In prairies and woodlands like those found in southern Wisco…

In prairies and woodlands like those found in southern Wisconsin, it is thought that before European colonization, fire was a fairly frequent occurrence (it occurred approximately every  3 to 15 years on a given area of land).  What does the research on oak woodlands, described in class by guest speaker Maia Pershe,  suggest about the effects of fire on bird habitat?  Name at least two effects.

In birds, the strategy employed by a species with regard to…

In birds, the strategy employed by a species with regard to chick developmental maturity at the time of hatching  is related to capabilities in early life as well capabilities in adulthood. Focusing on the two ends of the continuum of developmental maturity at time of hatching, what are differences between altricial and precocial species, in terms of growth in the post-hatching period and associated traits as adults?   List at least six pairs of differences.  

In herring gulls, the parent has a red spot on the lower par…

In herring gulls, the parent has a red spot on the lower part of its beak.  When the chick pecks at the spot, the parent responds by regurgitating food for the chick. What is name for this response behavior by the parent gull? At what stage of life does the parent gull learn to regurgitate food in response to it’s chick pecking the red spot? 

 In North America we have lost a staggering 2.9 billion bird…

 In North America we have lost a staggering 2.9 billion birds since 1970 .   Habitat loss is the biggest reason for this loss, but there are other reasons as well.  Name 5 causes of bird mortality that contribute to population decline (these causes   are not limited to North America).  Do not include residential housing and the associated changes in the vicinity of houses, as this was the topic of the previous question.  

Researchers have examined the density of neurons in the brai…

Researchers have examined the density of neurons in the brains of some birds in relation to the birds’  activities at different times within the annual cycle.  a) What can be said about neuron density at different times of the year, from these studies? b) Provide an example.