Rose Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) Science Article 1 abstract A recent molecular analysis strongly supported sister group relationship between flamingos (Phoenicopteridae) andgrebes (Podicipedidae), a hypothesis which has not been suggested before. Flamingos are long-legged filter-feederswhereas grebes are morphologically quite divergent foot-propelled diving birds, and sister group relationshipbetween these two taxa would thus provide an interesting example […]
Habitat preferences of foraging Rooks Corvus frugilegus during the breeding period in the agricultural landscape of eastern Poland
Rook (Corvus frugilegus) Science Article 2 abstract The study was carried out in 2000-2002 around 6 rookeries. Rooks foraged in numbers from 1 to 132 birds (n = 417); flocks of less than 10 individuals were dominant. The type of crop influenced the size of a foraging flock. Most of the rooks were recorded within […]
Non-tool-using rooks, Corvus frugilegus, solve the trap-tube problem
Rook (Corvus frugilegus) Science Article 4 abstract The trap-tube problem is used to assess whether an individual is able to foresee the outcome of its actions. To solve the task, an animal must use a tool to push a piece of food out of a tube, which has a trap along its length. An animal […]
Investigating Physical Cognitionin Rooks, Corvus frugilegus
Rook (Corvus frugilegus) Science Article 3 abstract Although animals (particularly tool-users) are capable of solving physical tasks in the laboratory, the degree to which they understand them in terms of their underlying physical forces is a matter of contention. Here, using a new paradigm, the two-trap tube task, we report the performance of non-tool-using rooks. […]
Neergang en herstel van de Roek als broedvogel in Nederland in de 20e eeuw
Rook (Corvus frugilegus) Science Article 1 abstract Jarenlange vervolging en een daaruit volgende afname brachtende broedpopulatie van de Roek vijftig jaar geleden op een dieptepunt.Verminderd gebruik van gifstoffen en een wettelijke beschermingleidden in de jaren zeventig van de vorige eeuw inveel voormalige broedgebieden een spectaculair herstel in.Inmiddels lijkt de populatiegroei te stagneren. Tegelijk neemt hetaantal […]
Distribution of the Roller Coracias garrulus in Portugal, an historical approach
Roller (Coracias garrulus) Science Article 1 abstract The Iberian Peninsula harbours the majorityof the Roller (Coracias garrulus) populationin Western Europe. In Spain, available datasuggest a population fragmentation and a generalnegative trend (Marti & Del Moral, 2004).Although residual in an Iberian context, thePortuguese population also appears to be declining,and once considered Rare in PortugueseRed List (SNPRNC, […]
Male Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) Nest Defence Correlates with Female Ornament Size
Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) Science Article 1 abstract We investigated the relationship between male nest defence and female breastpatch size in an alpine population of rock sparrow (Petronia petronia)in northernItaly. We presented a mounted weasel Matteo Griggio et al, Ethology 109, 659-669 (2003) Download article download full text (pdf)
Thermal control of metabolic cold defence in pigeons Columba livia
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) Science Article 1 abstract Metabolic rate (MR) and various body temperatures were recorded in pigeons Columba livia during gradual lowering of the ambient temperature (Ta) and during cold exposure (?10 deg C) for an entire circadian cycle. The aim was to study how changes in MR accorded with the observed body […]
In vivo pectoralis muscle force-length behavior during level flight in pigeons (Columba livia)
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) Science Article 3 abstract For the first time, we report in vivo measurements of pectoralis muscle length change obtained using sonomicrometry combined with measurements of its force development via deltopectoral crest strain recordings of a bird in free flight. These measurements allow us to characterize the contractile behavior and mechanical power […]
A functional analysis of the primary upstroke and downstroke muscles in the domestic pigeon (Columba livia) during flight
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) Science Article 2 abstract In domestic pigeons (Columba livia), the electrical activity of the major depressor muscle of the wing, the pectoralis (pars thoracicus), begins in late upstroke well before the wing begins its downstroke excursion. The two architecturally distinct heads of the pectoralis, the sternobrachialis and the thoracobrachialis, are differentially […]