Category: Galliformes

Open-habitat birds in recently burned areas: the role of the fire extent and species’ habitat breadth

Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) Science Article 3 abstract Single burned areas contained 0 to 15 open-habitat species (mean = 7.6), and in all the areas combined there were 22 species, including 17 with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe. The most frequent were Carduelis cannabina, Lullula arborea, Alectoris rufa, Oenanthe hispanica and Emberiza cia, but […]

Fluctuations related to rainfall in richness and abundance of birds of steppic Mediterranean habitats

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 6 abstract The existence of interannual variations in the richness and abundance of bird species breeding in pseudo-steppic Mediterranean areas is analysed and related to the important fluctuations that take place in rainfall, which in turn deeply influence vegetation growth. The hypothesis of food limitation as a key factor in […]

Kinematics and mechanics of ground take-off in the starling Sturnis vulgaris and the quail Coturnix coturnix .

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 3 abstract The mechanics of avian take-off are central to hypotheses about flight evolution, but have not been quantified in terms of whole-body movements for any species. In this study, I use a combination of high-speed video analysis and force plate recording to measure the kinematics and mechanics of ground […]

African climate warming advances spring arrival of the Common Quail Coturnix coturnix

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 5 abstract The Common Quail is one of the most popular steppe-land birds and is also one of greateconomic interest. Despite this, some aspects of its life cycle remain unclear, especially those concerned with the wintering phase. Here we report a long-term study of the spring arrival phenology of this […]

Observations on the cloacal gland of the eurasian quail, Coturnix coturnix

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 1 abstract While handling the Eurasian quail, Coturnix coturnix, in a game stocking program, the junior author noted that the breeding males issued a frothy fluid from their cloac . Upon examination we noted that this secretion originated in a gland located above the dorsal lip of the cloaca. There […]

Comparison of migratory tendency in European Quail Coturnix c. coturnix, domestic Japanese Quail Coturnix c. japonica and their hybrids

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 4 abstract Since the 1970s, the decline of the occidental populations of European Quail Coturnix c. coturnix, a partial migrant Galliform species, has driven the release of domestic Japanese Quail Coturnix c. japonica into the wild as game birds. Recent experiments suggest that reproductive isolating mechanisms have not developed to […]

Can parasites synchronise the population fluctuations of sympatric tetraonids? Examining some minimum conditions

Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) Science Article 9 abstract Sympatric populations of tetraonid birds tend to fluctuate in synchrony, at least onlocal scales. If shared parasites among sympatric populations of different tetraonidspecies are to operate as a local, synchronizing factor for population fluctuations atleast two conditions should be met Per R. Holmstad, Peter J. Hudson, Vigdis Vandvik […]

Leucocytozoon lovati Infections in Wild Rock Ptarmigan(Lagopus mutus) in Japan

Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) Science Article 5 abstract Leucocytozoon lovati infections were detected in free-flying rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus), an endangered species that inhabits alpine areas in Japan. Eight of nine adult birds tested positive for L. lovati infection. For comparison, two captive rock ptarmiganshatched in a breeding facility at the foot of the mountains were […]

Foam produced by maleCcoturnix quail: what is its function?

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 2 abstract Males of the Old World quail genus Coturnix are unique among birds in possessing a well-developed proctodeal gland. The gland and associated cloacal musculature are sexually dimorphic, androgen dependent, and produce a foamy substance that is introduced into the female along with semen during copulation, suggesting that the […]