BONO has updated status to “accepted” for two species, Western Gull and Western Bluebird, based on recent new records. Note- NOURC is yet to examine these records. Both species had been reported previously in Nebraska but without accepted documentation. A Western Gull found in Scotts Bluff Co 7 Apr 2023 by Steven Mlodinow was photographed […]
Pipilo towhees in Nebraska
W. Ross Silcock | silcock@rosssilcock.com | 17 July 2019, updated 20 April 2020 Spotted and Eastern Towhees are currently considered separate species (Banks et al 1995). Strong genetic differences between Eastern and Spotted Towhees, including absence of shared haplotypes, were demonstrated by Ball and Avise (1992), although, since their samples were from western and eastern […]
The William Townsley Bird Collection
By Ross Silcock | silcock@rosssilcock.com | 11 December 2018 This article describes research into the fate of the iconic Townsley Collection of mounted bird specimens. The research was prompted by the presence in the Hastings Municipal Museum (HMM), Hastings, Nebraska, of an unlabeled mount of a Carolina Parakeet. This iconic species has been extinct since […]
Does “Lilian’s Meadowlark” occur in western Nebraska?
By Ross Silcock | silcock@rosssilcock.com | 18 October 2018 Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna; EAME) is a widespread grassland species found throughout most of the US east of the Great Plains. There are 17 subspecies recognized (Pyle 1997), only four of these occurring north of Mexico: lilianae, breeding and wintering from central and southeast Arizona to […]