Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory

30 Jun, 05 PM - 30 Aug, 05 PM

The main focus of these experiments is an investigation of how variation in the timing and extent of exposure to different social environments affects development of song in males and song preferences in female cowbirds. Nestling cowbirds will be taken from host nests in the Sierra Nevada where cowbirds are abundant. The birds will be hand-reared at VESP until they reach the fledgling stage when males will be move to a separated room and housed in groups in large flight cages (1.5 x 0.7 x 1.8 m). This room will also contain 3 adult male and one female cowbird in a separate flight cage to provide the young birds with exposure to adult songs. Because we will collect nestlings throughout the breeding season, this will result in different levels of exposure to song by individual birds. Fledgling females will be kept in groups in cages (1.5 x 0.7 x 1.8 m) isolated from males. In late summer, the males and females will be transported to UCSB. If we have difficulty finding sufficient nestlings by this means, we will trap female cowbirds and hold them in captivity overnight. Our past research shows that 70% of females will lay an egg under these circumstances and we will place these eggs in suitable host nests, e.g. cliff swallows. We will remove the cowbird nestlings from these nests when the nestlings are 4/5 d old. This egg placement procedure is often used in avian research and there is no evidence that this short-term parasitism has adverse effects on hosts or their young. The nestlings will be raised in ?broods? of four in artificial nests kept in covered baskets. Heating pads will be used to control temperatures. Their care and diet will be based on procedures the PI has successfully used to hand raise numerous song sparrows in work at the University of Washington. The song sparrow is a species frequently parasitized successfully by cowbirds and has the same nestling food needs as cowbirds. If we have difficulty in obtaining sufficient numbers of nestlings by either of these methods, we will supplement our sample with birds trapped as independent juveniles later in the season. Date of capture can serve as an indication of hatching date which is in turn correlated with the amount of exposure to song a bird has experienced.

Visit #6556 @Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory

Approved

Under Project # 4937 | Research

Cowbird Research

faculty - University of California, Santa Barbara

Reservation Members(s)

Adrian O'Loghlen Jun 30 - Aug 30, 2005 (62 days)
Adrian O'Loghlen Jun 30 - Aug 30, 2005 (62 days)

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