ABSTRACT Capsule: Collective roosting behaviour of the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis was influenced by the weather and the season. Aims: To document the roosting behaviour of the Cattle Egret and assess the relationship between weather conditions and four components of the roosting behaviour including the population size, duration of roost occupancy, the timing of roost gathering and the rate of arrival at roost. Methods: We recorded the number and arrival times of individuals occupying a communal roost site in northeast Algeria in 2013–2014 between December and April. Results: There was a seasonal decline of the flock size and rate of arrival and a seasonal increase in the duration of gathering. Weather conditions affected all variables assessed in roosting behaviour such that bad weather lowered the number of individuals in the roost, lengthened the duration and advanced the timing of gathering, and reduced the rate of gathering in the roost. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of weather conditions in shaping the collective roosting behaviour of a gregarious species. Our results suggest that future changes in climatic conditions might influence the collective behaviour of the Cattle Egret in particular and gregarious birds in general.

中文翻译：

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天气条件影响牛背鹭 Bubulcus ibis 的集体栖息行为

摘要胶囊：牛背鹭的集体栖息行为受天气和季节的影响。目的：记录牛背鹭的栖息行为，并评估天气条件与栖息行为的四个组成部分之间的关​​系，包括种群规模、栖息时间、栖息时间和到达栖息地的速度。方法：我们记录了 2013-2014 年 12 月至 4 月期间占据阿尔及利亚东北部公共栖息地的个体的数量和到达时间。结果：鸡群规模和到达率呈季节性下降，聚集时间呈季节性增加。天气条件影响栖息行为中评估的所有变量，例如恶劣的天气会降低栖息地的个体数量，延长时间，提前采集时间，降低栖息地采集速度。结论：我们的研究强调了天气条件在塑造群居物种集体栖息行为方面的重要性。我们的研究结果表明，未来气候条件的变化可能会影响牛背鹭的集体行为，尤其是一般的群居鸟类。