Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-141).

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2007. / Biology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Dec. 16, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2008. / Biology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

A population of Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) living in a favourable environment was colour-banded, and its survival was followed, to find out what prevents continual increase in its numbers. A weekly census of the population was made throughout the two years of the study. All nests were found and the young were banded before they flew. Every two weeks throughout both winters checks were also made on an unhanded population in a control area one and a quarter miles from the main population. Nesting success was high in both years, with 5.0 young per pair being fledged in 1964 and 4.5 young per pair in 1965. Juvenile survival until family break-up was almost 100% in both years; juvenile survival until September seemed to be high. The survival rate of the adults was uneven: there were two periods when it was lower than it was during the rest of the year. The less sharply defined period occurred during the post-breeding moult of the adults. The more sharply defined period of two weeks or less was exactly correlated in both years with a change in behaviour from flocking to territorial behaviour. With the exception of one unmated female in each year, every bird which survived this critical period remained to breed or attempt to breed; hence this change in behaviour in the spring evidently removed surplus birds from the area, and thus prevented continual increase in the population. This behaviour may be the common factor that limits the breeding populations of other species with similar ecology. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

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To understand the communicative functions of any vocalization it is important to first classify, describe, and measure the elements of that vocalization. Mexican (Poecile sclateri) and boreal (P. hudsonica) chickadees both produce a name-sake chick-a-dee call. Here, the note types present in samples of Mexican and boreal chick-a-dee calls are identified and described. Frequency and temporal measures of each note type are analyzed and show that frequency measures may be useful for note-type and individual discrimination. Call syntax is also analyzed and shows that both Mexican and boreal chickadees produce the notes within their chick-a-dee calls in a fixed order with the potential for any note type to be repeated or omitted within the sequence. This work provides a foundation for future studies aimed at understanding the communicative significance of this call within these species, as well as for comparative work on the chick-a-dee call among all chickadee species.

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