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The Great Basin is home to a variety of avian species but as anthropogenic change continues, land cover change in this region may displace some species. We quantified the amount of land cover change in the Great Basin region between 2001 and 2019, analyzed distribution data derived from the eBird Status and Trends database for 19 raptor species (orders Accipitriformes and Falconiformes), and identified each species' land cover occurrence patterns. Wc discovered that 15 of the raptor species investigated had land cover type as a top-10 predictor lor occupancy. We also observed a large percent change in total cover of water, deciduous forest, mixed forest, shrublands, and grasslands land cover types. The raptor species with land cover in their top-10 predictor list could thus potentially be affected by these land cover change trends. While the complexity of land cover associations are nuanced, we identify patterns of land cover change over almost 2 decades in the Great Basin and reveal species that may be impacted by continued landscape change. These findings can provide crucial information for both habitat management and species conservation. Received 23 February 2021. Accepted 8 June 2022. Key words: anthropogenic change, biodiversity, birds of prey, community science, desertification, land use change. El Great Basin (en el occidente do los Estados Unidos) cs habitat para una variedud de cspecies de aves. aunque el cambio antropogenieo sostenido en la cobertura del suelo en esla region podria desplazar a algunas cspecies. Cuantificamos la suma de cambio en la cobertura del suelo en la region del Great Basin entre 2001 -2019. analizamos la distribution derivada de la base de datos eBird Status and Trends para 19 especies de rapaces (ordenes Accipitriformes y Falconiformes) c identificamos los patrones de presencia por cobertura dc eada especie. Descubrimos que 15 de especies de rapaces que investigamos Icnian la cobertura del suelo eomo una de las 10 principales variables de ocupacion. Tambien observamos un gran porcentaje de cambio en la supcrficie total de los tipos de cobertura agua. bosquc deciduo. hosque mixto. matorral y pradera. Las especies de rapaces con cobertura del suelo en su lista de las 10 principales variables predictivas podrian ser potcncialmcntc alcctadas por esas tendencias en cambio de la cobertura del suelo. Si bicn la complcjidad dc las asociaeiones de cobertura del suelo es ambigua, identificamos patrones de cambio de cobertura a lo largo de ccrca dc 2 decadas en el Great Basin y revelan especies que podrian cstar impactadas por un continue cambio en cl paisajc. l-'stos haitazgos proveen information crucial para el mancjo de habitat y la conservation dc cspecies. i'alahras clave: aves dc presa. cambio antropogenieo, cambio dc uso del suelo, eicneia eomunilaria, desertification., Over time, due to human and natural causes, land use can change. This can result in a given area becoming more or less suitable for a species than it was [...]

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Copyright of Avian Conservation & Ecology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Field Ornithology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) has announced the recipients of the 2023 Early Professional Awards. Glaucia Del-Rio, Carrie Branch, and Sara Lipshutz have been recognized for their outstanding work in the field of ornithology. Dr. Glaucia Del-Rio, currently a Rose Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is studying the avian diversity in Amazonia. Dr. Carrie Branch, an assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario, focuses on the evolution of communication and cognition in North American chickadees. Dr. Sara Lipshutz, an assistant professor at Loyola University in Chicago, studies the evolution of behavior and female competition in birds. The awardees received a cash prize and a framed certificate in recognition of their achievements. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Ornithology (Oxford University Press) is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background Geometric morphometric methods of capturing information about curves or outlines of organismal structures may be used in conjunction with canonical variates analysis (CVA) to assign specimens to groups or populations based on their shapes. This methodological paper examines approaches to optimizing the classification of specimens based on their outlines. This study examines the performance of four approaches to the mathematical representation of outlines and two different approaches to curve measurement as applied to a collection of feather outlines. A new approach to the dimension reduction necessary to carry out a CVA on this type of outline data with modest sample sizes is also presented, and its performance is compared to two other approaches to dimension reduction. Results Two semi-landmark-based methods, bending energy alignment and perpendicular projection, are shown to produce roughly equal rates of classification, as do elliptical Fourier methods and the extended eigenshape method of outline measurement. Rates of classification were not highly dependent on the number of points used to represent a curve or the manner in which those points were acquired. The new approach to dimensionality reduction, which utilizes a variable number of principal component (PC) axes, produced higher cross-validation assignment rates than either the standard approach of using a fixed number of PC axes or a partial least squares method. Conclusion Classification of specimens based on feather shape was not highly dependent of the details of the method used to capture shape information. The choice of dimensionality reduction approach was more of a factor, and the cross validation rate of assignment may be optimized using the variable number of PC axes method presented herein.

Behavioral decisions made by migrating songbirds may depend on a variety of biotic and abiotic factors. To investigate which factors most influence songbird behavior on stopover, we related departure and directional decisions of captive birds released at the capture site to a variety of factors including, weather, date, energetic condition, age, sex, and species. We captured spring migrants during the day, released them after sunset, and visually assessed whether they departed the study site and if so, in which direction. Departure was strongly influenced by wind direction and energetic condition, especially fat stores. The proportion of birds departing increased as the season progressed. Directional decisions were also strongly influenced by energetic condition, particularly fat stores and plasma triglyceride levels. Wind direction also influenced the direction in which birds made migratory flights. While energetic condition, stage of migration, and weather seem to be important proximate determinants in departure and directional decisions, habitat availability and other factors may also need to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intent of this study was to assess passerine eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEv) seroprevalence during the breeding season in southern Maine by testing songbird species identified in the literature as amplifying hosts of this virus. In 2013 and 2014, we collected serum samples from songbirds at a mainland site and an offshore island migratory stopover site, and screened samples for EEEv antibodies using plaque reduction neutralization tests. We compared seasonal changes in EEEv antibody seroprevalence in young (hatched in year of capture) and adult birds at the mainland site, and also compared early season seroprevalence in mainland versus offshore adult birds. EEEv seroprevalence did not differ significantly between years at either site. During the early season (May), EEEv antibody seroprevalence was substantially lower (9.6%) in the island migrant adults than in mainland adults (42.9%), 2013-2014. On the mainland, EEEv antibody seroprevalence in young birds increased from 12.9% in midseason (June-August) to 45.6% in late season (September/October), 2013-2014. Seroprevalence in adult birds did not differ between seasons (48.8% vs. 53.3%). EEEv activity in Maine has increased in the past decade as measured by increased virus detection in mosquitoes and veterinary cases. High EEEv seroprevalence in young birds-as compared to that of young birds in other studies-corresponded with two consecutive active EEEv years in Maine. We suggest that young, locally hatched songbirds be sampled as a part of long-term EEEv surveillance, and provide a list of suggested species to sample, including EEEv "superspreaders."