The Bird Life of Texas

Arnold, Keith; Oberholser, Harry C.; Kincaid,, Edgar B.

doi:10.2307/3670456

Cited by 77 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Assuming a 31-d incubation period plus a 31-d broodrearing period, the earliest date a clutch is laid in Texas is approximately 18 March. Moreover, the few mid-late March clutches produced by American Kestrels in Texas were all documented in the subtropical regions of southern Texas (Oberholser 1974, Seyffert 2006. Our observations were made in the more temperate climate region of north Texas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female-Female Spring Fling in American Kestrels: An Observation of a Female–Female Pair and Copulation Behavior

Bullock

Biles

Bednarz

2022

Journal of Raptor Research

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Same-sex copulations by raptors, and birds in general, have been rarely reported. In American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), there have been no previous reports of a female copulating with a female. Here, we summarize our observations of a pair of female kestrels that were documented to copulate repeatedly with each other over a 5-wk period in north Texas. Two females were first observed together on 17 March 2020, when they copulated 23 times. That same day, we trapped and marked both females with coded anodized color bands. Between 17 March and 20 April 2020, we observed the pair copulate an average of 9.2 times/hr (7 d of observation, 7.9 hr), with both kestrels being present during 74.9% of our observations. The kestrels alternated which bird was in the top position during copulations, with the female with band code E/17 on top during 55.8% of copulations (n = 45) and female E/20 on top during 44.2%. One or both kestrels vocalized during 75.6% of copulations. We recorded other behaviors typical of breeding kestrels, including nest-site inspection, territorial defense, and an apparent aerial courtship display. Contrary to published speculations on same-sex pairs in birds, our observations do not support the hypothesis that the females typically adopt separate sex-specific behavioral roles. We propose probable benefits of a female-female pairing may include (1) stimulating ovulation, (2) sharing incubation and provisioning duties that could result in a greater number of young fledged, and (3) the ability to more easily defend and hold territory by two females, which typically hold higher-quality territories than males in American Kestrels.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female-Female Spring Fling in American Kestrels: An Observation of a Female–Female Pair and Copulation Behavior

Bullock

Biles

Bednarz

2022

Journal of Raptor Research

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“…Prior to settlement by people of European origin in the 1880s (Allen et al 2007), the region was an expansive prairie grassland where American Kestrels were absent (McCauley 1877, Strecker 1910. European settlement of the region led to development of permanent structures and planting of shade trees, windbreaks, erection of utility poles and lines, and eventually forested urban areas; these features all provided nesting opportunities and hunting perches for kestrels, and facilitated their regional presence (Stevenson 1942, Allan and Sime 1943, Oberholser 1974). In context of evolutionary time, with likely rare exceptions, kestrel presence on the Southern High Plains appears to have been brief, approximately 130 yr; however, they have become year-round residents in the region (Boal et al 2021) and formed a genetically distinct population (Ruegg et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Abundance and Habitat Associations of American Kestrels on the Southern High Plains of Texas

Linner-Warren

Bibles

Boal

2023

Journal of Raptor Research

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American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) populations are generally declining across the species' North American distribution but the population in the Southern High Plains region currently appears to be stable. Historical evidence suggests the region formerly had a low abundance of kestrels, and that their current numbers are due to landscape changes associated with European settlement. We conducted monthly surveys for American Kestrels across 2 yr to estimate seasonal densities and identify land cover associations in the Southern High Plains of Texas. We found an overall estimated density of 0.99 birds/km2 (95% CI = 0.406, 1.582) across the 2-yr period, with seasonal estimated densities highest in autumn and winter (0.92–2.53/km2), and lowest in spring (0.49–0.67/km2). Whereas other studies have found that temperature influenced detection of wintering kestrels, we found an interaction of drought conditions and snow most strongly influenced the number of kestrels in our study area. Kestrels largely used land cover types in proportion to availability but there was some evidence of seasonal shifts. Generally, they tended to avoid cotton fields and sometimes selected for areas with woodlots, abandoned or occupied houses, and barns, all of which likely provided nesting and roosting opportunities. Our study provides the first contemporary assessment of seasonal abundance and habitat associations of American Kestrels in the Southern High Plains, where their presence and abundance has been unintentionally facilitated by landscape changes following settlement. We provide a baseline for population monitoring and studies assessing response to additional landscape changes (e.g., development of wind energy facilities) and a changing climate.

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“…The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of southernmost Texas, U.S.A., consisting of Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Starr counties, represents the northernmost range limit of several tropical bird species (Oberholser 1974, Brush 2005, including the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe). Since the 1920s, about 95% of the LRGV's subtropical evergreen forest, riparian woodland, and scrublands (hereafter collectively referred to as riparian woodland) have been cleared for agricultural and urban development (Jahrsdoerfer & Leslie 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are year-round residents in most of their range, including the LRGV. Never common in the LRGV, tyrannulets have become much rarer since 1951, with accelerated loss and deterioration of native forests (Oberholser 1974). Tyrannulets now appear to be restricted to a small number of "island" tracts of habitat composed of remnant riparian woodland often supporting dense growth of the epiphytic bromeliads ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata) and Spanish moss (T. usneoides; Brush 1999Brush , 2005; scientific names of plants from Richardson & King 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…webs, clusters of mistletoe (Phoradrendon spp. ), and clusters of seed pods (Oberholser 1974, Rowley 1984. In this study, our objectives were to (1) determine the nest success of the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, and (2) describe the habitat characteristics of nests, so that we could make recommendations for habitat conservation and management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nesting Ecology of the Northern Beardlesstyrannulet (Camptostoma Imberbe) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, U.S.A.

Werner¹,

Hejl²,

Brush³

2016

Ornitol. Neotrop.

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During 2002–2003, we studied the breeding ecology of the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe), a poorly known and rare permanent resident in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, United States of America. We found 28 nests in clusters of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) or ball moss (T. recurvata), 93% of which were in cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia) trees. Nest-building, incubation, and nestling periods averaged 7.0, 14.0, and 18.5 days, respectively. Of the 28 nests, 43% were successful, while 38% of the failed nests showed obvious signs of depredation. Nests were located in areas with denser Tillandsia growth and with taller trees than nearby non-used areas. Availability of this habitat may limit the population size of Northern Beardless-Tyrannulets in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

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The Bird Life of Texas

Cited by 77 publications

References 0 publications

Female-Female Spring Fling in American Kestrels: An Observation of a Female–Female Pair and Copulation Behavior

Female-Female Spring Fling in American Kestrels: An Observation of a Female–Female Pair and Copulation Behavior

Seasonal Abundance and Habitat Associations of American Kestrels on the Southern High Plains of Texas

Nesting Ecology of the Northern Beardlesstyrannulet (Camptostoma Imberbe) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, U.S.A.

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