Alpine Swift (Apus melba) Science Article 1 abstract A positive correlation between egg size, early growth and nestling survival has been frequently reported in the ornithological literature. Albeit of interest, most of these studies did not determine whether the relationship between egg size, early growth and nestling survival was confounded by the quality of rearing […]
Parasitism, developmental plasticity and bilateral asymmetry of wingfeathers in alpine swift, Apus melba, nestlings
Alpine Swift (Apus melba) Science Article 8 abstract The hypothesis that developmental instability is a cost of developmental plasticity isexplored using the alpine swift (Apus melba) as a model organism. In a previous study,experimentally parasitized nestlings showed a reduced wing growth rate in the first halfof the rearing period when parasites were abundant (i.e. peak […]
Apparent lack of effects of a high louse-fly infestation (Diptera, Hippoboscidae) on adult colonial Alpine Swifts
Alpine Swift (Apus melba) Science Article 5 abstract A population of Alpine Swifts Apus melba showed the highest louse-fly parasitization rate (74%) as far as known in birds. This might be caused by a limited ability to preen. The prevalence was lower in second-year birds than in adults, probably as a result of their breeding […]
MELANIN-BASED COLORATION IS A NONDIRECTIONALLY SELECTEDSEX-SPECIFIC SIGNAL OF OFFSPRING DEVELOPMENT IN THE ALPINE SWIF
Alpine Swift (Apus melba) Science Article 9 abstract Two mutually exclusive hypotheses have been put forward to explain the evolution and adaptive function of melanin-based color traits. According to sexual selection theory melanism is a directionally selected signal of individual quality, whereas theory on the maintenance of genetic polymorphism proposes that alternative melaninbased variants achieve […]
Sexual Size Dimorphism and Positive Assortative Mating in Alpine Choughs (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) Science Article 3 abstract The degree of sexual size dimorphism in a number of different morphological characters was examined in a social corvid, the Alpine Chough, using measurements taken on 178 males and 144 females ANNE DELESTRADE, The Auk 118(2):553-556, 2001 Download article download full text (pdf)
WINTER MOVEMENTS OF THE ALPINE CHOUGH: IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT IN THE ALPS
Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) Science Article 1 abstract The home ranges and movements of marked Alpine choughs (Pyrrhocorax graculus) were investigated in Aosta Valley, western Italian Alps, in two study sessions: winter-spring 1996-1997 and winter-spring 1997-1998. Overall 28 birds were marked, six of these were also equipped with a small radio tag. P. Laiolo, A. […]
Geographic diversification in the call repertoire ofthe genus Pyrrhocorax (Aves, Corvidae)
Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) Science Article 2 abstract We analysed the call repertoires of the Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and the AlpineChough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) across three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) for intraspecific and interspecificdifferences in call-repertoire size and discuss the factors that could have promoted its evolution. Paola Laiolo, Antonio Rolando, Anne Delestrade, and […]
Vancomycin Resistance Genes in Enterococcus spp. Strains Isolatedfrom Alpine Accentor and Chamois
Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) Science Article 5 abstract Enterococcus strains from highland animals the alpine accentor Prunella collaris (n = 19) and chamois Rupicapra rupicapra (n = 18) were isolated. One third of strains belonged to the species E. casseliflavus, while other were identified as E. faecalis and E. gallinarum, E. faecium and E. mundtii […]
Susceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae from the Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris
Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) Science Article 7 abstract Occurrence of bacterial species of the family Enterobacteriaceace and their susceptibility andminimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC90) to 13 selected antimicrobial agents was studied in 22faecal samples of the alpine accentor Prunella collaris. Alpine accentor is our main research avianmodel for the studying of the interaction between the comensal […]
Feeding preferences and foraging behaviour in the Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris
Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) Science Article 4 abstract In flocks of Alpine Accentors (Prunella collaris), we observed the foraging behaviour of birds when they were foraging on a grid containing clumps of seeds. We measured the feeding rate, diet diversity, individual and seasonal feeding preferences and dominance in birds. Producing and scrounging were frequently observed […]