Ecology of Birds

Ecology of Birds – 21:120:328

Species Monograph: Format and Outline

Format

5 pagesmaximum (not including Figures and Works Cited)

Double-spaced

Font: Times New Roman

Font Size: 12

Margins: 1-inch top, bottom, right, and left

Citations and Works Cited Page: APA Style

See pages2-7 for a descriptive outline that follows this format!

(Your Name Here)

Ecology of Birds

Section Q1

Fall 2020

Species Monograph: (Your Species’ Common Name Here)

(Adjective Form of Species’ Family Name Here; e.g., Scolopacid) Ecology

In the first sentence, introduce your assigned species and the family that it belongs to (e.g., American Robins, Turdus migratorius, belong to the family Turdidae which also includes thrushes and bluebirds).  Then describe the general ecology of your assigned species’ family.  Think of this section as a summary that incorporates at least one general idea from your description, geographic distribution, habitat, feeding ecology, behavior, and reproductive ecology/life cycle sections (see below); however, each general idea should not only apply to your assigned speciesbut to all/most members of your assigned species’ family.  In other words, what do all the family members have in common?  Do they have the same general body form?  Do they have similar coloration?  Are they found in one region of the world or do they have a more cosmopolitan distribution?  Do they live in similar habitats and eat similar foods?  Do they have similar behaviors and reproductive ecologies/physiologies?Helpful Tip: as this section essentially summarizes multiple aspects of your species’ family’s ecology, it may be easier for you to write this section last.  Also, don’t forget to cite!

Description

Describe your species’ physical characteristics (beak, legs, plumage, coloration, etc.).  List average body length, height, wingspan, mass, etc.  Describe any differences among adult males, adult females, and juveniles.Helpful Tip: to avoid plagiarism, consider looking at pictures of your bird in your field guide and describing the bird’s appearance in your own words instead of attempting to paraphrase a source’s description.  If you do this, don’t forget to cite your field guide!  If you choose to paraphrase a source’s description instead, be sure to write in your own words and, as always, cite the source!

Geographic Distribution

Briefly describe “where in the world” your species can be found.  Describe breeding, non-breeding, and year-round ranges.  Also describe when (i.e., time of year) your species can be found in these ranges.  Include figure callouts that reference your maps.  For example, Common Ravens are distributed throughout much of the northern hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia (Fig. 1).  All figures should be included on separate pages that follow your text but precede your works cited page.  Figures should not be embedded within your text!  See the “figures” section below.Helpful Tip: similar to the “Description” section, try looking atdistribution maps for your species and describing your species’ distribution in your own words.  As another reminder, don’t forget to include figure callouts that reference your maps!  If you are basing your distribution description off of maps that are not included in your monograph, such as the maps in your field guide, be sure to cite the source that provided those maps!  If you choose to paraphrase a source’s description instead, be sure to write in your own words and, as always, cite the source!

Habitat

List and describe the preferred habitat(s)of your species.  Note: don’t just name habitat types, describe them!  For instance, don’t just say Hooded Warblers live in forests, say Hooded Warblers live in mature oak-hickory forests with thick understories of mountain laurel, blueberry, or rhododendron.  Also, what resources make habitats “good” for your species (i.e., what resources are vital for your species)?Lastly, does the preferred habitat change throughout the year?  How?  Helpful Tip: never tell me that your species’ habitat does not change throughout the year.  Even if you have a resident bird species, you can always briefly describe the phenological changes that occur in its habitat.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to cite!

Feeding Ecology

Describe the feeding ecology of your species.  Be sure to answer the following questions: What does your species eat?  Does it eat the same foods year-round?  How does your species acquire itsfood?  In relation to its own body weight, how much does your species eat in a typical day?  Also, be sure to describe any morphological adaptations or behaviors that help your species gather food.Helpful Tip: if you can’t find any information that describes how much your species eats in relation to its body weight, consider presenting this information for a similar, closely-related species.  Just make sure you mention that you’re presenting information for a different species.  PLEASE CITE!!!

Behavior

Describe any behaviors that do not pertain to feeding or raising young.  First, describe how they move (i.e., walking, flying, swimming, etc.) and be sure to describe any behavioral field marks that aid in identification (e.g., tail bobbing, wing movements during flight, diving, etc.).  Then, consider addressing the following questions in detail: Does your species live alone or in groups?What sounds does your species make?  Why?  Is your species territorial?  If so, how does it maintain its territory?  Does your species engage in any courtship displays or rituals?Does your species have any defensive behaviors that are useful against predators?Does your species migrate?  If so, where does it go?  What route(s) does it take to get there?  How far does it travel?  Does it fly straight through or make stops along the way?  Does it migrate alone or in flocks?Helpful Tip: you need not address all of these questions, just the ones that pertain to your species’ most important or fascinating behaviors.  If you would like to mention a few pertinent behavioral aspects that are not listed here, please do so, but be sure to keep it brief.  Lastly, make sure you cite the source(s) that provided each and every bit of information!

Reproductive Ecology and Life Cycle

Describe vital aspects of your species’ reproductive ecology and life cycle.  What type of mating system does your species have (e.g., monogamous, polygynous, polyandrous, etc.)?  When is the breeding season?  Where does breeding occur (i.e., describe geographic regions and habitats where breeding occurs)?  How many eggs in a clutch?  How many clutches per breeding season?  Does your species construct a nest?  If so, who makes the nest, what does it look like, what is it made from, and is the nest reused for future broods?  Who incubates the eggs?  How long is incubation?  Are the young altricial or precocial?  Who feeds the young?  How long from hatching to fledgling?  Does parental care extend past fledgling?  If so for how long?  How long to maturity?  How long does your species live?Helpful Tip: if you can’t find all this information, consider presenting information for a similar, closely-related species.  Just make sure you mention that you’re presenting information for a different species.  PLEASE, PLEASE CITE!!!

Population Dynamics

Discuss population trends from eBird, Christmas Bird Count, and Breeding Bird Survey.Are your species’ US and NJ populations increasing, decreasing, or stable?What time of year is your species most common in New Jersey?  When is it least common?  What areas of the lower 48 United States are experiencing population growth, decline, and/or stasis?Include figure callouts that reference your line graphs and population trend map.Helpful Tip: in this section you are merely describing how your species’ populations are changing according to your eBird and Christmas Bird Count line graphs and your Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) population trend map; base all of this section off of these figures.  There is no need to rely on additional information to write this section, in fact, you’ll lose points if you do!  Lastly, if you base this section entirely off of your line graphs and BBS map, like you’re supposed to, you’ll have no need for citations in this section.  Just be sure to include figure callouts that reference your line graphs and BBS map!

Conservation

What is your species’ global, US, and NJ conservation status?  Describe the threats to your species’ populations.  What, if anything, is being done by people to mitigate these threats?Helpful Tip:if your species is common today, perhaps it has a history when it was not so common or even close to extinction.  Lots of bird species today are conservation success stories; they’re common today but weren’t always so.  If this sounds like your species, make mention of your species’ conservation history here.  If your species is and always was abundant, you can always mention factors that contribute to the decline of just about all bird species such as habitat destruction and fragmentation.  Whatever you do, don’t make stuff up or copy information!  Lastly, be sure to cite!

Significance 

Discuss your species’ ecological importance.  What role does your species play in its ecosystem?  Describe that role.  Is it one of vital importance?  Also describe your species’cultural and/or commercial significance to humans.  What, if anything, do people use your species for (e.g., food, hunting, birding, ecotourism, scientific studies, indicator or sentinel species, etc.)?  Does your specific species or a similar closely-related species have any cultural significance to people of the past and present (superstitions, customs, religious beliefs, cartoon characters, mascots, etc.)?Helpful Tip: you may think your species isn’t very important to its ecosystem or to people; your species may not be, but that’s no reason to give up on this section.  If you find that the information you’re seeking for this section is lacking, you can always consider briefly mentioning your species’ interactions with its food and predator species.  You can also mention instances when people used your species in scientific studies, even if the studies were conducted for the sole purpose of learning more about your species!  And…  Lastly…  CITE!!!

See pages8-9 for information on Figures and Works Cited!

Figures

Insert and center your figures, then include figure legends underneath each figure.  Figure legends are like titles that tell the reader what your figure represents in one or two short sentences.  Sometimes they can inform the reader how to read or understand the figure, but they should never interpret the figure.  All interpretations or explanations should go in your text.  For example, let’s say we’re writing a figure legend for a map that shows the entire geographic range of the common raven.  Here’s the wrong way to do it: “Figure 1: The Common Raven is found in North America, Europe, and Asia.”  Here’s the right way to do it: “Figure 1: Global distribution of the Common Raven, Corvus corax.”  Lastly, you should credit the source of your figure at the end of your figure legend.  So, the figure legend example above, in its most complete form, should read something like this:“Figure 1: Global distribution of the Common Raven, Corvus corax.  Distribution map generated from eBird.”  Helpful Tip: as with all scientific writing, your figure legends should be as short and succinct as possible.  Needlessly long, wordy figure legends will only confuse your reader; avoid them at all costs!

Works Cited

Last, but certainly not least, is your works cited page.  All throughout your text you should have citations that appear at the ends of sentences.  Every time you pull information or ideas from another source you need to cite the source.  If you don’t, you’re either making stuff up or plagiarizing!  To cite properly and avoid plagiarism, paraphrase the information in the original source (do not copy or quote!) and follow it with the authors name, a comma, and the year of the source’s publication in parentheses like so: In winter, Common Loons live in salt bays that are highly populated with fish (Sibley, 2001).  Once you cite a source it must be included on your works cited page.  Additionally, your works cited page should only include sources that you cited in your text; if you didn’t cite a certain source in your text, it should not appear on your works cited page!  Your citations andyour works cited page should be done in APA style.  There are numerous online sources that tell you how to write a works cited page in APA style.

Helpful Tip: never copy and paste someone else’s words into your own document and never rely on one source for all or most of your information.If you do, your risks of committing “direct plagiarism” and “patchwork plagiarism” increase dramatically.To avoid plagiarism:

• “Spread the credit around!” Try to cite information from at least ten different sources and avoid the temptation to rely on one source more than any other.
• When attempting to write about a specific topic (e.g., migration), read multiple sources and take shorthand notes from each source on separate pieces of paper. Then, using your own words, synthesize all the relevant facts you learned into one or several intelligible and cohesive paragraphs.  Finally, consult your notes when citing so you know which source(s) deserve credit for each idea.

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