ARCTIC Birds of the- Northcentral Alaska Peninsula
ABSTRACT. Between spring 1976 and fall 1980 we studied the occurrence, abundance, and habitat use of birds over a 2000-km2 segment ofthe northcentral Alaska Peninsula. During this period observers were present 473 days and obtained records for all seasons. A total of 125 species was recorded; 63 % (...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1976
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.488.2084 http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic34-4-286.pdf |
| Summary: | ABSTRACT. Between spring 1976 and fall 1980 we studied the occurrence, abundance, and habitat use of birds over a 2000-km2 segment ofthe northcentral Alaska Peninsula. During this period observers were present 473 days and obtained records for all seasons. A total of 125 species was recorded; 63 % (79 of 125) were water-associated. The breeding avifauna was found to be a mixture of Panboreal (49%), North her ican (34%), and Aleutican (17%) species. The Aleutican group was dominant in terms of biomass and numbers of individuals during the nonbreeding period. Forty-two species were confirmed breeding in the area and another 19 were suspected of breeding. The majority of birds occurred as migrants; 14 species were considered permanent residents and an additional 20 were winter residents. Our observations extended the known Alaska breeding distribution of American wigeon (Anus urnericana), black turnstone (Arenuriu melanocephalu), northern phalarope (Phuluropus loburus), short-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), western sandpiper (Culidris mauri), dunlin (C. alpinu), horned puffin (Fraterculu corniculara), tufted puffin (Lundu cirrhura), and orange-crowned warbler (Vermivoru celura). Our observations also extended the known postbreeding range or significantly changed the known status of bar-tailed godwit (Limosu lupponicu), whimbrel (Numenius phueopus), lesser yellowlegs (TringaJavipes), long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus solopuceus), dunlin (Culidris alpinu), marbled murrelet (Bruchyrumphus marmorurus), American robin (Turdus migrutorius), yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroicu coronuru), and dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemulis). The area is a principal late summer and fall molting and staging area for several species of arctic and subarctic nesting waders and seaducks and emperor geese (Anser cunagica). From late September through mid-October the density of water birds over the entire littoral and nearshore area approached loo0 birds km-2. This density was exceeded many fold for certain species on particular |
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