Journal articles on the topic 'Birds – Ecolog'
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1
Ariunjargal, G., and Yang Guisheng. "Diversity of bird community in Hohhot." Mongolian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 11, no. 2 (November 25, 2014): 159–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/mjas.v11i2.240.
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The article contains research on avifauna compliment, numeral and bird distribution which depend on differentiation of habitat and seasons in Hohhot for last year. A bird is one of the important species of vertebrates which has an essential role on ecological balance and biological control. Having diversity of birds is the main composition of biological diversity. Bird community structure is determined by relationship of bird’s species and general correlation of birds and environment. Diversity of bird community structure has direct correlation of its species, bird community numeral and habitat. Also it depends on geographical factor, habitat, diversity of plant community, plant vertical structure, food resource, possibility of shelter and other factors. Therefore, bird species become a very valuable indicator for ecological condition of the city and environmental ecological quality. We have divided the areas around Hohhot, Inner Mongolia into 6 different habitats such as grassland, farmland, residential area, woodland, wetland and garbage dump. We have performed the bird fundamental study, and investigated bird flora, ecology, distribution, diversity, environment, and community structure in different habitats and seasons. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/mjas.v11i2.240 Mongolian Journal of Agricultural Sciences Vol.11(2) 2013 pp.159-165
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Roselli, Megan A., Samantha M. Cady, Sirena Lao, Bruce H. Noden, and Scott R. Loss. "Variation in Tick Load Among Bird Body Parts: Implications for Studying the Role of Birds in the Ecology and Epidemiology of Tick-Borne Diseases." Journal of Medical Entomology 57, no. 3 (December 28, 2019): 845–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjz228.
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Abstract Wild birds play important roles in the maintenance and dispersal of tick populations and tick-borne pathogens, yet in field studies of tick-borne disease ecology and epidemiology there is limited standardization of how birds are searched for ticks. We conducted a qualitative literature review of 100 field studies where birds were searched for ticks to characterize which parts of a bird’s anatomy are typically sampled. To increase understanding of potential biases associated with different sampling approaches, we described variation in tick loads among bird body parts using field-collected data from 459 wild-caught birds that were searched across the entire body. The literature review illustrated a lack of clarity and consistency in tick-searching protocols: 57% of studies did not explicitly report whether entire birds or only particular body parts were searched, 34% reported concentrating searches on certain body parts (most frequently the head only), and only 9% explicitly reported searching the entire bird. Based on field-collected data, only 22% of ticks were found on the head, indicating that studies focusing on the head likely miss a large proportion of ticks. We provide tentative evidence that feeding locations may vary among tick species; 89% of Amblyomma americanum, 73% of Ambloyomma maculatum, and 56% of Haemaphysalis leporispalustris were on body parts other than the head. Our findings indicate a need for clear reporting and increased standardization of tick searching methodologies, including sampling the entire bird body, to provide an unbiased understanding of the role of birds in the maintenance and emergence of tick-borne pathogens.
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Soualah, Alila Hana, Noura Difi, Amina Benhachiche, and Alain Ponsero. "Seasonal fluctuation of birds in open landfill, Souk Ahras (Algeria)." GABJ 5, no. 1 (January 25, 2021): 12–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.46325/gabj.v5i1.159.
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Landfills have the advantage of meeting the energy needs of the birds quickly. They offer easy access to food and widely available throughout the year. In this study, birds were counted using observation points on an open landfill in the restored of Souk-Ahras region (north-eastern Algeria) for one year from July 2013 to April 2014. Seventeen species (17) bird species belonging to eleven (11) families were found: Ciconidae, Corvidae, Accipitridae, Passeridae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Columbidae, Ardeidae, Sturnidae, Laridae, and Pelecanidae, among them sedentary species, migratory, the visitors, and invasive species, which are exploiting the discharge for feeding or rest. Species richness and abundance in landfill site were found to be higher than that of naturel habitat around the site. Their abundance varied according to the seasons.landfill site support both common bird species as: Columba palumbus, Columba livia, Streptopelia decaoto, Ciconia ciconia, Corvus corax. In addition to that, rare bird species such as Pelecanus crispus. Ecology and dynamic of each species, during an annual cycle of bird’s populations allow us observing all the interactions and reactions between the individuals and the different populations of birds. Souk Ahras landfill is a resting place and a source of food for birds, which means that it needs a censuses urgency update of migratory birds which frequent our region as well as monitor their state of health. It is also interesting to follow the process of colonization in urban Souk Ahras city.
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Leupen, Boyd T. C. "A Brief Overview of the Online Bird Trade in Vietnam." Asian Journal of Conservation Biology 11, no. 2 (2022): 176–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.53562/ajcb.71823.
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Unsustainable commercial exploitation poses a serious threat to many of Vietnam’s native bird species. Here we report on a survey of the country’s online bird trade, conducted across four major online platforms. Between 9 March and 3 April 2020, a total of 434 posts were recorded, accounting for 834 individuals of at least 50 species, ten of which have not been recorded in Vietnamese trade before. Ninety-two percent of the recorded species were native to Vietnam and 18% (n=9) of the species, accounting for 15% (n=115) of the recorded individuals, are protected under Vietnamese law. Recorded prices ranged between VND16,667 (~US$0.7) and VND7 million (~US$303), depending on the species and on a bird’s specific singing qualities. The highest trade numbers were found on Chợ Tốt (186 posts, 335 birds), followed by Facebook (161 posts, 325 birds), Chợ Vinh (82 posts, 169 birds) and Chim Cảnh Đất Việt (5 posts, 5 birds). The scale of the observed trade appears to confirm a partial shift towards online platforms in Vietnam’s bird trade, or at least an increase in the use of online platforms to trade wild birds. In anticipation of a further development of this trend, we urge the Government of Vietnam to improve regulations and to take greater enforcement action against illegal online trading practices.
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Torres, Christopher R., and Julia A. Clarke. "Nocturnal giants: evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285, no. 1890 (October 31, 2018): 20181540. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.1540.
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The recently extinct Malagasy elephant birds (Palaeognathae, Aepyornithiformes) included the largest birds that ever lived. Elephant bird neuroanatomy is understudied but can shed light on the lifestyle of these enigmatic birds. Palaeoneurological studies can provide clues to the ecologies and behaviours of extinct birds because avian brain shape is correlated with neurological function. We digitally reconstruct endocasts of two elephant bird species, Aepyornis maximus and A. hildebrandti , and compare them with representatives of all major extant and recently extinct palaeognath lineages. Among palaeognaths, we find large olfactory bulbs in taxa generally occupying forested environments where visual cues used in foraging are likely to be limited. We detected variation in olfactory bulb size among elephant bird species, possibly indicating interspecific variation in habitat. Elephant birds exhibited extremely reduced optic lobes, a condition also observed in the nocturnal kiwi. Kiwi, the sister taxon of elephant birds, have effectively replaced their visual systems with hyperdeveloped olfactory, somatosensory and auditory systems useful for foraging. We interpret these results as evidence for nocturnality among elephant birds. Vision was likely deemphasized in the ancestor of elephant birds and kiwi. These results show a previously unreported trend towards decreased visual capacity apparently exclusive to flightless, nocturnal taxa endemic to predator-depauperate islands.
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Wille, Michelle, and Edward C. Holmes. "Wild birds as reservoirs for diverse and abundant gamma- and deltacoronaviruses." FEMS Microbiology Reviews 44, no. 5 (July 16, 2020): 631–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuaa026.
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ABSTRACT Wild birds interconnect all parts of the globe through annual cycles of migration with little respect for country or continental borders. Although wild birds are reservoir hosts for a high diversity of gamma- and deltacoronaviruses, we have little understanding of the ecology or evolution of any of these viruses. In this review, we use genome sequence and ecological data to disentangle the evolution of coronaviruses in wild birds. Specifically, we explore host range at the levels of viral genus and species, and reveal the multi-host nature of many viral species, albeit with biases to certain types of avian host. We conclude that it is currently challenging to infer viral ecology due to major sampling and technical limitations, and suggest that improved assay performance across the breadth of gamma- and deltacoronaviruses, assay standardization, as well as better sequencing approaches, will improve both the repeatability and interpretation of results. Finally, we discuss cross-species virus transmission across both the wild bird – poultry interface as well as from birds to mammals. Clarifying the ecology and diversity in the wild bird reservoir has important ramifications for our ability to respond to the likely future emergence of coronaviruses in socioeconomically important animal species or human populations.
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Elahi, Rubayet, Ausraful Islam, Mohammad Sharif Hossain, Khaja Mohiuddin, Andrea Mikolon, Suman Kumer Paul, Parviez Rana Hosseini, Peter Daszak, and Mohammad Shafiul Alam. "Prevalence and Diversity of Avian Haematozoan Parasites in Wetlands of Bangladesh." Journal of Parasitology Research 2014 (2014): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/493754.
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The parasites of generaHaemoproteus, Plasmodium,andLeucocytozoonare well-known avian haematozoa and can cause declined productivity and high mortality in wild birds. The objective of the study was to record the prevalence of haematozoan parasites in a wide range of wetland birds in Bangladesh. Six species ofHaemoproteus, seven species ofPlasmodium, one unidentified species ofLeucocytozoon, and one unidentified microfilaria of the genusParonchocercawere found. Data on the morphology, size, hosts, prevalence, and infection intensity of the parasites are provided. The overall prevalence among the birds was 29.5% (95 out of 322 birds). Of those, 13.2% (42 of 319) of birds were infected withHaemoproteusspp., 15.1% withPlasmodiumspp. (48 of 319) and 0.6% withLeucocytozoonspp. (2 of 319). Two birds were positive for bothHaemoproteussp. andPlasmodiumsp. A single resident bird,Ardeola grayii, was found positive for an unidentified microfilaria. Prevalence of infection varied significantly among different bird families. Wild birds of Bangladesh carry several types of haematozoan parasites. Further investigation with a larger sample size is necessary to estimate more accurately the prevalence of haematozoan parasites among wild birds as well as domestic ducks for better understanding of the disease ecology.
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Salazar-Rivera, Gabriela I., Lázaro R. Sánchez-Velásquez, and Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza. "Passage Through a Bird’s Gut Confers a Germination Head Start to the Seeds of the Nightshade Witheringia stramoniifolia." Tropical Conservation Science 13 (January 2020): 194008292093109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1940082920931093.
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In frugivory networks, birds offer plants the advantage of dispersing their seeds away from the parent plants in exchange for macronutrients, primarily sugars, and water. The benefits for birds are clear, as they obtain food and water from fruits, and highly variable for plants, as birds may act in ways that vary from effective dispersers to seed predators. We studied two common species that interact frequently in the frugivory network of a Neotropical, periurban park: The clay-colored thrush ( Turdus grayi) and a nightshade ( Witheringia stramoniifolia), in order to evaluate the advantage of passing its seeds through a bird’s gut. We set up an investigation using captive thrushes that we fed with fruits of W. stramoniifolia. We had four experimental treatments: in two of them, seeds that had passed through the digestive tract of thrushes were germinated under greenhouse and controlled conditions; in the remaining two treatments, we germinated seeds that were not consumed by thrushes and were likewise germinated under greenhouse and controlled conditions. W. stramoniifolia seeds consumed by birds had a germination onset that was 1 to 2 weeks earlier than nonconsumed seeds. Mean germination rate and final germinability, however, did not differ significantly among treatments. In our study, passage through a bird’s gut accelerates the germination onset of seeds, an advantage that possibly enhances seedling establishment, but is not indispensable, for the dispersal of W. stramoniifolia. This bird–plant relationship ultimately accounts to a true mutualism.
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Turchaninova, E. "Ecology of the aviafauna of the Voronezh upland oak forest." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 875, no. 1 (October 1, 2021): 012047. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/875/1/012047.
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Abstract The article presents the results of the analysis of changes in the fauna, population and ecology of the dominant and background bird species of the Voronezh upland oak forest, depending on the level of the recreational load. The object of research is the Voronezh upland oak grove, a unique natural landscape complex located within the city of Voronezh in the Central Federal District. The research period is 2014-2018. The census was carried out according to the standard method of counting birds according to the spring mating song with a fixed width of the counting strip equal to 50 m. The length of each route was 10,000 m. The results of the study showed that on the territory of the Voronezh upland oak forest, background and dominant bird species are represented by 38 species belonging to 5 orders … Most of the species belong to the order Passeriformes. In areas with a high degree of recreation, the number of synanthropic species and birds with a mixed type of diet increases. The consequences of the recreational impact are reflected in the number and species composition of birds.
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Constantin, Ion, Baltag Emanuel Ştefan, Ursu Adrian, Sfîcă Lucian, Ignat Alina Elena, and Stoleriu Cristian Constantin. "Relationship between Environmental Features and Bird Assemblages in the Wetlands of Eastern Romania." Present Environment and Sustainable Development 13, no. 1 (June 1, 2019): 265–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/pesd-2019-0021.
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Abstract The avian habitats in Eastern Europe are poorly managed in last decades. It is of highly noteworthy influence importance to obtain more information regarding the link between birds’ presence and environmental features in wetlands to improve this poorly managed system. In our study we investigated the effects of the various habitat, landscape fragmentation and weather variables on the bird assemblages in Eastern Romania, described by diversity, species richness and abundance of non-passerine birds in wetlands. Poisson regression modelling revealed wetland area, wetland heterogeneity, proportion of open-water, density of patches and habitats, landscape shape and temperature conditions have a noteworthy influence on the bird assemblages (p<0,05). Our results suggest that the link between environmental features and birds’ assemblage, in our study areas could be dependent on the presence of the emergent vegetation (shelter / reproduction zones), the balance between open-water area (feeding / nesting zones) and also other variables, as the temperature, the presence of the human living facilities and/or intensive fish nurseries in the neighboring zones. Waterbird distribution and abundance in eastern part of Romania are driven by similar factors to other part of the world and this study could be one of the first published on the topic in a region where It is a lack of information on waterbirds ecology. Such studies would bring valuable information about the ecologic factors influencing the lives of the birds, in the areas that were not stueid before, resulting in better conservation efforts and wetland protection, in estern part of Europe.
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Pauw, Anton. "A Bird's-Eye View of Pollination: Biotic Interactions as Drivers of Adaptation and Community Change." Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 50, no. 1 (November 2, 2019): 477–502. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110218-024845.
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Nectarivorous birds and bird-pollinated plants are linked by a network of interactions. Here I ask how these interactions influence evolution and community composition. I find near complete evidence for the effect of birds on plant evolution. Experiments show the process in action—birds select among floral phenotypes in a population—and comparative studies find the resulting pattern—bird-pollinated species have long-tubed, red flowers with large nectar volumes. Speciation is accomplished in one “magical” step when adaptation for bird pollination brings about divergent morphology and reproductive isolation. In contrast, evidence that plants drive bird evolution is fragmentary. Studies of selection on population-level variation are lacking, but the resulting pattern is clear—nectarivorous birds have evolved a remarkable number of times and often have long bills and brush-tipped or tubular tongues. At the level of the ecological guild, birds select among plant species via an effect on seed set and thus determine plant community composition. Plants simultaneously influence the relative fitness of bird species and thus determine the composition of the bird guild. Interaction partners may give one guild member a constant fitness advantage, resulting in competitive exclusion and community change, or may act as limiting resources that depress the fitness of frequent species, thus stabilizing community composition and allowing the coexistence of diversity within bird and plant guilds.
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Kumar, Anjali, and Sean O'Donnell. "Fragmentation and elevation effects on bird–army ant interactions in neotropical montane forest of Costa Rica." Journal of Tropical Ecology 23, no. 5 (August 16, 2007): 581–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467407004270.
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Army ants (Formicidae: Ecitoninae) are top predators in neotropical forests. Army ant raids support a community of diverse organisms, including birds that attend the raids to collect prey. While elevation and forest fragmentation influence army ant and insectivorous bird communities, their effects on the interaction between army ants and bird species is unknown. We studied the size and species composition of bird flocks attending army ant swarms in forest fragments and continuous forest across an elevational gradient (1100–1680 m asl) in a neotropical montane region (Monteverde, Costa Rica). We observed a total of 41 bird species attending army ant swarms. Neither the number of birds, nor the total body mass of birds, nor the number of bird species in attending bird flocks was related to elevation. However, we found a higher bird species richness, larger flock size and greater total body mass of birds attending army ant swarms in continuous forest. Continuous and fragmented forest shared many attending bird species in common, but there was elevational segregation of attending bird species. Some montane endemic birds, and neotropical migrants, attend swarms regularly and use army ant raids as a food source.
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Tang, Ling, Wangjun Tang, Xiaofang Li, Chuanxia Hu, Di Wu, Tianhou Wang, and Guimei He. "Avian Influenza Virus Prevalence and Subtype Diversity in Wild Birds in Shanghai, China, 2016–2018." Viruses 12, no. 9 (September 16, 2020): 1031. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v12091031.
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From 2016 to 2018, surveillance of influenza A viruses in wild birds was conducted in Shanghai, located at the East Asian–Australian flyway, China. A total of 5112 samples from 51 species of wild birds were collected from three different wetlands. The total three-year prevalence of influenza A viruses among them was 8.8%, as assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods, and the total prevalence was higher in Anseriformes (26.3%) than in the Charadriiformes (2.3%) and the other orders (2.4%) in the Chongmin wetlands. Anseriformes should be the key monitoring group in future surveillance efforts. The peak prevalence of influenza A viruses in Charadriiformes were in April and September, and in other bird orders, the peaks were in November and December. Twelve subtypes of haemagglutinin (HA; H1–H12) and eight subtypes of neuraminidase (NA; N1, N2, N4–N9) were identified in 21 different combinations. The greatest subtype diversity could be found in common teal, suggesting that this species of the bird might play an important role in the ecology and epidemiology of influenza A viruses in Shanghai. These results will increase our understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of influenza A viruses in wild bird hosts in eastern China, and provide references for subsequent surveillance of influenza A virus in wild birds in this area.
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Niemelä, Pekka, Timo Vuorisalo, and Simo Örmä. "Frederick II of Hohenstaufen and modern ecology." Natural History Sciences 8, no. 2 (October 28, 2021): 65–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/nhs.2021.539.
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Emperor Frederick II’s early thirteenth-century book on falconry, De arte venandi cum avibus, is probably the most famous single source for scholars who survey the state-of-the-art in natural sciences in medieval times. Most of the research on his book has focused on the marginal illustrations featuring about 80 bird species. However, the book contains a large amount of ethological, ecological, morphological and faunistic knowledge about bird fauna. Frederick was also one of the first to conduct experiments with birds. Here, we describe the ornithological experiments and observations of Frederick and evaluate them from the perspective of modern ecology. In many contexts, Frederick expressed criticism of Aristotle and his work Liber Animalium. Frederick’s observation upon the geographical variation of species was partially in contrast to the Aristotelian typological or essentialist species concept. This is an important finding from the point of view of the western history of biology. De arte venandi cum avibus demonstrates Frederick’s deep knowledge of the ecology, morphology and behaviour of birds. This knowledge he gained via his long practice with falconry. The love of falconry made Frederick an early proponent of empiricism, and De arte venandi cum avibus was actually the most important achievement of empirical zoology in the thirteenth century.
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Hasan, Akib, Miguel Montoro Girona, Guillaume Grosbois, Narayan Saha, and Md Abdul Halim. "Land Sparing Can Maintain Bird Diversity in Northeastern Bangladesh." Sustainability 12, no. 16 (August 11, 2020): 6472. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12166472.
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One of humanity’s most significant challenges in the process of attaining the established sustainability goals is balancing the growing human demand for food and the need to conserve biodiversity. This challenge requires appropriate land uses that are able to conserve biodiversity while ensuring ample food supply. This study compares bird species diversity and abundance in areas undergoing land sharing and land sparing in northeastern Bangladesh (West Bhanugach Reserved Forest). Birds serve as useful biologic indicators because of their presence within different trophic levels and their well-studied ecology. To survey birds, we selected a total of 66 sampling sites within land-sharing (33) and land-sparing (33) land-use areas. Between May and June 2017, we observed and recorded bird calls within a 50-m radius around each sampling site. We counted 541 individuals from 46 species of birds. The Shannon bird diversity was higher in the land-sparing sites (1.52) than in the land-sharing sites (1.23). We found approximately 30% more bird species (39 vs. 30) and 40% more individuals (318 vs. 223) in the land-sparing areas than land-sharing areas. Three bird species, Arachnothera longirostra, Micropternus brachyurus and Copsychus malabaricus, were significantly associated with the land-sparing sites. This study shows that land sharing negatively affects bird diversity, richness and abundance compared to land-sparing. The use of chemical fertilizers and the lack of food, such as insects, for birds can explain the lower diversity, richness and abundance of birds in the land-sharing areas. Although land sharing is an effective means of producing food, land sparing is the most effective land-use practice for preserving bird diversity in northeastern Bangladesh.
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Taieb, Ludivine, Antoinette Ludwig, Nick H. Ogden, Robbin L. Lindsay, Mahmood Iranpour, Carl A. Gagnon, and Dominique J. Bicout. "Bird Species Involved in West Nile Virus Epidemiological Cycle in Southern Québec." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 12 (June 23, 2020): 4517. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124517.
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Despite many studies on West Nile Virus (WNV) in the US, including the reservoir role of bird species and the summer shifts of the Culex mosquito, feeding from birds to mammals, there have been few equivalent studies in the neighboring regions of Canada where WNV is endemic. Here, a priority list of bird species likely involved in WNV transmission in the greater Montréal area is constructed by combining three sources of data: (i) from WNV surveillance in wild birds (2002–2015); (ii) blood meal analysis of Culex pipiens–restuans (CPR), the primary enzootic vectors of WNV in the region, collected from surveillance in 2008 and 2014; (iii) literature review on the sero-prevalence/host competence of resident birds. Each of these data sources yielded 18, 23 and 53 species, and overall, 67 different bird species were identified as potential WNV amplifiers/reservoirs. Of those identified from CPR blood meals, Common starlings, American robins, Song sparrows and House sparrows ranked the highest and blood meal analysis demonstrated a seasonal shift in feed preference from birds to mammals by CPR. Our study indicates that there are broad similarities in the ecology of WNV between our region and the northeastern US, although the relative importance of bird species varies somewhat between regions.
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Barbieri, Edison, and Eduardo Tavares Paes. "The birds at Ilha Comprida beach (São Paulo State, Brazil): a multivariate approach." Biota Neotropica 8, no. 3 (September 2008): 41–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1676-06032008000300003.
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Birds were censused weekly from January 1999 to January 2001 along Ilha Comprida beach, a barrier island off São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. To evaluate the similarity in the bird's species composition among the weekly surveys, species counts data were arranged on a data matrix with 144 weekly surveys, analyzed following a multivariate analysis protocol. We counted a total of 205,399 individuals and 52 species. Migratory birds were an important component of the avifauna (maximum N = 21,294 individuals and 14 species). The largest numbers of birds were observed during summer, when Nearctic migrants arrive. All 14 of the most common species were migrants, including Calidris alba, Sterna maxima, Charadrius semipalmatus, Sterna hirundo, Thalasseus maximus, Pluvialis dominica and Calidris fuscicollis. The most common residents were Thalasseus s. eurrygnathus, Larus dominicanus, Coragyps atratus, Fregata magnificens and Sterna hirundinacea. Recently, most of the peripheral area adjacent to the beach has been urbanized and rapid habitat change is progressing. In this paper, we establish a reference that will allow future comparisons to assess the impact of such urbanization on the composition of bird populations on Ilha Comprida.
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Akçay, Hüseyin Gökhan, Bekir Kabasakal, Duygugül Aksu, Nusret Demir, Melih Öz, and Ali Erdoğan. "Automated Bird Counting with Deep Learning for Regional Bird Distribution Mapping." Animals 10, no. 7 (July 16, 2020): 1207. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10071207.
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A challenging problem in the field of avian ecology is deriving information on bird population movement trends. This necessitates the regular counting of birds which is usually not an easily-achievable task. A promising attempt towards solving the bird counting problem in a more consistent and fast way is to predict the number of birds in different regions from their photos. For this purpose, we exploit the ability of computers to learn from past data through deep learning which has been a leading sub-field of AI for image understanding. Our data source is a collection of on-ground photos taken during our long run of birding activity. We employ several state-of-the-art generic object-detection algorithms to learn to detect birds, each being a member of one of the 38 identified species, in natural scenes. The experiments revealed that computer-aided counting outperformed the manual counting with respect to both accuracy and time. As a real-world application of image-based bird counting, we prepared the spatial bird order distribution and species diversity maps of Turkey by utilizing the geographic information system (GIS) technology. Our results suggested that deep learning can assist humans in bird monitoring activities and increase citizen scientists’ participation in large-scale bird surveys.
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Thompson, D. B. A., D. J. Curtis, and J. C. Smyth. "Patterns of association between birds and invertebrates in the Clyde Estuary." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Section B. Biological Sciences 90 (1986): 185–201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s026972700000498x.
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SynopsisRelationships between feeding ecology, population dynamics and conservation of estuarine shorebirds are becoming better understood mainly as a result of detailed long-term studies of birds in the northwest European estuaries most vulnerable to industrial and agricultural developments. Until five years ago the tidal flats of the Clyde Estuary held internationally and nationally important populations of ducks (Anatinae) and waders (Charadrii). To understand the reasons for changes in bird distribution it is necessary to know more about the factors which determine distribution. In this paper we examine the pattern of association between the Clyde's birds and their prey by evaluating the extent to which the distribution of birds is related to that of benthic invertebrates, heterospecific birds, season and tidal state.Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that heterospecifics had effects on bird distributions over-riding those of prey. In summer, the significant independent variables explained 41–61% variation in bird density (number km−2) and 33% variation in bird feeding hours (bird-hours km−2); in winter they explained 17–35% and 29–32% respectively. The amount of variation explained was greater during flow than ebb tides, and the number of species for which some of the variation was explained was greater in winter than in summer. Three associations, each consisting of two bird species, are suggested: redshank with lapwing, dunlin with mallard, and shelduck with gulls. We provide explanations for some of the mechanisms underlying the above patterns and indicate areas for more detailed observational and experimental work. The integrity of the avian component of the estuarine ecosystem appears to be dependent on associations and interactions between birds as well as between birds and their prey. The associations are labile, and in many species stem from the effect of tidal movement on prey availability.
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Hedenstrom, A., and F. Liechti. "Field estimates of body drag coefficient on the basis of dives in passerine birds." Journal of Experimental Biology 204, no. 6 (March 15, 2001): 1167–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.204.6.1167.
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During forward flight, a bird's body generates drag that tends to decelerate its speed. By flapping its wings, or by converting potential energy into work if gliding, the bird produces both lift and thrust to balance the pull of gravity and drag. In flight mechanics, a dimensionless number, the body drag coefficient (C(D,par)), describes the magnitude of the drag caused by the body. The drag coefficient depends on the shape (or streamlining), the surface texture of the body and the Reynolds number. It is an important variable when using flight mechanical models to estimate the potential migratory flight range and characteristic flight speeds of birds. Previous wind tunnel measurements on dead, frozen bird bodies indicated that C(D,par) is 0.4 for small birds, while large birds should have lower values of approximately 0.2. More recent studies of a few birds flying in a wind tunnel suggested that previous values probably overestimated C(D,par). We measured maximum dive speeds of passerine birds during the spring migration across the western Mediterranean. When the birds reach their top speed, the pull of gravity should balance the drag of the body (and wings), giving us an opportunity to estimate C(D,par). Our results indicate that C(D,par) decreases with increasing Reynolds number within the range 0.17-0.77, with a mean C(D,par) of 0.37 for small passerines. A somewhat lower mean value could not be excluded because diving birds may control their speed below the theoretical maximum. Our measurements therefore support the notion that 0.4 (the ‘old’ default value) is a realistic value of C(D,par) for small passerines.
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Wang, Lin, Jing Hai Zhu, and Zhong Qiang Ma. "Effects of Beipiao Wind Power Development Planning on Local Birds Ecosystem." Applied Mechanics and Materials 214 (November 2012): 445–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.214.445.
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Liaoning Beipiao is located in "Three north" wind zone which is one of the regions rich in wind energy resources in China. The area is windy throughout the year suitable for wind energy development and utilization. For the next 12 years, Beipiao government plans to construct 16 key wind energy resource development areas. However, the planning wind farms are located in Liaoxi Corridor for birds migrating must pass by. The wind farm may generate adverse effects to migratory bird ecology in Beipiao. The basic characteristic of bird ecological system in Beipiao area is introduced in the paper. The adverse effects of wind farm on birds and answer measures are discussed as well.
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Cenizo, Marcos M. "Review of the putative Phorusrhacidae from the Cretaceous and Paleogene of Antarctica: new records of ratites and pelagornithid birds." Polish Polar Research 33, no. 3 (October 1, 2012): 239–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10183-012-0014-3.
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Abstract : Remains referred to Phorusrhacidae from the Cretaceous and Paleogene of the Antarctic Peninsula, and mainly known through informal and succinct descriptions, are re− assigned here to other bird lineages recorded in the Antarctic continent. New records of ratites, pelagornithid birds, and penguins are added to the Upper Eocene avifauna of Sey− mour Island. Moreover, the original allocation for an alleged cursorial seriema−like bird from the Maastrichtian of Vega Island is refuted, and its affinities with foot−propelled div− ing birds are indicated. The indeterminate Pelagornithidae specimen represents the largest pseudo−toothed bird known so far. It is concluded that there is no empirical evidence for the presence of terror birds in Antarctica.
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Song, Min-Suk, Taek-Kyu Oh, Ho Jin Moon, Dai-Woon Yoo, Eun Ho Lee, Jong-Soo Lee, Chul-Jung Kim, Gi-Jo Yoo, Hyunggee Kim, and Young-Ki Choi. "Ecology of H3 avian influenza viruses in Korea and assessment of their pathogenic potentials." Journal of General Virology 89, no. 4 (April 1, 2008): 949–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.83462-0.
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To determine the genetic origins of novel H3 avian influenza viruses of chickens and ducks in Korea, genetic characterization of H3 avian influenza viruses isolated from live poultry markets and migratory aquatic birds in South Korea during 2004–2006 was conducted. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that at least four novel genotypes of H3N2 and two genotypes of H3N6 avian influenza viruses were co-circulating in backyard poultry of Korea. The viruses were reassortants between H9N2 viruses of Korean chickens and unknown influenza viruses of migratory birds. Genetic comparison of H3 viruses from live bird markets with those from wild bird isolates revealed that certain gene segments of wild bird isolates are related closely to those of Korean group H9N2 viruses isolated from live poultry markets in 2003. Furthermore, animal-challenge studies demonstrated that the pathogenicity of certain avian H3 influenza viruses was altered due to reassortment, leading to H3 avian influenza viruses in Korea that can potentially expand their host range to include mammals. These studies emphasize the continuing need to monitor backyard poultry at live poultry markets to better understand interspecies transmission and the emergence of novel influenza viruses that have the potential to infect humans.
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Malanotte, Marcia L., Tiago Machado-de-Souza, Ricardo P. Campos, Carmen L. O. Petkowicz, and Isabela G. Varassin. "How do fruit productivity, fruit traits and dietary specialization affect the role of birds in a mutualistic network?" Journal of Tropical Ecology 35, no. 5 (June 13, 2019): 213–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467419000178.
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AbstractMany plant traits might explain the different ecological and network roles of fruit-eating birds. We assessed the relationship of plant productivity, fruit traits (colour, seed size and nutritional quality) and dietary specialization, with the network roles of fruit-eating birds (number of partners, centrality and selectivity) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. We classified bird species according to their dietary specialization into three categories: obligate, partial and opportunistic fruit-eating birds. To test if network roles changed according to dietary specialization, fruit productivity and traits, we used a generalized linear model analysis. The selected 14 species of plant interacted with 52 bird species, which consumed 2199 fruits. The most central and generalist fruit-eating bird, Turdus albicolis, interacted with plants that produced more fruits, such as Miconia cinerascens, and had, on average, larger seeds, such as Myrcia splendens. The most selective birds interacted with fruits with a higher concentration of lipids and less intense colour, and plants that produced fewer fruits. Obligate fruit-eating birds, such as Patagioenas plumbea, were more selective than partial and opportunistic birds. Different plant traits are therefore related to the different network roles of fruit-eating birds in the Atlantic Forest, which are also dependent on bird dietary specialization.
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Barshep, Yahkat, Ulf Ottosson, Jonas Waldenström, and Mark Hulme. "Non-breeding ecology of the Whinchat Saxicola rubetra in Nigeria." Ornis Svecica 22, no. 1–2 (January 1, 2012): 25–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.34080/os.v22.22591.
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This study on the non-breeding ecology of the Whinchat Saxicola rubetra was conducted in central Nigeria from February through April. The core site was at Gwafan (N09°53', E08°57'), an open scrubland located 10 km east of the city of Jos. The density of Whinchats at Gwafan was 0.58 individuals/ ha, almost three times the overall density around Jos. Time budget observations of colour banded Whinchats, including six birds fitted with radio-transmitters, showed that they spent 80% of their time perching, 11% foraging, 7% preening, and 2% flying. The main method of catching insects was a swoop to the ground. There was no change in perching, preening or flying time but the time some Whinchats spent foraging increased towards the end of the study period. GPS positions of individuals showed that all birds held clearly demarcated territories and defended them against neighbours. Aggressive interactions were also recorded between Whinchats and other bird species. Three birds colour-ringed in 2006 returned to the study site in 2007 and one occupied almost the same territory, indicating site fidelity.
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Zasadil, Petr, Dušan Romportl, and Jakub Horák. "Disentangling the Roles of Topography, Patch, and Land Use on Conservation Trait Status of Specialist Birds in Marginal Forest Land Use Types." Forests 11, no. 1 (January 14, 2020): 103. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f11010103.
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One of the main questions in ecology and conservation is how organisms are governed and affected by their traits within the context of abiotic gradients. The main question of our study addresses how patch, topography, and land use influence conservation trait status (rarity and red-list index) of birds generally, and of farmland and woodland specialists specifically, in marginal forest landscape types. We sampled birds from 68 traditional fruit orchards existing as remnants of agroforestry within the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic during two consecutive years. We recorded 57 bird species, of which 31 species were forest dwellers and 16 farmland dwellers. Topographical predictors played the most significant role in influencing traits of the bird community as a whole. Farmland bird traits indicated the most balanced values, as they were significantly influenced by all studied predictor sets. Their responses nevertheless differed among the studied traits and also showed a more complex pattern because the values of interaction between some predictor categories were relatively high. Traits of woodland birds were most influenced by the patch configuration. We found that a structurally diversified marginal habitat type of traditional fruit orchards is able to promote a number of specialist species and also reveals important relationships between bird conservation traits and different predictor sets. Researchers should pay more attention to the conservation traits of birds and their interactions with environmental predictors. Furthermore, conservationists should be more attentive to the biodiversity value and sustainable management of traditional fruit orchards.
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Sanitjan, Sawat, and Jin Chen. "Habitat and fig characteristics influence the bird assemblage and network properties of fig trees from Xishuangbanna, South-West China." Journal of Tropical Ecology 25, no. 2 (March 2009): 161–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467409005847.
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Abstract:To understand how fruit tree characteristics and microhabitats shape the assemblage of birds on fig trees and the pattern of fig–bird interactions, we observed and recorded, over 96 d and 816 h, the frugivorous birds visiting 32 individual trees belonging to 14 species of Ficus that were distributed across four different sites. A total of 30 bird species were recorded as eating figs, comprising 66.7% of the total number of frugivorous bird species recorded at the four sites. Small passerine birds such as bulbuls were the dominant frugivores for fig species. The number of bird species visiting different fig trees was significantly influenced by the crop size and canopy volume. Fruit colour and fruit size did not significantly influence the number of bird species, whereas habitats appeared to influence the composition of visiting birds. The fig–frugivorous bird interaction was asymmetrically structured, and the degree of nestedness appeared to be influenced by the forest type and degree of disturbance: the degree of nestedness in non-limestone forest tended to be higher than limestone forest; forest with less disturbance tend to be more nested compared with the open forest with high disturbance.
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Tohir, Rizki Kurnia, Mohammad Ashari Dwiputra, and Fajar Islam Sitanggang. "BIRD DISTRIBUTION IN ITERA CAMPUS AREA BASED ON VALUE CHANGES IN NORMALIZED DIFFERENCE VEGETATION INDEX (NDVI)." Media Konservasi 26, no. 2 (October 17, 2021): 83–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.29244/medkon.26.2.83-91.
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Land-use change from a rubber plantation into the ITERA campus area causes an ecological transition. The components of ecology affected are vegetation and wildlife (bird). Geographic information systems can be used to assess the condition of vegetation and its relation to the ecological component. This study analyses bird diversity, vegetation condition through the NDVI value distribution, and then analyses the bird distribution based on vegetation condition. Observation in transect is the method for collecting bird distribution data. Analyses of vegetation condition was carried out based on NDVI. Analyses of bird distribution based on vegetation condition was carried out spatially by overlaying thematic maps of vegetation with bird distribution. This research found 28 bird species belonging to 18 families with diversity index (H’) 1.84. The highest abundance species were Lonchura punctulata, Passer montanus, and Hirundo tahitica. The NDVI values ranged from -0.64-0.87. ITERA vegetation conditions are divided into five classes: very rare vegetation (VRV), rare vegetation (RV), m vegetation (MV), dense vegetation class (DVC), and very dense vegetation (VDV). Total encounters with birds in this study were 753. The distribution of birds to the vegetation conditions in ITERA has a higher tendency and diverse vegetation have implications of birds to use the vegetation. In the VRV class, there were 4 encounters, RV 37, MV 157, DVC 235, and VDV 315. Also, the number of bird species tends to increase along with the increasing vegetation value. Lonchura punctulata is a bird with the highest abundance in each vegetation class, followed by Passer montanus and Pycnonotus aurigaster.
Key words: bird distribution, ITERA, land-use change, vegetation condition
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Lambert, Frank. "Fig-eating by birds in a Malaysian lowland rain forest." Journal of Tropical Ecology 5, no. 4 (November 1989): 401–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467400003850.
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ABSTRACTSixty bird species ate the figs of 29 Ficus taxa at a lowland forest site in Peninsular Malaysia. Although most bird-eaten figs were brightly coloured, four Ficus species produced dull-coloured ripe fruits. Whilst there was tremendous overlap in the sizes of figs eaten by different bird species, data presented show that the fig resource was partitioned by birds. Large birds were commoner visitors to large-fruited Ficus, but small birds tended to eat small figs. Within two avian genera, the Treron pigeons and Megalaima barbets, there was distinct partitioning of figs consumed according to fig size.
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Coates-Estrada, Rosamond, and Alejandro Estrada. "Avian attendance and foraging at army-ant swarms in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico." Journal of Tropical Ecology 5, no. 3 (August 1989): 281–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467400003655.
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ABSTRACTForaging and attendance of birds at army-ant swarm raids were studied in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Sixty-eight raiding swarms were intercepted over a four-year period of which 57% were Eciton burchelli and 43% Labidus praedator. A total of 461 birds (37 species/12 families) were recorded at swarms of E. burchelli and 208 birds (34 species/10 families) were recorded at L. praedator swarms. The mean number of bird species detected per swarm was 7.2 at E. burchelli raids and 5.6 at L. praedator raids. Red-throated ant-tanagers (Habia fuscicauda) were most frequently seen at the swarms of both army-ant species. Other important species were the golden-crowned warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus), the white-breasted wood wren (Henicorhina leucosticta) and the Kentucky warbler (Oporornis formosus). Swarms of both army-ant species were active year-round. Birds weighing between 20 and 40 g dominated perches closest to the ground and the central zone of the swarms, richest in animal prey. Birds weighing less than 20 g occupied higher perches and tended to forage in more peripheral zones. At Los Tuxtlas raiding swarms of army ants are important in the foraging ecology of 44 bird species, including 12 North American migrants.
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Pyke, GH, and HF Recher. "Estimated Forest Bird Densities by Variable Distance Point Counts." Wildlife Research 12, no. 2 (1985): 307. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9850307.
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During variable distance point counts a stationary observer records the species and distance for all birds detected during a fixed time interval. Such counts, repeated throughout the area of interest, can be used to estimate bird density so long as the following assumptions are made: (1) the distribution of birds is unaffected by the observer; (2) observers are certain of detecting near birds; (3) there is no error in measurement or estimation of distances; and (4) birds are stationary. Data collected during the present study indicated that at least two of these assumptions are not satisfied: estimates of distance based on sound are inaccurate and observers do not always detect near birds. No effect of observer presence on bird distribution was detected nor did there appear to be any significant movement of birds during counts. We recommend that bird counts be based only on sight detections and that, when bird movement is significant, instantaneous counts be used.
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Blackburn, Tim M., and Kevin J. Gaston. "Contribution of non-native galliforms to annual variation in biomass of British birds." Biological Invasions 23, no. 5 (January 23, 2021): 1549–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02458-y.
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AbstractMillions of individuals of two species of non-native galliform birds, the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) are released into the British countryside annually in late summer, supplementing established breeding populations of these two species. The biomass of birds involved in these releases has been compared to the British breeding bird biomass. However, the validity of this comparison is compromised because the biomass of wild birds varies across the year due to reproduction, mortality and migration. How the biomass of Common Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges compares to that of other British bird species in late summer, or across the whole year, is currently unknown. Here, we produce estimates of how British bird biomass varies across the year, to assess the contribution of the two non-native galliforms to this variation. We show that overall British bird biomass is probably lowest around the start of the breeding season in April, and peaks in late summer and autumn. We estimate that around a quarter of British bird biomass annually is contributed by Common Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges, and that at their peak in August these two species represent about half of all wild bird biomass in Britain.
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Schieck, Jim, and Keith A. Hobson. "Bird communities associated with live residual tree patches within cut blocks and burned habitat in mixedwood boreal forests." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 30, no. 8 (August 1, 2000): 1281–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x00-061.
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By retaining patches of trees in cut blocks, managers expect to retain some forest birds and create bird communities more similar to those found after fires. We surveyed birds from a range of patch sizes (1 to >3000 live residual trees), at four ages (2, 15, 30, 60 years), following two disturbance types (harvest, fire) in mixedwood boreal forest. Bird communities varied among patch sizes, forest ages, and disturbance types. Immediately post-disturbance, bird communities from large patches (>100 residual trees) were more similar to those from old forest than were communities from small patches ([Formula: see text]10 residual trees). Birds that nest or forage in open or riparian habitats had highest densities in small patches 2 years post-harvest, whereas birds that nest in large snags had highest densities in small patches 2 years post-fire. Throughout the chronosequence following both disturbance types, birds from small patches became more similar to those from old forest. Birds that nest and forage in small trees and shrubs were common 15 and 30 years post-disturbance, and generalist forest birds were common 60 years post-disturbance. Birds associated with old forest were present in all patch sizes 15, 30, and 60 years post-disturbance, although larger patches had higher densities of these species.
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de Morais-Junior, Cláudio Simões, Mauro de Melo-Júnior, Thiago Gonçalves-Souza, and Rachel Maria de Lyra-Neves. "Zoochory of zooplankton: seasonality and bird morphological diversity can influence metacommunity dynamics of temporary ponds." Journal of Plankton Research 41, no. 4 (July 2019): 465–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbz028.
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Abstract Harsh and unstable aquatic environments present selective forces that influence environmental heterogeneity, dispersal capacity and specific life history strategies that, in turn, affect species distribution and metacommunity dynamics. To date, relatively few studies have examined the potential of bird-mediated dispersal to connect isolated ephemeral habitats. We used zooplankton from temporary ponds to examine the effects of bird morphological diversity and water availability on microcrustacean diversity in temporary ponds. Three bird feet models were constructed based on small, large and webbed anisodactylous forms in order to simulate bird walking on the pond shore. Bird and zooplankton communities were sampled in two temporary ponds and experimentally simulated zooplankton dispersal by bird on dry sediments. We surveyed in two contrasting seasonal periods. Overall, water availability does affect zooplankton composition, and birds with large feet have higher dispersal capacity. In addition, birds with different feet size and shape carry distinct zooplankton species. During the dry season, sediments hold 100% more species than in the wet season, which indicates that birds have higher potential for dispersing zooplankton in drought conditions. Our findings suggest that bird diversity can maintain zooplankton metacommunities by rescuing dormant organisms from dry ponds and connecting to any available aquatic habitats.
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Dalaba, Justin, Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez, Jorge Eduardo Ruano, and Frank J. Mazzotti. "Wading Birds of Northern Belize." EDIS 2020, no. 2 (April 27, 2020): 4. http://dx.doi.org/10.32473/edis-uw469-2020.
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Belize is home to over 605 bird species, many of them wading birds popular with bird watchers who enjoy their bright colors and charismatic behavior. Bird-watching is a major contributor to successful wildlife conservation and is important as native habitat loses ground to development. This 4-page fact sheet written by Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez, Jorge E. Ruano, Justin R. Dalaba and Frank J. Mazzotti and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation presents photos and descriptions that will help identify some common and some rare wading birds.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw469
Trifold brochure: WEC425/UW470, 4/2020 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw470
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Mikula, Peter, Jiří Hadrava, Tomáš Albrecht, and Piotr Tryjanowski. "Large-scale assessment of commensalistic–mutualistic associations between African birds and herbivorous mammals using internet photos." PeerJ 6 (March 19, 2018): e4520. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4520.
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Birds sitting or feeding on live large African herbivorous mammals are a visible, yet quite neglected, type of commensalistic–mutualistic association. Here, we investigate general patterns in such relationships at large spatial and taxonomic scales. To obtain large-scale data, an extensive internet-based search for photos was carried out on Google Images. To characterize patterns of the structural organization of commensalistic–mutualistic associations between African birds and herbivorous mammals, we used a network analysis approach. We then employed phylogenetically-informed comparative analysis to explore whether features of bird visitation of mammals, i.e., their mean number, mass and species richness per mammal species, are shaped by a combination of host mammal (body mass and herd size) and environmental (habitat openness) characteristics. We found that the association web structure was only weakly nested for commensalistic as well as for mutualistic birds (oxpeckers Buphagus spp.) and African mammals. Moreover, except for oxpeckers, nestedness did not differ significantly from a null model indicating that birds do not prefer mammal species which are visited by a large number of bird species. In oxpeckers, however, a nested structure suggests a non-random assignment of birds to their mammal hosts. We also identified some new or rare associations between birds and mammals, but we failed to find several previously described associations. Furthermore, we found that mammal body mass positively influenced the number and mass of birds observed sitting on them in the full set of species (i.e., taking oxpeckers together with other bird species). We also found a positive correlation between mammal body mass and mass of non-oxpecker species as well as oxpeckers. Mammal herd size was associated with a higher mass of birds in the full set of species as well as in non-oxpecker species, and mammal species living in larger herds also attracted more bird species in the full set of species. Habitat openness influenced the mass of birds sitting on mammals as well as the number of species recorded sitting on mammals in the full set of species. In non-oxpecker species habitat openness was correlated with the bird number, mass and species richness. Our results provide evidence that patterns of bird–mammal associations can be linked to mammal and environmental characteristics and highlight the potential role of information technologies and new media in further studies of ecology and evolution. However, further study is needed to get a proper insight into the biological and methodological processes underlying the observed patterns.
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B. Heenan, Peter, and Peter J. De Lange. "Reproductive biology, ecology and conservation of Carmichaelia williamsii (Fabaceae), a vulnerable legume from New Zealand." Pacific Conservation Biology 5, no. 3 (1999): 179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc990179.
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Carmichaelia williamsii is a threatened leguminous shrub that is most common on the Poor Knights Islands and Aldermen Islands, northern New Zealand. Flower morphology and structure of C. williamsii is suited to a bird pollination syndrome as the floral parts are stout, the petals yellow, the nectar source is distant from the stigma, and the flowers lack scent. The stigma is covered by a protective cuticle that prevents pollination until it is ruptured, which would usually be by foraging birds. Experimental self- and cross-pollinations demonstrated that if the cuticle is not ruptured fertilization will not occur, and that the species is self-compatible. Field observations on Aorangi Island, Poor Knights Islands, confirmed that C. williamsii is probably bird pollinated as plants in full flower were being systematically worked by the native passerine honeyeater the Bellbird (Anthornis me/anura; Meliphagidae). C. williamsii mainly grows in seral habitats, and populations often comprise plants of a similar height class. Introduced rats and the loss of pollinating birds could pose conservation and management problems for the species.
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Mulwa, Moses, Mike Teucher, Werner Ulrich, and Jan Christian Habel. "Bird communities in a degraded forest biodiversity hotspot of East Africa." Biodiversity and Conservation 30, no. 8-9 (May 10, 2021): 2305–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02190-y.
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AbstractTropical forests suffer severe habitat destruction. Thus, tropical forests frequently consist today of only a few small remnants that are often embedded within a matrix of agricultural fields and tree plantations. Forest specialist species have experienced severe population declines under these circumstances. We studied bird communities based on census plots set up in a near-natural forest block, as well as degraded forest patches, tree plantations, and agricultural fields, across the Taita Hills in southern Kenya. We classified each bird species according its ecology and behavior. We quantified the land cover and landscape configuration around each census plot. Typical forest species were mainly observed in the near-natural forest block, and to a lower extent in degraded forest patches. Plantations were almost devoid of birds. Bird communities of small forest fragments were more similar to that of agricultural land than the near-natural forest block. Most frugivorous, insectivorous and nectarivorous birds occurred in forest habitats, while granivorous bird species dominated the bird communities of agricultural land. The surrounding landscape had a marginal impact on bird species composition at local sites. Our study showed that the preservation of near-natural cloud forest, including small forest patches, is essential for the conservation of forest-dependent species, and that plantations do not serve as surrogate habitats.
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Vleck, Carol Masters. "Physiological Ecology of Birds." Ecology 68, no. 2 (April 1987): 461. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1939288.
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Hafner, Heinz. "Ecology of Wading Birds." Colonial Waterbirds 20, no. 1 (1997): 115. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1521773.
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Urfi, Abdul Jamil. "Breeding ecology of birds." Resonance 8, no. 7 (July 2003): 22–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02834400.
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LICARIÃO, MORGANA R., DANDARA M. M. BEZERRA, and RÔMULO R. N. ALVES. "Wild birds as pets in Campina Grande, Paraíba State, Brazil: An Ethnozoological Approach." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 85, no. 1 (March 2013): 201–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0001-37652013000100011.
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Birds are one of the animals most widely used by humans and are highly valued as pets. The present work reports the use of wild birds as pets in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba State (PB), Brazil. The owners' choice and perceptions of the species ecology was assessed as well. The methodology employed included unstructured and semi-structured interviews, guided tours and direct observations. A total of 26 bird species distributed among ten families and four orders were identified. The most frequently encountered order was Passeriformes (76.9%), with a predominance of the family Emberizidae (34.6%). The specimens kept as pets were principally obtained in public markets or between the breeders themselves. The popularity of birds as pets, compounded by the inefficiency of official controls over the commerce of wild animals has stimulated the illegal capture and breeding of wild birds in Campina Grande.
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Sheldon, Kimberly S., and Nalini M. Nadkarni. "The use of pasture trees by birds in a tropical montane landscape in Monteverde, Costa Rica." Journal of Tropical Ecology 29, no. 5 (September 2013): 459–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467413000503.
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Abstract:Conversion of forests to agricultural land may require many bird species to use resources in fragmented landscapes in order to persist. Pasture trees can make agricultural landscapes more hospitable for birds, but we do not know what factors promote bird visitation to pasture trees. Bird use of 26 focal trees of a common pasture species, Sapium glandulosum (Euphorbiaceae), was examined in three pastures in a montane landscape in Costa Rica to understand factors influencing bird visitation. Bird visits were analysed in relation to pasture tree size, distance from forest edge, degree of isolation and epiphyte load. Foraging resources (epiphyte or tree substrate) were also measured. From May–July 2012, 52 bird species from 20 families were recorded from 926 unique visits. Bird visitation was best explained by tree size, degree of isolation and epiphyte load such that larger, more isolated trees with higher epiphyte loads attracted more birds. Birds preferred food resources from focal trees (51% of visits) rather than their epiphytes (5% of visits). The results corroborate previous findings that mature pasture trees, even when isolated, may contribute more to species persistence than smaller trees.
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Tracey, John P. "Risk-based surveillance of avian influenza in Australia's wild birds." Wildlife Research 37, no. 2 (2010): 134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr09152.
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Context. The epidemiology of avian influenza and the ecology of wild birds are inextricably linked. An understanding of both is essential in assessing and managing the risks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Aims. This project investigates the abundance, movements and breeding ecology of Australia’s Anseriformes in relation to the prevalence of low-pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) and provides risk profiles to improve the efficiency and relevance of wild-bird surveillance. Methods. Generalised linear models and analysis of variance were used to examine the determinants of Anseriformes abundance and movements in Australia, and the observed prevalence of LPAI in Australia (n = 33 139) and overseas (n = 93 344). Risk profiles were developed using poultry density, estimated LPAI prevalence, the abundance of Anseriformes, and the probability of Anseriformes moving from areas of HPAI epizootics. Key results. Analysis of Australian wild-bird surveillance data strongly supports other studies that have found the prevalence of LPAI in wild birds to be much lower (1%) in Australia than that in other countries (4.7%). LPAI prevalence was highly variable among sampling periods and locations and significantly higher in dabbling ducks than in other functional groups. Trends in Anseriformes movements, abundance and breeding are also variable, and correlated with rainfall, which could explain low prevalence and the failure to detect seasonal differences in LPAI in wild birds. Virus prevalence of faecal samples was significantly lower, whereas collecting faecal samples was 3–5 times less expensive and logistically simpler, than that of cloacal samples. Overall priority areas for on-going surveillance are provided for Australia. Conclusions. Previous surveillance has occurred in high-priority areas, with the exception of Mareeba (North Queensland), Brisbane and Darwin, and has provided valuable information on the role of wild birds in maintaining avian influenza viruses. However, several practical considerations need to be addressed for future surveillance. Implications. Long-term surveillance studies in wild birds in priority areas are required, which incorporate information on bird abundance, age, behaviour, breeding and movements, particularly for dabbling ducks. This is important to validate trends of LPAI prevalence, in understanding the main determinants for virus spread and persistence, and in predicting and managing future epizootics of HPAI in Australia.
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McGinness, Heather M., Anthony D. Arthur, and Julian R. W. Reid. "Woodland bird declines in the Murray–Darling Basin: are there links with floodplain change?" Rangeland Journal 32, no. 3 (2010): 315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj10016.
Full textAbstract:
Woodland bird population declines in Australia have been attributed to various factors including habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. However, the influence of altered water availability in the landscape upon woodland bird populations has not been examined, particularly in terms of changes in flood regimes and subsequent loss of floodplain productivity. In this review, we examine the importance to woodland birds of floodplains, floods, and associated vegetation communities, highlighting potential links between declining water availability, habitat degradation, and bird populations. Floodplain woodlands and forests may be important refuges for woodland bird populations because (1) floodplain woodlands and forests comprise some of the largest and most continuous vegetation remnants in south-east Australia; and (2) floods intermittently supply water, sediment and nutrients that drive greater primary and secondary productivity than found in woodlands not subject to flooding. However, floodplains in south-east Australia have been subject to substantial flow regime change, driven predominantly by dams and irrigation water use. Consequently, habitat quality for woodland birds has been degraded, potentially exacerbating population declines. We suggest that despite such change, floodplain communities and their requisite floods remain of great importance for the persistence, productivity and diversity of woodland birds in Australian drylands. We hypothesise that (1) the influence of flooding upon primary and secondary productivity in floodplain and riparian zones is a key driver of resident bird populations, and a key determinant of nomadic/migratory bird use of a site; (2) alterations in flooding and consequent changes in productivity and condition of floodplain vegetation have contributed to observed declines in resident woodland birds in Australian drylands; and (3) the influence of flooding upon productivity extends beyond local populations of floodplain residents to non-floodplain populations via dispersal, and that floodplain woodlands often act as a source population for surrounding non-floodplain woodlands. We make several testable predictions regarding these hypotheses.
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Casey, Jordan M., Marie E. Wilson, Nicholas Hollingshead, and David G. Haskell. "The Effects of Exurbanization on Bird and Macroinvertebrate Communities in Deciduous Forests on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee." International Journal of Ecology 2009 (2009): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2009/539417.
Full textAbstract:
To investigate the potential causes of changes to bird communities in exurban areas, we examined the relationship between bird and macroinvertebrate communities in exurbanized forest. We randomly located sampling points across a gradient of exurbanization. We used point counts to quantify bird communities and sweep netting, soil cores, pitfalls, and frass collectors to quantify macroinvertebrates. Bird communities had higher richness and abundance in exurban areas compared to undeveloped forests, and lost some species of conservation concern but gained others. The macroinvertebrate community was slightly more abundant in exurban areas, with a slight shift in taxonomic composition. The abundance of macroinvertebrates in soil cores (but not pitfalls) predicted the abundance of ground-foraging birds. The abundance of macroinvertebrates in sweep nets was not associated with the abundance of aerial insectivore birds. Exurbanization therefore appears to change bird and macroinvertebrate communities, but to a lesser extent than agricultural forest fragmentation or intensive urbanization.
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Chong, Sung-Tae, Heung Chul Kim, Jong-Gil Park, Chang-Yong Choi, Chang-Uk Park, Terry A. Klein, and Richard George Robbins. "Tick surveillance of migratory birds during 2010–2011 on Hong and Heuksan Islands, Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea." Systematic and Applied Acarology 23, no. 11 (November 20, 2018): 2214. http://dx.doi.org/10.11158/saa.23.11.13.
Full textAbstract:
Migratory birds were captured, examined, banded and then released in accordance with a bird banding protocol of the Bird Research Center, National Park Research Institute, Korea National Park Service, from January-December 2010–2011 on Hong and Heuksan Islands, Jeollanam (Jeonnam) Province, in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Concurrently, ticks were collected from captured birds as part of a tick-borne disease surveillance program. A total of 381 ticks belonging to three genera and eight species – Ixodes turdus (297 ticks), Ixodes nipponensis (16), Haemaphysalis flava (46), Haemaphysalis longicornis (9), Haemaphysalis formosensis (5), Haemaphysalis ornithophila (6), Haemaphysalis concinna (1), and Amblyomma testudinarium (1)—were collected from 32 bird species belonging to 3 families. This is the first host report of A. testudinarium (1 nymph) collected from White’s Thrush, Zoothera aurea (Aves: Passeriformes: Turdidae), in the ROK. Most ticks were collected from birds during the months of April (44.1%) and November (54.2%).
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Díaz, Mario, Anna Ramos, and Elena D. Concepción. "Changing urban bird diversity: how to manage adaptively our closest relation with wildlife." Ecosistemas 31, no. 1 (April 26, 2022): 2354. http://dx.doi.org/10.7818/ecos.2354.
Full textAbstract:
We human beings are becoming urban citizens. More and more people spend their lives in urban environments, so that the conservation and improvement of urban biodiversity is an increasingly hot topic. On the one hand, as cities grow bigger and more populated they can become more hostile for some birds, but cities can also be safer than the surrounding rural environment for others. On the other hand, factors affecting negatively or positively wild birds may also influence human’s health, either directly (e.g. pollution) or indirectly (enjoying wildlife diversity could contribute to improve our wellbeing). We review current state of knowledge on factors determining the abundance, diversity and health of urban birds, and derive methods for diagnosing what factors are acting in each particular case. Diagnoses are essential to design effective and efficient ways to manage urban bird diversity and improve it adaptively. We also address whether factors affecting birds could affect citizenship directly, so that urban birds can be used as indicators for healthy urban environments. Investigating and improving urban bird life can also improve human wellbeing through people’s involvement on citizen science programs. Monitoring approaches taken by both authorities and NGOs are still too general and badly designed, but collaboration among scientist, volunteers and authorities will contribute to make them effective. Improving citizen involvement will in turn contribute to improve urban bird diversity, closing a win-win loop for both people and wildlife wellbeing.
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Díaz, Mario, Anna Ramos, and Elena D. Concepción. "Changing urban bird diversity: how to manage adaptively our closest relation with wildlife." Ecosistemas 31, no. 1 (April 26, 2022): 2354. http://dx.doi.org/10.7818/ecos.2354.
Full textAbstract:
We human beings are becoming urban citizens. More and more people spend their lives in urban environments, so that the conservation and improvement of urban biodiversity is an increasingly hot topic. On the one hand, as cities grow bigger and more populated they can become more hostile for some birds, but cities can also be safer than the surrounding rural environment for others. On the other hand, factors affecting negatively or positively wild birds may also influence human’s health, either directly (e.g. pollution) or indirectly (enjoying wildlife diversity could contribute to improve our wellbeing). We review current state of knowledge on factors determining the abundance, diversity and health of urban birds, and derive methods for diagnosing what factors are acting in each particular case. Diagnoses are essential to design effective and efficient ways to manage urban bird diversity and improve it adaptively. We also address whether factors affecting birds could affect citizenship directly, so that urban birds can be used as indicators for healthy urban environments. Investigating and improving urban bird life can also improve human wellbeing through people’s involvement on citizen science programs. Monitoring approaches taken by both authorities and NGOs are still too general and badly designed, but collaboration among scientist, volunteers and authorities will contribute to make them effective. Improving citizen involvement will in turn contribute to improve urban bird diversity, closing a win-win loop for both people and wildlife wellbeing.
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Corfield, Jeremy R., Jeffrey Kolominsky, Iulia Craciun, Bridget E. Mulvany-Robbins, and Douglas R. Wylie. "Is Cerebellar Architecture Shaped by Sensory Ecology in the New Zealand Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)?" Brain, Behavior and Evolution 87, no. 2 (2016): 88–104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000445315.
Full textAbstract:
Among some mammals and birds, the cerebellar architecture appears to be adapted to the animal's ecological niche, particularly their sensory ecology and behavior. This relationship is, however, not well understood. To explore this, we examined the expression of zebrin II (ZII) in the cerebellum of the kiwi (Apteryx mantelli), a fully nocturnal bird with auditory, tactile, and olfactory specializations and a reduced visual system. We predicted that the cerebellar architecture, particularly those regions receiving visual inputs and those that receive trigeminal afferents from their beak, would be modified in accordance with their unique way of life. The general stripe-and-transverse region architecture characteristic of birds is present in kiwi, with some differences. Folium IXcd was characterized by large ZII-positive stripes and all Purkinje cells in the flocculus were ZII positive, features that resemble those of small mammals and suggest a visual ecology unlike that of other birds. The central region in kiwi appeared reduced or modified, with folium IV containing ZII+/- stripes, unlike that of most birds, but similar to that of Chilean tinamous. It is possible that a reduced visual system has contributed to a small central region, although increased trigeminal input and flightlessness have undoubtedly played a role in shaping its architecture. Overall, like in mammals, the cerebellar architecture in kiwi and other birds may be substantially modified to serve a particular ecological niche, although we still require a larger comparative data set to fully understand this relationship.