Endochondral ossification of hindlimbs in embryonic development of Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)
2024
The endochondral ossification of hindlimb is essential to a bird's ability to stand, walk and fly. Most hindlimb is ossified in the embryos before hatching in precocial birds. However, the molecular...
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Diverse foraging strategies of breeding Swinhoe's Storm-petrel in the productive marginal sea of the Northwest Pacific
2024
Understanding the foraging behavior is essential for investigating seabird ecology and conservation, as well as monitoring the well-being of the marine environment. Breeding seabirds adopt diverse foraging...
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Seasonal increase in nest defense, but not egg rejection, in a cuckoo host
2024
The interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide an informative and easy-to-handle system for studying coevolution. Avian brood parasitism reduces the reproductive success of hosts,...
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No evidence of predator odor avoidance in a North American bird community
2024
Recent advances in our understanding of avian chemical communication have highlighted the importance of olfaction in many aspects of avian life. Prior studies investigating predator avoidance behaviors...
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Population genomic data reveal low genetic diversity, divergence and local adaptation among threatened Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)
2024
Population genomic data could provide valuable information for conservation efforts; however, limited studies have been conducted to investigate the genetic status of threatened pheasants. Reeves's...
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Correlation of personality with individual reproductive success in shrub-nesting birds depends on their life history style
2024
Two questions in the research of animal personality—whether there is a correlation between a personality trait and individual reproductive success, and what is the genetic basis underlying a personality...
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Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) prefer shells for nesting: A field experiment
2024
Shorebird populations are declining worldwide, mainly due to human disturbances and loss of coastal wetlands. However, supratidal habitats as saltpans could play a role in buffering human impact. Saltpans...
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River width and depth as key factors of diurnal activity energy expenditure allocation for wintering Spot-billed Ducks in the Xin'an River Basin
2024
Rivers are important habitats for wintering waterbirds. However, they are easily influenced by natural and human activities. An important approach for waterbirds to adapt to habitats is adjusting the...
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Bird species present in urban parks are more colorful than urban avoiders: A test in the Argentinian Pampas
2024
Bird plumage color has been assessed as a possible trait driving the presence of bird species in urban areas. Although some species can see the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, the mentioned studies did not...
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Highly divergent sympatric lineages of Leptotila verreauxi (Aves: Columbidae) suggest a secondary contact area in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico
2024
Due to a complex geological and biotic history, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (IT), has been long recognized as a driver for the evolutionary divergence of numerous lowland and highland taxa. Widely distributed...
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Sounding the alarm: Functionally referential signaling in Azure-winged Magpie
2024
Functionally referential signals are a complex form of communication that conveys information about the external environment. Such signals have been found in a range of mammal and bird species and have...
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Bird specimen number linked with species trait and climate niche breadth
2024
Biological specimens are fundamental for taxonomy and flora/fauna research. More importantly, they also play crucial roles in recording environmental impacts on morphology and behavior, which is vital...
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The Crested Ibises expanding to plain areas exhibit a higher tolerance of human proximity
2024
Animals must strike a balance between anti-predation behavior and other essential behaviors, such as foraging. Within the same species, strategies may vary on individuals' risk-taking preferences, and...
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From partial to complete: Wing- and tail-feather moult sequence and intensity depend on species, life-cycle stage, and moult completeness in passerines
2024
Passerines moult during various life-cycle stages. Some of these moults involve the retention of a variable quantity of wing and tail feathers. This prompts the question whether these partial moults...
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The clutch size, incubation behavior of Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) and their responses to ambient temperature and precipitation
2024
Weather conditions play a pivotal role in embryo development and parental incubation costs, potentially impacting the clutch size and incubation behavior of birds. Understanding these effects is crucial...
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Habitat preferences and nest site selection by sympatric populations of Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius) and Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) in natural mountain forests of Southwest Iran
2024
We examined habitat preferences and nesting requirements of sympatric populations of Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius) and Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus). We carried out our...
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Differential colour-ring loss among Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) colonies and its consequence on survival estimates
2024
The analysis of bird ringing data often comes with some potential sources of error and bias, as ring wear and/or loss could affect mark-recapture analyses and produce erroneous estimates of survival....
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Hard life for sons in the nest? Sex-dependent offspring mortality in Great Tits in urban and forest areas
2024
Sex-biased mortality can occur in birds during development, for example due to sexual differences in energy requirement and/or environmental sensitivity, or the effects of sex hormones or sex differences...
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Deterministic processes drive turnover-dominated beta diversity of breeding birds along the central Himalayan elevation gradient
2024
Beta diversity, the variation of community composition among sites, bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or...
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Seasonal changes in Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) song syntax
2024
In many songbird species, birdsong features phonological syntax, meaning that the units within their vocal sequences are ordered in a non-random way that adheres to a rule. While such syntactical patterns...
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Avian responses to an extreme weather event: The case of the ‘Filomena’ snowstorm in Madrid (central Spain)
2024
Cold spells and severe weather may have detrimental effects in wild birds, but owing to the stochastic nature of these events, it is not always possible to measure their impacts. In January 2021, a...
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Weather influenced nestling growth of an insectivorous but not a granivorous grassland passerine in Argentina
2024
Nestling growth of birds can be affected by weather fluctuations. In general, it is expected that higher temperatures favor growth by improving food availability and nestling metabolism, while rain...
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Proximity to corridors benefits bird communities in vegetated interrow vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina
2024
Management under ecological schemes and increasing habitat heterogeneity, are essential for enhancing biodiversity in vineyards. Birds provide several contributions to agriculture, for example pest...
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Comparative analysis of the microbiome of sympatric wintering Bean Geese, Domestic Ducks, humans, and soil at Shengjin Lake of China reveals potential public risk to human health
2024
The gut microbiota of migratory waterbirds is affected by various complex factors, including cross-species transmission, which increases the risk of pathogen spreading among sympatric animals and poses...
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Distributional and behavioral responses of the wintering Oriental Storks to drought in China’s largest freshwater lake
Available online 18 April 2024
Extreme droughts are increasing in frequency and severity globally as a result of climate change. Developing understanding of species’ responses to drought is crucial for their conservation, especially...
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