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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC

    New Invasive species In North Carolina

    Recently, I was asked to do a piece on invasive species here in NC. I have been putting it off for one reason or another, but the discovery of a new invader has given me reason to do it.
    Many invaders were released by man for one reason or another.
    Here is a list of some of them.

    English sparrow (house sparrow)
    Released in New York to control moths in 1852, this species quickly spread to cover most of North America. Found mainly around human habitations or open farmland, this is the little brown bird often encountered around business parking lots in cities. A cavity nester, it may take nesting boxes intended for eastern bluebirds if the boxes are placed more than five feet high.

    House finch (Hollywood finch)
    A western US species, the males are red above, and streaked below. Females are brown above and resemble the English sparrow females. Were being sold in New York as pets, when several escaped. Now found in all 48 lower states. Like the English sparrow, thrives around human habitations, often nesting in hanging flower baskets. Sometimes mistaken for the purple finch, a fairly common winter visitor to our state in winter. Male purple finches are chunkier, and have less streaking below.
    Female purple finches have a dark eye line absent in female house finches.

    Eurasian collared dove
    Unclear how this species reached North America, either by intentional release or storm blown by hurricanes from the Bahamas. First noted in Florida in the early 80's, it spread rapidly northward, and reached NC in the 90's. Found mainly in open country or in small towns. Somewhat larger than the native mourning dove, it resembles the domestic ringed turtle dove, pale buff brown with a dark neck band. Tail not pointed as in mourning dove.
    As of now, there has been no conflicts with this species and the mourning dove, so its impact is mainly considered benign.

    Alabama bass (formerly Alabama spotted bass)
    Formerly thought to be a subspecies of the spotted bass, genetic testing proved this fish to be an entirely different species.
    Thought to have been illegally introduced by fishermen seeking another alternative gamefish, this species displaces largmouth and smallmouth bass where it has been introduced. Smallmouth are nearly gone from Lake Chatuge in the mountains, and largemouth are hanging on by a thread in Lake Norman. The more aggressive Alabama bass is also found in the Upper reaches of the Yadkin River, and the Trent and Neuse rivers as well. The "spotted bass" found in ever increasing numbers in Belews lake are also thought to be this destructive invader.

    The new invader.

    Armadillo
    Formerly found in the deep south and southwest, the armadillo has been extending its range northwards for the last decade, and reached our state around 2009. As for now, it has been recorded from nearly all of our counties bordering SC. However, there are isolated reports from Goldsboro, Trinity, and Wilkesboro, so further expansion is expected. Environmental impact expected to be minimal.
    These are just a few of the invaders that have reached our state, and more can be expected.

  2. #2
    I wasted the better part of a day watching pest removal experts "taking out" house sparrows. Nasty little guys.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC area
    Is an armadillo "invasive" if it wandered here on its own? Or did it get introduced for some reason?

    -jk

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by -jk View Post
    Is an armadillo "invasive" if it wandered here on its own? Or did it get introduced for some reason?

    -jk
    Since it's not native to NC, it is considered invasive. They are moving north on their own, like they did in the 30's, showing up at that time in southern SC.

    I forgot one invasive bird, the starling...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    people I know in NC sometimes refer to Yankees as an invasive species

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    people I know in NC sometimes refer to Yankees as an invasive species
    Only if they move here and stay..lol But Mrs Devilwin is from Buffalo, so I better shut up..lol

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    New Bern, NC unless it's a home football game then I'm grilling on Devil's Alley
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    people I know in NC sometimes refer to Yankees as an invasive species
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    Only if they move here and stay..lol But Mrs Devilwin is from Buffalo, so I better shut up..lol
    That only applies to Damn Yankees. Regular Yankees come for vacation.
    Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Santa Cruz CA
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    people I know in NC sometimes refer to Yankees as an invasive species
    I was wondering if the list would include carpetbaggers.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Wilmington, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by -jk View Post
    Is an armadillo "invasive" if it wandered here on its own? Or did it get introduced for some reason?

    -jk
    I live in Goldsboro and Mrs. Lefthooklacey is a science teacher. She received a grant to purchase a "critter cam" to install in and around our property so we could track the migration of different animals. We generally see lots of rabbits, deer, opossum, and the occasional coyote.

    We have to move it ever so often and plot the different animals on a map which will hang in her classroom throughout the year. The kids will take part in the mapping. They will take all of this data and combine it with the data from other teachers in the state, as well as the state's own tracking efforts, to get a better snapshot of what's lurking in the woods and where they're headed.

    Anyway, point being, if I go download the footage and see an armadillo come wobbling by, I'll freak out, in a good way. The kids will go crazy.

    We're not supposed to put out any food or anything to try to attract any certain animal, we're supposed to let them come by naturally.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Wilmington, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by BigWayne View Post
    I was wondering if the list would include carpetbaggers.
    So, pretty much all of the triangle?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by left_hook_lacey View Post
    So, pretty much all of the triangle?
    I still get odd looks when I tell people I am from Durham and have lived here all my life.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    Since it's not native to NC, it is considered invasive. They are moving north on their own, like they did in the 30's, showing up at that time in southern SC.

    I forgot one invasive bird, the starling...
    Don't know much about mammals, but I do study birds. Ranges expand and contract all the time. The House Finch is a special case -- during the 1940s pet stores in NY and environs were selling caged House Finches, which had been presumably trapped in the Western US (or, at least, their ancestors). Bird watchers went to the pet store owners and informed them that selling caged US birds was a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1916. Pet store owners released the birds to the wild and they thrived, expanding beyond the NY area. I now understand the Eastern released population has now met up with the natural Western population somewhere in the Midwest. I suppose, in some sense, the House Finch is invasive, but it is an ABA area (Am. Birding Assoc.) bird. Starlings, House Sparrows, Rock Doves (park pigeons) and Collared Doves are definitely invasive. The really bad news guys are Cowbirds, which are native to North America, but have expanded across the continent. They lay eggs in the nests of other birds and their young tend to out-compete the natural offspring.

    In other developments both the Mockingbird and the Northern Cardinal have expanded their ranges. The Mockingbird used to be rare north of Virginia, and the Cardinal has, so I understand, expanded its range northward. Most people think it's due not just to mild winters but also bird feeders. General rule is that successful species expand and bird species facing challenges tend to contract. Challenges can be competition, loss of habitat in nesting grounds, or even loss of habitat in wintering grounds in Latin America.

    About ten years a ago I spent a few weeks birding in Australia and New Zealand. Australia is a wonderland of new and unusual species (although it has Starlings and House Sparrows in parts of the country). New Zealand is a disaster. The islands have been overtaken by introduced species from Europe -- its temperate, forested lands are very accommodating to birds from northern climes. The Kiwi and other native species are often isolated to a few areas and some off-shore islands. Australia, on the other hand, in addition to having a hotter and drier climate, is full of large predatory lizards and super-aggressive species like, Kookaburras, that discouraged species (translation -- "ate them") that were not already part of the ecology.
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Wilmington, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by aimo View Post
    I still get odd looks when I tell people I am from Durham and have lived here all my life.
    That reminds me of several encounters I had when I lived in Wilmington. I would always get interrupted(usually by young female UNCW students) and told that my accent was weird and that I didn't sound like I was from around "here". I would always explain that I was born and raised about an hour and half north east of Wilmington, and assured them my accent was as authentic eastern NC as you could get. That would always get snarky looks of disbelief.

    I'd follow up with, "May I ask where you are from, since you seem to think I'm out of place?" The answer was usually Michigan, New York, with an occasional Maryland thrown in there.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by aimo View Post
    I still get odd looks when I tell people I am from Durham and have lived here all my life.
    Yeah, me too. Funny thing is, I know plenty of native Durhamites still here. But to transplants, we're rare?
    -Son of Jarhead

    The Duke fan formerly known as BuschDevil

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    Don't know much about mammals, but I do study birds. Ranges expand and contract all the time. The House Finch is a special case -- during the 1940s pet stores in NY and environs were selling caged House Finches, which had been presumably trapped in the Western US (or, at least, their ancestors). Bird watchers went to the pet store owners and informed them that selling caged US birds was a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1916. Pet store owners released the birds to the wild and they thrived, expanding beyond the NY area. I now understand the Eastern released population has now met up with the natural Western population somewhere in the Midwest. I suppose, in some sense, the House Finch is invasive, but it is an ABA area (Am. Birding Assoc.) bird. Starlings, House Sparrows, Rock Doves (park pigeons) and Collared Doves are definitely invasive. The really bad news guys are Cowbirds, which are native to North America, but have expanded across the continent. They lay eggs in the nests of other birds and their young tend to out-compete the natural offspring.

    In other developments both the Mockingbird and the Northern Cardinal have expanded their ranges. The Mockingbird used to be rare north of Virginia, and the Cardinal has, so I understand, expanded its range northward. Most people think it's due not just to mild winters but also bird feeders. General rule is that successful species expand and bird species facing challenges tend to contract. Challenges can be competition, loss of habitat in nesting grounds, or even loss of habitat in wintering grounds in Latin America.

    About ten years a ago I spent a few weeks birding in Australia and New Zealand. Australia is a wonderland of new and unusual species (although it has Starlings and House Sparrows in parts of the country). New Zealand is a disaster. The islands have been overtaken by introduced species from Europe -- its temperate, forested lands are very accommodating to birds from northern climes. The Kiwi and other native species are often isolated to a few areas and some off-shore islands. Australia, on the other hand, in addition to having a hotter and drier climate, is full of large predatory lizards and super-aggressive species like, Kookaburras, that discouraged species (translation -- "ate them") that were not already part of the ecology.
    Thanks for the input, especially on the house finch. I did however, check historical range maps on the mockingbird and cardinal, and both are listed as common year round residents to New England in the eastern US.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by PackMan97 View Post
    I wasted the better part of a day watching pest removal experts "taking out" house sparrows. Nasty little guys.
    Yep, but they have to be to remove pests.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    In other developments both the Mockingbird...
    One of my favorite birds. I always enjoy watching a Mockingbird dive bomb a feral cat.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    They can mimic up to 80 other bird songs, even cell phone rings..lol

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    They can mimic up to 80 other bird songs, even cell phone rings..lol
    Maybe they can make calls.😎

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Brooklet, GA
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    They can mimic up to 80 other bird songs, even cell phone rings..lol
    I live in the South Georgia boonies, and love to sit on my porch and count the different species of birds I can hear at a given time. Sadly, although I heard them often growing up, I never hear a bob white quail in this area these days. But there's this one mockingbird hanging around lately that does the first two parts of the quail call... but not the last "white." He fooled me a couple of times, but now I'm on to him. That's the only mocker I've ever heard make the quail sound. Did he hear one around here at some point? Oh well. I'll keep listening.

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