Planet of Birds

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 15 abstract A frequently hypothesized but poorly studied cost of multiple mating in birds is thatexposure to pathogenic sexually transmitted microbes (STM’s) can lower reproductive success.Conversely, female birds may benefit from high frequencies of copulation and multiple copulationpartners if they receive cloacal inoculations of beneficial STM’s that can either […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 4 abstract We examined the average annual lay, hatch, and fledge dates of tree swallows(Tachycineta bicolor) breeding in Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge inFairbanks, AK from 2000 through 2008. From 2000 to 2008, lay and hatch dateexhibited a significant negative relationship, indicating that the timing of swallowreproduction has advanced […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 11 abstract Age-related differences in plumage characteristics of birds can be the result of differential survival of more ornamented individuals, within-individual changes in plumage attributes with age, or a combination of both. In this study, we investigated age-class related differences in plumage attributes of male tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 12 abstract Poor breeding success often increases dispersal, but there is conflicting evidenceabout the putative adaptive benefi ts of dispersal behavior. Thus, observational and experimentaldata were analyzed to test whether breeding success (number of young fl edging) infl uencedbreeding and natal dispersal by Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), using information […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 1 abstract Females, and not males, have delayed plumage maturation. The hypothesis that plumage differences are the result of differences in competitive abilities among individualsis tested by comparing brown and blue Tree Swallow females in terms of foraging abilities, as determined by the growth of nestlings under their care […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 10 abstract Investment in one life-history stage can have delayed effects on subsequent life-history stages within a single reproductive bout. We experimentally heated tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nests during incubation to test for effects on parental and nestling conditions. Females incubating in heated boxes maintained higher body condition and […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 5 abstract Endocrine disruptors have well-known effects on vertebrate population sex ratios, buta variety of chemicals can also affect sex ratios of invertebrates. We tested whether sex ratios of

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 3 abstract Oil sands mining is steadily expanding in Alberta, Canada. Major companies areplanning reclamation strategies for mine tailings, in which wetlands will be used for thebioremediation of water and sediments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons andnaphthenic acids during the extraction process. A series of experimental wetlands were built […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 7 abstract An experimental tree swallow population wasestablished in the headwaters of the Shenandoah River,Virginia, USA to assess the accumulation and effects ofmercury contamination on birds that eat emergent aquaticinsects. One tributary, the South River, was contaminatedwith mercury before 1950. Reproductive success of swallowsnesting within 50 m of this […]

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Science Article 13 abstract Past and continuing discharges of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have contaminated the natural resources of the Hudson River. The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees – New York State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of the Interior – are conducting a natural resource damage assessment […]