Do wintering Harlequin Ducks Forage Nocturnally at High Latitudes
The Condor 107: 173-177
Cooper Ornithological Society
The Condor 107: 173-177
Cooper Ornithological Society
The fifteen species of sea ducks (Tribe Mergini) are the most poorly understood group of waterfowl in North America. The most basic biological information is unknown for some species. Few species have reliable population indices or estimates of annual productivity, and much of our knowledge is based on a very few, localized studies. Also, current survey design is unable to accurately estimate sea duck harvest.
Black and white-winged scoters are not federally listed species but are protected under the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (2004) lists all
scoter species as decreasing in numbers in North America.
Quantifying population genetic heterogeneity within nonbreeding aggregations can inform our understanding
of patterns of site fidelity, migratory connectivity, and gene flow between breeding and nonbreeding areas.
However, characterizing mechanisms that contribute to heterogeneity, such as migration and dispersal, is required before site fidelity and migratory connectivity can be assessed accurately. We studied nonbreeding groups of Common
Mergansers (Mergus merganser) molting on Kodiak Island, Alaska, from 2005 to 2007, using banding data to assess
More than 90% of the world’s population of Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) breeds from central Alaska to northern California (Robert et al. 2000). The species also breeds in Iceland, where the population is estimated at approximately 2000 birds (Robert et al. 2000). There has also been a small population associated with eastern North America, however, historically, breeding records have been sparse and, in many cases, unconfirmed (Bellrose 1980). Robert et al.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 72(6):1388–1393; 2008)
Breeding propensity, the proportion of sexually mature females that initiate egg production,
can be an important demographic trait when considering reproductive performance and,
subsequently, population dynamics in birds. We measured egg production using yolk
precursor (vitellogenin and very-low-density lipoprotein) analyses and we measured nesting using radiotelemetry to quantify breeding propensity of adult female harlequin ducks (Histrionicus
Sixty seven Abstracts 45 posters presented 12-16 September 2011 in Seward Alaska
King Eider Bibliography 45 records
Seventy Abstracts of the Third North American Sea Duck Conference,
presented10-14 November 2008 Quebec City, Monteal, Canada
One hundred and five Abstracts of the Second North American Sea Duck Conference presented
in Annapolis Maryland 7-11 November, 2005