BIRDS OF THE US-MEXICO BORDERLANDS The Cooper Ornithological Society thanks the following agencies for supporting the publication of this volume: U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S Geological Survey, and Pronatura, Mexico BIRDS OF THE US-MEXICO BORDERLANDS: DISTRIBUTION, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION JANET RUTH, TIM BRUSH, AND DAVID KRUEPER ASSOCIATE EDITORS Ruth et al Studies in Avian Biology No 37 Studies in Avian Biology No 37 A Publication of the Cooper Ornithological Society BIRDS OF THE US-MEXICO BORDERLANDS: DISTRIBUTION, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION Janet M Ruth, Timothy Brush, and David J Krueper Associate Editors Studies in Avian Biology No 37 A PUBLICATION OF THE COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Front cover photographs, clockwise from upper left: San Pedro River, Arizona by David J Krueper, Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) by David J Krueper, San Rafael Valley grasslands, Arizona by Janet Ruth, Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus) by Rick Bowers, Chisos Mountains from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas by Roland Wauer, Mangrove Yellow Warbler (probably Dendroica petechia oraria) by Scarlet Colley, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona by John and Karen Hollingsworth, Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) by David J Krueper, Cave Creek Canyon and Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona by Helen Snyder, Tufted Flycatcher (Mitrephanes phaeocercus) byTony Godfrey, Cienega de Santa Clara, Colorado River delta, Sonora, Mexico by Carlos Valdes, Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) by Lee Baines, Chihuahuan Desert, Arizona by Janet M Ruth, Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) by George Jameson Center: relief map of the US–Mexico borderlands Source: The National Map, USGS, http://www.nationalmap.gov STUDIES IN AVIAN BIOLOGY Edited by Carl D Marti 1310 East Jefferson Street Boise, ID 83712 Studies in Avian Biology is a series of works too long for The Condor, published at irregular intervals by the Cooper Ornithological Society Manuscripts for consideration should be submitted to the editor Style and format should follow those of previous issues Price $20.00 To order this and other SAB volumes, please go to the Cooper Ornithological Society website: http://cooper.org Permission to Copy The Cooper Ornithological Society hereby grants permission to copy chapters (in whole or in part) appearing in Studies in Avian Biology for personal use, or educational use within one’s home institution, without payment, provided that the copied material bears the statement “©2008 The Cooper Ornithological Society” and the full citation, including names of all authors Authors may post copies of their chapters on their personal or institutional website, except that whole issues of Studies in Avian Biology may not be posted on websites Any use not specifically granted here, and any use of Studies in Avian Biology articles or portions thereof for advertising, republication, or commercial uses, requires prior consent from the editor ISBN: 978-0-943610-84-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008935582 Printed at Cadmus Professional Communications, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 17522 Issued: September 2008 Copyright © by the Cooper Ornithological Society 2008 ii CONTENTS LIST OF AUTHORS PREFACE Janet M Ruth, Timothy Brush, and David J Krueper v CHANGES IN DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE Additions to the Breeding Avifauna of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas Timothy Brush Avifaunal Changes in Big Bend National Park, Texas Roland H Wauer and Mark Flippo 20 Distribution and Status of Breeding Landbirds in Northern Sonora Mexico Aaron D Flesch 28 The Distribution and Status of Royal Terns on The Pacific Coast of Southern California and Baja California, Mexico Charles T Collins and Eduardo Palacios 46 POPULATION TRENDS AND ECOLOGY OF RIPARIAN AND WETLAND BIRDS Habitat Use of Wintering Bird Communities in Sonora, Mexico: The Importance of Riparian Habitats José Fernando Villasor-Gómez 53 Population Trends of Yuma Clapper Rails in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta, Juan José Rivera-Díaz, Helena Iturribarría-Rojas, Alejandra Calvo-Fonseca 69 Densities, Species Richness and Habitat Relationships of the Avian Community in the Colorado River, Mexico Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta, Helena Iturribarría-Rojas, Enrique ZamoraHernández, Alejandra Calvo-Fonseca 74 POPULATION TRENDS AND ECOLOGY OF GRASSLAND BIRDS Influence of Desertification on Site Occupancy by Grassland and Shrubland Birds During the Non-Breeding Period in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert M Sofia Agudelo, Martha J Desmond, and Leigh Murray 84 Winter Diets and Seed Selection of Granivorous Birds in Southwestern New Mexico Martha J Desmond, Cesar Mendez-Gonzalez, and Laurie B Abbott 101 iii Distribution and Abundance of Breeding Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus) in The Southwestern United States: Past, Present, and Future Janet M Ruth 113 NEW TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS AND BIRD CONSERVATION PLANNING Seasonal Passerine Migratory Movements over the Arid Southwest Rodney K Felix Jr., Robert H Diehl, and Janet M Ruth 126 Applied Conservation Planning and Implementation in the US-Mexico Borderlands David Mehlman 138 LITERATURE CITED 146 iv LIST OF AUTHORS LAURIE B ABBOTT Department of Animal and Range Sciences P.O Box 30003, MSC 3-I New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003 OSVEL HINOJOSA-HUERTA Pronatura Noroeste Avenida Jalisco 903 San Luis Río Colorado Sonora, México 83440 M SOFIA AGUDELO Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology P.O Box 30003, MSC 4901 New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003 HELENA ITURRIBARRÍA-ROJAS Pronatura Noroeste Avenida Jalisco 903 San Luis Río Colorado Sonora, México 83440 TIMOTHY BRUSH Department of Biology University of Texas-Pan American 1201 West University Drive Edinburg, TX 78539 ALEJANDRA CALVO-FONSECA Pronatura Noroeste Avenida Jalisco 903 San Luis Río Colorado Sonora, México 83440 CHARLES T COLLINS Department of Biological Sciences California State University Long Beach, CA 90840 MARTHA J DESMOND Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology P.O Box 30003, MSC 4901 New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003 ROBERT H DIEHL Department of Biological Sciences Box 5018 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS 39406 RODNEY FELIX, JR Department of Biological Sciences Box 5018 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS 39406 AARON D FLESCH School of Natural Resources University of Arizona 325 Biological Sciences East Tucson Arizona 85721 MARK FLIPPO Big Bend National Park Service P.O Box 129 Big Bend National Park, TX 79834 DAVID J KRUEPER U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (MBO) P.O Box 1306 Albuquerque, NM 87103 DAVID MEHLMAN The Nature Conservancy 1303 Rio Grande Boulevard NW, Suite Albuquerque, NM 87107 CESAR MENDEZ-GONZALEZ Department of Animal and Range Sciences P.O Box 30003, MSC 3-I and Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology P.O Box 30003, MSC 4901 New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003 LEIGH MURRAY University Statistics Center P.O Box 30001, MSC 3CQ New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003 EDUARDO PALACIOS Departmento de Biologia Conservacion Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) Unidad La Paz Miraflores 334 Fracc Bellavista La Paz, BCS, México 23050 JUAN JOSÉ RIVERA-DÍAZ Pronatura Noroeste Avenida Jalisco 903 San Luis Río Colorado Sonora, México 83440 JANET M RUTH U.S Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Arid Lands Field Station Biology Department University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131 v ENRIQUE ZAMORA-HERNÁNDEZ Pronatura Noroeste Avenida Jalisco 903 San Luis Río Colorado Sonora, México 83440 JOSÉ FERNANDO VILLASOR-GĨMEZ Ls de Velasco # 155 Morelia, Michoacán México 58000 ROLAND H WAUER 315 Padre Lane Victoria, TX 77905 vi Studies in Avian Biology No 37:1–9 PREFACE JANET M RUTH, TIMOTHY BRUSH, AND DAVID J KRUEPER GEOGRAPHY AND HUMAN POPULATION The concept for this volume began as a scientific symposium at the North American Ornithological Conference (NAOC) in Veracruz, Mexico in October 2006 The symposium was entitled “Avian Distributional Change, Anthropogenic Challenges, and Recent Avian Research and Technological Advances within the US–Mexico Border Region,” and was cochaired by two of us (DJK and TB) along with Carol Beardmore (Sonoran Joint Venture) and Bill Howe (USDI Fish and Wildlife Service) In light of the importance of the borderland region for birds and bird conservation, and because of the great need for additional information about this poorly studied region, we have compiled this volume to present new information about bird distribution, ecology, and conservation The US–Mexico borderlands region, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, includes southern portions of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California in the US and northern portions of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California in Mexico (Fig 1) For purposes of this introduction we are defining the borderlands region as roughly 325 km (202 miles) on either side of the border However, this is a somewhat arbitrary assignment; although most of the information presented in this volume falls within these boundaries, the reader will note that some chapters include study sites outside this area Figure Map of the US-Mexico borderlands region STUDIES IN AVIAN BIOLOGY At its core, the borderlands comprises portions of the following cross-border Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) as defined by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), from east to west: Gulf Coastal Prairie (BCR 37), Tamaulipan Brushlands (BCR 36); Edwards Plateau (BCR 20), Chihuahuan Desert (BCR 35); Sierra Madre Occidental (BCR 34); Sonoran and Mohave Deserts (BCR 33); and Coastal California (BCR 32) (http://www nabci-us.org/map.html) At its northern periphery, the borderlands includes the southern portions of several US BCRs: Oaks and Prairies (BCR 21); Central Mixed-grass Prairie (BCR 19); Shortgrass Prairie (BCR 18); and Southern Rockies–Colorado Plateau (BCR 16) At its southern periphery, it includes the northern portions of several Mexican BCRs: Sierra Madre Oriental (BCR 48), Planicie Costera, Lomeríos y Cañones de Occidente (BCR 43), Sierras de Baja California (BCR 39), and Desierto de Baja California (BCR 40) (http://www.nabci-us.org/mxbcrmap.html) Important watersheds draining the borderlands region include the following rivers (ríos): Grande (known as Bravo in Mexico), San Juan, Salado, Nueces, Pecos, Conchos, Yaqui, Sonora, Gila, San Pedro, Santa Cruz, and Colorado (Fig 1) In 1854