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

Filter Total Items: 16780

Great blue herons respond to nesting habitat loss

No abstract available.
Authors
C. J. Henny, J.E. Kurtz

Embryotoxic effects of crude oil in mallard ducks and chicks

Recent studies in this laboratory have revealed that surface applications of microliter amounts of some crude and fuel oils that coat less than 10% of the egg surface reduce hatching considerably in different avian species. Applications of paraffin compounds that coat equal areas of the egg surface do not reduce hatching suggesting that toxicity is due to causes other than asphyxia. In the present
Authors
David J. Hoffman

The effects of ingested petroleum on oviposition and some aspects of reproduction in experimental colonies of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Compared to unmated mallard ducks fed an uncontaminated diet, unmated birds given food contaminated with 3 ml South Louisiana crude oil per 100 g dry weight showed an 84% decline in the daily rate of oviposition, a 33% decrease in egg-shell thickness and at autopsy more than 82% of the ovarian mass consisted of atretic follicles. Similar studies on groups of mated females showed that although the
Authors
W. N. Holmes, K.P. Cavanaugh, J. Cronshaw

Organochlorine residues, eggshell thickness, and nest success in barn owls from the Chesapeake Bay

Eggs of barn owls (Tyto alba) were collected from 18 nests in offshore duck blinds on the Maryland side of the lower Potomac River estuary in 1972 and 1973 and analyzed for organochlorine residues. DDE was found in 100% of the clutches, PCBs in 89%, and dieldrin in 78%. Eggshell thickness was inversely correlated with concentrations of DDE, DDD, and dieldrin residues. Six of the 18 clutches had me
Authors
E. E. Klaas, Stanley N. Wiemeyer, H. M. Ohlendorf, D. M. Swineford

Some effects of ingested petroleum on seawater-adapted ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Male Pekin ducks adapted to seawater and maintained under sheltered conditions (27?C) in the laboratory may consume considerable volumes of petroleum without showing overt symptoms of distress. Under these conditions, birds consuming petroleum-contaminated food have shown a persistent hyperphagia; this was most apparent among those given food contaminated with South Louisiana crude oil, least appa
Authors
W.N. Holmes, J. Cronshaw, J. Gorsline

Shell thinning and pesticide residues in Texas aquatic bird eggs, 1970

Significant decreases in eggshell thickness were found in 15 of 22 species of aquatic birds in Texas in 1970. Shell thickness reductions of 9 to 15 percent were found in white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), brown pelicans (P .occidentalis), and great blue herons (Ardea herodias). DDT family compounds were found in all eggs, and mean residues ranged from 0.4 ppm in white ibis (Eudocimus al
Authors
K. A. King, Edward L. Flickinger, H. H. Hildebrand

The breeding ecology of sea birds on Monito Island, Puerto Rico

Monito Island, a 15-ha plateau surrounded by steep undercut cliffs, lies halfway between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Seven of the 9 sea birds are known to breed, and 2 (Blue-faced Booby and Laughing Gull) are here recorded as breeders in Puerto Rico for the first time. The Pelecaniformes are represented by 5 species, the White-tailed Tropicbird, the 3 pan-tropical boobies, and the Ma
Authors
C.B. Kepler

Status and nesting of the yellow-billed cuckoo in Puerto Rico

Knowledge of the status of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) in the Greater Antilles has been clouded by the bird's elusive behavior and spotty distribution on the islands, and by a major movement of North American migrants through the area to and from their wintering grounds in South America. Although Bond (1956) states that they breed in the Greater Antilles, nests are known only fr
Authors
Cameron B. Kepler, Angela K. Kepler

Standard abbreviations for common names of birds

No abstract available.
Authors
M. K. Klimkiewicz, C.S. Robbins