted to nestling golden eagles to follow them as they dispersed. Young golden eagles emigrated from their natal home ranges from 44 days until 250 days after fledging. The rate at which individuals emigrated increased over time and individuals that developed motility more rapidly also emigrating earlier. Over 90% of individuals made at least one distinct movement away from the natal home range prior to emigrating, with early departing individuals making fewer prospecting trips prior to a definitive departure. Individuals that prospected undertook up to 11 prospecting loops that lasted up to 10 days and with longer duration trips being longer in overall length and maximum distance explored from the natal home range. The direction of prospecting forays was positively correlated with the direction of eventual departure, but the penultimate exploration was no more correlated than less recent explorations indicating a non-random exploration direction. These movements during transience were focussed on a series of temporary settlement areas (TSAs) that varied in number per individual and re-visitation rate. TSAs were used more often during the summer months and locations outside of TSAs occurred much more frequently in the core of known breeding home ranges.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the species composition of prey caught in the forest, savanna and emerging habitats in which African Crowned Eagles Stephanoaetus coronatus breed in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. At the 17 nest sites, the remains of 195 prey individuals were collected. The five dominant prey species caught were Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis, Vervet Monkey Chlorocebus pygerythrus, Blue Duiker Philantomba monticola, Greater Canerat Thryonomys swinderianus and Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus. All of these species respond positively to urban expansion. Only eagles that nested inside protected areas were recorded preying on domestic animals. In terms of biomass, Bushbuck was one of the dominant taxa, and the remains of an estimated 28.8 kg Bushbuck ram was found under a nest. The surprisingly high proportion of Rock Hyraxes and low proportion of Vervet Monkeys caught in emerging habitat may indicate that African Crowned Eagles nesting in this habitat are adapting to a more specialised feeding strategy compared with those nesting in habitats that are more natural. Future studies should investigate how and why prey proliferates in emerging habitats and examine the association between land uses and the diet of African Crowned Eagles.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 33-41).