Thesis (Ph.D.) -- La Trobe University, 2005. / Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Zoology Dept., School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering. Research. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-152). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.SC.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-109). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Orientador: Angelo Pires do Prado / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T06:19:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Goulart_ThaisMarchi_M.pdf: 2829371 bytes, checksum: dfa29045423465c507fdca66a095307f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Este trabalho objetivou o levantamento e a complementação das poucas informações sobre as espécies de ácaros associados à Zenaida auriculata na região de Campinas, SP [(Campinas (22°49'11''S, 47°4'12''O, alt.604m), Valinhos (22°58'14"S, 47°59'45"O, alt. 660m), Jaguariúna (22° 42' 20''S, 46° 59' 09''O, alt. 584m), Santa Bárbara D'oeste (22°45'13"S, 47°24'49"O, alt. 565m)] e em outras localidades como Ourinhos (22°58'44"S, 49°52'14"O, alt. 483m). No total foram analisadas 54 amostras, sendo que em 10 delas, não foram encontrados ácaros. Como resultado, obtivemos representantes das seguintes subordens: Astigmata: Falculiferidae - Falculifer isodontus Gaud & Barré, 1992; Byersalges talpacoti Cerný, 1975; Pterophagus spilosikyus Gaud & Barré, 1992; Dermoglyphidae - Dermoglyphus columbae Sugimoto, 1941; Analgidae: Diplaegidia columbae Buchholz, 1869; Diplaegidia columbigallinae Cerný, 1975; Epidermoptidae não identificado; Pyroglyphidae não identificado; Hypoderatidae: Hypodectes propus (Nitzch, 1861); Prostigmata - Cheyletiellidae: Ornithocheyletia columbigallinae Fain & Bochkov, 2002; Cheyletidae não identificado; Syringophilidae: Meitingsunes zenadourae Clark 1964; Mesostigmata - Macronyssidae: Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese, 1888); Rhinonyssidae: Tinaminyssus zenaidurae (Crossley, 1952). As ocorrências de H. propus (deutoninfas parasitas subcutâneas), B. talpacoti, T. zenaidurae, P. spilosikyus, O. columbigallinae, O. bursa, Dermoglyphus columbae são relatadas pela primeira vez nos adultos deste hospedeiro. Foram encontradas 14 spp. de ácaros, distribuídas em: Astigmata 9, Prostigmata 3 e Mesostigmata 2. Sendo 1 sp.do aparelho respiratório; 4 spp. da pele; 2 spp nidícolas, uma delas hematófaga; 2 spp. calamícolas; 5 spp. plumícolas. O material testemunho foi depositado na coleção do Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, UNICAMP, além das fotografias dos ninhos, das aves e dos ácaros (coleção virtual) / Abstract: This study aimed to add information on the species of mites associated with Zenaida auriculata in the region of Campinas, SP. [(Campinas (22°49'11''S, 47°4'12''W, alt.604m), Valinhos (22°58'14"S, 47°59'45"W, alt. 660m), Jaguariúna (22° 42' 20''S, 46° 59' 09''W, alt. 584m), Santa Bárbara D'oeste (22°45'13"S, 47°24'49"W, alt. 565m)] and in Ourinhos (22°58'44"S, 49°52'14"O, alt. 483m). A total of 54 samples were examined, and mites were found on 44 of them. We found representatives from the following taxa: Astigmata: Falculiferidae - Falculifer isodontus Gaud & Barré, 1992, Byersalges talpacoti Cerný, 1975; Pterophagus spilosikyus Gaud & Barré, 1992; Dermoglyphidae - Dermoglyphus columbae Sugimoto, 1941; Analgidae: Diplaegidia columbae Buchholz, 1869; Diplaegidia columbigallinae Cerný, 1975; an unidentified Epidermoptidae; an unidentified Pyroglyphidae; Hypoderatidae: Hypodectes propus (Nitzch, 1861); Prostigmata - Cheyletiellidae: Ornithocheyletia columbigallinae Fain & Bochkov 2002; an unidentified Cheyletidae; Syringophilidae Meitingsunes zenadourae (Clark, 1964); Mesostigmata - Macronyssidae: Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese, 1888); Rhinonyssidae: Tinaminyssus zenaidurae (Crossley, 1952). The occurrence of Hypodectes propus (subcutaneous deutonymphs parasites), B. talpacoti, T. zenaidurae, P. spilosikyus, O. columbigallinae, O. bursa and Dermoglyphus columbae are reported for the first time in the adult form of this host. Fourteen species of mites were found, distributed as follow: Astigmata 9, Prostigmata 3 e Mesostigmata 2. One species was of respiratory system; four of skin; two was nidiculous, but only one was hematophagous; two of quill mites; five were feather mites. Voucher specimens were deposited at a collection of Department of Animal Biology, Biology Institute, UNICAMP, in addition to photographs of nests, birds and mites (virtual collection) / Mestrado / Parasitologia / Mestre em Parasitologia

During the 1979 breeding season four pairs of northern harriers, or marsh hawks (Circus cyaneus) and four pairs of short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) were studied in Cache Valley, Utah. The study was concerned solely with diurnal resource utilization, and did not examine the owls' nocturnal activities. The home range of each harrier pair overlapped substantially with that of an owl pair. Percent habitat overlap for hawk-owl pairs varied from 39 percent to 72 percent. Observations were made to determine if differences existed in their utilization of habitat and food resources, or in their daily and seasonal activity patterns. Both species utilized mainly wet old field and pasture habitat types for their hunting efforts. In general wet old fields were utilized more than expected based on their availability, while pasture, bare ground, and harvested field habitats were used less than expected. Pairs of hawks and owls sharing common habitats generally showed differences in preferred hunting habitats. An analysis of variance showed that hawks and owls were making strikes in different habitat types and to some extent in different parts of the habitat. Harriers and owls nested in different habitat types. Breeding seasons of the two species overlapped almost totally, but interspecific differences were detected in time-activity budgets. Overall, the owls were more sedentary than the hawks. Both species spent approximately 10 percent of the day in hunting-related activites, but timing of hunting varied from pair to pair. Overlapping pairs generally differed in their daily distribution of hunting time. The analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference in the timing of strikes made by harriers and owls. Both species were feeding primarily on small mammals in the study area, and food resources were probably not a limiting factor for either population. Though northern harriers and short-eared owls appear to have a high degree of niche overlap, this study showed that where eight individual pairs of the two species came into contact they differed in time-activity budgets and habitat utilization. Coexistence between these two species may be enhanced by the fact that they both feed on an abundant prey resource. By subtle habitat and time budget preferences, reinforced through interspecific aggression, they can avoid competition.

Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) are migratory birds that build their nests over water and in large groups called colonies. Their typical breeding range is in central southern Canada and northern United States; however, a previously uncertain number of Eared Grebes (grebes) also nest around the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, at the southern edge of their breeding range. Little is known about the habitat requirements for grebe nesting colonies at such low latitudes and if they are different from colonies found elsewhere. My objectives for this research were to determine the status of the grebe nesting population as well as their habitat characteristics along the GSL in freshwater wetlands. I found over 4,280 grebe nests distributed among 35 colonies. Grebes built nests by mounding submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beginning the first week of June. The results from my habitat study show that grebes prefer to nest in areas with an average water depth of 48 cm, high invertebrate density, and abundant areas of floating SAV. Water depth and vegetation type at colony sites as well as timing of nesting and average number of eggs per nest of GSL colonies differed from colonies located at more northern latitudes. The differences in nesting could be attributed to the need to wait for SAV to grow and form mats on the water’s surface, or a need to wait for their food source to reach harvestable size. After grebes leave their nesting grounds, they stop at the GSL where they prepare for their final migration southward by consuming their fill of brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana). Brine shrimp are tiny invertebrates that are well-adapted to salty environments; they produce hard-walled eggs called cysts which are of great economic value and are commercially harvested from the GSL. I compared cyst viability, which is the percentage of cysts in a condition conducive to hatching, for cysts that had passed through the digestive tract of grebes and cysts samples obtained from the GSL. Only 30% of the cysts that had passed through grebes were viable, whereas 63% of cysts from the GSL were viable.

Part I of this study presents a procedure for standardization of pellet analysis methodologies which improves estimation of prey biomass and determines the number of pellets needed to estimate prey diversity indices. The procedure was developed to provide a simple, easily replicated methodology for the study of pellets which also retains maximal data recorded from pellet analysis. A sample size of ten Long-eared Owl pellets was found adequate to calculate diversity indices with no significant loss of accuracy when compared to total pellets recovered from beneath a roosting site. Analysis of the total sample of pellets from a specific roost provided information on intraspecies size selection by Long-eared Owls and also increased the probability of finding remains of rare prey in pellets from the areas studied. Part II of this study investigates the influences of seasonality and habitat differences on prey selection by Long-eared Owls in north-central Oregon. Differences in habitat where Long-eared Owls foraged were found to significantly influence prey species selection of Thomomys talpoides , Lagurus curtatus, Peromyscus maniculatus, Microtus montanus, and Perognathus parvus. Significant seasonal differences were also observed in the consumption of T. talpoides and M. montanus. Analysis of intraspecific size selection of northern pocket gophers by Long-eared Owls supports the observation that size of prey influences the foraging strategies of Long-eared Owls to a greater degree than does species composition.

No description available.

Rafinesque’s big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii; RBEB) and southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius; SEM) are listed on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Limited information on roost sites exists. I conducted roost surveys for RBEB and SEM on public forest lands in central Mississippi during winter and spring 2010. During winter, RBEB and SEM roosted in cavity trees with greater trunk diameters. In spring, roost trees used by SEM were located in forested areas of lower elevation, less slope, and greater distances from roads. Because imperfect detection can affect occupancy estimates, I estimated detection probabilities under different survey methods. Detection probability ranged from 95 – 100% and 92 – 99% when one to 2 observers used repeated surveys and removal method, respectfully. When estimating for abundance, presence of ≤20 bats led to count errors of <4%. When >20 bats were present, count errors were 38.1%. Observers correctly identified species 91% of the time.

Rafinesque’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) and southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius) are listed as species of concern in Mississippi. They use bottomland hardwood forests for roosting habitat; however, much of these forests in Mississippi have been lost or degraded. I seek to characterize availability and evaluate use of diurnal tree roosts for these presumably rare bats. Approximately 1,250 ha of bottomland hardwood forest on Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge were surveyed. I measured characteristics of 622 cavity trees. Analyses revealed that these bats most often used cavities of large diameter trees (≥70 cm DBH). Rafinesque’s big-eared bat and southeastern myotis roosted commonly in baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). This research will be used to provide guidance for management plans to conserve these bats and their habitat.

The aim of the present thesis is to give a review of the ringing recoveries of the Long - eared owl (Asio otus) in the territory of the former Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. The bird ringing data used in this thesis come from the archive of the National Museum in Prague. The parts of the thesis are as follows:1) history of the ringing in the Czech Republic; 2) bird adaptation on the flight and migration; 3) control of the migration; 4) the data of the Long- eared owls ringed as the young birds in the nest (pulli); 5) the data of the Long - eared owls ringed as adults (ad), that were caught and checked during their wintering in the Czech Republic; 6) the recoveries of the Long- eared owls ringed by various European Bird Ringing Centres and found in the Czech Republic; 7) cause of the mortality of the Long eared owl;8) census of the Long - eared owl recoveries in the Czech Republic from 1934 till 2011 (appendix). Key words: Migration, the Long-eared Owl, Ringing, Ringing Recoveries, Mortality