Requests for Information
and Assistance
Requests for Information
and Assistance
Request for Old
Editions of Bird Identification Guides
The Alaska Bird Observatory is requesting donations of bird identification guides to help
support their many education programs. Any field guide would be helpful (e.g.
National Geographic, Peterson, Golden, Audubon, etc.). Books can be mailed to:
Posted 29 September 1999.
Deformed Black-capped Chickadees in Southcentral Alaska
LARGE NUMBER OF CHICKADEES WITH BILL DEFORMITIES REPORTED
We have received reports of 100 different Black-capped
Chickadees in Alaska this winter (1998-99) with grossly deformed bills. Reports from last
winter now total 48 birds, and decreasing numbers have been recorded as far back as 1991.
In most of these birds the upper mandible is greatly elongated and decurved, often
crossing over the lower mandible. The deformities are highly variable. One bird had its
upper mandible curling around and down so that it was almost piercing its breast! In
others, the bill is just slightly elongated and crossed. Click here for more photos of Black-capped Chickadees.
The birds have been seen mostly at suet or peanut butter feeders and have trouble manipulating seeds. Other than having odd bills, the birds appear normal and healthy, but generally spend more time than normal birds at the feeders. Many have to turn their heads sideways in order to pick up food. Some of the birds appear to be quite aggressive and chase other birds away from the feeders. Other individuals are fairly solitary and are chased away easily by more dominant birds. To read about the behavior of "Cyrano," a deformed chickadee from the Wasilla area, check out Bob and Anne Winckler's observations on Cornell's Project FeederWatch web site.
WHERE ARE DEFORMED CHICKADEES BEING FOUND?
Most of the records are from the Anchorage area, but the remaining records generally occur within an 85-mile radius of the city: north to Talkeetna, northeast to Sutton, and south to Kenai. There has been one sighting from Fairbanks this winter, which is the first record north of the Alaska Range. There is also an odd cluster in King Salmon, which lies west of Anchorage along the coast of Bristol Bay. We have received reports of Black-capped Chickadees with deformed bills from only five other locations in North America over the past decade (two in Ontario and single birds in Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Vermont). This incidence in Alaska is extremely high.
WHAT OTHER SPECIES HAVE BILL DEFORMITIES?
We have also had a few reports of such bill deformities in several other species from the same core area--one Downy Woodpecker, one Hairy Woodpecker, one Pine Grosbeak, three Red-breasted Nuthatches, three Steller's Jays, and four Black-billed Magpies. All of these have been from this winter except one Black-billed Magpie. We have had no reports of bill deformities in either Boreal or Chestnut-backed Chickadees.
WHAT IS CAUSING THESE BILL DEFORMITIES?
We are conducting laboratory tests to try to determine what is
causing these bill deformities. Three birds examined with high-resolution x-rays showed
abnormalities in the bone underlying the bill sheath. Such abnormalities can cause the
tips of the bill to become offset, which then allows the bill tips to continue to grow
abnormally. We are trying to determine the cause of these bone abnormalities.
Possibilities include disease, parasites, blunt trauma to the tip of the bill, nutritional
deficiencies, genetic abnormalities, or exposure to contaminants. So far, tests for
evidence of disease or parasites have been negative, but we are still waiting for results
of more detailed tests.
We have not received any results back from contaminants tests. We will be screening tissues for the presence of organochlorines (such as PCBs and pesticides) and metals (selenium, cadmium, mercury). All of these are known to cause bill deformities.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
The USGS Alaska Biological Science Center is interested in finding out how widespread this strange phenomenon is and what has caused the deformities. If you see any birds with deformities, please report them immediately to:
Updated 31 March 1999.
Black Swifts in Alaska
In North America, the Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) breeds along the
Pacific coast and in mountainous regions of the western United States north to British
Columbia and southwestern Alberta. There are no confirmed breeding accounts of Black
Swifts from Alaska, yet they are probable rare local breeders in the state.
Observations of Black Swifts in Alaska are rare; most come from southern Southeast Alaska,
especially the Boca de Quadra area south and east of Revillagigedo Island in Misty Fjords
National Monument. Other sightings have been reported regularly from the Stikine
Delta and the Chickamin, Unuk, Marten, and Walker Rivers. Most records are of flocks
of less than 100 individuals.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is interested in receiving information on all observations of Black Swift in Alaska. If you have information on this species in Alaska we would love to hear from you. All observations are welcome. Please include as much information as possible (e.g. location, flock size, behavior, etc.). Also include your name and a way to contact you.
Alaska Biological Science Center