Houses Finches became a breeding species in Indiana in 1981 and subsequently went through a rapid population increase. This study was an investigation of the growth of the House Finch population and its impact on House Sparrows, American Goldfinches and Purple Finches in Indiana. Data from the Annual Christmas Bird Counts of the National Audubon Society (CBC) were used to construct five winter range maps to show the expansion of the House Finch population since 1940. A population density map based on the CBCs of 1988 and 1989 was constructed using birds counted per party hour.CBC data collected during 1965 to 1989 at twelve locations in Indiana were used to track long-term changes in the populations of House Finches, House Sparrows, American Goldfinches and Purple Finches. The number of House Finches counted in Indiana since 1981 increased dramatically. The size of the House Sparrow population appears to have been in a long-term decline for the last 25 years. However, American Goldfinches have, in general, increased in abundance since 1979. The abundance of Purple Finches in Indiana in the winter varies erratically.Observations at backyard feeding stations frequented by House Finches and House Sparrows show that House Finches tend to displace other House Finches more often than would be expected if the displacements occurred in proportion to the frequency at which the birds appear in the population. House Sparrows were found to displace other House Sparrows at a rate which greatly exceeded the expected frequency based on their proportion of the population. Both species tend to avoid interspecific interactions.Field studies in Muncie, Indiana show that House Finches commonly nest in shrubbery and building decorations while House Sparrows often nest in crevices in old buildings and bird houses. No direct competition for nesting sites was observed.Banding studies indicate that during the fall and winter there is a constant turnover of House Finches in Muncie. Using banding data from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service it was found that House Finches in the Midwest tend to travel in a southern direction as the season changes from summer to winter and in a northern direction as the season changes from winter to summer. The study shows that House Finches have a strong propensity to return to the same general area each summer. / Department of Biology

Melospiza lincolnii -- San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountain ranges -- migrational return -- Dispersal - Morphometric analysis.

Vocalizations and singing behaviors of Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Rufous-winged Sparrows, and Cassin's Sparrows were analyzed, described, and compared. For comparative purposes, data from previously studied Five-striped Sparrows were also included. Ten, 5, 3, and 6 types of calls were present in the repertoires of Rufous-crowns, Rufous-wings, Cassin's, and Five-stripes, respectively. Songs were sung from the ground, or from a variety of perch heights. Only Cassin's and Rufous-crowns regularly sang flight songs. Cassin's Sparrows sang a higher percentage of flight songs before nesting than after, but time of day did not affect the occurrence of flight songs. A Discriminant Function Analysis performed on six song parameters showed that the species differed significantly in the parameters measured. Song length proved to be of primary importance for discriminating the species' songs. From 8 male Rufous-crowns, 3320 songs were recorded. Fifty-one different song types composed of 259 different note complexes were found in this species' repertoire. The average song repertoire size for an individual was 12. Nine songs and 84 note complexes were shared among individuals. From 14 male Rufous-winged Sparrows, 3593 songs were recorded. Fourteen different song types were found; all individuals potentially may sing all fourteen song types. Nine hundred sixty-nine songs were recorded from 18 Cassin's Sparrows, of which 15 different songs were recognized. Individual repertoires consisted of an average of 3 song types, thus some sharing did occur, but no individuals shared the same repertoire. Rufous-crowns varied their singing rate regardless of the song type used, and singing rate was not related to time of day. Rufous-wings frequently engaged in counter-singing bouts with males alternating and matching song types. Singing rate appeared to be affected by the song type being sung. Singing rates of Cassin's Sparrow songs delivered from perches were sung at a faster rate than those sung only in flight, but there was no relation between singing rate and variation in number of different song types employed in a bout or the proportion of flight versus perch songs. The vocalizations and singing behavior of the four Aimophila species were dissimilar in many respects, and suggested possible functions of the diverse singing behaviors exhibited by these species were discussed. / Ph. D.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 S58 / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

Thesis--Ph. D., University of Hong Kong. / Typewritten.

No description available.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-54). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-69). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.