Treesearch

We develop and explain a species ranking system for the states and physiographic regions of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Program's West Working Group. The ranking criteria attempt to measure characteristics of species which make them vulnerable to extirpation, as well as assess the relative importance of different geographic and/or political areas to the species in question. These criteria include: the importance of the area of consideration to the species as a whole (importance of area), global abundance, threats on the breeding grounds, threats on the wintering grounds,...

Riparian ecosystems are among the rarest and most sensitive habitat types in the western United States. Riparian habitat is critical for up to 80% of terrestrial vertebrate species, and is especially important in the arid West. Estimates have placed riparian habitat loss at greater than 95% in most western states. Impacts to riparian ecosystems are reviewed along with mitigation and conservation recommendations for resource managers.

Many agricultural pesticides and industrial contaminants are capable of adversely affecting birds through direct effects such as elevated mortality rates and decreased reproductive success or indirectly by modifying habitat composition or food availability. Although neotropical migrants are potentially exposed to these contaminants on their breeding, migratory and wintering habitats, the impact of pollutants on population declines of migrant species is poorly understood. We revjew the effects of these contaminants on birds, evaluate the ability of current monitoring techniques to detect...

The Merriam's wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) is a bird of the western United States. Early naturalists found it here. This is where its range has been expanded through transplants. This is where it has become a valuable sport hunting and aesthetic resource. This is where it must be managed. To understand Merriam's wild turkey management, one must understand the ecology of the West.

If persistence of migrant populations depends on the ability to find favorable conditions for survival throughout the annual cycle, factors associated with the en-route ecology of migrants must figure in any analysis of population change and in development of a comprehensive conservation "strategy." We view en-route habitat selection as a hierarchical process. Once migration routes are recognized and geographical variability in the route and timing are documented, important stopover habitat for Neotropical migrants can be delimited. The continent-wide pattern of migration concentrates...

Loss of tropical broadleaved forests and concurrent population declines of long-distance migratory birds in temperate breeding areas have been closely linked in both scientific and popular literature; however, little evidence of a causal association currently exists. We review the current land use situation in the neotropics, the projected outcome of deforestation early in the 21st century, and the extent of knowledge of migratory bird habitat use on the wintering grounds. From that information, we assess the likely current and future impact of deforestation on migratory birds, and examine...

The prioritization scheme identifies those birds at any locality on several geographic scales most in need of conservation action. Further, it suggests some of those actions that ought to be taken. Ranking criteria used to set priorities for Neotropical migratory landbirds measure characteristics of species that make them vulnerable to local and global extinction. Ranking parameters are global abundance, global extent of breeding and non-breeding distributions, threats during breeding and non-breeding periods, population trend, and the importance of the area under consideration for...

We ranked species of neotropical migrant landbirds by decreasing management concern for their viability in the Midwest. This was part of a coordinated effort by regional working groups of the Partners In Flight Program, an interagency program for the conservation of neotropical migratory birds (NTMBs). Species were ranked by seven criteria, developed by working group co-chairs and participants in the Partners in Flight Program. The first four criteria were global and do not change with the region being considered; they were global abundance, extent of winter distribution, threats on...

The Northeast Region encompasses a diversity of habitats, from the coastal plain of Virginia to the boreal spruce-fir forests of northern Maine, with a varied group of neotropical migratory bird species occupying these habitats. The geographic area of concern in this analysis includes the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, corresponding to Administrative Region 5 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). These states represent...

A number of programs have been set up to monitor populations of nongame migratory birds. We review these programs and their purposes and provide information on obtaining data or results from these programs. In addition, we review recommendations for improving these programs.