Hi folks,

The editorial staff at the American Ornithologists' Union are to be =
commended. I just received the *April 1996* volume of the Auk! They're =
finally caught up. Scientists who contribute can no longer refer to it =
as the "Great Auk", assuming that it had gone extinct :-) Here are the =
contents, for those who might be interested.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
festuca at olywa.net


Dietary relationships of migrant and resident birds from a humid forest =
in Central Panama. Brigitte Poulin and Gaetan Lefebre. pp 277-287. Diet =
of migrants overlaps little with resident species; unlike residents, =
migrants belonging to same foraging guild have a highly similar diet

Geographic variation of song form within and among Chestnut-sided =
Warbler populations. Bruce E Byers. pp 288-299. Accented-ending and =
unaccented-ending song forms serve different communication functions; =
study site at Savoy State Forest, Massachusetts.

Attendance and diet in relation to breeding success in Herring Gulls =
(Larus argentatus). Monika Bukacinski and Arie L Spaans. pp 300-309. On =
Terschelling, The Netherlands, successful pairs ate more fish and chicks =
of conspecifics and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, than did unsuccessful =
pairs which ate more crabs and starfish.

Thermoregulatory role of the unfeathered head and neck in male Wild =
Turkeys. Richard Buchholz. pp 310-318. Rather than functioning in =
sexual selection.

Old nest material in nest boxes of Tree Swallows: Effects on nest-site =
choice and nest building. Wallace B Rendell and Nicolaas A.M. Verbeek. =
pp 319-328. Old nest material in nest boxes influences nest-site choice =
and nest-building behavior in Tree Swallows. If nest building is costly =
for individual hole nesters (measured by their reproductive output), =
removing old nests from boxes may affect the results of long-term =
studies of reproduction by hole-nesting birds.

Within- and among-year effects of cold fronts on migrating raptors at =
Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, 1934-1991. Paul E Allen, Laurie J Goodrich =
and Keith L Bildstein. pp 329-338. Supports notion that cold fronts =
enhance fall migration rather than simply making birds more visible to =
observers.

Relationships between genetic variation and body size in wintering =
Mallards. Olin E Rhodes Jr, Loren M Smith and Michael H Smith. pp =
339-345. Size was least in female Mallards with the highest levels of =
genetic variation.

Evolution of host defenses against brood parasitism: Implications of =
puncture-ejection by a small passerine. Spencer G Sealy. pp 346-355. =
Warbling Vireos (Vireo gilvus gilvus) in and east of Great Plains - at =
Delta Marsh, Manitoba, reject cowbird eggs; populations west of Great =
Plains (V.g. swainsonii) apparently accept the eggs.

Epaulet brightness and condition in female Red-winged Blackbirds. =
Torgeir S Johnsen, James D Hengeveld , James L Blank, Ken Yasukawa and =
Val Nolan Jr. pp 356-362. Highest ranking birds had brightest epaulets =
and best body condition in Indiana study.

Ecological correlates of molt in Merlins (Falco columbaris). Richard =
H.M. Espie, Paul C James, Ian G Warkentin and Lynn W Oliphant. pp =
363-369. 286 merlins captured during breeding season in Saskatoon, =
Sask.

A comparative analysis of passerine mobbing calls. Millicent Sigler =
Ficken and James Popp. pp 370-380. Calls of 52 species; two trends were =
noted - phylogenetic patterns, and possible convergence in certain =
species engaged in interspecific flocking.

Misuse of data from mist-net captures to assess relative abundance in =
bird populations. J.V. Remsen Jr and David A Good. pp 381-398. Many =
influences on capture data combine to preclude quantitative comparisons =
of relative abundance of birds, either among species or within species =
in different habitats, by use of mist-net data under most current =
research protocols.

Heavy metal and selenium levels in feathers of Franklin's Gulls in =
interior North America. Joanna Burger. pp 399-407. NW Minnesota, eastern =
Dakotas and central Montana. Adults had higher levels of metals except =
for selenium - young birds had higher levels of selenium than did =
adults.

Multiple parasitism of the Red-winged Blackbird: Further experimental =
evidence of evolutionary lag in a common host of the Brown-headed =
Cowbird. David Ward, Anna K Lindholm and James N.M. Smith. pp 408-413. =
Suggests that blackbirds don't recognize foreign eggs, rather than =
because cost of rejecting eggs and re-nesting is too high.

Annual diet of Cedar Waxwings based on U.S. Biological Survey records =
(1885-1950) compared to diet of American Robins: Contrasts in dietary =
patterns and natural history. Mark C Witmer. pp 414-430. Waxwings eat =
fruits with high sugar and low lipid content; Robins eat sugary and =
high-lipid fruits.

Population fluctuation in Sulawesi Red-knobbed Hornbills: Tracking figs =
in space and time. Margaret F Kinnaird, Timothy G O'Brien and Suer =
Suryadi. pp 431-440. Because Indonesian Hornbills appear to track fig =
production over large distances (and include a mix of other rainforest =
tree species in diet), they may play important role as agents of =
rainforest regeneration.

Mechanisms of facultative sex-ratio variation in Zebra Finches =
(Taeniopygia guttata). Ethan D Clotfelter. pp 441-449. Offspring sex =
ratio at independence was significantly male-biased.

Influence of auditory stimulation on the development of syntactical and =
temporal features in European Starling song. Jorg Bohner and Dietmar =
Todt. pp 450-456. Starlings have "predetermined knowledge" of some song =
features, but need environmental input to convert such information into =
"vocal output". (Yeah, I wouldn't call it a starling "song", =
either....)

A phylogenetic perspective of evaporative water loss in birds. Joseph B =
Williams. pp 457-472. Study negates idea that small desert birds =
replenish less of their water loss with metabolic water than do larger =
birds.

Food finding and the influence of information, local enhancement, and =
communal roosting on foraging success of North American vultures. Neil =
J Buckley. pp 473-488. Turkey Vultures usually find food first, but were =
often displaced by Black Vultures.

In Memoriam: Richard R Olendorff, 1943-1994. Marc J Bechard. p 489. =
Raptor researcher, established BLM Raptor Research and Tech. Assistance =
Center in Boise.

Correlates of Mating Success in Indian Peafowl. Shahla Yasmin and H.S.A. =
Yahya. pp 490-492. (The bigger and better your tail feathers are, and =
the more you can give the "rusty gate" call, the better your mating =
success is...)

Consequences For Captive Zebra Finches of Consuming Tall Fescue Seeds =
Infected With the Endophytic Fungus _Acremonium coenophialum_. Michael R =
Conover and Terry A Messmer. pp 492-495. Reproductive success of Zebra =
Finches not affected; contrasts with findings in Japanese Quail.

Feeding Behavior, Size Asymmetry, and Food Distribution in Magellanic =
Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) Chicks. Daniel E Blanco, Pablo Yorio =
and P Dee Boersma. pp 496-498.=20

Scanning and Tail-flicking in the Australian Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula =
tenebrosa). David A Ryan, Kylie M Bawden, Kathryn T Bermingham and Mark =
A Elgar. pp 499-501. Signal of alertness and social status.

Nocturnal Nest Attendance of Killdeers: More Than Meets the Eye. Nils =
Warnock and Lewis W Oring. pp 502-504. Males generally incubated during =
night, members of one pair reversed this pattern on two different =
nights.

Secondary Sex Ratio in Anatidae. Peter Blums and Aivars Mednis. pp =
505-511. Not different from unity.

DNA Fingerprinting Reveals Monogamy in the Bushtit, a Cooperatively =
Breeding Species. Jeffrey P Bruce, James S Quinn, Sarah A Sloane and =
Bradley N White. pp 511-516. Data from Cave Creek, Arizona.


Under the literature reviews section in the back of the volume, Arnold =
Small's "California Birds: Their Status and Distribution" was reviewed =
by Carla Cicero and Ned K Johnson of UCal Berkeley under the title - =
"Declining Scientific Standards in Studies of Avian Distribution". This =
note laments the lack of quality control in some of the more recent =
volumes on bird distribution. Their quote: "The birding mentality =
established in the Preface sets the standards for the remainder of the =
book. Notably lacking are the well-documented records and meticulous =
maps that characterized Grinnel and Miller's authoritative work.... =
Recreational birders will find this book of interest because of its =
plethora of superb color photographs, three useful maps, and fundamental =
information on seasonal status, habitats, and distribution in the state. =
Serious amateurs and professionals, on the other hand, should continue =
to rely on specimen-based distributional data provided by Grinnell and =
Miller, supplemented with well-substantiated records in other =
compilations". Just between you and me, I prefer Gabrielson and Jewett =
and Jewett et al. to some of the more recent compilations of Northwest =
bird distribution.

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