Brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater, parasitism and abundance in the northern Great Plains

Canadian Field-Naturalist

Volumn 121, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 239-255

  Igl, Lawrence D ^a   Johnson, Douglas H ^b  

^a U S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA   (United States)

Author keywords

Brood parasitism; Brown headed cowbird; Grasslands; Molothrus ater; Multiple parasitism; Northern Great Plains; Spatial variation; Temporal variation

Indexed keywords

ABUNDANCE; BREEDING POPULATION; BROOD PARASITISM; PASSERINE; POPULATION DENSITY; SPATIAL VARIATION; TEMPORAL VARIATION;

GREAT PLAINS; NORTH AMERICA;

AGELAIUS; AGELAIUS PHOENICEUS; AVES; MOLOTHRUS; MOLOTHRUS ATER; PASSERIFORMES;

EID: 60749105220     PISSN: 00083550     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.22621/cfn.v121i3.471     Document Type: Article

References (91)

1. Faanes, C. A., and G. R. Lingle. 1995. Breeding birds of the Platte River Valley of Nebraska. Version 02SEP99. U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, North Dakota. http://www.npwrc.usgs. gov/resource/distr/birds/platte/platte.htm (Accessed 13 August 2007).
2. Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966-2005. Version 6.2.2006. U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/ (Accessed 13 August 2007).
3. Vickery, P. 1995. Grassland bird detectability in New England. Final report submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, Massachusetts.
4. Barber, D. R., and T. E. Martin. 1997. Influence of alternate host densities on Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism rates in Black-capped Vireos. Condor 99: 595-604.
5. Basili, G. 1997. Continental scale ecology and conservation of Dickcissels. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin, Madison. 151 pages.
6. Briskie, J. V., S. G. Sealy, and K. H. Hobson. 1992. Behavioral defenses against avian brood parasitism in sympatric and allopatric host populations. Evolution 46: 334-340.
7. Burgham, M. C. J., and J. Picman. 1989. Effect of Brown-headed Cowbirds on the evolution of Yellow Warbler antiparasite strategies. Animal Behaviour 38: 298-308.
8. Chace, J. F., C. Farmer, R. Winfree, D. R. Curson, W. E. Jensen, C. B. Goguen, and S. K. Robinson. 2005. Cowbird (Molothrus ater) ecology: a review of factors influencing distribution and abundance of cowbirds across spatial scales. Ornithological Monographs 57: 45-70.
9. Clark, K. L., and R. J. Robertson. 1979. Spatial and temporal multi-species nesting aggregations in birds as antiparasite and antipredator defenses. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 5: 359-371.
10. Clark, K. L., and R. J. Robertson. 1981. Cowbird parasitism and evolution of antiparasite strategies in the Yellow Warbler. Wilson Bulletin 93: 249-258.
11. Clotfelter, E. D. 1998. What cues do Brown-headed Cowbirds use to locate Red-winged Blackbird host nests? Animal Behaviour 55: 1181-1189.
12. Creighton, P. D., and D. K. Porter. 1974. Nest predation and interference by Western Meadowlarks. Auk 91: 177-178.
13. Davis, S. K. 2003. Nesting ecology of mixed-grass prairie songbirds in southern Saskatchewan. Wilson Bulletin 115: 119-130.
14. Davis, S. K., and D. A. Duncan. 1999. Brown-headed Cowbird parasitizes Upland Sandpiper nest. Blue Jay 57: 73-74.
15. Davis, S. K., and S. G. Sealy. 2000. Cowbird parasitism and nest predation in fragmented grasslands of southwestern Manitoba. Pages 220-228 in Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. Edited by J. N. M. Smith, T. L. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy. University of Texas Press, Austin.
16. Elliott, P. F. 1977. Adaptive significance of cowbird egg distribution. Auk 94: 590-593.
17. Elliott, P. F. 1978. Cowbird parasitism in the Kansas tallgrass prairie. Auk 95: 161-167.
18. Evans, D. R., and J. E. Gates. 1997. Cowbird selection of breeding areas: the role of habitat and bird species abundance. Wilson Bulletin 109: 470-480.
19. Farmer, C. 1999. Factors influencing the distribution and abundance of Brown-headed Cowbirds. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara. 325 pages.
20. Freeman, S., D. F. Gori, and S. Rohwer. 1990. Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds: some aspects of a host-parasite relationship. Condor 92: 336-340.
21. Fretwell, S. D. 1972. Ecological studies of Dickcissels in Texas. Bulletin of the Texas Ornithological Society 5: 22-23.
22. Friedmann, H. 1963. Host relations of the parasitic cowbirds. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 233: 1-276.
23. Granfors, D. A., P. J. Pietz, and L. A. Joyal. 2001. Frequency of egg and nestling destruction by female Brown-headed Cowbirds in grassland nests. Auk 118: 765-769.
24. Haas, C. A., and K. H. Haas. 1998. Brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds on Brown Thrashers: frequency and rates of rejection. Condor 100: 535-540.
25. Hahn, D. C., and J. S. Hatfield. 1995. Parasitism at landscape scale: cowbirds prefer forests. Conservation Biology 9: 1415-1424.
26. Hahn, D. C., and R. J. O'Connor. 2002. Contrasting determinants of abundance in the ancestral and colonized ranges of an invasive species. Pages 219-228 in Predicting species occurrences: issues of scale and accuracy. Edited by J. M. Scott, P. J. Heglund, and M. L. Morrison. Island Press, Covello, California.
27. Hanka, L. R. 1979. Choice of host nest by the Brown-headed Cowbird in Colorado and Wyoming. Condor 81: 436-437.
28. Herkert, J. R., D. L. Reinking, D. A. Wiedenfeld, M. Winter, J. L. Zimmerman, W. E. Jensen, E. J. Finck, R. R. Koford, D. H. Wolfe, S. K. Sherrod, M. A. Jenkins, J. Faaborg, and S. K. Robinson. 2003. Effects of prairie fragmentation on the nest success of breeding birds in the midcontinental United States. Conservation Biology 17: 587-594.
29. Higgins, K. F., and L. M. Kirsch. 1975. Some aspects of the breeding biology of the Upland Sandpiper in North Dakota. Wilson Bulletin 87: 96-102.
30. Hill, D. P., and S. G. Sealy. 1994. Desertion of nests parasitized by cowbirds: have Clay-colored Sparrows evolved an anti-parasite defence? Animal Behaviour 48: 1063-1070.
31. Hoover, J. P., and M. C. Brittingham. 1993. Regional variation in cowbird parasitism of Wood Thrushes. Wilson Bulletin 105: 228-238.
32. Hosoi, S. A., and S. I. Rothstein. 2000. Nest desertion and cowbird parasitism: evidence for evolved responses and evolutionary lag. Animal Behaviour 59: 823-840.
33. Igl, L. D. 2001. A probable extralimital post-breeding assembly of Bufflehead Bucephala albeola in southcentral North Dakota, USA, 1994-2002. Wildfowl 54: 81-93.
34. Igl, L. D., and D. H. Johnson. 1995. Dramatic increase of Le Conte's Sparrow in Conservation Reserve Program fields in the northern Great Plains. Prairie Naturalist 27: 89-94.
35. Igl, L. D., and D. H. Johnson. 1997. Changes in breeding bird populations in North Dakota: 1967 to 1992-93. Auk 114: 74-92.
36. Igl, L. D., and D. H. Johnson. 1999. Le Conte's Sparrows breeding in Conservation Reserve Program fields: precipitation and patterns of population change. Pages 178-186 in Ecology and conservation of grassland birds of the Western Hemisphere. Edited by P. D. Vickery and J. R. Herkert. Studies in Avian Biology 19.
37. Igl, L. D., D. H. Johnson, and H. A. Kantrud. 1999. Uncommon breeding birds in North Dakota: population estimates and frequencies of occurrence. Canadian Field-Naturalist 113: 646-651.
38. Jensen, W. E., and J. F. Cully, Jr. 2005a. Density-dependent habitat selection by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in tallgrass prairie. Oecologia 142: 136-149.
39. Jensen, W. E., and J. F. Cully, Jr. 2005b. Geographic variation in Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism on Dickcissels (Spiza americana) in Great Plains tallgrass prairie. Auk 122: 648-660.
40. Jensen, W. E., and E. J. Finck. 2004. Edge effects of nesting Dickcissels (Spiza americana) in relation to edge type of remnant tallgrass prairie in Kansas. American Midland Naturalist 151: 192-199.
41. Johnsgard, P. A. 1997. The avian brood parasites: deception at the nest. Oxford University Press, New York. 407 pages.
42. Johnson, D. H., and L. D. Igl. 1995. Contributions of the Conservation Reserve Program to populations of breeding birds in North Dakota. Wilson Bulletin 107: 709-718.
43. Johnson, D. H., and L. D. Igl. 2001. Area requirements of grassland birds: a regional perspective. Auk 118: 24-34.
44. Johnson, D. H., and M. D. Schwartz. 1993a. The Conservation Reserve Program and grassland birds. Conservation Biology 7: 934-937.
45. Johnson, D. H., and M. D. Schwartz. 1993b. The Conservation Reserve Program: habitat for grassland birds. Great Plains Research 3: 273-295.
46. Kershner, E. L., and E. K. Bollinger. 1998. Low incidence of cowbird parasitism of grassland birds in Illinois airports. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 91: 103-107.
47. Klein, N. K., and K. V. Rosenberg. 1986. Feeding of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) fledglings by more than one "host" species. Auk 103: 213-214.
48. Koford, R. R., B. S. Bowen, J. T. Lokemoen, and A. D. Kruse. 2000. Cowbird parasitism in grassland and cropland in the northern Great Plains. Pages 229-235 in Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. Edited by J. N. M. Smith, T. L. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy. University of Texas Press, Austin.
49. Krapu, G. L. 1978. Productivity of Red-winged Blackbirds in Prairie Pothole habitat. Iowa Birdlife 48: 24-30.
50. Lindsey, J. K. 1997. Applying generalized linear models. Springer-Verlag, New York. 256 pages.
51. Linz, G. M., and S. B. Bolin. 1982. Incidence of Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism on Red-winged Blackbirds. Wilson Bulletin 94: 93-95.
52. Lorenzana, J. C., and S. G. Sealy. 1999. A meta-analysis of the impact of parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird on its hosts. Pages 241-253 in Research and management of the Brown-headed Cowbird in western landscapes. Edited by M. L. Morrison, L. S. Hall, S. K. Robinson, S. I. Rothstein, D. C. Hahn, and T. D. Rich. Studies in Avian Biology 18.
53. Lowther, P. E. 1993. Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). In The birds of North America (47). Edited by A. Poole and F. Gill. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
54. May, R. M., and S. K. Robinson. 1985. Population dynamics of avian brood parasitism. American Naturalist 126: 475-494.
55. Mayfield, H. F. 1965a. Chance distribution of cowbird eggs. Condor 67: 257-263.
56. Mayfield, H. F. 1965b. The Brown-headed Cowbird, with old and new hosts. Living Bird 4: 13-28.
57. McGeen, D. S. 1972. Cowbird-host relationships. Auk 89: 360-380.
58. McLaren, C. M., B. E. Woolfenden, H. L. Gibbs, and S. G. Sealy. 2003. Genetic and temporal patterns of multiple parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) on Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodid). Canadian Journal of Zoology 81: 281-286.
59. Miles, R. K., and D. A. Buehler. 2000. An evaluation of point counts and playbacks as techniques for censusing Brown-headed Cowbirds. Pages 63-68 in Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. Edited by J. N. M. Smith, T. L. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy. University of Texas Press, Austin.
60. Nice, M. M. 1937. Studies in the life history of the Song Sparrow. I. A population study of the Song Sparrow. Transactions of the Linnaean Society of New York 4: 1-247.
61. Orians, G. H., E. Roeskaft, and L. D. Beletsky. 1989. Do Brown-headed Cowbirds lay their eggs at random in the nests of Red-winged Blackbirds? Wilson Bulletin 101: 599-605.
62. Ortega, C. P. 1991. The ecology of blackbird/cowbird interactions in Boulder County, Colorado. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder. 264 pages.
63. Ortega, C. P. 1998. Cowbirds and other brood parasites. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona. 371 pages.
64. Peer, B. D., S. K. Robinson, and J. R. Herkert. 2000. Egg rejection behavior by grassland cowbird hosts. Auk 117: 892-901.
65. Peer, B. D., and S. G. Sealy. 2004. Correlates of egg rejection in hosts of the Brown-headed Cowbird. Condor 106: 580-599.
66. Picman, J. 1992. Egg destruction by Eastern Meadowlarks. Wilson Bulletin 104: 520-525.
67. Price, J., S. Droege, and A. Price. 1995. The summer atlas of North American birds. Academic Press, New York. 364 pages.
68. Robertson, R. J., and R. F. Norman. 1976. Behavioral defenses to brood parasitism by potential hosts of the Brown-headed Cowbird. Condor 78: 166-173.
69. Robertson, R. J., and R. F. Norman. 1977. The function and evolution of aggressive host behavior towards the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Canadian Journal of Zoology 55: 508-518.
70. Robinson, S. K., J. D. Brawn, S. F. Morse, and J. R. Herkert. 1999. Use of different habitats by breeding Brown-headed Cowbirds in fragmented midwestern landscapes. Pages 52-61 in Research and management of the Brown-headed Cowbird in western landscapes. Edited by M. L. Morrison, L. S. Hall, S. K. Robinson, S. I. Rothstein, D. C. Hahn, and T. D. Rich. Studies in Avian Biology 18.
71. Robinson, S. K., J. P. Hoover, and J. R. Herkert. 2000. Cowbird parasitism in a fragmented landscape: effects of tract size, habitat, and abundance of cowbirds and hosts. Pages 280-297 in Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. Edited by J. N. M. Smith, T. L. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy. University of Texas Press, Austin.
72. Robinson, S. K., S. I. Rothstein, M. C. Brittingham, L. J. Petit, and J. A. Grzyboswki. 1995. Brood parasitism in the Brown-headed Cowbird: effects on host populations. Pages 428-460 in Ecology and management of Neotropical migrant birds. Edited by T. E. Martin and D. M. Finch. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.
73. Robinson, S. K., and J. N. M. Smith. 2000. Introduction: Environmental correlates of cowbird parasitism at multiple scales. Pages 195-199 in Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. Edited by J. N. M. Smith, T. L. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy. University of Texas Press, Austin.
74. Romig, G. P., and R. D. Crawford. 1995. Clay-colored Sparrows in North Dakota parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds. Prairie Naturalist 27: 193-203.
75. Rothstein, S. I., and S. K. Robinson. 1998. The evolution and ecology of avian brood parasitism. Pages 3-56 in Parasitic birds and their hosts: studies in coevolution. Edited by S. I. Rothstein and S. K. Robinson. Oxford University Press, New York.
76. SAS Institute, Inc. 2004. The SAS system for Windows, version 9.1. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina.
77. Schaeff, C., and J. Picman. 1988. Destruction of eggs by Western Meadowlarks. Condor 90: 935-937.
78. Scott, D. M. 1977. Cowbird parasitism on the Gray Catbird at London, Ontario. Auk 94: 18-27.
79. Sealy, S. G. 1996. Evolution of host defenses against brood parasitism: implications of puncture-ejection by a small passerine. Auk 113: 346-355.
80. Sealy, S. G. 1999. Cowbird parasitism on Lark Buntings: frequency, acceptance, and fledging. Journal of Field Ornithology 70: 182-186.
81. Sealy, S. G., and R. C. Bazin. 1995. Low frequency of observed cowbird parasitism on Eastern Kingbirds: host rejection, effective nest defense or parasite avoidance? Behavioral Ecology 6: 140-145.
82. Shaffer, J. A., C. M. Goldade, M. F. Dinkins, D. H. Johnson, L. D. Igl, and B. R. Euliss. 2003. Brown-headed Cowbirds: their habitats, hosts, and response to management. Prairie Naturalist 35: 145-186.
83. Smith, J. N. M., and I. H. Myers-Smith. 1998. Spatial variation in parasitism of Song Sparrows by Brown-headed Cowbirds. Pages 296-312 in Parasitic birds and their hosts: studies in coevolution. Edited by S. I. Rothstein and S. K. Robinson. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.
84. Stewart, R. E. 1975. Breeding birds of North Dakota. Tri-College Center for Environmental Studies, Fargo, North Dakota. 295 pages.
85. Stewart, R. E., and H. A. Kantrud. 1972. Population estimates of breeding birds in North Dakota. Auk 89: 766-788.
86. Strausberger, B. M., and M. V. Ashley. 1997. Community-wide patterns of parasitism of a host "generalist" brood-parasitic cowbird. Oecologia 112: 254-262.
87. Tallman, D. A., D. L. Swanson, and J. S. Palmer. 2002. Birds of South Dakota. South Dakota Ornithologists' Union, Aberdeen, South Dakota. 441 pages.
88. Thompson, F. R., III, S. K. Robinson, T. M. Donovan, J. R. Faaborg, D. R. Whitehead, and D. R. Larsen. 2000. Biogeographic, landscape, and local factors affecting cowbird abundance and host parasite levels. Pages 271-279 in Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. Edited by J. N. M. Smith, T. L. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy. University of Texas Press, Austin.
89. Trine, C. L. 2000. Effects of multiple parasitism on cowbird and Wood Thrush nesting success. Pages 135-144 in Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. Edited by J. N. M. Smith, T. L. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy. University of Texas Press, Austin.
90. Winter, M., D. H. Johnson, J. A. Shaffer, and W. D. Svedarsky. 2004. Nesting biology of three grassland passerines in the northern tallgrass prairie. Wilson Bulletin 116: 211-223.
91. Woolfenden, B. E., H. L. Gibbs, C. M. McLaren, and S. G. Sealy. 2004. Community-level patterns of parasitism: use of three common hosts by a brood parasitic bird, the Brown-headed Cowbird. Ecoscience 11: 238-248.