Re: [cobirds] Abridged summary of cobirds@googlegroups.com - 11 updates in 5 topics

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tom none

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Jul 2, 2025, 8:08:13 AM7/2/25
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Re: yellow grosbeak status.  Birds have wings. This may sound flippant, but there are numerous accepted reports for birds that are far out of range. I found a lesser sand-plover in Florida and a curlew sandpiper in Missouri, both of which were some thousands of miles from their home range.  In fact, the subspecies of the sandplover was that which breeds in northeastern Asia, it had to cross into Alaska (probably) and then move diagonally across Canada and Continental US. One might argue that these are migratory species, so being out of range is not too surprising.  However, when researching a southern lapwing I found in Florida, I came across a paper that found that, in families that have long-distance migratory species, their non-migratory counter-parts retained the physiological capability for migration.  So just because a species is non-migratory, does not mean it is incapable of long-distance movements.  A second more recent paper found that, when examining genes that are thought to be responsible for migration, migratory non-migratory species were indistinguishable.  Further, a phylogenetic examination of the Cardinaliidae reveals multiple end groups that are migratory. This suggests that either a migratory life strategy evolved in multiple branches, or was present in the last common ancestor. If the latter is true, then many species in the cardinal family may have the tools for long-distance movement, they just don't need to use them. Finally, someone mentioned that yellow grosbeaks are kept as cage birds in Mexico.  I'm not sure that this is pertinent, since captive or, it still had to get from Mexico to Estes Park.

Hope this is of interest,

Tom Curtis

On Mon, Jun 30, 2025 at 7:30 PM <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
John Shenot <johns...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 07:31PM -0700

I was pleased to have the chance to see the Yellow Grosbeak in Estes Park
today. Even so, I find myself wondering if anyone on this group has
considered (perhaps privately?) that it might be an ...more
linda hodges <hiker...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 08:48PM -0600

Hmmm, it appears that YEGRs have been seen in AZ, NM, CA, CO and IA, so
perhaps an occasional appearance isn't out of order. You may recall that
one was seen in Huerfano Cty in May of 2021.
 
...more
Susan Rosine <u5b2...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 10:02PM -0600

To my knowledge, they are not at all suitable to be a pet/caged bird.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Susan Rosine
Brighton
 
...more
Steingraeber,David <David.Ste...@colostate.edu>: Jun 30 05:55PM

Apparently, Yellow Grosbeaks are known to be kept as cage birds. In Rare Birds of North America by Howell, Lewington & Russell, the authors state, "Because yellow grosbeaks are kept in captivity ...more
Peter Burke <peter...@gmail.com>: Jun 30 02:36PM -0600

Hi David,
You bring up a good point regarding the Yellow Grosbeak(s)? in Colorado,
which have now been documented in four counties(!). There has been a spate
of unusual sightings of birds in ...more
Susan Rosine <u5b2...@gmail.com>: Jun 30 04:48PM -0600

I wonder where they are (were) kept as caged birds? Native song birds are
illegal to keep as pets, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act covers the
Yellow Grosbeak.
I would assume (and hope) the ...more
Chip Dawes <chip...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 01:50PM -0600

Audacity is an open source app for Windows, Mac and Linux
You can download it for free at: https://www.audacityteam.org/download/
 
With it you can trim down a recording to the snippet containing ...more
Marty <wolfm...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 11:20PM -0600

Greetings Cobirders,
 
I have to share (in description, as I didn't get any photos) what I
witnessed earlier this (Sunday) morning, & have been processing since...
 
I was upstairs with the door & ...more
zroadrunner14 <zroadr...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 07:41PM -0600

Birders

I have been experiencing a glitch w/the map link in eBird reports. I don't get the map of where the bird was seen, but something unrelated.

Is anyone else having this problem?
...more
Susan Rosine <u5b2...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 09:57PM -0600

Not THAT problem, but today eBird was telling me that several common birds
were Infrequent or Unreported, which is weird, because I bird the area a
lot and have reported them all the time. ...more
zroadrunner14 <zroadr...@gmail.com>: Jun 29 07:45PM -0600

Apparently my name was left off my previous post. I thought it was automatic.

Ira Sanders

Golden
...more
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