Abstract:Abstract. The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) breeds across the boreal forest zone of North America and winters throughout the eastern United States. Over the past four decades, the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the Christmas Bird Count have shown high rates of population decline ranging from approximately 5 to 12% per year. Regional surveys suggest declines and range retractions in the southern boreal zone. Analyses of historical accounts suggest that the Rusty Blackbird's abundance has been dr… Show more
“…For four species, data were insufficient to estimate trends anywhere in the study area. This includes Rusty Blackbird which may be one of the most precipitously declining species in North America (Greenberg and Droege, 1999;Greenberg and Matsuoka, 2010). This emphasizes the need for continued and expanded efforts to monitor this threatened assemblage.…”
“…For four species, data were insufficient to estimate trends anywhere in the study area. This includes Rusty Blackbird which may be one of the most precipitously declining species in North America (Greenberg and Droege, 1999;Greenberg and Matsuoka, 2010). This emphasizes the need for continued and expanded efforts to monitor this threatened assemblage.…”
“…Recently, numerous studies have attempted to identify causes of the decline on the breeding grounds (e.g., Matsuoka et al 2010 and the wintering grounds (e.g., Luscier et al 2010, Mettke-Hofmann et al 2015. Some possible causes have been identified, including climate change (McClure et al 2012), habitat loss on the wintering grounds (Greenberg et al 2011), and methylmercury contamination (Edmonds et al 2010), but the decline of this widespread species remains largely enigmatic (Greenberg and Matsuoka 2010).…”
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
“…With the Rusty Blackbird on the decline (Greenberg and Droege 1999, Greenberg and Matsuoka 2010, accurate field identification is critical for documenting its changing status and for successful conservation and management. Although Brewer's Blackbirds show pale fringing on the mantle and tertial feathers less often than Rusty Blackbirds do, some first-winter males have fairly extensive fringing and can appear remarkably similar to male Rusty Blackbirds in basic plumage.…”
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.