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Sex Determination of Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

North American Bird Bander
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Abstract

I identified sexual dimorphism in wing length (unflattened chord) of Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) within the central Mississippi Alluvial Valley (northeast Louisiana and west-central Mississippi) and used this difference to assign a sex to captured wrens. Wrens were identified as female when wing length was less than 57.5 mm or male when wing length was greater than 58.5 mm. Verification of predicted sex was obtained from recaptures of banded individuals where sex was ascertained from the presence of a cloacal protuberance or brood patch. Correct prediction of sex was 81% for adult females and 95% for adult males. An alternative model, which categorized wrens with wing lengths of 58 and 59 mm as birds of unknown sex, increased correct prediction of females to 93% but reduced the number of individuals to which sex was assigned. These simple, predictive, wing-length-based models also correctly assigned sex for more than 88% of young (hatching-year) birds.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Sex Determination of Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Series title North American Bird Bander
Volume 29
Issue 4
Year Published 2004
Language English
Contributing office(s) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Description 171-174
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title North American Bird Bander
First page 171
Last page 174
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