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12 results for “northern flicker”
Data from: Condition-dependent expression of carotenoid- and melanin-based plumage colour of northern flicker nestlings revealed by manipulation of brood size
Carotenoid-based colouration in feathers is widely accepted to be a reliable signal of the health of an individual, but the condition-dependence of melanin-based plumage ornaments has been highly debated. Using broods that were manipulated in size, we tested whether nutritional stress during rearing affected the carotenoid pigmentation in secondary feathers and the size, shape, and symmetry of melanin spots on breast plumage of northern flicker Colaptes auratus nestlings. Two measures of carotenoid colour (chroma and brightness) of secondary flight feathers did not vary according to brood size treatment, but in a larger dataset from the population, carotenoid chroma was positively associated with nestling mass. Nestlings from experimentally enlarged broods had smaller melanin spots than those from reduced broods, which is some of the first experimental evidence that melanin ornament size in growing nestlings is condition-dependent. However, the shape and symmetry of the melanin breast spots was not associated with nestling mass. Sexual dimorphism was apparent in both types of pigmentation and future studies should investigate whether there are any trade-offs for nestlings between investing in carotenoid colouration and melanisation and whether trade-offs differ between the sexes.
Revisiting a classic hybrid zone: movement of the northern flicker hybrid zone in contemporary times
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Natural hybrid zones have provided important insights into the evolutionary process, and their geographic dynamics over time can help to disentangle the underlying biological processes that maintain them. Here, we leverage replicated sampling of an identical transect across the hybrid zone between yellow-shafted and red-shafted flickers in the Great Plains to assess its stability over ~60 years (1955-1957 to 2016-2018). We identify a ~73 km westward shift in the hybrid zone center towards the range of the red-shafted flicker, but find no associated changes in width over our sampling period. In fact, the hybrid zone remains remarkably narrow, suggesting some kind of selective pressure maintains the zone. By comparing to previous work in the same geographic region, it appears likely that the movement in the hybrid zone has occurred in the years since the early 1980s. This recent movement may be related to changes in climate or land management practices that have allowed asymmetric westward movement of yellow-shafted flickers into the Great Plains.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Data from: A flicker of hope: genomic data distinguish Northern Flicker taxa despite low levels of divergence
Next-generation sequencing technologies are increasingly being employed to explore patterns of genomic variation in avian taxa previously characterized using morphology and/or traditional genetic markers. The hybridization dynamics of the Northern Flicker complex have received considerable attention, primarily due to the conspicuous plumage differences among these birds and the geographically extensive hybrid zone between the Red-shafted (Colaptes auratus cafer) and Yellow-shafted (Colaptes auratus auratus) flickers in the Great Plains region of North America. However, no traditional molecular techniques have been able to differentiate these 2 morphologically well-defined taxa from one another, or conclusively from the closely related Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides). Here, we use a next-generation sequencing approach to assess the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of these 3 taxa. We confirm the overall low levels of differentiation found using traditional molecular markers, but are able to distinguish between the 3 taxa for the first time, using a dataset of thousands of SNP loci distributed across the genome. Through demographic modeling and phylogenetic reconstructions, we find that Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted flickers are likely sister taxa, and that their divergence from the Gilded Flicker was comparatively older. The low level of divergence and lack of fixed differences in our dataset between Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted flickers, in particular, suggests whole-genome re-sequencing may be necessary to assess the dynamics of their hybridization and identify the genetic basis of their striking differences in plumage.
Data from: A flicker of hope: genomic data distinguish Northern Flicker taxa despite low levels of divergence
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Data from: Condition-dependent expression of carotenoid- and melanin-based plumage colour of northern flicker nestlings revealed by manipulation of brood size
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Revisiting a classic hybrid zone: movement of the northern flicker hybrid zone in contemporary times
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Local recruitment in Northern Flickers is related to environmental factors at multiple scales and provides reproductive benefits to yearling breeders settling close to home
<p>Natal dispersal and local recruitment are affected by factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to juveniles and may affect fitness. Understanding the relationship between dispersal and population density in birds has been hindered by a lack of long-term studies and a focus on resident species has neglected the role of weather operating at large spatial scales. I studied local recruitment and the reproductive consequences of natal dispersal distance within a population of Northern Flickers (<i>Colaptes auratus</i>), a migratory woodpecker. During a field study spanning 16 years in British Columbia, 8272 fledglings were banded and 138 males and 105 females recruited locally. Average annual local recruitment rate for males (3.36%) was greater than for females (2.55%) and propensity to recruit locally was positively correlated with an early hatch date and high body condition. Annual local recruitment was not associated with population density in the year of hatch but was positively correlated with population density in the year of settlement. Local recruitment was also positively correlated with warmer springs during migration consistent with the phenology hypothesis. Among local recruits, natal dispersal distance was independent of the presence of parents and so dispersal was not a behavior to prevent inbreeding. However, settling closer to the natal site led to reproductive benefits in terms of earlier laying dates and better nest success. Therefore, juveniles may gain useful information about the location of nesting substrates, predation risk, and patchy food resources by exploring the landscape around their natal site during the post-fledging period and then settling in the familiar area after returning from migration.</p>
Divorce in Northern Flickers
<p>Divorce is widespread among species of birds and may either be an adaptive strategy to secure a better mate or territory or be a non-adaptive result of a failure to maintain the pairbond. I examined the causes and consequences for divorce in the Norther Flicker (<i>Colaptes auratus</i>), a migratory woodpecker with a high annual mortality rate. In a long-term population study of 1793 breeding pairs over 17 years, the within-season divorce rate was 4.6% and the between-season divorce rate was 15.5%. Retained pairs within a season initiated their renest 5 days faster than divorced birds which had no greater fledgling production, suggesting that within-season divorce was making the best of a bad job with severe time constraints. Poor performance in the year prior to divorce was not strongly associated with divorce and analysis of multiple breeding stages revealed that divorcing individuals in the subsequent year had later laying dates, smaller clutches and fewer fledglings than retained pairs but no better performance than widowed individuals. Analyzing the data separately by sex showed that neither males nor females benefitted from divorce. Thus, there is a reproductive cost linked to finding a new partner <i>per se</i>, but no reproductive advantage associated with divorce. New mates after divorce were usually not older (not higher quality) than previous mates, so intrasexual competition was probably not driving partnership splits. The most plausible explanation seems to be a "bet-hedging" hypothesis in which birds re-pair rapidly in spring if their previous mate does not quickly arrive during spring migration. Divorce in Northern Flickers does not appear to be adaptive and future studies on arrival and interactions of individuals in spring will elucidate proximate constraints on relocating the previous partner.</p>
Divorce in Northern Flickers
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Local recruitment in Northern Flickers is related to environmental factors at multiple scales and provides reproductive benefits to yearling breeders settling close to home
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Data from: Northern flickers only work when they have to: how individual traits, population size and landscape disturbances affect excavation rates of an ecosystem engineer
Woodpeckers are considered ecosystem engineers because they excavate tree cavities which are used subsequently by many species of secondary cavity nesters for breeding. Woodpeckers have the choice of excavating a new hole or reusing an existing one, and this propensity to excavate (e) may affect community dynamics but has rarely been investigated. Using 18 years of data on a population of northern flickers Colaptes auratus, I tested six hypotheses to explain the propensity to excavate (e) in a landscape which experienced two types of disturbance: pine beetles and wildfires. Woodpecker age, breeding experience and mate retention had little influence on e which varied between 13-39% annually and averaged 23% for 1843 first nests over the 18 years. Body size and body condition of males and females were not associated with e but rates of excavation declined seasonally, suggesting time rather than energy costs limited excavation effort. Reduced cavity availability mediated through high conspecific density coupled with wildfires triggered relatively high excavation rates, up to 39% but e decreased to baseline levels three years after the landscape disturbances. Nearly 2/3 of males did not excavate in their lifetime but apparently, e is great enough to balance the average rate of cavity tree loss in this forest which is 11% annually. Excavation propensity in flickers is flexible, but the birds reduce their work levels if there is a surplus of holes available.
Data from: Northern flickers only work when they have to: how individual traits, population size and landscape disturbances affect excavation rates of an ecosystem engineer
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Allen Brain Atlas
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International Brain Laboratory public data
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OpenNeuro
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