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Formation of North American Cowbird Advisory Council As a result of the Partners in Flight cowbird workshop held in Sacramento, CA, October 1997, a broadly constituted scientific advisory group was formed to synthesize existing information and construct guidelines for the management of cowbirds at local and regional levels. The specific goals of the group are to provide (1) a central source of information (bibliography) on cowbird ecology and management, (2) information on effective means of cowbird control, (3) criteria that identify the need for cowbird control, (4) criteria that determine the effectiveness of cowbird management, (5) recommendations for monitoring cowbird control efforts, and (6) a consultation source on cowbird management for resource managers. This advisory group received the endorsement of the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) policy council 9 December 1997 in Washington, DC. The ABC meeting was attended by representatives from many prominent conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy, Partners in Flight, National Audubon Society, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, various state Audubon chapters, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife, the Wilderness Society, and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Need for National Perspective on Cowbird Management The Partners in Flight Meeting "Research and Management of the Brown-headed Cowbird in Western and Eastern Landscapes" in Sacramento, CA, October 23-26, 1997 culminated in a closing workshop that recommended continuing dialog to achieve a national perspective on cowbird populations as well as improved integration of the best protocols in cowbird management gleaned from programs over the past 25 years. This meeting was the second of two national meetings ("Ecology and Management of Cowbirds" in Austin, TX, 1993; see above) on cowbird ecology and management that grew out of concerns that cowbird range extensions in the last century have adversely affected other North American songbirds. Particularly in the western United States, where riparian habitats are a focal point for avian conservation due to the loss of most of this diverse habitat, concerns over levels of cowbird parasitism in riparian communities has increased. At the Sacramento conference, program managers responsible for regional and local cowbird control programs reported on techniques for optimizing effective trapping, minimizing impacts on non-target species, and monitoring resulting levels of breeding success by protected host species. Discussion sessions at the conference began to synthesize a national perspective on cowbird ecology and management as participants contributed diverse regional and local perspectives. In particular, these broader perspectives are needed because there is as yet little consensus on the conditions that warrant cowbird control programs and because cowbird control has not consistently resulted in host population increases in endangered species programs in which it has been employed. To participants, the two conferences illustrated the value of an on-going forum and focal point for integrating insights, methods and effective practices related to cowbird management as part of endangered species recovery efforts or more broadly as part of efforts to enhance overall passerine diversity and conservation. Scientists and managers expressed growing recognition that lessons and insights from long-standing programs should now be integrated into national policy on cowbird management. One compelling reason to synthesize a cohesive policy on cowbirds is the major program underway in the Southwest by the Bureau of Reclamation and other entities in response to requirements by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the riparian habitat of the southwestern Willow Flycatcher and to initiate cowbird control programs where they are needed (Final Biological and Conference Opinion on Lower Colorado River Operations and Maintenance - Lake Mead to the Southerly International Border, May 1997). This need has been defined as a rate of parasitism of 10% or more at any one site on the Lower Colorado River. Such trigger points for cowbird control programs are controversial because while endorsed by some involved parties, many researchers would argue that parasitism rates of even 20-30% typically have negligible effects on host populations. To promote the emerging national perspective on cowbird management, a group of scientists and managers formed the North American Cowbird Advisory Councilto provide a logistic center for cowbird information and support documents intended to synthesize and advance guidelines for determining the need, implementation, and assessment of cowbird management activities. The council's objective is to facilitate effective information exchange among regional and local programs and between scientific, management, and conservation communities.
Centralized Database on Cowbird Management Information The Cowbird Scientific Advisory Council will coordinate efforts to define (1) the criteria and data that should be addressed in determining the need for a cowbird management program, (2) the best methodologies for cowbird management, and (3) the criteria, data, and analyses necessary to evaluate the success of cowbird management programs. The resources of the database and the advice of the Council will be available to all state and federal offices considering the initiation of cowbird management programs as part of endangered species recovery efforts or more broadly as part of efforts to enhance overall passerine diversity and conservation. After 25 years of cowbird control programs, the considerations for conducting and evaluating effectiveness of cowbird management should be synthesized and made available for all new and continuing programs. The long-standing cowbird control efforts in Michigan, California, Texas and Oklahoma associated with five endangered species will be encouraged to deposit trapping and evaluation protocols that they recommend. This information will be made available through this web site to program managers seeking to initiate or improve existing control programs throughout the range of parasitic cowbirds. Local program managers can also call upon the Council to review subcontractor's reports, assessments, and recommendations for future management of cowbirds. The Council will provide, upon request, a bi-annual assessment to federal agencies on the quality, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of cowbird control efforts.
Advisory member
Endorsement by the American Bird Conservancy RESOLUTION OF THE POLICY COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY ON BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD NEST PARASITISM THE POLICY COUNCIL OF AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION AT ITS MEETING IN WASHINGTON, DC OF DECEMBER 9, 1997 THE POLICY COUNCIL SUPPORTS ESTABLISHING A North American Cowbird Advisory CouncilTO DEVISE SOUND SCIENTIFIC BASED STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH COWBIRD NEST PARASITISM. The Policy Council of ABC consists of 78 member organizations from throughout the U.S. Member organizations present at the meeting through voting representatives were Nuttall Ornithological Club, American Museum of Natural History, American Ornithologists' Union, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, The Linnaean Society of New York, Great Basin Bird Observatory, National Audubon Society, Pacific Seabird Group, The Wilderness Society, The Humane Society of the United States, Hawk Migration Association of North America, New Jersey Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Colonial Waterbird Society, The Nature Conservancy, International Crane Foundation, Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory, Association of Avian Veterinarians, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Smithsonian Institution, Cooper Ornithological Society, Trumpeter Swan Society, Maryland Ornithological Society, and American Birding Association.
American Bird Conservancy
Phone: (202) 778-9652 |
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Because cowbird control programs have arisen locally and regionally and
have operated independently for over a decade, the results of these
long-term programs have only begun to be integrated and understood. Cowbird
control has been decentralized for over a decade among at least five
federal agencies (e.g. DOI/ Bureau of Reclamation, DOI/ Bureau of Land
Management, DOI/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA/ U.S. Forest Service,
and USDA/ Animal Damage Control) and one or more state agencies in four or
more states (e.g. in California: the Department of Transportation
(Caltrans), the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of
Parks and Recreation). A lack of regular exchange of procedures or results
among programs has led to a diversity of practices in conducting,
monitoring, and evaluating cowbird management activity. For example, in
California, the annual cost of cowbird control is estimated at well over $1
million, while it is much less elsewhere. Cowbird trapping has been used in
some cases as uncertain mitigation for habitat loss. Clearly, integration
of cowbird management efforts is essential for comprehensive planning of
the full range of activities, including land acquisition, that benefit
Neotropical migrants in particular and North American passerines in general.