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Publications

These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.

Filter Total Items: 16783

Shotshell and shooter effectiveness: Lead vs. steel shot for duck hunting

Shooter and shotshell effectiveness were tested during the 1979 waterfowl season at the Schell-Osage Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Missouri. Hunters who participated in the study bagged 1,967 ducks with 10,587 shots. No significant differences in bagging, crippling, or missing rates were measured among 4 Winchester 12 gauge loads: #4 buffered and unbuffered lead and #4 and #2 steel. Shooter effe
Authors
D.D. Humburg, S.L. Sheriff, P.H. Geissler, T. Roster

Social organization in a nesting population of eastern willets (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)

The breeding ecology of eastern Willets (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) was studied over a 3-yr period in a salt marsh on the Atlantic coast of Virginia. During the study, 171 adults were color-marked. Willets are strictly monogamous and show strong site and mate fidelity from year to year. Normally a pair bond dissolves only after one member dies or fails to return in the spring. With an estimated
Authors
M.A. Howe

Lead shot incidence in sediments and waterfowl gizzards from Merrymeeting Bay, Maine

Lead shot in bottom sediments from Merrymeeting Bay, Maine, averaged 99,932 shot/ha. More shot (P < 0.05) was present in silt sediments than in sand sediments. Number 6 size shot was the most abundant in all 6 river deltas sampled. Ingested lead shot occurred in gizzards of 6 of 10 waterfowl species. Lead shot occurred in 5.9-8.1% of the black ducks (Anas rubripes) sampled during the hunting se
Authors
J. R. Longcore, P.O. Corr, H.E. Spencer

Pharmacokinetics and tissue concentrations of tylosin in selected avian species

Tissue and plasma concentrations and the biological half-life of tylosin in avian species of a variety of body sizes and metabolic rates were studied. The species chosen were eastern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus virginianus), pigeons (Columba livia), greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida), and emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae). In the 1st phase of this study, tylosin was administere
Authors
D. Locke, M. Bush, J. W. Carpenter

Short-term effects of oil ingestion on American kestrels (Falco sparverius)

The Mexican Ixtoc oil well blowout resulted in extensive oil contamination along the Texas Gulf coast. This oil posed a potential hazard to migrating birds including the endangered peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). Laboratory tests with the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) indicated that the oil: water mixture gathered at the surface of the blowout site posed little acute hazard to falcons.
Authors
O. H. Pattee, J. C. Franson

Additional comments on the assumption of homogenous survival rates in modern bird banding estimation models

We examined the problem of heterogeneous survival and recovery rates in bird banding estimation models. We suggest that positively correlated subgroup survival and recovery probabilities may result from winter banding operations and that this situation will produce positively biased survival rate estimates. The magnitude of the survival estimate bias depends on the proportion of the population in
Authors
J. D. Nichols, S.L. Stokes, J. E. Hines, M.J. Conroy

A field evaluation of frogs as a potential source of secondary organophosphorus insecticide poisoning

Because amphibians are relatively resistant to organophosphorus insecticides and can bioaccumulate residues to high levels, they may be a source of secondary poisoning for vertebrates that feed on them. This hypothesis was tested by determining residues in breeding upland chorus frogs Pseudacris triseriata, that were collected from ponds treated with the organophosphorus insecticide fenthion. Fr
Authors
G. V. N. Powell, L.R. DeWeese, T. G. Lamont

Anarbylus switaki Murphy: an addition to the herpetofauna of the United States with comments on relationships with Coleonyx

Anarbys switaki, a species previously known only from Baja California Sur, Mexico, occurs in eastern San Diego and southwestern Imperial Counties in California. In California, specimens tend to have continuous transverse bars on the body, are lighter in color, and more slender in body form than in southern Baja California. California populations appear to be confined to extremely rocky habitats i
Authors
T. H. Fritts, H. L. Snell, R.L. Martin

Status of sea turtle nesting in southern Baja California, Mexico

No abstract available.
Authors
T. H. Fritts, M.L. Stinson, R. Marquez M.

A technique for live-trapping cormorants

No abstract available.
Authors
M.S. Foster, L.A. Fitzgerald