Insect taxa named for the Rev. John H. Keen, early naturalist on the Queen Charlotte Islands and at Metlakatla, British Columbia

The Reverend John Henry Keen (1851–1950) spent nearly 20 years serving Anglican missions in British Columbia, at Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii in the 1890s, and on the adjacent mainland at Metlakatla, during the summer of 1890 and for several years in the early 1900s. Despite leading the busy life of a clergyman, Keen assembled extensive collections of natural history specimens, particularly of insects and mammals. He was spurred on by the likelihood that many specimens would represent species new to science, predictions that were later borne out. Keen initially sent specimens to the Natural History Museum in London, but later sent most of them to Dr. James Fletcher, Dominion Entomologist, in Ottawa, who forwarded many specimens to specialists in the United States and France for identification. Keen was among the first collectors of natural history specimens on the north coast of British Columbia and, in recognition of his contributions, eight insect taxa were named after him, based on the type specimens he collected in this region

Egg laying in inappropriate nests by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater): acts of parasitism or emergency egg dumping?

The generalist, brood-parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) has been found to parasitize the nests of about 220 species, mostly passerine birds. Among the thousands of documented cases of parasitism are rare records of egg laying in nests in which the cowbird stands no chance of success, because its diet or developmental strategy are incompatible with those of the “host” species. Forty-four nests of 16 such inappropriate host species are reviewed: 23 nests of nine precocial species (waterbirds and shorebirds) plus 21 nests of seven altricial species (a raptor, doves, cuckoos, a hummingbird, and a woodpecker). Two hypotheses explain inappropriate egg laying. In the “normal laying” hypothesis, Brown-headed Cowbirds may lay dozens of eggs in nests they encounter, including the occasional inappropriate nest. In the “emergency laying” hypothesis, females, on discovering that a selected nest has failed, must lay or “dump” her eggs elsewhere, in nests of inappropriate hosts or already-parasitized nests of regular hosts. Support for either hypothesis will require electronic surveillance of movements of nest-searching and laying Brown-headed Cowbirds to generate fine-scale spatial data that confirm whether parasitism on inappropriate nests occurs at the usual laying time for pre-selected nests (around sunrise) or later in the day if the chosen nest has failed and emergency laying is required

Social transmission in avian brood parasitism systems

Obligate brood parasites lay all of their eggs in nests of other species, leaving the burden of parental care entirely to the hosts. As a consequence of being parasitized, hosts’ reproductive success is often reduced. This strategy has triggered a coevolutionary dynamic involving behavioural, physiological and morphological adaptations and counter-adaptations from the two players, whose conflicting functions are to successfully parasitize a nest, and prevent or reduce the negative effects of parasitism. In parasite systems studied in the New and Old worlds, warbler hosts exhibited different degrees of learning antiparasite defences from conspecifics. By quantifying strength and direction of selection of intensity and plasticity of nest defence, it was possible to reveal role and evolutionary consequences of social transmission in the frontline defence of this arms race. As group mobbing was also part of antiparasite defence, results indicate that an extended phenotype, including conspecific and hetrospecific social phenotype, should be taken into account for continued investigations of the selection trajectories in this ideal coevolutionary model

Body Condition and Survival of Vagrant Long-billed Murrelets, Brachyramphus perdix, in North America

From 1979 through 2009, 81 records of long-distance vagrancy in the Long-billed Murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix) in North America south of Alaska were examined to assess body condition and survival after first observation. Sixty-one records were of live birds, of which 38 (62.3%) were discovered at sea along the west coast of North America, 18 (29.5%) were encountered inland, and 5 (8.2%) were encountered along the Atlantic coast. Fifteen of the 20 individuals salvaged (19 adults, 1 juvenile) were discovered on lake shores (75.0%) and the other 5 (25.0%) on marine coasts; 85.0% were dead when initially found (15 dead, 2 shot), and 3 (15.0%) were moribund (2 died within one day, 1 later released). Of 10 sexed individuals, 5 were adult males, 4 were adult females, and 1 was a juvenile female. Eight of 10 murrelets observed foraging were diving on lakes, but 2 others surfaced with fish; two species of common freshwater fish were removed from stomachs of 2 birds shot by hunters. Most birds (72.1%, n = 61) disappeared after one observation, which suggests survival and moving on; one bird stayed at the same location for at least 25 days before disappearing. Dead or dying Long-billed Murrelets found on shorelines of fresh water may have been too emaciated to regain lost mass after arrival—they weighed less than those shot, presumably because they were not able to locate prey or too weak to capture it. Survival for weeks or longer on freshwater stopover sites better explains how Long-billed Murrelets move across North America, with some reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Long-surviving vagrants may establish a new breeding population of Long-billed Murrelet on the west coast of North America

A Northern North American Record of the Starling

The spread and establishment of the starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in many parts of North America since its introduction into New York City in 1890 is well known. It was not until recently, however, that evidence for its northward spread on this continent was obtained; the first record of this species from the Northwest Territories, near Fort Smith, was reported by Fuller. Since that time starlings have repeatedly been seen in the Fort Smith and Yellowknife areas and on 16 June 1964 Kuyt found a nest at Lookout Point, about 225 miles northwest of Fort Reliance, Northwest Territories. Starlings were first reported in Alaska in 1960 and since that time several have been seen in interior Alaska. On 27 June 1968 I observed a starling feeding at the edge of a sewer lagoon, about one-half mile north of Inuvik, Northwest Territories (68°21'N., 133°44'W.). This bird was not seen again despite several subsequent trips in the vicinity of where the original observation was made. This appears to be the most northerly record of the starling in North America, being about 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle. This observation was made while I was employed on contract with the Canadian Wildlife Service