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Deterministic processes drive turnover-dominated beta diversity of breeding birds along the central Himalayan elevation gradient Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-11 Zhifeng Ding, Jianchao Liang, Le Yang, Cong Wei, Huijian Hu, Xingfeng Si
Beta diversity, the variation of community composition among sites, bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or partitioning beta diversity into turnover and nestedness components from functional and phylogenetic perspectives. Mountains as the most natural experiment system provide good opportunities for exploring
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Hard life for sons in the nest? Sex-dependent offspring mortality in great tits in urban and forest areas Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Nóra Ágh, Henriett Anna Dalvári, Krisztián Szabó, Ivett Pipoly, András Liker
Sex-biased mortality can occur in birds during development, for example due to sexual differences in energy requirement and/or environmental sensitivity, or the effects of sex hormones or sex differences in the expression of mutations linked to sex chromosomes. The extent of sex-bias in mortality may also be related to environmental conditions that influence offspring development and survival. Urban
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Differential colour-ring loss among Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) colonies and its consequence on survival estimates Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Anastasios Bounas, Giorgos Catsadorakis, Dionyssia Hatzilacou, Theodoros Naziridis, Jocelyn Champagnon, Alain J. Crivelli
The analysis of bird ringing data often comes with some potential sources of error and bias, as ring wear and/or loss could affect mark-recapture analyses and produce erroneous estimates of survival. Furthermore, ring wear and loss rates may differ between and within species based on the habitat they use or the species' life-history traits and behaviour as well as the type of the ring. In this study
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Habitat preferences and nest site selection by sympatric populations of Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius) and Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) in natural mountain forests of Southwest Iran Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Arya Shafaeipour, Jerzy Michalczuk, Behzad Fathinia
We examined habitat preferences and nesting requirements of sympatric populations of Middle Spotted Woodpecker () and Syrian Woodpecker (). We carried out our study in 2015–2018 in natural mountain forests of Southwest Iran. We compared selected features of nesting, territory, and outside territory tree stands of the studied woodpeckers. The Middle Spotted Woodpecker occupied only oak forests, but
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From partial to complete: Wing- and tail-feather moult sequence and intensity depend on species, life-cycle stage, and moult completeness in passerines Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Santi Guallar
Passerines moult during various life-cycle stages. Some of these moults involve the retention of a variable quantity of wing and tail feathers. This prompts the question whether these partial moults are just arrested complete moults or follow different processes. To address it, I investigated whether three relevant features remain constant across partial and complete moults: 1) moult sequence (order
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The clutch size, incubation behavior of Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) and their responses to ambient temperature and precipitation Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Ting Jin, Shuai Lu, Yunqi Wang, Junqin Hua, Zhengxiao Liu, Qian Hu, Yating Liu, Yuze Zhao, Jianqiang Li, Jiliang Xu
Weather conditions play a pivotal role in embryo development and parental incubation costs, potentially impacting the clutch size and incubation behavior of birds. Understanding these effects is crucial for bird conservation. Reeves's Pheasant () is a threatened species endemic to China, which is characterized by female-only incubation. However, there is a lack of information regarding the impact of
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The Crested Ibises expanding to plain areas exhibits a higher tolerance of human proximity Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-26 Yuqi Zou, Yiting Jiang, Zitan Song, Xiaobin Fang, Changqing Ding
Animals must strike a balance between anti-predation behavior and other essential behaviors, such as foraging. Within the same species, strategies may vary on individuals' risk-taking preferences, in which process the environment is a determinant, in addition to predator regime. The Crested Ibis () exhibit such tendency. This is an endangered species, once inhabited exclusively in China's Qinling Mountain
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Sounding the alarm: Functionally referential signaling in Azure-winged Magpie Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Xingyi Jiang, Yanyun Zhang
Functionally referential signals are a complex form of communication that conveys information about the external environment. Such signals have been found in a range of mammal and bird species and have helped us understand the complexities of animal communication. Corvids are well known for their extraordinary cognitive abilities, but relatively little attention has been paid to their vocal function
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Bird specimen number linked with species trait and climate niche breadth Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Xiaoyu Duan, Xiongwei Huang, Jingya Zhang, Shuo Lv, Gang Song, Yanping Wang, Gang Feng
Biological specimens are fundamental for taxonomy and flora/fauna research. More importantly, they also play crucial roles in recording environmental impacts on morphology and behavior, which is vital for biodiversity research and conservation. However, there are few systematic studies on the patterns and drivers of bird specimen number at regional scales. This study is the first attempt to examine
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Highly divergent sympatric lineages of Leptotila verreauxi (aves: Columbidae) suggest a secondary contact area in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 Orlando J. Espinosa-Chávez, Adolfo G. Navarro-Sigüenza, Hernando Rodríguez-Correa, Luis A. Sánchez-González
Due to a complex geological and biotic history, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (IT), has been long recognized as a driver for the evolutionary divergence of numerous lowland and highland taxa. Widely distributed in the lowlands of the American continent, the White-Tipped Dove () is a polytypic species with 13 recognized subspecies. Four of these have been recorded in Mexico, and the distribution of three
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Bird species present in urban parks are more colorful than urban avoiders: A test in the Argentinian Pampas Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Lucas M. Leveau
Bird plumage color has been assessed as a possible trait driving the presence of bird species in urban areas. Although some species can see the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, the mentioned studies did not take into account UV reflectance when characterizing bird plumage. This study aimed to use a recent database of the colorfulness in passerines that incorporated the UV spectrum to compare bird colorfulness
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River width and depth as key factors of diurnal activity energy expenditure allocation for wintering spot-billed ducks in the Xin'an River Basin Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Chao Yu, Xuying Lu, Deli Sun, Mengnan Chu, Xueyun Li, Qun Li
Rivers are important habitats for wintering waterbirds. However, they are easily influenced by natural and human activities. An important approach for waterbirds to adapt to habitats is adjusting the activity time and energy expenditure allocation of diurnal behavior. The compensatory foraging hypothesis predicts that increased energy expenditure leads to longer foraging time, which in turn increases
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Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) prefer shells for nesting: A field experiment Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-21 Macarena Castro, Andrés De la Cruz, Nuria Martin-Sanjuan, Alejandro Pérez-Hurtado
Shorebird populations are declining worldwide, mainly due to human disturbances and loss of coastal wetlands. However, supratidal habitats as saltpans could play a role in buffering human impact. Saltpans have shown to be important as feeding or breeding sites of some shorebird species. A potential conservation strategy to increase shorebird populations in saltpans is to manipulate the cues that birds
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Seasonal increase in nest defense, but not egg rejection, in a cuckoo host Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-30 Bo Zhou, Wei Liang
The interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide an informative and easy-to-handle system for studying coevolution. Avian brood parasitism reduces the reproductive success of hosts, and thus, hosts have evolved anti-parasitic strategies, such as rejecting parasitic eggs and adopting aggressive nest defense strategies, to avoid the cost brought on by brood parasitism. To test whether
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Diverse foraging strategies of breeding Swinhoe's Storm-petrel in the productive marginal sea of the Northwest Pacific Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Yachang Cheng, Lei Zhu, Lin Xue, Shisheng Ma, Nan Jia, Shaoping Zang, Zhihai Cao, Jing Yuan, Yang Liu
Understanding the foraging behavior is essential for investigating seabird ecology and conservation, as well as monitoring the well-being of the marine environment. Breeding seabirds adopt diverse foraging strategies to maximize energy gains and cope with the intensified challenges of parenting and self-maintenance. Such trade-off may stem from the heterogeneity of food resources and the constraints
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Population genomic data reveal low genetic diversity, divergence and local adaptation among threatened Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-30 Qi Lu, Pengcheng Wang, Jiang Chang, De Chen, Shenghan Gao, Jacob Höglund, Zhengwang Zhang
Population genomic data could provide valuable information for conservation efforts; however, limited studies have been conducted to investigate the genetic status of threatened pheasants. Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) is facing population decline, attributed to increases in habitat loss. There is a knowledge gap in understanding the genomic status and genetic basis underlying the local adaptation
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No evidence of predator odor avoidance in a North American bird community Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-28 Austin Dotta, Batur Yaman, Alex Van Huynh
Recent advances in our understanding of avian chemical communication have highlighted the importance of olfaction in many aspects of avian life. Prior studies investigating predator avoidance behaviors in response to predator odor cues have produced mixed results across species and contexts. Here we assess if a community of birds in eastern Pennsylvania displays avoidance behaviors towards predator
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Correlation of personality with individual reproductive success in shrub-nesting birds depends on their life history style Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 Jianchuan Li, Wen Zhang, Ningning Sun, Yujie Wang, Lifang Gao, Ran Feng, Liqing Fan, Bo Du
Two questions in the research of animal personality—whether there is a correlation between a personality trait and individual reproductive success, and what is the genetic basis underlying a personality trait—remain unresolved. We addressed these two questions in three shrub-nesting birds, the Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus, AM), White-collared Blackbird (Turdus albocinctus, WB), and Brown-cheeked
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Endochondral ossification of hindlimbs in embryonic development of Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Xuan Li, Yuxin Zhang, Hongfeng Zhao
The endochondral ossification of hindlimb is essential to a bird's ability to stand, walk and fly. Most hindlimb is ossified in the embryos before hatching in precocial birds. However, the molecular mechanisms of hindlimb ossification in birds is still unclear. Therefore, we tried to examine the process of hindlimb ossification and its molecular regulation by using an animal model—Japanese Quail (Coturnix
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Selecting the best: Interspecific and age-related diet differences among sympatric steppe passerines Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Julia Zurdo, Paula Gómez-López, Adrián Barrero, Daniel Bustillo-de la Rosa, Julia Gómez-Catasús, Margarita Reverter, Cristian Pérez-Granados, Manuel B. Morales, Juan Traba
Parental food provisioning is crucial for the growth and survival of offspring. Growth rate depends on food quality and food supplied to offspring may differ from what adults use for their own. In the case of steppe passerine birds, detailed characterization on nestling dietary composition, as well as prey choice and resource partitioning among species, is a pending subject. Dietary differences between
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Morphology and morphometry of two hybridizing buntings at their hybrid zone in northern Iran reveal intermediate and transgressive morphotypes Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Ali Gholamhosseini, Mansour Aliabadian, Till Töpfer, Glenn-Peter Sætre
The closely related Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala, a western Palearctic lineage) and Red-headed Bunting (Emberiza bruniceps, an eastern Palearctic lineage) hybridize and replace each other south of the Caspian Sea. The parental species have distinct phenotypes and therefore morphology is useful for assessing hybridization in the contact zone. In the years of 1940 and 1977, quite a few
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Model-based assessment of muscle forces and strain distribution in the femur of Cabot's Tragopans (Tragopan caboti) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Xinsen Wei, Zihui Zhang
The hindlimbs play a crucial role in bird locomotion, making the biomechanical properties of the musculoskeletal system in these limbs a focal point for researchers studying avian behaviour. However, a comprehensive analysis of the mechanical performance within the long bones of hindlimbs during locomotion remains lacking. In the present study, the strain and deformation of the femur of Cabot's Tragopans
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Quiet in the nest: The nest environment attenuates song in a grassland songbird Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-11 Sarah L. Dobney, Mikayla M.K. Bornais, D. Ryan Norris, Amy E.M. Newman, Heather Williams, Stéphanie M. Doucet, Daniel J. Mennill
The nest environment may limit the ability of nest-bound birds to hear sounds from the outside world. In vocal learning species, such as humans and songbirds, it is vital for young animals to hear the voices of conspecific animals early in life. In songbirds, nest structure varies considerably across species, and the resulting impact on sound transmission may have consequences for vocal learning in
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Impact of agricultural landscape structure on the patterns of bird species diversity at a regional scale Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-10 Denisa Dvořáková, Jan Šipoš, Josef Suchomel
The loss of bird species diversity is a crucial problem in the European agricultural landscape. Change in the area coverage of major land cover types has been mentioned as one of the main factors responsible for bird biodiversity impoverishment. In this study, we focused on the impact of landscape matrix characteristics on bird species richness and on Faith's phylogenetic diversity index on a spatial
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A test of genetic divergence of a bird existing in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-06 Lu Wang, Fangqing Liu, Lan Zhao, Yaling Xu, Tianyu Zhang, Longying Wen
Island ecosystems, serving as natural laboratories, facilitate geographical isolation, ecological specialization, and species divergence. The Sichuan Basin, surrounded by mountain ranges, represents a typical continental island due to its marked environmental spatial heterogeneity. This heterogeneity may contribute to geographical isolation and habitat heterogeneity, resulting in genetic divergence
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Comparisons of microstructure and elemental composition of eggshells among wild plover populations Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-06 Langyu Gu, Hanyu Yang, Canwei Xia, Zitan Song, Yachang Cheng, Chenjing Huang, Yuelou Liu, Yang Liu
Reproduction investment is a prominent trade-off in life-history theory and is subject to strong selection pressure. The avian eggshell, as a crucial barrier between the bird embryo and the surrounding environment, undergoes optimization under different environmental selection regimes to ensure the successful development of embryos, which can be linked to local adaptation. Therefore, understanding
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Fecal DNA metabarcoding reveals the dietary composition of wintering Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-06 Hongyi Liu, Wei Xu, Nan Xu, Wenwen Zhang, Haoming Jiang, Yongqiang Zhao, Changhu Lu, Ying Zhu, Peng Xu
Understanding the diet of threatened wildlife is vital for species-specific conservation and habitat management measures. The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is a vulnerable bird distributed in Northeast Asia. Previous dietary studies of this bird focused mainly on its plant food composition based on field observations and microhistological identification. Herein, a total of 45 fecal samples were
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Corrigendum to “Moult intensity constraints along the complete moult sequence of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)” [Avian Res. 14 (2023) 100125] Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-28 Santi Guallar, Javier Quesada
Abstract not available
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Characteristics of cross transmission of gut fungal pathogens between wintering Hooded Cranes and sympatric Domestic Geese Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-20 Yuannuo Wu, Xiaoyu Fan, Jie Yu, Tianci Liu, Rong Cui, Xingjia Xiang
Migratory birds travel long distance and link various pathogens. Due to habitat degradation, wintering waterfowls forage together with poultry, increasing the risk of pathogen transmission between hosts. We investigated the fungal communities between wintering Hooded Cranes and Domestic Geese by high-throughput sequencing, and inferred the potential gut pathogens for both hosts at different wintering
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The value of community science data to analyze long-term avian trends in understudied regions: The state of birds in Türkiye Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-18 Kyle D. Kittelberger, Colby J. Tanner, Nikolas D. Orton, Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu
Recent studies have revealed concerning declines in bird populations in Europe and other parts of the world. In understudied but biodiverse regions, especially those that are located along key migratory flyways, there is an unmet need to evaluate the status of resident and migratory birdlife for avian conservation ecology. This is especially urgent at a time when recent regional studies have highlighted
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Continent-wide vocal leapfrog pattern in Collared Scops Owls obfuscates species boundaries Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-15 Meng Yue Wu, Frank E. Rheindt
Much confusion has surrounded the taxonomy of the Collared Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) complex, distributed widely across tropical and subtropical Asia. Often divided into three species, modern taxonomies disagree on its treatment, as a lack of deep mitochondrial DNA divergence is seemingly in contrast with patterns of vocal differentiation. Analysing a dataset of territorial calls of 122 individuals
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Aviary measurements of dominance and affiliation between members of mixed-species birds flocks in southern China Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-13 Jichong Chen, Estelle Meaux, Caiyun Li, Aiwu Jiang, Eben Goodale
In mutualistic interactions, all parties are usually considered to benefit; yet there may be asymmetries in mutualisms where some partners/individuals benefit more than others. Such is thought to be the case in mixed-species flocks of birds, where following species are thought to benefit more than leading species, and leading species may not be able to escape the association if they are subordinate
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Short-term night lighting disrupts lipid and glucose metabolism in Zebra Finches: Implication for urban stopover birds Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Na Zhu, Jing Shang, Shuping Zhang
Night lighting has been shown to affect wild animals. To date, the effects of night lighting on the metabolic homeostasis of birds that spend short time in urban environments remain unclear. Using model bird species Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata), we investigated the effects of short-term night lighting on liver transcriptome, blood glucose, triglyceride, and thyroxine (T4 and T3) levels in birds
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Antipredatory call behavior of lapwing species in an Afrotropical environment Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-03 Fatima R. James, Chioma I. Okafor, Samuel T. Osinubi, Shiiwua A. Manu, Samuel Ivande, Taiwo C. Omotoriogun
Predation is an important source of natural selection on prey species and has resulted in adaptations such as antipredator vocal signals, which can alert others to the presence of predators and solicit cooperative attack. Although vocal alarm signals of birds have been well studied, they are poorly known in tropical African species. To address this lack of information, the antipredatory signals and
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Variaiton in the composition of small molecule compounds in the egg yolks of Asian Short-toed Larks between early and late broods Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-22 Shiyun Ding, Na Zhu, Shuping Zhang
The egg yolks of birds contain most of the maternally derived materials required for embryo development and are an important factor influencing embryo development and offspring viability. Individual variation in egg-laying date frequently occurs in passerines inhabiting highly seasonal environments. Females laying in early and late stages of the breeding season encounter different environment temperatures
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A high level of extra-pair paternity in the Chestnut Thrush (Turdus rubrocanus) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-16 Huan Liu, Yun Fang, Yingqiang Lou, Yuehua Sun
Extra-pair copulation (EPC) can potentially maximize individual reproductive fitness, and this process may involve sexual selection of male and female traits that reflect individual quality. Previous studies have implied that adult characteristics are associated with the probability of extra-pair paternity (EPP), but it differs between species. Moreover, there are relatively few examples of the adaptive
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Home range variability and philopatry in Cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) breeding in Iberia Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-15 Jorge García-Macía, Ernesto Álvarez, Manuel Galán, Juan José Iglesias-Lebrija, Marc Gálvez, Gerard Plana, Núria Vallverdú, Vicente Urios
Large scavengers are strongly dependent on environmental conditions and carrion distribution and abundance, so season and breeding-related factors may influence the spatial ecology of species such as the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), the largest European raptor. Iberia holds one of the biggest populations worldwide, but some aspects of the spatial ecology of the species in this region remain
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Corrigendum to “Achievements, challenges, and recommendations for waterbird conservation in China's coastal wetlands” [Avian Res. 14 (2023) 100123] Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-04 Zhijun Ma, Chi-Yeung Choi, Xiaojing Gan, Jing Li, Yang Liu, David S. Melville, Tong Mu, Theunis Piersma, Zhengwang Zhang
Abstract not available
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Modelling the nesting-habitat of threatened vulture species in the caucasus: An ecosystem approach to formalising environmental factors in species distribution models Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-28 Rustam Pshegusov, Victoria Chadaeva
Abiotic factors play an important role in species localisation, but biotic and anthropogenic predictors must also be considered in distribution modelling for models to be biologically meaningful. In this study, we formalised the biotic predictors of nesting sites for four threatened Caucasian vultures by including species distribution models (wild ungulates, nesting tree species) as biotic layers in
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Plumage assisted divergence in a vocally complex island endemic: The Dicrurus paradiseus species complex in Sri Lanka Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-28 Sanjaya Weerakkody, Eben Goodale, Vimukthi R. Gunasekara, Yang Liu, Praveen Karanth, Sampath S. Seneviratne
Models of allopatric speciation within an island biogeographic framework suggest that the division of ancestral mainland populations leads to one or more allopatric island species predominantly through natural and sexual selection or genetic drift. Here we studied phenotypic divergence in a phylogenetic framework in the Dicrurus paradiseus allospecies complex in Sri Lanka, a continental island located
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Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus) equalizes foraging costs with depth by switching foraging tactics Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-26 Peizhong Liu, Meihan Liu, Dongyang Xiao, Ying He, Rong Fan, Cai Lu, Li Wen, Qing Zeng, Guangchun Lei
Throughout evolutionary history, animals are finely tuned to adjust their behaviors corresponding to environmental variations. Behavioral flexibility represents an important component of a species' adaptive capacity in the face of rapid anthropogenetic environmental change, and knowledge of animal behaviors is increasingly recognized in conservation biology. In aquatic ecosystem, variation of water
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A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770)) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-26 Martin Irestedt, Filip Thörn, Per G.P. Ericson, Hein van Grouw, Yaroslav A. Red'kin, Alexander Hellquist, Frank Johansson, Johan A.A. Nylander
The aim of this study was to correlate plumage variation with the amount of genomic hybrid content in hybrids between Azure Tits Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770) and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758), by re-sequencing the genomes of museum specimens of non-hybrids and presumed hybrids with varying plumages. The project was funded by crowdsourcing and initiated when two presumed
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Vultures as a model for testing molecular adaptations of dietary specialization in birds Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-19 Yanhong Chen, Ling Xiang, Pan Chen, Huabin Zhao
Vultures are the only obligate scavengers among extant vertebrates. They provide valuable ecological services in ecosystems through removing carcasses, thus preventing the growth of other scavenger populations and the spread of pathogens. Moreover, their specific diets expose them to various deadly pathogens, which makes them potential candidates for studying molecular adaptations required to survive
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Does cryptic dichromatism exist in the Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)? Colorimetric variables and the avian visual model Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-16 Lorena Cruz-Bernate, Camilo Espinosa-Bravo, Héctor Fabio Rivera-Gutiérrez
Sexual dichromatism, a particular type of sexual dimorphism, occurs in several species and has been associated with sexual selection. In some cases, the differences are so small that they are imperceptible to humans, but possibly detected by birds. The objective measurement of color with spectrophotometers and detailed analyses according to the perception ability of the avian eye have revealed that
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Effects of constant light and dark conditions on the locomotor activity, body mass, and body temperature rhythms of Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-15 Lirong Zuo, Ibrahim M. Ahmad, Yuanyuan Liu, Limin Wang, Shu Fang, Dongming Li
Light is an essential environmental cue influencing the endogenous circadian clocks that regulate behavioral and physiological processes in animals. Despite extensive research on the circadian rhythms of avian behavior and physiology, the mechanisms by which they adapt and adjust to abnormal photoperiod conditions, such as artificial light, have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, the circadian rhythms
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Achievements, challenges, and recommendations for waterbird conservation in China's coastal wetlands Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-04 Zhijun Ma, Chi-Yeung Choi, Xiaojing Gan, Jing Li, Yang Liu, David S. Melville, Tong Mu, Theunis Piersma, Zhengwang Zhang
China's coastal wetlands provide breeding, migration stopover, and wintering habitats for about 230 waterbird species, which is more than a quarter of all waterbirds in the world. Large-scale and high intensity human activities have resulted in serious loss and degradation of coastal wetlands over the past half century, causing population declines in many waterbirds. Through a literature review and
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Moult intensity constraints along the complete moult sequence of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-03 Santi Guallar, Javier Quesada
Sequence and intensity are two essential components of bird moult. While the moult sequences of remex tracts are highly homogenous across passerines, other tracts apparently show a high variability. Moreover, order of moult activation among tracts are insufficiently known. Likewise, dynamics of moult intensity as moult progresses remains poorly known. Here, we provide detailed quantitative description
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Mongolian Lark as an indicator of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of steppe birds Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-02 Zheng Han, Xi Yang, Xueqi Zhao, Frédéric Jiguet, Piotr Tryjanowski, Haitao Wang
Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate. Many grassland species have been lost and are now of conservation concern. Identifying efficient biodiversity indicators is a key pillar of the global conservation strategy. Mongolian Lark (Melanocorypha mongolica) is a charismatic bird species abound in Mongolian steppes, and recent studies demonstrated that this species share similar habitat requirements
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The effects of anthropogenic noise on nest predation with respect to predator species across different habitats and seasons Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-19 Xiaogang Yao, Neng Wu, Yan Cai, Canchao Yang
Noise pollution is a major component of sensory pollution that can disrupt the well-being and functioning of living organisms, affect a variety of life history traits in animals, and reduce their reproductive success. In this study, we used artificial nest experiments with noise manipulation to investigate the influence of anthropogenic noise on nest predation during the breeding and non-breeding seasons
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The Black-winged Monarch (Monarcha frater): Geographic variation, taxonomy, a "new" population, and an enduring mystery in migration Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-17 Leo Joseph, Julian Teh, Paul Sweet, Phil Gregory
The Black-winged Monarch (Monarcha frater) inhabits low-mid elevation forests across New Guinea and far north-eastern Australia. Of its four recognized subspecies, M. f. canescens is migratory, breeding in tropical north-eastern Australia from approximately November–March. The non-breeding range of M. f. canescens, apart from some individuals overwintering in Australia, has been unknown for >100 years
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Phylogeography and diversification of Oriental weaverbirds (Ploceus spp.): A gradual increase of eurytopy Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-17 Abdul Razaq, Giovanni Forcina, Urban Olsson, Qian Tang, Robert Tizard, Naing Lin, Nila Pwint, Aleem Ahmed Khan
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Data reliability of the emerging citizen science in the Greater Bay Area of China Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-16 Xilin Huang, Yihong Wang, Yang Liu, Lyu Bing Zhang
The potential of citizen science projects in research has been increasingly acknowledged, but the substantial engagement of these projects is restricted by the quality of citizen science data. Based on the largest emerging citizen science project in the country—Birdreport Online Database (BOD), we examined the biases of birdwatching data from the Greater Bay Area of China. The results show that the
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Vinous-throated parrotbills breed in invasive smooth cordgrass habitat: Can native birds avoid the potential ecological trap? Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-14 Pan Chen, Yanhong Chen, Huimin Chen, Taiyu Chen, Bin Liu, Manyu Zhang, Silu Wang, Changhu Lu
Native animals are facing long-term coexistence with invasive plants worldwide, the impacts of which on animal behavior remain poorly known. Potential ecological traps could threaten native birds breeding in invasive plant habitats, but behavioral strategies for birds to avoid such risks are few concerned. The invasion of Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) has seriously varied the vegetation
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Physiological strategies of moult-migrating Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) in a polluted staging site according to blood chemistry Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-13 Juan A. Amat, Nico Varo, Marta I. Sánchez, Andy J. Green, Dámaso Hornero-Méndez, Juan Garrido-Fernández, Cristina Ramo
After breeding, Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) perform a moult-migration to autumn hypersaline staging sites, where they moult the flight feathers and forage on superabundant brine shrimp (Artemia spp.) before leaving for wintering areas. During the stay in moulting sites, the grebes experience changes in organs and muscle size (atrophy, hypertrophy), and almost double their body mass,
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Reevaluation of dialect boundaries in the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) based on citizen science data: Should we split or lump? Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-03 Lucie Diblíková, Pavel Pipek, Stanislav Vosolsobě, Adam Petrusek, Tereza Petrusková
Dialects are a specific form of geographic variation of birdsong with relatively sharp boundaries between distinct song characteristics, which provide opportunities for focused studies of processes underlying the emergence of spatial patterns in vocalization. Several songbird species that exhibit dialects became models for such research, and for some of them large-scale datasets were assembled that
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Large-brained birds lay smaller but heavier clutches Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-03 Shaobin Li, Xiaoman Liu, Guopan Li, Xiaolong Du
The brain is among the most energetically costly organs in vertebrates, and thus trade-offs have been hypothesized to exert constraints on brain size evolution. The energy trade-off hypothesis (ETH) predicts that reducing the energy consumption of reproduction or other costly tissues should compensate for the cost of a large brain. Egg production in birds requires a large proportion of the total energy
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Altitudinal migration behavior patterns of birds on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga, China Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-30 Ian Haase, Zhengwei Liu, Shangmingyu Zhang, Zhehan Dong, Yuwen Cheng, Kaize Feng, Kexin Peng, Jianghong Ran, Yongjie Wu
Many bird species in montane regions exhibit altitudinal migration behavior; however, altitudinal migration of birds is still understudied, especially in Asia. Mt. Gongga (7556 m) is the highest peak of the Hengduan Mountains in Southwest China. The steep elevation gradient and the high bird diversity make the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga (Hailuo Valley) an ideal place for studying the altitudinal
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Migration routes and differences in migration strategies of Whooper Swans between spring and autumn Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-26 Ji-Yeon Lee, Hyung-Kyu Nam, Jin-Young Park, Seung-Gu Kang, Nyambayar Batbayar, Dong-Won Kim, Jae-Woong Hwang, Otgonbayar Tsend, Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj, Jugdernamjil Nergui, Tuvshintugs Sukhbaatar, Wee-Haeng Hur, Jeong-Chil Yoo
Long-distance migratory birds travel more rapidly in spring than in autumn, as they face temporal breeding constraints. However, several species travel slower in spring owing to environmental influences, such as food availability and wind conditions. GPS trackers were attached to 17 Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) inhabiting northeastern Mongolia, to determine their migration routes and stopover sites
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Egg rejection and egg recognition mechanism in a Chinese Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) population Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-09 Jianping Liu, Longwu Wang, Wei Liang
Recognition and rejection of foreign eggs are effective defense of hosts against brood parasitism. However, brood parasitism can impose various selection pressures on different geographic populations of the same host species. In a multiple cuckoo system in China, Azure-winged Magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) are parasitized by both Indian Cuckoos (Cuculus micropterus) and Asian Koels (Eudynamys scolopaceus)
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Responses of breeding waterbird communities to environmental changes in subsidence wetlands in the North China Plain Avian Res. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-01 Guangyao Wang, Jinming Zhao, Weiqiang Li, Xiangrong Song, Yong Zhang, Chunlin Li, Willem F. de Boer
In the context of global degradation and loss of natural wetlands, waterbirds have been increasingly using artificial wetlands as alternative habitats. However, waterbirds are facing various threats in these artificial wetlands, due to dramatic environmental changes induced by anthropogenic activities. Exploring the effects of these changes on the temporal dynamics of the waterbird communities can