ABSTRACT. This note describes nestling mortality in Arctic Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus tundrius) due to the biting effects of blood-feeding black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae). At a nest site near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada (62˚49′ N, 92˚05′ W), a brood of four nestlings died on 20 July 2013 from the direct effects of severe bites attributed to black flies. Within three hours of the onset of blood-feeding, black flies had caused widespread, uniformly distributed hemorrhagic coalescent lesions over the head and body of all nestlings. Approximately seven hours after the first flies appeared, the female falcon removed the carcasses of the dead nestlings from the nest. Nestlings at eight additional sites also suffered the effects of biting black flies in 2013, resulting in the deaths of 13 of 35 nestlings. A less pronounced outbreak also occurred in 2012 and resulted in the deaths of seven nestlings at four sites. No nestling mortality due to black flies has been documented in any other year from 1982 through 2015. To our knowledge, these observations document the northernmost lethal attack by ornithophilic black flies in North America.Key words: Arctic; avian; climate change; black fly; mortality; Peregrine Falcon; Simuliidae RÉSUMÉ. Cet article décrit des événements de mortalité d'oisillons chez le faucon pèlerin (Falco peregrinus tundrius) causés par des morsures de mouches noires hématophages (Diptera : Simuliidae). À un site de nidification près de Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada (62˚49′ N, 92˚05′ O), les quatre oisillons d'une couvée sont morts le 20 juillet 2013 des effets directs de morsures sévères attribuables aux mouches noires. Dans les trois heures suivant le début de l'activité des hématophages, les mouches noires avaient causé des lésions hémorragiques et coalescentes uniformément distribuées sur la tête et le corps des oisillons. Environ sept heures après l'apparition des premières mouches, la femelle a retiré les carcasses des oisillons morts du nid. Des oisillons à huit autres sites de nidification ont également subi les effets des mouches noires hématophages en 2013, entraînant la mortalité de 13 oisillons sur un total de 35. Une émergence moins prononcée s'est aussi produite en 2012 et a causé la mort de sept oisillons à quatre sites de nidification. Aucune mortalité d'oisillons causée par les mouches noires n'a été documentée de 1982 à 2015. À notre connaissance, ces observations documentent les attaques létales par les mouches noires ornithophiles les plus nordiques en Amérique du Nord.
Découvrir la revue Citer cet article Jaffré, M., Franke, A., Anctil, A., Galipeau, P., Hedlin, E., Lamarre, V., L'Hérault, V., Nikolaiczuk, L., Peck, K., Robinson, B. & Bêty, J. (2015). Écologie de la reproduction du faucon pèlerin au Nunavut. Le Naturaliste canadien, 139(1), 54-64. doi:10.7202/1027671ar Résumé de l'article Le déclin historique du faucon pèlerin (Falco peregrinus) observé en Amérique du Nord au milieu du xxe siècle a été principalement attribué à l'échec de reproduction causé par les polluants organochlorés persistants. C'est dans ce contexte que le Arctic Raptor Project a été initié, en 1982, dans le but d'étudier la reproduction de faucons pèlerins F.p. tundrius nichant dans l'Arctique. Nous présentons ici une synthèse des principaux travaux conduits dans le cadre de ce programme de recherche réalisé essentiellement dans la région de Rankin Inlet, mais aussi plus récemment près d'Igloolik et sur l'île de Baffin au Nunavut. Des résultats portant sur le régime alimentaire, la phénologie de la reproduction, la croissance et la survie des jeunes, ainsi que sur la dynamique de population sont présentés. Le suivi à long terme dans la région de Rankin Inlet a permis de mettre en lumière, entre autres, une baisse du nombre de jeunes au cours des 3 dernières décennies. Des épisodes de fortes précipitations estivales, plus fréquents dans l'aire d'étude ces dernières années, semblent en partie responsables de ces diminutions. En outre, l'étude des rapaces nichant dans l'Arctique est cruciale pour comprendre les conséquences sur la dynamique des populations, notamment des changements climatiques, de l'environnement (p. ex. diminution des polluants organochlorés) et de la structure et du fonctionnement de l'écosystème arctique. AbstractThe historical decline of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) in North America during the 20t h century was mainly attributed to reproductive failure due to the accumulation of persistent organochloride pollutants. As a direct result to this finding, the Arctic Raptor Project was established in 1982, and its goal was to monitor the breeding success of Arcticnesting peregrine falcons (F.p. tundrius). The present article provides a synopsis of the major findings of its research, which was principally conducted around Rankin Inlet (Nunavut), but also, more recently, around Igloolik and on Baffin Island (Nunavut). The results cover raptor feeding regimes, reproductive phenology, growth and survival of young, and population dynamics. The long-term Rankin Inlet study has identified, among other things, a decrease in the number of young fledged over the past 3 decades. Episodes of heavy summer rain, which have occurred more frequently in recent years, appear, in part, to be responsible for this decline in reproductive output. The continued study of Arctic-nesting raptors is crucial to our understanding of population dynamics, including how these are affected by changes in climate and in the environment (e.g., reductions in organochloride pollutant levels), and on the stru...
We used four Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite transmitters to calculate the wintering ranges of migratory Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) that breed in Saskatchewan, Canada, and winter in Venezuela. Between 2007 and 2011, 95% fixed-kernel estimators of range size varied from 54 to 76 731 km2 with an average of 16 814 ± 28 606 km2 (SD), while those calculated with 95% Minimum Convex Polygons ranged from 22 to 46 778 km2 and averaged 9545 ± 17 356 km2. The smallest wintering range was comparable to previously reported range sizes, but our largest wintering range greatly exceeded anything yet recorded. Variation in winter range sizes may be attributed to resource availability, migration costs, and the absence of obligations associated with breeding. Each vulture had a “primary nocturnal roost” to which it returned frequently; each spent more hours (evenings, nights, and mornings) at and within 1 km of such roosts, than it did foraging during midday. Our results increased our understanding of the feeding and movement ecology of North American migratory Turkey Vultures overwintering in South America
Estimating site occupancy is an essential component of any monitoring program because changes in occupancy over time can serve as a metric of population status (MacKenzie et al. 2003). Detection is often imperfect during occupancy surveys, however, and estimating the proportion of occupied sites without accounting for detection error can lead to an underestimation of occupancy (Kéry and Schmidt 2008). Hierarchical occupancy models have become a popular tool to address such issues because they provide a framework for estimating parameters that drive occupancy while accounting for detection probability that is <1 (Marsh and Trenham 2008). In this chapter we use a simulated data set that includes survey observations for 30 Gyrfalcon breeding sites across 20 years. The goal of this analysis is to gain a better understanding of the observed patterns of yearly occupancy in this simulated sample population, and to derive parameters of occupancy that tell us about population status using the multi-season occupancy model outlined in MacKenzie et al. (2003). 10.2 Occupancy model The multi-season occupancy model is said to be hierarchical because it is composed of two submodels: 1) a model that describes the occupancy state, and 2) a model that describes the detection process (i.e., our observations in the field).
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