Name: Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern (Video) | JoVE Journal
Uploaded: 2020-03-08T12:30:00.000+00:00
Duration: 4 min 10 s
Description: Learn to visually sex loggerhead shrikes using sixth primary wing feather coloration and pattern. This rapid, cost-effective method aids conservation efforts for declining Lanius ludovicianus populations.

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5 minutes

Funding for fieldwork during which our methodologies were developed was provided by Environment Canada&#39;s Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada&#39;s Strategic Technologies Application of Genomics in the Environment Research Fund, the Endangered Species Recovery Fund, the Interdepartmental Recovery Fund, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (scholarships to A.A.C.), Queen&#39;s University (Duncan and Urlla Carmichael Fellowship to A.A.C.) and Wildlife Preservation Canada. We wish to thank the Editor and four anonymous reviewers for their comments, which greatly improved this manuscript. Thanks to Wildlife Preservation Canada staff and the members of the North American Loggerhead Shrike Working Group for discussions that assisted in development of this methodology. We extend our thanks to all the Citizen Scientists and staff at African Lion Safari, Cambridge, Ontario, for their assistance in completing the survey. We especially thank Erin Sills, Marketing and PR Coordinator, African Lion Safari, for her assistance in producing the on-line survey and summarizing results.

The research protocol presented herein complies with African Lion Safari&#39;s Animal Care Committee guidelines.
1. Sexing Loggerhead Shrikes by Color and Patern of the Sixth Primary Wing Feather
NOTE: Shrikes can be sexed in hand based on the coloration and pattern in the sixth primary wing feather (P6). In brief, the technique requires the observer to visually extrapoloate a line along the lower edge of the primary wing coverts, and then to assess how far the brown extends in the rachis (shaft) through the white portion of the feather visible below the primary coverts.
<ol>
	<li>Hold the bird firmly in the banders grip and carefully extend one wing to allow the sixth primary wing feather to be viewed (Figure 1). Do not over-extend as this can cause harm to the bird&#39;s musculature.</li>
	<li>Locate the P6 feather: Loggerhead Shrikes have 10 primary feathers, with the last (10th) being the most distal (outermost) feather and reduced in size compartive to the other 9 primary feathers. Unlike the secondary feathers, and with the exception of the reduced 10th primary feather, all primaries have a degree of white coloration. It may be easier to count backwards from the 10th primary than to locate the first primary and count forward to locate the P6.</li>
	<li>Assess the brown in the rachis (hereafter shaft): Does it extend at least half way through the white, and touch, or nearly touch the distal end (furthest from the body and point of emergence) of the primary covert feathers as they lay naturally over the primary feathers? If &#34;yes&#34;, the bird is female (Figure 2). If &#34;no&#34;, then the bird is male (Figure 2).</li>
	<li>The pattern and extent of coloration in the primary feathers varies among individuals. If unsure of whether the brown in the shaft extends at least half way through the white patch to the distal tips of the primary coverts, or if the brown is somewhat indistinct, use a secondary technique. Specifically, assess the symmetry of the brown to white transition in the feather vane on each side of the shaft (Figure 2). If the brown at the point where the coloration changes to white in the vane meets at the same spot on either side of the shaft, the bird is male. If there the line meets asymetrically at the shaft, creating a step or notch, the pattern indicates that the bird is a female (Figure 2).</li>
	<li>If there is still uncertainty as to the individual&#39;s sex, examine the angle of the transition between the brown and the white coloration. If the brown in the feather vane has a steep angle where it meets the white in the vane at the shaft, forming an upside down &#34;V&#34;, the pattern indicates that the bird is a female (Figure 2). If the pattern is more that of an &#34;M&#34;, it indicates a male bird (Figure 2).</li>
</ol>

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</ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Herein, we describe a simple and efficient method whereby loggerhead shrike can be sexed based only on visual cues, and provide an assessment of the method&#39;s accuracy. Our simple method is easily and quickly undertaken, with results indicating a high accuracy rate that increases with a small amount of training. Our results support those of previous work13 that indicated the method originally developed for use in northern shrike12 had utility for sexing adult loggerhead ...

The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a North American passerine with a broad geographical range encompassing most of North America and a variety of habitats that can generally be described as grassland1. It is one of only two species of shrikes (Order Passeriformes) that occur in North America. Shrikes are best known for the unique raptor-like bill, which allows them to take vertebrate prey, and their unique behavior of impaling food items on thorns or other sharp objects. The loggerhead shrike is the only species of &#39;true shrike&#39; (Family Laniidae) endemic to the continent. Shrikes breeding above 40&#176;N are generally obligate migrants1,2,3, with wintering grounds almost entirely encompassed within that of non-migratory conspecifics1,4.
North American Breeding Bird Survey data5 for loggerhead shrike indicate a significant (3.18% yr-1) range-wide population decline. The loggerhead shrike is one of Partners in Flight&#39;s 24 &#34;Common Birds in Steep Decline&#34;-i.e., those that have lost more than 50% of their populations over the past 40 years, but which lack other elevated vulnerability factors that would warrant higher &#34;Watch List&#34; status6. Habitat loss due to succession and human development likely contributed to the initial declines4,7, but continued population declines are outpacing habitat loss in the breeding season, suggesting other limiting factors, in particular in areas where the species is an obligate migrant4,8. Results of a population viability analysis conducted for the critically endangered population of loggerhead shrike in Ontario suggests that over-wintering success of birds in their first year of life is a driver of the population trends9,10. Results further indicate that the conservation breeding effort, which is augmenting the wild population, has kept the species from extirpation in this area9,10.
Understanding sex differences is an important component of both ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. The plumage of loggerhead shrikes (Laniusludovicianus) is sexually monochromatic and therefore individuals cannot reliably be sexed in the hand. However, based on a method applicable to the northern shrike (Lanius excubitor)11,12, it has been shown to be possible to sex at least some populations of adult loggerhead shrikes using the coloration pattern in the sixth primary wing feather13. We have revised this methodology13 to include consideration of a second variable, specifically the extent of pigmentation in the rachis of the sixth primary, which allows reliable identification of sex in the majority of individuals in eastern populations, and tested its application (previously only applied to adult birds) to fledged young of the year. The method requires no specialized equipment or costly lab assays, and no measurements are required that would be subject to observer bias. Based on our results, the method is easily learned and, once mastered, highly accurate. Here, we present detailed instructions on how to sex shrike in the hand using our method and discuss the wider implications of including sex assessment in future research and conservation efforts for this unique and enigmatic species of conservation concern.

visually sexing loggerhead shrike (lanius ludovicianus) using plumage coloration and pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

The loggerhead shrike is a small sexually monomorphic passerine bird using grassland habitats across North America. Based on Breeding Bird Survey data, the species has undergone a drastic decline since the mid-1960s. The cause of decline is unknown, and research is actively underway to address this knowledge gap. These efforts are hindered by an inability to sex the species in hand, which to date was only possible using molecular markers. Here, we present a protocol to sex loggerhead shrikes by visually analyzing the coloration and pattern in the sixth primary feather. The application of the method will facilitate our ability to identify threats on a finer scale than has been possible to date and to address various ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. The methodology is simple and results reliable&#8211;we encourage including this method for research of both in situ and ex situ populations.

Male and female plumage is, overall, monomorphic in the loggerhead shrike. However, it has been established that sex can be discerned based on the pattern of coloration in the 6th primary in the population that occurs on mainland California13 and northern shrike12. We tested Sustaita et al.'s (2014) protocol13 to determine if it was applicable to northeastern populations of loggerhead shrike and to younger ...

We present a protocol to characterize the sex of loggerhead shrike visually based on the coloration and pattern of the sixth primary wing feather.

The loggerhead shrike is a small sexually monomorphic passerine bird using grassland habitats across North America. Based on Breeding Bird Survey data, ...

visually-sexing-loggerhead-shrike-lanius-ludovicianus-using-plumage

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

We present a non-destructive method for sampling spatial variation in the direction of light scattered from structurally complex materials. By keeping the material intact, we preserve gross-scale scattering behavior, while concurrently capturing fine-scale directional contributions with high-resolution imaging. Results are visualized in software at biologically-relevant positions and scales.

Measuring Spatially- and Directionally-varying Light Scattering from Biological Material

This protocol provides a convenient set of methods, which enables extremely fast, easy, non-invasive, reliable and low-cost, molecular sex determination of birds and their non-invasive, quick, safe and easily recognizable marking shortly after hatching. Only limited handling of chicks is required. This convenient toolbox of methods complies entirely with the RRR-guidelines.

Who is Who? Non-invasive Methods to Individually Sex and Mark Altricial Chicks

There is a need for a non-invasive assessment of stress. This paper describes a simple protocol using thermal imaging to detect a significant response in eye-region temperature in wild blue tits to a mild acute stressor.

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds

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Assays to Detect UV-reflecting Structures and Determine their Importance in Mate Preference using the Sailfin Molly Poecilia latipinna

This protocol provides guidelines for running egg rejection experiments: outlining techniques for painting experimental egg models to emulate the colors of natural bird eggs, conducting fieldwork, and analyzing the collected data. This protocol provides a uniform method for conducting comparable egg rejection experiments.

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

This paper describes a protocol that uses a remote video monitoring surveillance system to continuously monitor breeding colonies of ground-nesting waterbirds. The system includes five cameras monitoring individual nests and one camera monitoring the colony as a whole, and is powered by car batteries that are recharged via solar panels.

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo)

Mate-guarding behavior plays an important role in reproduction of intertidal copepods of the genus Tigriopus. However, methods for studying this behavior have not been well described. Here we describe methods for: 1) individual culture of virgin Tigriopus animals, and 2) quantitative analysis of their mate-guarding behavior.

Individual Culturing of Tigriopus Copepods and Quantitative Analysis of Their Mate-guarding Behavior

The goal of this protocol is to manipulate the color patterns of jumping spiders and other very small arthropods with paint in order to study questions related to sexual selection, sexual cannibalism, predation, aposematism, or any other field of animal coloration.

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Here, we present protocols for 1) the laboratory captive propagation of the federally endangered Miami blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri), and 2) assessing basic life history information such as immature development time and number of larval stadia. Both methods can be adapted for use with other ex situ conservation programs.

At-Risk Butterfly Captive Propagation Programs to Enhance Life History Knowledge and Effective Ex Situ Conservation Techniques

This protocol describes the quantification of heat transmission through a flat skinned avian specimen using a thermal camera and hot water bath. The method allows obtaining of quantitative, comparative data about the thermal performance of feather coats across species using dried flat skin specimens.

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

This paper outlines the laboratory maintenance (including mating and feeding) of the lower dipteran fly Bradysia (Sciara) coprophila.

Laboratory Maintenance of the Lower Dipteran Fly Bradysia (Sciara) coprophila: A New/Old Emerging Model Organism

Learn to visually sex loggerhead shrikes using sixth primary wing feather coloration and pattern. This rapid, cost-effective method aids conservation efforts for declining Lanius ludovicianus populations.

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

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