红翅凤头鹃在画眉巢中寄生繁殖

通常杜鹃雏鸟孵出后都会将寄主巢中的卵和雏鸟推出巢外而独占寄主巢,以便能独享义亲抚育。而一些体型较大的杜鹃(如凤头鹃属Clamator)雏鸟能够容忍寄主的卵和雏,并不将其推出巢外,而与其共同成长。2005年5月29日,在贵州宽阔水自然保护区,观察到杜鹃雏鸟与寄主画眉(Garrulax can     

以鸟类视觉模型揭示中杜鹃对冠纹柳莺的卵色模拟(英文)

于2009年4—7月,采用光谱仪量化卵色和建立鸟类视觉模型的方法,在贵州宽阔水自然保护区对中杜鹃(Cuculus saturatus)寄生冠纹柳莺(Phylloscopus reguloides)的卵色模拟进行了研究。中杜鹃产白色卵带极少数而微小的棕色斑,明显大于宿主卵,重2.06g,体积1.91cm3。从人眼看,中杜鹃卵对宿主卵在很大程度上是模拟的,但视觉模型表明,两者的卵色在色调和色度上都完全分离,揭示了人眼探测不到的卵色模拟情况。该文首次对中杜鹃的雏鸟特征进行描述,在4日龄以后雏鸟嘴裂中出现三角形黑斑,并随着日龄的增长而更加明显,这种特征在霍氏中杜鹃(C.optatus)的雏鸟中也存在,但未见于其他种类的杜鹃雏鸟。     

人工饲养大鸨雏鸟行为变化趋势及日节律

采用扫描取样法(scan sampling)和目标取样法(focal sampling)相结合观察大鸨(Otis tarda)雏鸟的行为,研究了大鸨雏鸟行为日节律及其行为随日龄增长的强度变化趋势。结果表明,大鸨雏鸟在1～3日龄休息行为、站立行为所占比例逐渐增多,蹲伏行为、鸣叫行为比例减少,随着日龄的增加,大鸨雏鸟的行为逐渐接近亚成体的行为,但整体还没有形成规律;大鸨雏鸟期行为主要由休息(51.7%)、站立(16.1%)和游走(18.8%)行为组成,其次为理羽(3.2%)和展翅(6.1%)行为。在雏鸟成长过程中,休息行为比例一直保持很高,觅食和理羽行为呈现明显的上升趋势,鸣叫和蹲伏行为逐渐减少。     

笼养条件下朱鹮雏鸟的饲养管理和生长发育

2002~2004年,通过对人工繁殖的103只朱(Nipponia nippon)雏鸟的饲喂和护理,系统测量了1~35日龄雏鸟的体重、体长、翅长、嘴峰、跗、中爪、尾长生长发育情况,并与野外朱雏鸟的生长发育作了对比分析。结果表明,人工条件下的朱雏鸟生长发育良好,在不同日龄期,基本达到甚至超过野外朱雏鸟生长发育指标的水平。35日龄雏鸟出飞,比野外雏鸟出飞提前了一周。     

大杜鹃的巢寄生

巢寄生（brood parasitism）：是某些鸟类将卵产在其他鸟的巢中,由其他鸟（义亲）代为孵化和育雏的一种特殊的繁殖行为。本图片为东方大苇莺在哺育大杜鹃雏鸟。     

模拟增加潜在巢捕食风险对2种鸟类雏鸟生长发育产生不同影响

捕食风险是影响鸟类生活史对策的重要因素之一。为应对捕食风险,鸟类进化出多样的反捕食策略。为探究北热带石灰岩森林地区鸟类生长发育对高巢捕食风险的适应机制,本研究通过利用蛇类模型模拟巢捕食者,增加潜在巢捕食风险,设置实验组,将未放置蛇类模型的实验设置为对照组。测量育雏期内黄腹山鹪莺（Prinia flaviventris）雏鸟与红耳鹎（Pycnonotus jocosus）雏鸟每日的体重、跗跖长与翼长,分别比较分析黄腹山鹪莺雏鸟与红耳鹎雏鸟上述体型特征在实验组与对照组中的生长发育规律。对符合正态分布的各日龄雏鸟生长参数进行t检验,不符合正态分布的参数进行非参数检验（Wilcox秩和检验）并求均值,使用SPSS 26.0统计软件包对雏鸟各日龄参数均值进行Logistic曲线拟合,比较各雏鸟相同生长参数在实验组和对照组实验的“S”发育曲线。结果显示,黄腹山鹪莺雏鸟在实验组的体重、跗跖长与翼长的渐近线分别占成鸟量度的71.57%、94.10%与55.29%,对照组分别占成鸟量度的78.05%、97.49%与55.67%,在实验组和对照组育雏期分别为11.1 d与10.6 d。实验组和对照组黄腹山...     

紫蓬山区三种鹭繁殖生物学研究

作者报道了１９９６年４～７月紫蓬山区的池鹭,白鹭和夜鹭的繁殖行为和雏鸟的食性及生长,结果表明：巢前期三种鹭取食地点远离巢区;求偶方式主要有婚飞,显示饰羽,求偶喂食和象征性营巢行为;获得巢材的方式不同,异步产卵,异步孵化;雏出孵前,白鹭和夜鹭的迅速加固和扩大巢的行为,育雏期,取食大小随雏鸟日龄增大而增大,取食距离随雏期延长而缩短,三者雏鸟重增长的数学模型分别为：ｗ＝２０５．１ｅ＾－（０．０６５ｅ）＾     

白琵鹭繁殖及雏鸟发育的观察

白琵鹭的繁殖习性,雏鸟生长等生态特征的变化。结果表明平均窝卵数３８±１２枚,平均卵重８５５±９３ｇ;雏鸟生长模型为Ｗｔ＝２０３１５／１＋ｅ２７８－０１９ｔ。     

白琵鹭雏鸟的生长和恒温能力的发育

1994年和 1995年 4～ 6月在扎龙自然保护区 (4 7°2 9′N ,12 4°0 2′E)测定了 13只白琵鹭 (Platalealeucorodia)雏鸟的体重、体长、翅长、跗长和体温 ,以及环境温度。雏鸟生长符合逻辑斯谛模型 ,而 4～ 8日龄相对生长率最大。随着雏鸟日龄增大 ,体温稳步增加而且不随环境温度局部波动改变 ;冷暴露 2 5min后体温下降的幅度减小。孵出至 2 8日 ,雏鸟的体重与在巢内和冷暴露后的体温正相关 ,其体重和体长也与恒温指数正相关 ,雏鸟身体生长和恒温能力发育有某种同步关系 ,体现了晚成鸟的发育特点。     

松鸦的繁殖生态

在安徽合肥紫蓬山区,对松鸦的繁殖生态进行了观察,并研究了雏鸟的生长发育特征。结果表明,松鸦4月初开始营巢,巢筑在阔叶树或针叶树主干顶端枝杈处,巢呈碗状,由细树枝、须根、苔藓和草编织而成。4月中下旬开始产卵,平均每窝产5枚卵,孵化期16－17d,育雏期19d。体重、嘴峰、翅、跗跖、尾、飞羽及飞羽羽缨等形态学参数适合用Logistic曲线方程拟合,对应的拟合方程分别为：W＝120／[1 e^-0.329(t-8.1)]、L=23/[1 e^-0.2011(t-4.5)]、L=107/[1 e^-0.334(t-9.1)]、L=40/[1 e^-0.293(t-4.5)]、L=49/[1 e^-0.377(t-13.7)]、L=76/[1 e^-0.462(t-12.4)]、L=49/[1 e^-0.544(t-17.8)]。曲线的增长率和拐点的参数分析表明,与飞行密切相关的器官在雏鸟发育的后期仍有较大程度的增长,而与取食相关的器官在雏鸟早期就有较大程度的发育。     

大杜鹃和东方大苇莺卵的人工孵卵期和孵化率比较

大杜鹃(Cuculus canorus)是一种专性巢寄生鸟类,进化出了一系列适应对策,如雏鸟普遍出壳较早等,以更好适应寄生生活。本研究使用恒温自动孵化箱对25枚大杜鹃卵和20枚其宿主东方大苇莺(Acrocephalus orientalis)卵进行人工孵化,并对孵卵期的卵重进行连续测量。结果表明,在人工孵化条件下,大杜鹃卵的孵化率(76%)极显著高于东方大苇莺(40%)(χ~2=25.144,df=1,P0.01)。尽管大杜鹃的卵鲜重(t=7.447,df=43,P0.01)和卵体积(t=8.817,df=43,P0.01)均极显著大于东方大苇莺,但两种鸟卵的孵卵期不存在显著性差异(t=1.006,df=16,P0.05)。     

Mouth colour is a reliable signal of need in begging canary nestlings

Begging passerine chicks display brightly coloured mouths as they solicit food from their parents. Despite a range of hypotheses, the function of vivid nestling mouth colour remains unknown. Here I report that mouth colour functions as a signal of need in canary nestlings, in the days immediately following hatching. Changes in mouth colour accurately reflect a nestling''s state of need: the more food deprived the chick, the more intensely coloured its mouth. In controlled experiments with two nestlings, parents were offered the opportunity to choose which nestling to feed. When the mouth colour of one offspring was artificially reddened using food colouring, parents gave it more food. These results demonstrate a novel function for nestling mouth colour and are consistent with recent models of the resolution of parent–offspring conflict.     

Geographic variation in parasitism rates of two sympatric cuckoo hosts in China

Rates of brood parasitism vary extensively among host species and populations of a single host species. In this study, we documented and compared parasitism rates of two sympatric hosts, the Oriental Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) and the Reed Parrotbill (Paradoxornis heudei), in three populations in China. We found that the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is the only parasite using both the Oriental Reed Warbler and Reed Parrotbill as hosts, with a parasitism rate of 22.4%-34.3% and 0%-4.6%, respectively. The multiple parasitism rates were positively correlated with local parasitism rates across three geographic populations of Oriental Reed Warbler, which implies that higher pressure of parasitism lead to higher multiple parasitism rate. Furthermore, only one phenotype of cuckoo eggs was found in the nests of these two host species. Our results lead to two conclusions: (1) The Oriental Reed Warbler should be considered the major host of Common Cuckoo in our study sites; and (2) obligate parasitism on Oriental Reed Warbler by Common Cuckoo is specialized but flexible to some extent, i.e., using Reed Parrotbill as a secondary host. Further studies focusing on egg recognition and rejection behaviour of these two host species should be conducted to test our predictions.     

Provisioning of nestling Cuckoos Cuculus canorus by Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus hosts

Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus fostering a single nestling Cuckoo Cuculus canorus bring food to it at roughly the same rate as they do to an average-sized brood (three or four) of their own young. The food brought, mostly flies and beetles, is also similar. We conclude that the Cuckoo does not provide a supernormal stimulus. We show that Reed Warblers, given experimentally-enlarged broods of seven or eight, can substantially increase their feeding rate. This raises the question of why the young Cuckoo does not exploit this 'spare' feeding capacity of the Reed Warbler hosts. We offer three explanations', (i) that the increased begging necessary would attract predators, (ii) that the young Cuckoo is unable to grow faster, and (iii) that it would not be to the advantage of a young Cuckoo, dependent on its foster parents for about 5 weeks (cf. 3 weeks for Reed Warbler young), to provoke a feeding rate that the warblers could not sustain.     

SOME NOTES ON THE BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE STRIPED CUCKOO

Steyn, P. 1973. Some notes on the breeding biology of the Striped Cuckoo. Ostrich 44: 163–169.

Information is presented on the breeding biology of the Striped Cuckoo, a species for which little authentic material exists. A number of cases of parasitism of the Arrow-marked Babbler are given. Pre-laying behaviour is similar to that of the Jacobin Cuckoo. The blue egg of the cuckoo may be distinguished on several minor points, but mainly because it is rounder and broader than those of the host species. The growth and development of a nestling is outlined up to its ninth day when it was killed by a snake. It was reared to this stage with three babbler chicks, probably because several babblers contribute to feeding the nestlings. The cuckoo gains weight very rapidly, and it is suggested that this is because of its brighter gape and more intense gaping response which ensure that it is fed preferentially. Anti-predator devices such as open-gaped lunges, jerking movements of the body and the exudation of a vile-smelling brown fluid are described. The nestling cuckoo's call is identical to that of the babblers. The juvenal may be fed by its foster parents For at least 36 days after leaving the nest.     

Post-fledging interactions between the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus and its cavity-nesting Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus host

Brood parasite–host interactions during the incubation and nestling stages have been well studied, but the post-fledging period remains virtually unknown. Using radiotracking, we provide the first detailed data on post-fledging interactions between the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus and its only regular cavity-nesting host, the Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus. Cuckoos raised alone (‘solitary’) fledged at higher mass, with higher wing and tarsus length and started to fly at a younger age than Cuckoos raised alongside young Redstarts (‘mixed’). However, a further 23 fledging and post-fledging parameters measured at five pre-determined times (fledging, first-flight, predation, starvation, independence) did not differ between solitary and mixed Cuckoos. In addition, none of the parameters measured during the post-fledging period (growth, dispersal distances, number of flights) differed between solitary and mixed Cuckoos. Redstart fledglings from non-parasitized broods (‘solitary’) showed generally similar fledging and post-fledging parameters to fledglings reared alongside a Cuckoo (‘mixed’). Surprisingly, there were no significant differences in post-fledging predation rate, starvation or overall survival rates between mixed and solitary Cuckoos or mixed and solitary Redstarts. Thus, during the post-fledging period, mixed Cuckoo fledglings successfully compensated for the poorer performance experienced during the nestling stage whereas mixed and solitary Redstarts did not differ in any measured parameters. This suggests that the regular occurrence of mixed broods in this host–parasite system – which is unique among the many Cuckoo hosts – is evolutionarily stable for both hosts and parasites.     

喀斯特森林石壁营巢冠斑犀鸟繁殖行为初报

2019和2020年,在广西崇左恩城观察了喀斯特森林一对冠斑犀鸟(Anthracocerosalbirostris)的繁殖行为。此对冠斑犀鸟每年4～7月在石壁上的洞穴里营巢,其孵卵期约为35 d,育雏期约为55 d。每年均有2只幼鸟成功离巢。幼鸟及雌鸟食物以植物性食物为主,雄鸟喂食时缺少明显的高峰。结果表明,冠斑犀鸟在繁殖行为上适应了喀斯特这一特殊生境。     

The effect of Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus parasitism on the body mass and survival of young in a new host species

The southern African subspecies of Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus serratus is a brood parasite of a range of host species. While Jacobin Cuckoos do not evict host young, previous research has found that host young rarely survive the nestling period. Here we provide the first records of Jacobin Cuckoo parasitism of a new host species, the Southern Pied Babbler Turdoides bicolor. We investigate rates of brood parasitism and the survival of host young. The Southern Pied Babbler is one of the largest recorded hosts for Jacobin Cuckoos and, unusually, we find that host young tend to survive the nestling period and maintain similar body mass to host young in unparasitized broods. However, host young were less likely to survive to independence than young raised in unparasitized nests, suggesting a post‐fledging reproductive cost to hosts.     

European starlings: nestling condition, parasites and green nest material during the breeding season

Male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) intermingle fresh herbs, preferably species rich in volatile compounds, into their dry nest material. In a field study, we investigated whether these herbs affect the mite and bacteria load of the nests and the condition of the nestlings either directly or via parasite control. We examined the amount of herbs and the number of plant species males carried into their nests, the variation of volatile compounds in the headspace air of the nest boxes and mite/bacteria load of the nests throughout the season. The amount of herb material and the number of plant species, the number of substances emanated by these plants and the infestation of the nests with bacteria and mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) increased with season. In a field experiment, we exchanged natural starling nests with experimental nests with or without herbs. We found that the herbs had no effect on the mites but fewer bacteria were sampled in nests with herbs than in nests without herbs. The body mass of the fledging was not related to the season or the mite/bacteria load of the nests. However, nestlings from nests with herbs fledged with higher body mass than nestlings from nests without herbs. Both bacteria and mite load were related to nestling mortality. In nests containing no herbs, the numbers of fledglings declined significantly with the increasing mite load while the mites had no effect on the number of fledglings in nests with herbs. Thus, the nest herbs counteracted the effect of the mites. In conclusion, it seems that volatile herbs can reduce bacterial but not mite infestation of the starling nests. The positive influence of herbs on nestling growth indicates that herbs either directly (perhaps as immunostimulants) improve the condition of the nestlings and help them cope with the harmful effects of mites, or they provide a nest environment beneficial for the nestlings‘ development by the reduction of germs.     

Brood-parasitism by the Shining Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus at Kaikoura, New Zealand

For three seasons starting in 1976 I studied the breeding of Shining Cuckoos Chrysococcyx lucidus in forest near Kaikoura, New Zealand. There is no evidence that the cuckoo parasitizes any host on mainland New Zealand other than the Grey Warbler Gerygone igata. A nestling cuckoo returned to within 1 km of its natal site in a subsequent breeding season, presumably after migrating beyond New Zealand. Empirical and theoretical estimates of the area occupied by Shining Cuckoos while breeding are given. Cuckoos near Kaikoura laid during ten weeks, the modal week of laying following seven weeks after the presumed peak of arrival of birds in New Zealand. First clutches of the host escaped parasitism because they were laid before most cuckoos arrived. Parasitized clutches received one cuckoo egg which replaced a host's egg. It was laid before, just after or long after the host began incubating, and mimicry was lacking. Cuckoo eggs, which were about 8% of the adult cuckoo's weight, hatched in 14–17 days. The frequency of parasitism near Kaikoura was 55% of late clutches (n = 40).
At 3–7 days old, nestling Shining Cuckoos evicted from the nest all other contents. The nestling period was at least 19 days. Growth in weight followed a logistic curve and the equation is given. Just over half the cuckoo eggs produced fledglings. The effect of brood-parasitism on the Grey Warbler's productivity was small. Only 17% of late warbler eggs, and late eggs only, were prevented by parasitism from yielding fledglings. Late laying by some Shining Cuckoos (relative to the host's incubational cycle), and late eviction, often led to brief inter-specific competition among nestlings for food. The brief coexistence of young Warblers and Cuckoos in the nest may explain the apparent mimicry by newly-hatched Shining Cuckoos of the host's young.