Deterring cliff-swallow nesting on highway structures using bioacoustics and surface modifications

نویسندگان

  • Jaclyn S. Conklin
  • Michael J. Delwiche
  • Robert W. Coates
  • JACLYN S. CONKLIN
  • MICHAEL J. DELWICHE
  • ROBERT W. COATES
چکیده

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are migratory birds that breed in colonies and frequently nest on highway structures. Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, swallows in their active nests cannot be harmed by nesting-control methods. This causes problems and delays in maintenance of structures by divisions of many departments of transportation. We evaluated 2 aversion strategies, bioacoustic deterrents and surface modifi cations, for their effect on cliff swallow nesting behavior. The bioacoustic deterrents consisted of sonic devices that broadcast 8 unique recordings of alarm and distress calls of cliff swallows. We made surface modifi cations, mounting high-density polyethylene sheeting on the vertical surfaces at typical bridge-nesting locations. We used 28 bridges in the Sacramento Valley of California to test the aversion strategies. Both the broadcast calls and polyethylene sheeting treatments signifi cantly reduced the number of nests built at a site, but neither treatment nor the combination of treatments completely stopped nesting, as would be required by transportation departments.

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

A model to predict the likelihood of cliff swallow nesting on highway structures in northern California

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are colonially breeding migratory birds that frequently nest on highway structures. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, people cannot harm swallows or their active nests. This restriction causes problems and delays for construction and maintenance divisions of many departments of transportation. In planning future projects, it would be useful f...

متن کامل

CLIFF-NESTING ADAPTATIONS OF THE GALiPAGOS SWALLOW-TAILED GULL1

E CULLEN (1957) showed that the cliff-nesting Black-legged Kittiwake (Larus (Rissa) tridactylus) differs from “typical” (i.e., ground-nesting)‘ gulls in many respects. The species’ unique morphological and behavioral characters, Cullen cogently argued, have resulted from adaptation (either directly or indirectly) to cliff-breeding. Epistemologically, the correlation between cliff-nesting and un...

متن کامل

Immune Responses of a Native and an Invasive Bird to Buggy Creek Virus (Togaviridae: Alphavirus) and Its Arthropod Vector, the Swallow Bug (Oeciacus vicarius)

Invasive species often display different patterns of parasite burden and virulence compared to their native counterparts. These differences may be the result of variability in host-parasite co-evolutionary relationships, the occurrence of novel host-parasite encounters, or possibly innate differences in physiological responses to infection between invasive and native hosts. Here we examine the ...

متن کامل

Cliff swallows, swallow bugs, and West Nile virus: an unlikely transmission mechanism.

The cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) could play an important role in the transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) because of its breeding ecology, reservoir competence status, and potentially high natural exposure rates. Cliff swallows nest within colonies and their nests are occupied year-round by swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius), hematophagus ectoparasites that feed primarily on cliff sw...

متن کامل

Group Size and Nest Spacing Affect Buggy Creek Virus (Togaviridae: Alphavirus) Infection in Nestling House Sparrows

The transmission of parasites and pathogens among vertebrates often depends on host population size, host species diversity, and the extent of crowding among potential hosts, but little is known about how these variables apply to most vector-borne pathogens such as the arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses). Buggy Creek virus (BCRV; Togaviridae: Alphavirus) is an RNA arbovirus transmitted by the...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره   شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2009