Injuries to a Whiskered Screech-Owl (Megascops trichopsis) chick inflicted by a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) in a nest cavity

10.1676/17-24 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (1) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Andrés E. Estay-Stange ◽  
Ricardo Rodríguez-Estrella ◽  
Amando Bautista
Keyword(s):  
Nest Cavity ◽  
Northern Flicker ◽  
Colaptes Auratus

scholarly journals Microclimate of Tree Cavity Nests: Is it Important for Reproductive Success in Northern Flickers?

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 412-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Nest Temperature ◽  
Tree Health ◽  
Nest Cavity ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Tree Cavity ◽  
Northern Flicker ◽  
Colaptes Auratus ◽  
Cavity Nests

AbstractI measured structural characteristics of 160 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) nests at Riske Creek, British Columbia, and placed electronic data-loggers in a subsample of 86 nests to record internal temperatures after the flickers completed nesting. Using multiple regression, I found that the best predictors of a variety of nest-cavity temperature variables were tree health, diameter of the tree at cavity height, and orientation of the cavity. Small and dead trees showed the most extreme (maximum and minimum) temperatures during the day, but, on average, were the coldest nests from the perspective of incubation. South-facing cavities reached the highest temperatures during the day, and the orientation of natural cavities was also biased towards the south. I predicted that cold nests would be energetically expensive for adults and nestlings, and found that clutch size was positively correlated with mean cavity temperature. However, there did not appear to be any relationship among nest temperature and hatching or fledging success.

New and little-known species of feather mites (Acari: Analgoidea: Pteronyssidae) from birds in North America

2006 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei V. Mironov ◽  
Terry D. Galloway
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Feather Mites ◽  
New Host ◽  
Cliff Swallow ◽  
Northern Flicker ◽  
Picoides Pubescens ◽  
Colaptes Auratus ◽  
First Time ◽  
New Host Records

AbstractIn this paper, we review the pteronyssid feather mites of the genera Pteronyssus Robin, Scutulanyssus Mironov, and Stenopteronyssus Faccini and Atyeo found in the course of an investigation into ectoparasites of birds in Canada. Five new species of feather mites are described: Pteronyssus sphyrapicinussp. nov. from the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius (L.); Stenopteronyssus proctoraesp. nov. from the Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus (L.); Scutulanyssus progneisp. nov. and Scutulanyssus subissp. nov. from the Purple Martin, Progne subis (L.); and Scutulanyssus petrochelidonissp. nov. from the Cliff Swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot). New host records are provided for Pteronyssus picoides Černy and Schumilo from the Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens (L.), and for Scutulanyssus obscurus (Berlese) from the Cliff Swallow; Pteronyssus brevipes Berlese and Scutulanyssus hirundicolus Mironov are formally recorded in North America for the first time; and Pteronyssus centurus McDaniel and Price is reported for the first time in Canada, from Lewis' Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis (Gray). Scutulanyssus tyrrelli (Canestrini) is reported for the first time in Manitoba from the Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot). Keys are provided for all species of Pteronyssus and Scutulanyssus found in North America.

Seasonal population dynamics of chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera and Ischnocera) infesting three species of woodpeckers (Aves: Piciformes: Picidae) in Manitoba, Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 148 (6) ◽  
pp. 683-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Lamb ◽  
Terry D. Galloway
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Chewing Lice ◽  
Northern Flicker ◽  
Picoides Pubescens ◽  
Colaptes Auratus ◽  
Male To Female ◽  
Seasonal Population ◽  
Seasonal Population Dynamics

AbstractThree species of woodpeckers (Piciformes: Picidae) in Manitoba, Canada, were examined for chewing lice (Phthiraptera): the resident downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens(Linnaeus),n=55), and two migrants, yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius(Linnaeus),n=316) and northern flicker (Colaptes auratus(Linnaeus),n=225). Six species were collected:Menacanthus pici(Denny) (Amblycera: Menoponidae) from all hosts, and five species of Ischnocera (Philopteridae):Penenirmus auritus(Scopoli) from downy woodpeckers and sapsuckers,Picicola snodgrassi(Kellogg) andBrueelia straminea(Denny) from downy woodpeckers, andPenenirmus jungens(Kellogg) andPicicola porismaDalgleish from flickers. Adults and nymphs were present on downy woodpeckers all year, and on migrant sapsuckers and flickers from when they arrived until they left, suggesting lice reproduce continuously on their hosts. Prevalence and mean intensities of louse infestations generally decreased from their respective springtime levels to their lowest values during or at the end of the breeding season of their hosts, and then increased in various degrees during the fall. No seasonal pattern in louse sex ratios was observed except on northern flickers, where male to female ratios for two of three species were lowest during the breeding season. Resident and migrant hosts had similar seasonal patterns of infestation by lice.

scholarly journals Hypoxia Probably Does not Explain Short Incubation Periods of Woodpeckers

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 976-979
Author(s):  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Partial Pressure ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Selective Force ◽  
Tree Cavities ◽  
Incubation Periods ◽  
Northern Flicker ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Colaptes Auratus ◽  
Ambient Levels

Abstract I tested the hypothesis that hypoxia in tree cavities causes the unusually short incubation periods characteristic of woodpeckers. I compared saturated O2 levels in ambient air to O2 levels in 13 unoccupied and 14 occupied nest cavities of the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). Oxygen in unoccupied cavities did not differ from ambient levels, whereas O2 in cavities with an incubating adult was 2.2% lower than in saturated air. However, the magnitude of the decrease (20.5% oxygen in occupied cavities compared to 21.0% O2 in saturated air) is small compared to variation in the partial pressure of O2 caused by altitude. This suggests that O2 depletion is not a major selective force on embryonic development times for birds nesting in tree cavities. Alternative hypotheses for short incubation periods of woodpeckers include sexual selection on females and sibling competition.

Geographic Variation in Clutch Size in the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus): Support for Ashmole's Hypothesis

The Auk ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 698-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter D. Koenig
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Substantial Portion ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuations ◽  
Northern Flicker ◽  
Colaptes Auratus

Abstract The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus), a common hole-nesting North American woodpecker, exhibits a highly significant latitudinal increase in clutch size. Using preserved clutches and information on climatic conditions and breeding densities of confamilial species, I examined the hypothesis that this geographic trend is the result of seasonal fluctuations in resources ("Ashmole's hypothesis"; Ashmole 1961, 1963; Ricklefs 1980). Clutch size is significantly correlated both with the ratio of summer productivity to estimated breeding densities of all woodpecker species and with the ratio of summer to winter productivity, supporting Ashmole's hypothesis. In addition, a substantial portion of the latitudinal gradient can be directly explained by the seasonality of resources, primarily because of an inverse correlation between clutch size and winter productivity. These results provide the first corroboration of Ashmole's hypothesis from an examination of intraspecific clutch-size variation and suggest that geographic trends in fecundity in some cases may be largely attributable to trends in seasonal fluctuations of resources.

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Wiebe ◽  
William S. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Northern Flicker ◽  
Colaptes Auratus
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