Characteristics and Behavior of Guineafowl and Domesticated Chicken Hybrids

The description, behavior, and morphologic measurements are presented for two hybrid crosses of domesticated chicken and guineafowl. The ease at which gallinaceous birds hybridize might warrant a closer look at the classification system. Possibly the number of families in the superfamily Phasianoidea should be reduced as some other researchers suggest

Species Composition and Diversity of Hawk Populations in Northeastern Arkansas

Species composition and diversity of hawk populations were analyzed for northeastern Arkansas by the use of roadside censuses conducted in September through April from 1974- 1977. Data from 10 years of Jonesboro Christmas Bird Counts were also analyzed. During the roadside survey 20,174 miles were driven and 1819 raptors were counted. Ten species were observed with the Red-tailed Hawk being most abundant followed by the Marsh Hawk and the American Kestrel. Eight species were recorded from the 10 years of Christmas Bird Counts. Annual breeding bird surveys and spot records turned up three additional species making a total of 14 species in 15 years of study. Although hawk populations fluctuate from year to year, the data do not reveal any downward trend in numbers in northeastern Arkansas. Large concentrations of hawks do not appear in this region of the state until after mid-September. Populations reach a peak in December after which they decline in January. A second peak is reached in February followed by a gradual decline such that in April the American Kestrel is the only species consistently seen from the roadside. After April only a few hawks remain to nest. Both Krider\u27s and melanistic Red-tails occur here but from a total of 864 Red-tailed Hawks observed only 26 Krider\u27s and 31 melanistic or Buteo iamaicensis harlanii were recorded

Seasonal Abundance and Habitat Distribution of Birds in Northeastern Arkansas

Bird sighting records from 1964 through 1978 for 17 northeastern Arkansas counties were compiled according to the seasonal status, relative abundance and habitat distribution of each species. The five seasonal occurrence categories and their relative species composition were: transient visitant (46.6%), summer resident (20.3%), winter resident (14.8%), permanent resident (17.2%) and winter visitant (1.0%). The seven seasonal abundance categories and their relative species composition were: very rare (13.9%), rare 15.9%), uncommon (30.7%), fairly common (10.5%), common (25.6%), very common (1.7%) and abundant (1.7%). Eleven habitat categories were included: campestrian, abandoned fields, forest edge, lowland woods, upland woods, riparian woods, marshes, mud flats, flooded fields, lakes and ponds, and edificarian. A total of 268 species were recorded over the 15 year period

Taxonomic Relationship of Hybrid Peafowl-Guineafowl: Preliminary Study of Serum Proteins

Disc electrophoresis of serum proteins was conducted for the peafowl, guineafowl, peafowl-guineafowl hybrid, and domesticated chicken. The four birds analyzed are of the same order but family status has been questioned. Serum protein patterns for all birds were similar in the anodic regions but different in the cathodic regions. The peafowl-guineafowl hybrid showed a pattern more similar to that of the peafowl than to that of the guineafowl. In morphologic characters the hybrid also was more similar to the peahen than to the guineafowl. In the cathodic region the serum protein pattern of the guineafowl was more unlike the patterns of the other three birds