Greater Shearwater (Puffinus gravis) Science Article 1 abstract Plastic ingestion by seabirds is well documented (see Laist 1997for a list of species with ingestion records). However, casesdefinitively attributing seabird mortality to ingestion of plastic arerare. Seabirds that die from ingestion often suffer obstruction of thegastrointestinal tract. Ultimately, the birds die of starvation andoften quickly sink […]
Food intake rates and habitat segregation of Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula and Scaup Aythya marila exploiting Zebra Mussels Dreissena polymorpha.
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) Science Article 1 abstract The foraging skills of Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula and Scaup Aythya marila feeding on Zebra Mussels Dreissena polymorpha were studied in experiments under semi-natural diving conditions with relevance to the IJsselmeer/Markermeer area (large lakes in the centre of The Netherlands, former Zuiderzee area), the major freshwater wintering […]
Systematics and geographic variation in Long-tailed Hermit hummingbirds, the Phaethornis superciliosus-malaris-longirostris species group (trochilidae), with notes on their biogeography.
Great-billed Hermit (Phaethornis malaris) Science Article 1 abstract The degree of relationship between the Variable (Sporophila aurita) and Wing-barred (S. americana) Seedeaters has been debated for over 80 years. The discovery of a zone of hybridization between the former and the Gray Seedeater (S. intermedia), not previously considered to be closely related because of its […]
The effect of forest patch size on the breeding biology of the great spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Science Article 1 abstract Forest fragmentation leads to a decrease in total forest area and patch size, which enhances predation pressure on birds’ breeding success. Existing data suggest that because hole nesters occupy relatively safe nest sites, their breeding success is not negatively affected by this process. However, fragmentation effects […]
Nest-site selection and niche partitioning among the Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major and Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius in riverine forest of Central Europe
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Science Article 3 abstract We studied nest-site selection of the Great- and Middle Spotted Woodpecker inhabiting the riverine forest remnants of Central Poland. In addition to nest tree characteristics and location in relation to edge proximity, a comparison between nesting and random sites within the woodpeckers’ territories allowed a study […]
Continental Great Spotted Woodpeckers in mainland Britain-fact or fiction?
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Science Article 4 abstract The wing lengths of Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major resident in Britain (subspecies anglicus) are more variable than had previously been realised, with one individual in a thousand reaching extremes of 123 mm and 140 mm. As a result, many of the past British records claiming […]
Factors affecting the occurrence of middle spotted and great spotted woodpeckers in deciduous forests ? a case study from Poland.
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Science Article 2 abstract Based on published data on 117 deciduous forest sites studied in Poland, relationships between habitat factors (size of study plot, type and age of forest stands) and breeding of great spotted and middle spotted woodpeckers were examined. As compared with middle spotted woodpeckers, great spotted woodpeckers […]
The incidence of nonbreeding by adult Great Skuas and Parasitic Jaegers from Foula, Shetland
Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) Science Article 3 abstract Several recent studies of seabirds have found high levels of nonbreeding by experienced adults. By contrast, just 8.9% (range 4-14%) of experienced Great Skuas (Catharacta skua) on Foula, Shetland Islands, deferred breeding between 1989-1996. For Parasitic Jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus), a corresponding value of 5.5% (range 3-8%) was […]
Sex-biased environmental sensitivity: natural and experimental evidence from a bird species with larger females
Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) Science Article 2 abstract The larger sex is often more vulnerable, in terms of development and survival, to poor conditions during early life. Differential vulnerability has implications for parental investment strategies such as sex ratio theory. When males are larger, it is not possible to separate the effects of larger size […]
Predation by great skuas at a large Shetland seabird colony
Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) Science Article 1 abstract 1) Skuas are top predators in marine ecosystems and may have detrimental effects on seabird communities they prey upon. However, predation rates are poorly understood and poorly quantified. Using a bio-energetics model we estimate seabird predation by great skuas, Stercorarius skua , at a large UK colony […]