Citril Finch (Serinus citrinella) Science Article 2 abstract Biometric data are an essential component of studies into the breeding biology of bird populations. Citril Finches Serinus citrinella in the Pyrenees mainly feed on pine seeds, and coniferous habitats in the west Pyrenees are of significant conservation importance. The aim of this study was to increase […]
Category: Passeriformes
Loss of a Citril Finch Serinus citrinella nest possibly as a result of ant predation
Citril Finch (Serinus citrinella) Science Article 1 abstract Ants have been reported as the direct or indirect cause for nest loss in a few bird species. Here we describe a possible instance affecting a Citril Finch Serinus citrinella nest in the Spanish Pre-Pyrenees. The nest was found on 18 may 2002, when building activity was […]
Phylogeographic patterns in Motacilla flava and Motacilla citreola: species limits and population history
Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) Science Article 2 abstract We conducted phylogeographic analyses of Motacilla fl ava (Yellow Wagtail) andM. citreola (Citrine Wagtail). We analyzed mitochondrial DNA sequences from 167 M. fl avaspecimens obtained from 17 localities throughout Eurasia and Alaska, and 38 specimens of M.citreola obtained from 7 Eurasian localities. Phylogenetic analysis revealed three clades […]
Breeding biology of the citrine wagtail (Motacilla citreola) in the Gdansk region (N Poland)
Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) Science Article 1 abstract In the years 1997-2001, I observed 28 broods of the Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) in the Gulf of Gdask region. First birds arrived at the study area at the end of April. A successful breeding cycle lasted about 1 month and included: 3-4 days of nest building, […]
Survival to first breeding is not sex-specific in the Coal Tit (Parus ater)
Coal Tit (Parus ater) Science Article 1 abstract Differential survival of males and females affects the structure and dynamics of avian populations, but studying sex-specific survival rates is difficult. This is especially true for offspring if the period between hatching and first breeding is considered. Under certain conditions, however, the determination of offspring sex ratio, […]
Reproductive investment and moult-breeding overlap in the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis: an experimental approach
Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) Science Article 1 abstract We manipulated brood sizes of 132 pairs of the collared flycatcher to investigate whether or not an investment in reproduction was traded against an investment and timing of the post-nuptial moult. Our manipulations did not affect the probability of moult-breeding overlap in males, and there was no […]
Immune challenge mediates vocal communication in a passerine bird: an experiment
Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) Science Article 3 abstract Secondary sexual characters may have evolved in part to signal resistance to parasites. Avian song has been hypothesized to be involved in this process, but the role of parasites in modulating acoustic communication systems in birds remains largely unknown, owing to lack of experiments. We studied the […]
Known and predicted African winter distributions and habitat useof the endangered Basra reed warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis)and the near-threatened cinereous bunting (Emberiza cineracea)
Cinereous Bunting (Emberiza cineracea) Science Article 1 abstract The Basra reed warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis) and the cinereous bunting (Emberiza cineracea) are the only two Western Palearctic passerine bird species that overwinter in East Africa and are classified by BirdLife International as endangered and near-threatened, respectively. To refine the African wintering ranges of these two species, […]
THE NEST AND EGGS OF THE CINEREOUS MOURNER(LANIOCERA HYPOPYRRA)
Cinereous Mourner (Laniocera hypopyrra) Science Article 1 abstract We present the first account of nesting biology for the Neotropical suboscine genus Lanioceraby describing the nest and eggs of the Cinereous Mourner (L. hypopyrra) based on observations made in thePeruvian Amazon during 2001. The cup-shaped nest was in mature floodplain forest among the branches of anepiphytic […]
Sexual differences in levels of blood carotenoids in Cirl Buntings Emberiza cirlus.
Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) Science Article 1 abstract Carotenoids are responsible for the bright red and yellow plumage of birds. These substances cannot be synthesised by birds and must be obtained from the diet and transported through the blood to the feathers. The carotenoid content of blood was measured in Cirl Buntings Emberiza cirlus, a […]