上海郊区冬季红隼行为时间分配

2003年11月~2004年2月采用随机个体、连续取样的方式,在上海郊区获取了越冬112只次红隼(Falco tinnunculus)123.33 h的行为数据,对红隼的时间行为分配模式进行了研究与分析。结果表明,冬季红隼白天活动时间大部分用于栖停(44.45%),其次为捕食(18.83%)、停落(12.17%)、飞行(9.98%)、滑翔(8.11%)、悬停(3.46%)、梳羽(1.70%)、戏耍和交互(1.32%)。栖停在早中晚占有较高的比例,而捕食在上午和下午分别具有一个高峰时段。红隼在1 d中具有两个活动高峰分别在上午(8∶00~10∶00)和下午(13∶00~15∶00)。通过对行为发生时间的相关性分析,发现活动高峰主要是由捕食行为及相关的飞行、悬停等行为组成。     

黄爪隼和红隼的繁殖习性记录

红隼和黄爪隼繁殖分布区重叠,二者的外部特征十分相似,但行为却很不相同,包括是否远途迁徙、繁殖过程、食物与食性等。2006年5⁶月和20106月和2010²011年春夏及2012年52011年春夏及2012年5⁷月,采用焦点观察法和路线调查法,对新疆北部几个繁殖区的黄爪隼和红隼的活动规律、栖息地选择、相互距离、繁殖习性、食物组成展开调查。虽然它们的生活环境比较接近,两者巢间距最近约30 m,但取食生态位却是不同的,红隼更喜欢捕捉沙鼠、小鸟、麻蜥或沙蜥等脊椎动物(占84.8%),而黄爪隼则以采食直翅目昆虫、蜈蚣等无脊椎动物为主(占95.3%)。二者每小时捕食育雏频次也显著不同。在中国,黄爪隼可能是一个"入侵"的或"东扩"物种,此消彼长,漂泊成性,营巢地不固定,近10年种群数量有增加的趋势。     

白洋淀流域大鸨越冬栖息地的适宜性评价

基于大鸨越冬期生境选择的相关研究成果,结合专家意见和近年来白洋淀流域大鸨的分布点记录,选择3项一级指标和13项二级指标,用以表征影响大鸨越冬生境选择的关键因子,并通过构建适宜性评价模型,对白洋淀流域大鸨越冬生境的质量进行了评价.结果表明:2005年,白洋淀流域内大鸨越冬适宜栖息地面积11907.25 km2,占流域总面积的34.1%;其中,最适宜生境面积4596.25 km2,仅占流域总面积的13.2%.研究区最适宜生境的空间分布相对集中,主要位于流域东部的白洋淀自然保护区及其周边(I区)和流域西南部的行唐、曲阳2县(II区).I区和II区中最适宜生境面积之和达2803.55 km2,占流域内最适宜生境面积的61.0%.为保护流域内大鸨的越冬生境,须重点针对上述2个区域的特点,分别采取适当措施加以保护.     

上海郊区红隼(Falco tinnunculus)种群密度及其变化

2002年7月到2004年6月对上海郊区祝桥镇、机场镇和朝阳农场及其附近区域的红隼种群密度进行了计数调查.调查通过固定路线进行,共进行调查53次.结果表明该区域红隼种群密度冬季明显高于夏季,呈现明显的月变化和季节变化,红隼种群的季节变动在一定程度上反映了该区域红隼的迁徙及居留情况,认为红隼在上海地区的居留状况包括留鸟、冬候鸟和过境鸟3种类型.混合农作物生境和芦苇生境中红隼种群密度具有极显著差异（t＝4.6506,P＝0.0000〈0.001）,红隼更加偏好混合农作物生境.通过红隼的种群密度可以反映红隼的居留状况和对生境的选择情况.     

甘肃鼠兔贮草越冬及其生物学意义

对采自草甸、灌丛和弃耕地3 种类型栖息地共27 个甘肃鼠兔草堆的研究结果表明, 每个草堆干重在23.8～984.2 g 之间, 平均184.2 g , 总计含有26 种双子叶植物和一些禾本科单子叶植物。分析显示, 草堆大小(食物重量) 与栖息地植被类型无关。在贮存干草堆时, 甘肃鼠兔对不同植物成分具有强烈的选择性, 其中, 单子叶植物和双子叶植物分别占总重量的8.06 %和84.61 % , 与它们各自在栖息地中的生物量百分比51.76 %和39.57 %形成鲜明对照。甘肃鼠兔对植物种类的选择性在一定程度上受栖息地植被类型的影响, 但最喜食的几种植物却基本不变, 它们是美丽风毛菊、棘豆、麻花艽、禾草、线叶龙胆。人工去除栖息地中的干草堆后, 甘肃鼠兔种群越冬存活率从对照样地的51.84 %下降到21.33 % , 表明草堆食物对其成功越冬有一定正效应。野外观察证实, 甘肃鼠兔的鸣声不及同域分布的高原鼠兔发达, 但前者具有贮存食物越冬的习性, 而后者却不贮存越冬食物, 此结果不支持“鼠兔类动物建立草堆的行为与鸣声行为平行发育”的观点。     

暖温带-北亚热带生态过渡区物种生境相关性分析

物种生境相关性分析有利于更好的理解群落构建机制。以暖温带-北亚热带过渡区的宝天曼自然保护区1 ha固定监测样地调查数据为依托,选择胸径（DBH）≥1 cm、个体数≥5的43种木本植物作为分析对象,选择4个地形因子和15个土壤因子作为两类环境因子,用典范对应分析（CCA）研究了地形因子和土壤因子对物种分布的影响,用Torus-translation检验来分析物种与不同生境的关联。结果如下：（1）CCA分析表明地形因子对物种分布的解释量为7.3%,土壤因子对物种分布的解释量为16.2%。（2）Torus-translation检验结果表明,被检验的43个物种中,23.3%的物种与地形4个生境关联,其中正相关物种数最多的是山脊,占正相关数的57%;46.5%的物种与土壤6个生境关联,正相关物种数最多的是两个主分量中的高浓度区,占正相关数的52.6%,明显高于中浓度区和低浓度区正相关的物种数,负相关物种数最多的仍是高浓度区,占负相关数的42.8%,其次为低浓度区,占26.3%。结果表明,土壤生境分化对暖温带-北亚热带过渡区物种的空间分布有着重要作用;样地内大部分物种存在生境分化,这不仅是对地形生境分化的利用,而且更多的是对土壤生境分化的利用;研究结果支持物种共存机制中的生态位理论,地形和土壤生境分化是宝天曼暖温带-北亚热带过渡区物种共存的重要机制之一,在一定程度上解释了该区物种多样性的维持机制。     

地表覆盖物对高原鼠兔栖息地利用的影响

对地表覆盖物对高原鼠兔栖息地利用的作用进行了研究, 地表覆盖物增加后, 高原鼠兔能依据其程度及毗邻生境状况, 或减少地面活动增加对洞道系统的利用; 或转移到较安全区域; 同时摄食行为也发生变化, 显著增加用于防御的时间, 且取食区域几乎集中于洞口附近。研究表明, 高原鼠兔视地表覆盖物为一种捕食风险源, 并对此具有一定的评估能力, 其行为反应实质上是通过对食物获取与风险大小的权衡而做出的一种行为决策。间接捕食风险是高原鼠兔在选择和利用栖息地时所必须考虑的权衡因子, 也是一个重要的摄食代价。     

高寒地区大嘴乌鸦春季集群与活动规律

在2004年春季,对高寒地区大嘴乌鸦（Corvus）的集群与活动规律进行了调查研究,共设置了35个有代表性的样线。大嘴乌鸦的集群大小以小规模为主,特别是以配对的形式进行繁殖活动（占46％）,平均每群（±SD）1．9±1．1只。大嘴乌鸦栖息的生境类型主要划分为电线杆生境、住宅区生境、土堆．矮桩生境、树林生境和草地生境等,其中大嘴乌鸦在住宅区生境、土堆-矮桩生境中的集群具有多样化的形式。显示出它们特有的反捕食策略和取食特性。在大嘴乌鸦3种主要的活动中,觅食行为主要集中在中午一段时间（12：00-14：00）,飞行行为高峰在下午（16：00-17：00）,上午活动比例最高的是停息行为（07：00～12：00）。这些都说明了它们长期地对高寒环境的适应性。     

取食生境对白鹤越冬行为的影响

为探究人工生境与自然生境下白鹤Grus leucogeranus的行为差异及其可能对白鹤造成的影响,2021年1—2月,采用焦点动物取样法对鄱阳湖2个人工生境（藕塘、稻田）和1个自然生境（常湖池）的越冬白鹤行为进行了观察。结果表明,越冬期白鹤在不同生境下均以觅食行为为主,在稻田中比例最高（94.6%）,觅食频次显著高于藕塘（P<0.001）;稻田中的警戒行为频次显著高于藕塘和常湖池（P<0.001;P=0.002）,而藕塘和常湖池中的警戒行为频次无显著差异。白鹤在不同生境下食物的种类、营养成分、觅食方式均会影响白鹤越冬期行为及时间分配。本研究为加强越冬白鹤人工生境的保护与管理提供指导和依据。     

Foraging area and hunting technique selection of Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) in winter: the role of perch sites

In winter, Common Kestrel minimizes energy expenditure by using the low-cost, low-profit technique of perch hunting. Existence of the perch sites is the precondition of perch hunting. Therefore, one can predict that the kestrels would prefer a habitat with more perch sites, and perch sites should have an important role in the kestrels' hunting technique use, habitat selection and habitat use in winter. To test this prediction, the authors manipulated two areas in a grassland. They increased the potential perch sites in one area with bamboo poles (hereafter test area) and kept another as control (hereafter control area). They observed and compared the kestrels' use and their behaviors in these two areas. Far more kestrels appearing in the test area with increasing perch sites than in the control area were recorded. The kestrels stayed in the test area with more perch sites significantly longer than in the control area. And in the test area with more perch sites, kestrels hunted 77.24% of the total hunting with the technique of perch hunting. In the control area, kestrels hunted only with the technique of flight-hunting. There was a significant correlation between the technique used by kestrels and the areas with or without perch sites. In the test area with increasing perch sites kestrels spent 51.8% of their time in perching and 12.1% in air, which were 30.1% and 34.8%, respectively, in the control area. There was no significant difference in hunting profit between areas. The results suggest that perch sites play an important role in the selection of hunting technique and foraging habitat for kestrels in winter, and kestrels appear to prefer the habitat with suitable perch sites in winter.     

Farmland habitat selection of wintering lesser kestrels in a Spanish pseudosteppe: implications for conservation strategies

The lesser kestrel Falco naumanni is a globally threatened species, whose breeding populations seem to have declined due to recent agricultural changes. However, nothing is known about habitat requirements during winter, despite the fact that several populations are overwintering in areas affected by agricultural transformations. We studied population size and habitat selection by wintering lesser kestrels in a Spanish pseudosteppe (Los Monegros), where traditional fallow systems for cereals are rapidly being replaced by intensive and/or irrigated crops. About 15% of the adult population wintered in the study area, as determined by systematic roadside counts compared with accurate censuses made during the breeding season. Wintering lesser kestrels preferred to forage on field margins and stubble, while avoiding abandoned fields, ploughs, scrubland, growing cereals and, mainly, the expanding irrigated crops. This work confirms the need to incorporate the habitat requirements of threatened species over their complete annual cycles; while breeding lesser kestrels scarcely use fallow (ploughed at that time), during the winter, fallow (stubble at that time) is their main foraging habitat. Both fallow land and the present agricultural calendar should be maintained to assure the conservation of wintering lesser kestrel populations.     

Are ecological compensation areas attractive hunting sites for common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and long-eared owls (Asio otus)?

Common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and long-eared owls (Asio otus) in intensively farmed areas in Switzerland decreased markedly as a result of declining vole (Microtus spp.) populations. In order to counteract the loss of biodiversity in intensively farmed areas, the Swiss agri-environment scheme stipulates several types of ecological compensation areas, which together should take up 7% of the farmland. Among them are wild flower and herbaceous strips, which are not mown every year and which in summer support up to 8 times more small mammals than ordinary fields and grassland. This study investigates whether kestrels and long-eared owls preferentially hunt on ecological compensation areas and whether preferred hunting areas are related to the density of small mammals or to the density and height of the vegetation. Both kestrels and long-eared owls mainly hunted on freshly mown low-intensity meadows and artificial grassland, despite low densities of small mammals. Therefore, vegetation structure was more important for the selection of hunting sites than prey abundance. However, both predators preferred to hunt on freshly mown grassland and meadows bordering a wild flower or herbaceous strip. Voles from these strips probably invaded the adjacent freshly mown grassland and became an easy prey for kestrels and owls. In intensively farmed regions, ecological compensation areas, particularly those not mown each year, are an important refuge for small mammals, although in summer the small mammals are not directly accessible to hunting birds. Hence, a mosaic of different habitat types with grassland mown at different times of the year together with undisturbed strips is best suited to provide a year-round supply of accessible food for vole hunters.     

Predator presence may benefit: kestrels protect curlew nests against nest predators

We studied whether the presence of breeding kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) affected nest predation and breeding habitat selection of curlews (Numenius arquata) on an open flat farmland area in western Finland. We searched for nests of curlews from an area of 6 km² during 1985–1993. For each nest found, we recorded the fate of the nest, and the distance to the nearest kestrel nest and to the nearest perch. We measured the impact of breeding kestrels on nest predation by constructing artificial curlew nests in the vicinity of ten kestrel nests in 1993. Curlew nests were closer to kestrel nests than expected from random distribution, eventhough kestrels fed on average 5.5% of curlew chick production. Predation risk by kestrels was lower than predation risk by corvids and other generalist predators, which predated 9% of curlew nests surviving farming practices and an unknown proportion of chicks. Artificial nest experiment showed that nest predation was lower close to kestrel nests than further away suggesting that the breeding association of curlews and kestrels was a behavioural adaptation against nest predation. Thus, the presence of a predator may sometimes be beneficial to prey, and prey animals have behavioural adaptations to these situations.     

Importance of the premigratory areas for the conservation of lesser kestrel: space use and habitat selection during the post-fledging period

The conservation importance of the post-fledging period in migratory birds has been scarcely assessed. In this study, we examined the space use and habitat selection of radio-tagged lesser kestrels Falco naumanni at two spatial scales during summer in north-western Spain, where premigratory aggregations of around 1000 lesser kestrels occur. Space use was estimated by kernel accounting for the spatiotemporal autocorrelation of the radio locations, and habitat selection was analysed by weighted compositional analysis accounting for the intensity of use. Kestrels moved within 9 km around roosts during daylight and returned daily during sunset to the same roosts, exhibiting refuging behaviour. They foraged on average 3.7 km from the roost in an area of 346.8 ha (home range), 92.7 ha of which were used intensively (core area). Within these areas, lesser kestrels intensively used more farmland than any land-scale habitat. Within farmland, kestrels significantly avoided the irrigated crops. This avoidance seemed to be due to the difficulty of prey access and/or scarcity of prey available. Conservation plans of lesser kestrel should include the post-fledging period by legally protecting roost sites and maintaining dry farmland systems around the communal roosts.     

Possible relationships between morphology,territory quality,and skin color of American Kestrels1

ABSTRACT Carotenoid‐based coloration of skin and plumage has been found to be correlated with individual quality in many species of birds during the breeding season. However, less is known about the possible role of these signals during the nonbreeding season, particularly among nonpasserines that defend winter territories. American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are sexually dimorphic raptors that defend winter territories and possess carotenoid‐based morphological features known to be correlated with individual quality. Much is known about winter territory use and habitat segregation by male and female kestrels, but possible relationships among morphological features, individual quality, and habitat quality have not been examined. Our objective was to examine possible relationships between morphology, territory quality, and skin color of American Kestrels. Male kestrels had brighter skin than females, and the skin color of male kestrels was positively correlated with size (wing chord and tail length) and territorial quality (hunting territories with less canopy and more grass cover). No such relationships were found for female kestrels. Skin color appears to be an honest indicator of quality for male American Kestrels and may serve both intersexual (territory acquisition) and intersexual (mate choice) functions during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons.     

Not all sanctuaries are created equal: variation in protected area selection by wintering mallards

Public lands managed for wildlife frequently provide various forms of sanctuary to increase residency times and allow access to energetic and other habitat resources for waterfowl. The influence of sanctuary type and disturbance regime on resource use and fine-scale movements of waterfowl has not been investigated extensively using currently available transmitter technologies. We examined mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) use of various types of waterfowl sanctuary and non-sanctuary areas in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley region of eastern Arkansas, USA, during winters of 2019–2021. We deployed 105 global positioning system transmitters on mallards at 4 closed-access spatial sanctuaries on or adjacent to Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge. We used hourly transmitter locations to examine mallard use of public sanctuary areas, public hunt areas, and private lands using integrated step selection analysis. Public sanctuary areas provided varying levels of protected status, public hunt areas allowed for varying levels of hunting intensity by duck hunters, and private lands were open to waterfowl hunting and other forms of private uses but may or may not have been hunted at any specific frequency. Mallards selected spatial sanctuary and avoided public hunt areas, other sanctuary types, and private lands during the day. In contrast, mallards selected for private lands over spatial sanctuary at night. Mallards tended to avoid areas that allowed duck hunting or used them during the night when risk of harvest mortality was removed. After the hunting season closed, mallards began using areas that previously allowed duck hunting during the day, suggesting that risk was the primary factor influencing site use. Moreover, mallards were 1.6 times more likely to use public daily hunt areas and 2.1 times more likely to use private lands potentially open to hunting during the day than spatial sanctuary 2 weeks after the close of duck hunting season in February. Spatial sanctuaries appear more effective in influencing mallard use than temporal sanctuaries or inviolate sanctuaries, which are commonly used by state and federal agencies. Partial daily, daily, or activity-specific (e.g., no hunting past noon, no hunting 3 days/week, no waterfowl hunting) closures to encourage mallard use of temporal sanctuaries do not appear to reduce the perceived harvest-related risk to mallards enough for them to view these areas as accessible or significantly increase their use.     

Effects of hunting on guianan forest game birds

To assess the effect of on-going and of previous or near by hunting pressure on game birds in a neotropical rain forest (French Guiana), I compared species abundances between six hunted and disturbed areas, seven non-hunted and pristine areas and eight intermediate areas, undisturbed and not currently hunted, but formerly hunted or close to current hunting areas. I recorded all birds detected within 100 m-wide strip transects, walked at random through every forest type all day long. The frequency of records per 10 h and flock sizes on each transect were averaged over all surveys in each study site (N = 3025 h). Censused groups included terrestrial (tinamous, woodquails, curassow and trumpeter) and arboreal species (guans, macaws, parrots, toucans), but not waterbirds. The abundance of all game birds was higher in non-hunted than in hunted areas, though not always significantly for secretive understorey species (tinamous, guans, wood-quail) or canopy frugivores (parrots, macaws, toucans). The Black Curassow and Gray-winged Trumpeter exhibited the highest and most consistent increases (7–10-fold) and more so between intermediate and non-hunted sites than between hunted and intermediate sites. The mean flock size also increased along the hunting gradient, especially in flocking species (macaws, parrots, trumpeter). Low reproductive rates and/or seasonal movements may explain that hunting pressure could still be felt after hunting has ceased or when it persists only away from a given area. Such a persistent effect would affect some populations in small protected areas.     

基于生境可获得性的完达山地区马鹿(Cervus elaphus xanthopygus)冬季生境选择

于2004～2005年冬季研究了完达山地区马鹿的生境利用和选择。在野外调查的基础上,获取了研究地区马鹿种群水平上的生境利用数据;利用地理信息系统和遥感技术,从区域尺度上测度了各类生境因子的可获得性。通过比较被利用生境与可获得生境,测度了马鹿冬季对各类生境或生态因子的选择。结果表明,马鹿对植被类型、海拔、坡向、NDVI等级、到公路距离表现出非比例利用,对坡度的利用与其可获得性则没有显著性差异。马鹿选择采伐迹地,低郁闭度生境（第2、3NDVI等级）,200～300m海拔区间,南坡,距离公路600～700m的区间。马鹿采食生境和卧息生境对各类因子具有不同的选择性,表现出不同功能生境分离的特征。对于采食生境,马鹿选择采伐迹地、阔叶疏林,低郁闭度（第2、3NDVI等级）,南坡;对于卧息生境,马鹿仅选择采伐迹地,低郁闭度（第2、3、4NDVI等级）。根据马鹿活动样点的出现与否,建立了马鹿冬季生境选择的逻辑斯谛回归模型。模型回判结果表明,该模型对马鹿活动样方与对照样方的总体正确预测率为74．4％,对马鹿活动样方的正确预测率为84．2％,对对照样方的正确预测率为62．4％,能够较好的预测生境利用概率。     

Hunter Movement and its Role in National Game Bird Surveys

Analysis of sample survey data on the species composition of waterfowl kill for resident and nonresident hunters for provinces of Canada during 1974 and 1975 showed that a successful game bird hunter who hunted in more than one area (degree block) had both a higher average season kill and more successful days of hunting in which one or more birds were bagged, than one who hunted in the same area during the season. Adjustment for days hunted resulted in a higher daily hunting for those who hunted in more than one degree block. However, the higher kill of the successful hunter is attributable more to a larger number of days hunted than to a larger kill per successful day. Also, hunters hunting in more than one degree block had their successful hunting days more evenly spread across the season. The estimates of kill per successful hunter and days hunted for stratified sampling by areas of hunting were considerably more efficient than simple random sampling.