Comparisons of thermogenic features in four coexisting songbirds: Is the northward colonized White-browed Laughingthrush different?
2023
Thermogenic features are often invoked to illustrate animal's colonization, distribution, and response to climate change. To understand why the White-browed Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus sannio) has expanded...
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Predicting the non-breeding distributions of the two Asian subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit using morphological information
2023
Until recently, Limosa limosa melanuroides was thought to be the only subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. For this reason, all previous occurrences and counts of...
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Structure and heterogeneity of habitat determine diet of predators despite prey abundance: Similar response in Long-eared, Short-eared Owls and Common Kestrels
2023
According to one of the theses of optimal foraging theory, main prey species abundance in the hunting area is the main factor determining the diet and habitat choices of birds of prey. However other...
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The mechanisms of color production in black skin versus red skin on the heads of New World vultures
2023
A determination of how the color of animal integument is produced is a starting point for investigations into the function and evolution of coloration. The mechanisms that give rise to the color of...
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Feeding ecology of a highly aerial bird during its long breeding season
2023
Pallid Swifts (Apus pallidus), as other swifts, are birds extremely adapted to an aerial lifestyle, showing unique adaptations that allow them to fly almost continuously. The diet of these non-stopping...
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Differences in migration phenology of warblers at two stopover sites in eastern Russia suggest a longitudinal migration pattern
2023
Long-distance migratory birds often face major geographical barriers on their journey. While some species are able to cross them, others use longer routes to avoid such barriers. Little is known about...
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Intraguild niche partitioning in granivorous birds from the late past
2023
Niche partitioning is a widespread ecological strategy within trophic guilds, ensuring the coexistence of sympatric species by reducing interspecific competition. Stable isotope analysis of carbon and...
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Chromatic and achromatic differences of melanin- and carotenoid-based plumage coloration in five minivet species (Pericrocotus spp.) under conspecific and predator visual systems
2023
Adaptive mate choice has been accepted as the leading theory to explain the colorful plumage of birds. This theory hypothesizes that conspicuous colors act as signals to advertise the qualities of the...
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Using non-destructive sampling to evaluate the population genomic status of captive Brown Eared Pheasants
2023
Evaluating the genetic status of threatened species is an essential task in conservation genetics. However, the genetic status of threatened species has been mostly evaluated through techniques that...
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A highly effective incubation strategy enhanced the urban bird hatch success
2023
Urbanization is currently considered one of the most rapid types of global environmental change. Urban habitats are biotically and abiotically different from their rural areas, i.e., the ambient temperature,...
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The benefits of being smaller: Consistent pattern for climate-induced range shift and morphological difference of three falconiforme species
2023
Climate exerts a dominant control over the distribution of species. Generally, species migrate to higher elevations to track thermal niches, but variations in morphological traits can result in trait-specific...
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Heterogeneity in song rates in the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) explained with the availability parameter in generalized N-mixture models: Its importance for abundance estimates in avian aural counts
2023
Binomial N-mixture models are commonly applied to estimate abundance unaffected by imperfect detection, but are known to be sensitive to violations of assumptions. One of the model's assumptions, the...
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Avian malaria, haematocrit, and body condition in invasive wetland passerines settled in southwestern Spain
2023
Avian malaria and related haemosporidian parasites can negatively impact fitness in many songbirds. Research on the malaria infection and its physiological costs on their avian hosts is heavily skewed...
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Timing of breeding as a determinant of nest success of the vulnerable Chestnut Seedeater (Sporophila cinnamomea) in grasslands of southern South America
2023
The breeding traits of Sporophila seedeaters have been relatively well studied in recent years; nevertheless, a group of ten species in the genus, known as southern capuchinos, remain understudied....
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A novel method to collect sperm from brood parasitic cuckoos: Urodeum stimulation (UroS) method
2023
Sperm competition has been studied in numerous species as a representative example of postcopulatory sexual selection, where sampling sperm from male is the most basic and important step. Sperm collection...
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Seasonal acclimatization and temperature acclimation in small passerine birds is achieved via metabolic adjustments
2023
Temperature and other environmental factors play an integral role in the metabolic adjustments of animals and drive a series of morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptions essential to survival....
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Social experience promotes the exploratory behaviour in Java Sparrows
2023
Personality widely exists in diverse animal taxa. Such inter-individual variance in behaviour is supposed to be influenced by social context. However, it remains unknown whether the experience of social...
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Changes in wintering Hooded Cranes and their habitats at Chongming Dongtan over the past 20 years
2023
The Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) is listed as a Vulnerable species in the IUCN red list. Tidal wetland (tideland), the major habitat for wintering Hooded Cranes at East China's Chongming Dongtan, has...
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A network meta-analysis on comparison of invasive and non-invasive sampling methods to characterize intestinal microbiota of birds
2023
Birds maintain complex and intimate associations with a diverse community of microbes in their intestine. Multiple invasive and non-invasive sampling methods are used to characterize these communities...
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Flexible nest site selection of the endangered Oriental Storks (Ciconia boyciana): Trade-off from adaptive strategies
2023
Nest site selection is a vital component of bird reproduction success, and an adaptive behavior conducted to decrease nest predation risk with avoiding external disturbances. Understanding patterns...
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Vocal repertoire of Azure-winged Magpies (Cyanopica cyanus): A context-associated communication system
2023
Signals within animals’ vocal communication are considered functional referential and context-specific. Even in the absence of the context, receivers are expected to acquire the information of calls...
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Migration routes of the endangered Oriental Stork (Ciconia boyciana) from Xingkai Lake, China, and their repeatability as revealed by GPS tracking
2023
The Oriental Stork (Ciconia boyciana) is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and is classified as a first category...
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Population structure and body condition of White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps) in relation to habitat in a modified Neotropical forest landscape
2023
Despite the widely accepted view that planted forests are valuable habitat for wildlife species, there is a lack of empirical evidence showing the suitability of this novel habitat, especially in relation...
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COVID-19 lockdown has indirect, non-equivalent effects on activity patterns of Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) and sympatric species
2023
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought massive shifts in human activities through a global blockade, directly affecting wildlife survival. However, the indirect impacts of changes in human...
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Sex-specific selective effect of winter weather on morphological traits in a small passerine bird
2023
Harsh environmental conditions often impose strong selection on the phenotype of natural populations through impacts on their fitness. For overwintering birds, winter is an important period for survival...
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