Rusty Blackbird
Common
Name: Rusty Blackbird (RUBL)
Scientific
Name:
Euphagus carolinensis
Global/Continental
Conservation Status: Not
on IUCN 2004 Red List
National-level
Conservation Status: Nothing other than coverage
by Migratory Bird Treat Act
Key
Reference(s):
BNA No. 200 (Avery 1995)
Distribution:
Breeds from w and n-c Alaska, n Yukon, nw and c Mackenzie, s
Keewatin, n Manatiba, n Ontario, n Quebec, n-c Labrador and Newfoundland
south to sw and s-c Alaska, nw and interior British Columbia, sw and s-c
Alberta, c Saskatchewan, c Manitoba, ne Minnesota, n Michigan, s Ontario,
s Quebec, ne New York, w Massachusetts, c New Hampshire, c Maine, and Nova
Scotia; Winters from c and s-coastal Alaska, s British Columbia, c
Alberta, s Saskatchewan, s Manitoba, s Ontario, and the n U.S. (east of
Rockies) south to c and se Texas, the Gulf coast, and n Florida, and west
to Montana, c Colorado, and e New Mexico, rarely in s Arizona and coastal
California (AOU 1998)
Habitat
Associations:
Moist woodland (primarily coniferous), bushy bogs, & wooded
edges of watercourses (AOU 1998)
Source(s)
of Research/monitoring Needs: Alaska
PIF Bird Conservation Plan; Canadian Action Plan (Dunn 2002); BNA No. 200
(Avery 1995); PIF Monitoring Needs document (Partners in Flight Science
Committee 2004)
PIF
Continental Plan Monitoring Needs Category: Mo2
(BBS trends have very low precision) and Mo3 (species with inadequate
northern coverage)
RESEARCH/MONITORING NEEDS (source(s) of needs)
Monitoring
- Priority
monitoring action – Conduct boreal surveys (PIF Monitoring Needs
doc); (similar) BBS data clearly insufficient to monitor RUBL (BNA);
Improve BBS coverage in boreal forest to the extent feasible (Canadian
Action Plan)
- Second
priority monitoring action – Conduct new winter surveys (PIF
Monitoring Needs doc); (similar) consider merit of a special winter
survey (Canadian Action Plan)
- Supplementary
RUBL Surveys
- Conduct broad-scale monitoring of priority species, including RUBL
in western & central
Alaska
(
Alaska
); Continue/expand migration counts for RUBL (Canadian Action Plan)
- Information
on the causes of population decline in RUBL (Canadian Action Plan)
- Clarify
status of RUBL breeding populations (BNA)
Habitat Needs/Ecology/Life History
- Information
on vocal behavior of RUBL on breeding grounds (function of 2 types of
male song & function of female song) (BNA)
- Information
on social organization during nesting season (effect of type &
structure of available habitat) (BNA)
- Unambiguous
evidence of colonial nesting is needed & factors that govern
whether RUBL nests singly or in colonies (BNA)
Effects of Human Development/Disturbance
- Compare
demography and habitat relations at undisturbed habitats and those
affected by acid precipitation, drainage and peat production (Canadian
Action Plan)
Invasives/Exotics/Disease/Parasites/Contaminants
- Investigate
impact of pest control targeting other blackbird species on RUBL
(Canadian Action Plan)
- see
needs under "Effects of Human Dev/Disturbance"
Demographics
- see
needs under "Effects of Human Dev/Disturbance"
[Link
to References]
[Link
to PIF Bird Conservation Plans]
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