内蒙有个“天鹅湖”

位于内蒙古贡格尔草原的达里诺尔(“诺尔”是蒙语“湖”的意思)是我国重要的天鹅繁殖地的迁徙“驿站”。自1987年建立自然保护区以来,天鹅的数量逐年增加,每年春秋迁徙季节有几万只天鹅在天鹅湖集群觅食。站在诺尔西南端的达尔罕山顶眺望,美丽的天鹅湖全景尽收眼底:数不清的白色天鹅,悠闲自在地漂游在碧蓝如镜的湖面上,场面罕见而又壮观。     

加入《迁徙物种公约》, 促进全球迁徙动物保护

<正>自然界中,一些野生动物为了觅食或繁殖,会随着季节沿固定或非固定路线从一处栖息地转换到另一处栖息地。这些野生动物常常跨越国界进行长距离的迁徙或洄游,其生存容易受到迁徙或洄游路线阻断、过度捕猎/捕捞、气候变化以及觅食或繁     

甘肃黑河内陆河湿地自然保护区候鸟多样性

甘肃黑河为我国第二大内陆河,位于其中游的黑河湿地自然保护区为内陆河流湿地生态系统自然保护区。2008年分季节采用样线法和样点法调查该保护区湿地、农田村庄、人工林和荒漠4种生境的鸟类种类和数量。调查共记录保护区分布的鸟类17目35科116种,其中夏候鸟73种(占鸟类种类的62.93%),迁徙过路鸟20种(占17.24%),留鸟17种(占14.66%),冬候鸟6种(占5.17%)。其中,属于《湿地公约》的水禽56种。在湿地生境共记录鸟类70种,占保护区鸟类种数的60.34%,其中繁殖期在湿地生境栖息的鸟类有50种,绝大部分为夏候鸟(47种),留鸟只有3种;迁徙季节分布有44种鸟类,其中迁徙过路鸟(只在迁徙季节见到)有17种,占迁徙季节鸟类种类数的38.64%。村庄农田、人工林以及荒漠生境中,繁殖期和迁飞期共记录鸟类57种,夏候鸟有33种,留鸟有17种,迁徙过路鸟只有3种。甘肃张掖黑河湿地保护区是众多水禽在我国西北地区的重要繁殖地和迁徙停歇地,是我国候鸟迁徙西部路线上的关键区域。     

甘肃张掖黑河湿地黑鹳繁殖和迁徙习性

黑鹳(Ciconia nigra)属国家Ⅰ级保护野生动物。2010至2018年,通过样线、样带和固定样点调查的方法对张掖黑河湿地国家级自然保护区的黑鹳种群进行了监测,黑鹳最大种群数量均出现在每年的9月下旬,数量120~430只不等,年均308只。春季迁徙季节,黑鹳于3至4月到达保护区,部分个体会在此繁殖,其他个体会继续迁徙;秋季迁徙季节,黑鹳于8月中旬开始迁徙到达,9月下旬出现最大种群,10月中下旬陆续迁离,极少数个体在本地区过冬。2012至2018年对合黎山正义峡、榆树河、车轱辘河3个观察区域持续跟踪监测,共记录到有9个繁殖巢7年内的有效繁殖巢37个。巢多位于崖壁上,主要由粗树枝筑成,外径110~170 cm,内径40~70 cm,高45~84 cm,巢深4~7 cm(n=9)。产卵期6~8 d,产卵间隔1或1.5 d,窝卵数4或5枚(n=9)。根据对19枚卵的测量,卵短径为47~55 mm,卵长径为63~71 mm。第1枚卵产出后即开始孵卵,由雌雄亲鸟轮流进行,孵卵期33或34 d(n=37),幼鸟为异步孵化,需要3~5 d才可以全部出壳。雌雄共同育雏,雏鸟70日龄时才具飞行能力,并在巢附近短距离练习飞行,直至100日龄后才不归巢。根据历年的监测,本区域黑鹳的孵化成功率为55.2%,每巢平均繁育成功幼鸟(2.6±0.6)只(n=37)。本研究较为全面地掌握了黑鹳在本区域的繁殖和迁徙习性,为开展黑鹳研究和保护提供了基础资料。     

我和天鹅的雪季之约

<正>当这个冬天的第一场雪如期而至,我就开始牵挂那些随季节迁徙而来越冬的"老朋友"。每年的11月来临之前,我都会在三门峡库区湿地的天鹅湖畔架好长长短短的摄影工具,等待着天鹅们降落在约好的"老地方"。我知道,那一群纯洁美丽的精灵从不会失约。     

鸟类迁徙与滨海旅游项目关系——以碧海银沙为例

2018年7月-2019年5月,采用样线法和样点法对启东长江口(北支)自然保护区恒大海上威尼斯碧海银沙海水浴场内鸟类多样性进行了调查,共记录到鸟类9目23科51种,其中鸻形目、雁形目、鹳形目、鸊鷉目等水鸟为鸟类群落的构成主体。不同季节鸟类多样性指数(H)依次为秋季迁徙期>春季迁徙期>夏季繁殖期>越冬期,鸟种由多至少依次为越冬期>秋季迁徙期>春季迁徙期>夏季繁殖期,鸟类数量由多至少依次为越冬期>春季迁徙期>秋季迁徙期>夏季繁殖期。从客流季节集中指数R值来看,碧海银沙旅游区客流量受季节影响变动明显,春、秋、冬三季客流量占比过低。对客流量与鸟类多样性相关指标进行相关性分析,发现二者整体呈负相关,月客流量与鸟类种数相关性较高。本研究探讨了滨海旅游与鸟类迁徙之间的关系,为滨海旅游景区在协调旅游与鸟类迁徙的时空错峰管理提供决策依据。     

天鹅兰展翅欲飞

天鹅兰是一类原产于热带中、南美洲的兰科植物。其形态高雅、奇特,开花时一朵朵淡黄绿色大如手掌的花朵,犹如一只只展翅欲飞的天鹅,让人叫绝。天鹅兰的花瓣和萼片纷纷向后张开如天鹅的翅膀和尾羽;唇瓣向上翘起,有一略弯的“柄”相连,形如天鹅飞翔时向上昂起的头;更绝的是它的蕊柱细长而弯曲,就像天鹅曲颈回首的动人姿态。如果在居室中栽培一株或几株天鹅兰,定会使人产生一种蓝天、碧水的纯情。天鹅兰是附生兰,具有长长的假鳞茎（约长２０厘米）。叶片长椭圆形,３至８枚,冬季休眠时脱落。每年在生长季节,天鹅兰开两次花,每一花…     

宁夏中卫黄河沿岸迁徙灰鹤停歇模式

中途停歇地是候鸟重要的能量补给地及休息站,对其顺利完成迁徙有着重要作用。为了解灰鹤(Grus grus)迁徙途中的停歇模式,于2013年和2015年冬季,采用卫星跟踪技术在贵州草海保护区成功跟踪了4只灰鹤。结果显示,其中3只灰鹤在宁夏中卫市境内的黄河和清水河流域湿地停歇,表明该地区为灰鹤迁徙时的重要停歇地。春季迁徙时,灰鹤在2月初至3月初到达中卫,平均停留(24.5?6.7)d(15~30 d,n=4),2月底至3月底迁离;秋季迁徙时,10月末至11月初到达,平均停留(32.0?4.2)d(29~35 d,n=2),至11月底迁离。停留期间主要的活动范围为中宁县境内的长山头水库、黄河河心岛及同心县境内的清水河周边区域。2017年3月18日,采用夜栖地直接计数法进行实地调查,共发现灰鹤636只,其日间活动范围和卫星跟踪结果类似。此次发现的灰鹤停歇地均未纳入自然保护体系,建议当地林业部门在灰鹤迁徙期间加强管理,可适当投食,以减少灰鹤误食耕地中经农药包衣处理的玉米(Zea mays)种子造成的死亡。     

杭州湾及钱塘江河口水鸟群落组成、季节动态及种间相关性分析

2007年7月-2010年11月,对杭州湾曹娥江口至甬江口间潮间带及其附近海涂水库的水鸟群落进行定期监测,共记录9目18科128种.其中,候鸟119种,占总数的93％;而国家重点保护鸟类11种.对13种鸻鹬类和9种鸭类进行种群数量随时间变化的种间相关性分析,两个类群各有21对和23对显著相关.通过对水鸟季节动态及其迁徙模式分析,将其迁徙过程分为6个阶段,即:4月上旬-5月中旬、7月下旬-9月下旬(旅鸟迁徙高峰期)、2月下旬-3月下旬、10月上旬-12月中旬(冬候鸟迁徙高峰期)、12月下旬-次年2月中旬(越冬期)和5月下旬-7月中旬(繁殖期).种间吸引作用可能是影响该区域迁徙季节鸻鹬类和越冬地鸭类群落组成的重要原因,而该区域特殊地理位置和水鸟群落构成可能是造成鸻鹬类春秋季迁徙高峰数量巨大差异的主要因素.     

羌塘高原藏羚羊栖息地分布及影响因素

藏羚羊作为羌塘高原草食性野生动物的典型代表,明确其栖息地的准确分布将有利于识别藏羚羊种群保护关键区域,协调羌塘高原人与野生动物冲突。采用野外调查与物种分布模型相结合的办法,以藏羚羊栖息地选择偏好和迁徙规律为基础,利用Maxent模型模拟其在繁殖季节和非繁殖季节的栖息地分布,并通过栖息地质量模型辅以GIS空间分析方法,识别受人类干扰的栖息地范围。结果表明：藏羚羊在非繁殖季节主要分布在羌塘高原东南部,围绕在色林错等水系周围,其越冬区面积约为26万km²。倾向选择海拔4800m以上、气候温暖、靠近水源且食物资源丰富的区域。藏羚羊在繁殖季节栖息地明显呈现由南向北扩散的趋势,多在水系周围呈小片状分布于羌塘东北、中北、昆仑山南麓部分区域,产羔区面积约为30万km²。选择产羔地时则注重坡度、水源、海拔、气温日较差等,对植被资源的选择倾向较非繁殖季弱,重视迁徙通道连贯性和产羔区域安全性。羌塘高原人类活动整体较弱,北部羌塘国家级自然保护区是藏羚羊理想栖息地,但南部地区社会经济较发达,尤其是那曲地区南部和阿里西南部,居民地、道路和牧业等人类活动对栖息地干扰较大,受干扰面积分别占藏羚羊越冬区的39.7%,产羔区的34.9%。     

基于卫星跟踪大天鹅春季迁徙时间及其影响因素

候鸟春季迁徙时间与其能否顺利完成迁徙过程,以及对繁殖地的成功选择和繁殖成效密切相关,通过对大天鹅越冬地和停歇地的春季迁徙时间选择原因及其影响因素进行分析,有助于深入理解候鸟春季迁徙时间策略和栖息地保护状况。2015年2月和12月,在河南三门峡湿地捕捉了60只越冬大天鹅并佩戴卫星跟踪器,获取了详细的大天鹅在越冬地和停歇地的春季迁徙时间等信息,并进一步分析了春季迁徙时间与气候因子的相关性。结果表明,大天鹅主要在夜间22：00-0：00和0：00-1：59迁离越冬地。大天鹅迁离越冬地的日期与温度呈显著性正相关,迁离时多选择顺风且风速较小的天气。大天鹅迁离越冬地后主要是在夜间飞行,而迁离停歇地后主要是在日间飞行。越冬地的温度越高,越有利于植物的生长,大天鹅可以快速地积累能量,提前开始春季迁徙。野外调查表明,内蒙古黄河中上游作为迁徙的重要停歇地,春季两岸捕鱼、农耕和放牧等为活动较多,因此大天鹅多选择在夜间觅食补充能量,在日间迁离。最后,针对黄河流域大天鹅栖息地的保护现状,提出了禁止经济开发项目、建立保护区和开展宣传教育等保护建议。     

The exception to the rule: retreating ice front makes Bewick's swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii migrate slower in spring than in autumn

In the vast majority of migratory bird species studied so far, spring migration has been found to proceed faster than autumn migration. In spring, selection pressures for rapid migration are purportedly higher, and migratory conditions such as food supply, daylength, and/or wind support may be better than in autumn. In swans, however, spring migration appears to be slower than autumn migration. Based on a comparison of tundra swan Cygnus columbianus tracking data with long‐term temperature data from wheather stations, it has previously been suggested that this was due to a capital breeding strategy (gathering resources for breeding during spring migration) and/or to ice cover constraining spring but not autumn migration. Here we directly test the hypothesis that Bewick's swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii follow the ice front in spring, but not in autumn, by comparing three years of GPS tracking data from individual swans with concurrent ice cover data at five important migratory stop‐over sites. In general, ice constrained the swans in the middle part of spring migration, but not in the first (no ice cover was present in the first part) nor in the last part. In autumn, the swans migrated far ahead of ice formation, possibly in order to prevent being trapped by an early onset of winter. We conclude that spring migration in swans is slower than autumn migration because spring migration speed is constrained by ice cover. This restriction to spring migration speed may be more common in northerly migrating birds that rely on freshwater resources.     

Molecular Detection of Hematozoa Infections in Tundra Swans Relative to Migration Patterns and Ecological Conditions at Breeding Grounds

Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) are broadly distributed in North America, use a wide variety of habitats, and exhibit diverse migration strategies. We investigated patterns of hematozoa infection in three populations of tundra swans that breed in Alaska using satellite tracking to infer host movement and molecular techniques to assess the prevalence and genetic diversity of parasites. We evaluated whether migratory patterns and environmental conditions at breeding areas explain the prevalence of blood parasites in migratory birds by contrasting the fit of competing models formulated in an occupancy modeling framework and calculating the detection probability of the top model using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). We described genetic diversity of blood parasites in each population of swans by calculating the number of unique parasite haplotypes observed. Blood parasite infection was significantly different between populations of Alaska tundra swans, with the highest estimated prevalence occurring among birds occupying breeding areas with lower mean daily wind speeds and higher daily summer temperatures. Models including covariates of wind speed and temperature during summer months at breeding grounds better predicted hematozoa prevalence than those that included annual migration distance or duration. Genetic diversity of blood parasites in populations of tundra swans appeared to be relative to hematozoa prevalence. Our results suggest ecological conditions at breeding grounds may explain differences of hematozoa infection among populations of tundra swans that breed in Alaska.     

Influence of migrant tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on aquatic vegetation at Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario

Numerous studies have shown that large, herbivorous waterfowl can reduce quantity of aquatic plants during the breeding or wintering season, but relatively few document herbivory effects at staging areas. This study was done to determine if feeding activities of tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus columbianus) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis) had a measurable additive influence on the amount of aquatic plants, primarily muskgrass (Chara vulgaris), wild celery (Vallisneria americana), and sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus), removed during the fall migration period at Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario. Exclosure experiments done in fall 1998 and 1999 showed that, as compared to ducks and abiotic factors, these two large herbivorous waterfowl did not have any additional impact on above or below ground biomass of those aquatic plants. As expected, however, there were substantial seasonal reductions in above-ground and below-ground biomass of aquatic plants in wetlands that were heavily used by all waterfowl. We suggest that differences in large- and small-scale habitat use, feeding activity, and food preferences between tundra swans and other smaller waterfowl as well as compensatory herbivory contributed to our main finding that large waterfowl did not increase fall reductions of Chara spp, V. Americana, and P. pectinatus biomass.     

Lead levels in the blood of Mute swans Cygnus olor on the River thames

In this paper blood lead levels in three categories of Mute swan are examined, (i) flock birds (ii) breeding birds and (iii) cygnets. From these regional, seasonal and sex variation for both 1980 and 1981 was examined. In addition a portable haematofluorometer was assessed to determine its possible use as an alternative to atomic absorption and spectrophotometry for determining a measure of lead exposure.
Very few swans on the River Thames had blood lead levels below the maximum acceptable level of 40 mgg/100 ml. In general lead levels increased with proximity to London and the swans on the tributaries consistently had the lowest levels which were always below the maximum acceptable level. Blood lead levels in flock birds were shown to be highest during the coarse fishing season and it was only during the close season that levels dropped to around 40 g/1OO ml. Breeding females had significantly higher lead levels than males and females with lead levels in excess of 200 g/1OO ml seemed to have a poor chance of producing cygnets or surviving to the next breeding season. Cygnet mortality was significantly higher on the lower Thames where blood lead levels were also known to be at their highest.     

Optimal trajectories for the short-distance foraging flights of swans

Optimal flight theory relates body measurements (wing span, body cross-section, body mass) and aerodynamic variables (air density, drag, profile and induced power ratios) to the most energy-efficient velocity for long distance migration. For short-range (2-10 km) foraging flights the theory is expanded to include non-negligible costs for take-off and energy savings/losses for climbing to altitude (drag decreases with air density and therefore with altitude). The theory predicts clear differences between Tundra and Trumpeter swans. Generally speaking, for flights between 2 and 10 km Trumpeter swans can be expected to fly approximately 5-10 m lower in altitude and 1-2 ms(-1)more slowly than Tundra swans. Moreover, the total energy required for these foraging flights is approximately 150% larger for a Trumpeter than a Tundra swan (80 vs. 120 kJ of direct mechanical energy for a 5 km flight), suggesting that Trumpeter swans may be less inclined to take-off than Tundra swans. These factors indicate that even Trumpeters native to the area (as opposed to recently translocated) would be more vulnerable to hunting than native Tundra swans. The expanded theory is compared to observations made in Utah's Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.     

Seasonal changes in male and female bill knob size in the mute swan Cygnus olor

Sexual selection theory predicts that sexually selected ornaments are costly to maintain and, as condition-dependent signals, are likely to vary in attractiveness with season and age. Mute swans Cygnus olor possess a black, fleshy knob at the base of the bill, which is present in both sexes. Using measures calculated from digital photographs taken over two years we monitored changes in the size of the bill knob in individual swans throughout the breeding season. Our longitudinal data show that bill knob size is highly dynamic. Relative bill knob size was larger in males than females and was consistently greater for breeding males than for non-breeders. For males, relative bill knob size peaked during cygnet hatching, when male protection of the brood is most important, and was smallest during moult. In females, breeders had larger bill knobs than non-breeders at all times apart from immediately after egg-laying and incubation, when the reverse was true, presumably reflecting the costs of reproduction. Body mass was a highly significant predictor of relative bill knob size in both sexes, as was age, with an initial increase and then later a decline in relative ornament size across the lifetime of male birds. The bill knob ornament in mute swans thus appears to be a condition-dependent, highly malleable trait. It accurately reflects the differing pressures experienced by individual birds as they progress through the breeding season, suggesting selection by both intra- and inter-sexual forces.     

Effects of mute swans on wetlands: a synthesis

The increases in mute swan (Cygnus olor Gmelin) population size have caused concern among stakeholders, who sometimes consider it as a pest species. Here, we aim to review existing studies on the ecological effects that mute swans have on wetlands. Claim that mute swans threaten other waterbirds were partly supported: mute swans sometimes behave territorially towards conspecifics and other waterbird species, but this does not systematically occur. A second common claim, that mute swans damage aquatic plant beds, was upheld in that the species did indeed affect aquatic plant communities in several studies. However, grazing by mute swans does not systematically have negative effects on aquatic plants. Habitat patch size, distance between habitat patches, resource availability and water velocity affect habitat selection process by mute swans, with varying effects depending on season and mute swan breeding status. Scientific knowledge does not support the idea that mute swan population increase can be considered as a biological invasion in Europe. Conversely, there is a genuine risk of biological invasion in North America. In light of the literature review, we discuss the relevance of mute swan population management in Europe and in North America, and propose future research avenues.     

Migration of Whooper Swans and Outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus in Eastern Asia

Evaluating the potential involvement of wild avifauna in the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (hereafter H5N1) requires detailed analyses of temporal and spatial relationships between wild bird movements and disease emergence. The death of wild swans (Cygnus spp.) has been the first indicator of the presence of H5N1 in various Asian and European countries; however their role in the geographic spread of the disease remains poorly understood. We marked 10 whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) with GPS transmitters in northeastern Mongolia during autumn 2006 and tracked their migratory movements in relation to H5N1 outbreaks. The prevalence of H5N1 outbreaks among poultry in eastern Asia during 2003–2007 peaked during winter, concurrent with whooper swan movements into regions of high poultry density. However outbreaks involving poultry were detected year round, indicating disease perpetuation independent of migratory waterbird presence. In contrast, H5N1 outbreaks involving whooper swans, as well as other migratory waterbirds that succumbed to the disease in eastern Asia, tended to occur during seasons (late spring and summer) and in habitats (areas of natural vegetation) where their potential for contact with poultry is very low to nonexistent. Given what is known about the susceptibility of swans to H5N1, and on the basis of the chronology and rates of whooper swan migration movements, we conclude that although there is broad spatial overlap between whooper swan distributions and H5N1 outbreak locations in eastern Asia, the likelihood of direct transmission between these groups is extremely low. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that swans are best viewed as sentinel species, and moreover, that in eastern Asia, it is most likely that their infections occurred through contact with asymptomatic migratory hosts (e.g., wild ducks) at or near their breeding grounds.     

Reduction of benthic macroinvertebrates due to waterfowl foraging on submerged vegetation during autumn migration

If present in large numbers, as during migration, herbivorous waterfowlmay reduce the amount of submerged vegetation. Because the vegetation is a keyfactor in shallow eutrophic lakes, removal of the green biomass can be expectedto affect also other biota that depend on the vegetation. We conducted anexperiment to determine how the abundance of chironomids andPisidium sp. were affected by intense foraging ofwaterfowlon the submerged plant Potamogeton pectinatus. This wasdone in Lake Ringsjön in southern Sweden, during the autumn migration ofthe birds. Three treatments, replicated six times, were used: (i) closed cagesthat excluded all waterfowl, (ii) semi-open cages that excluded only largewaterfowl (geese and swans), and (iii) open plots where all waterfowl couldfreely enter. Waterfowl densities were monitored during the experiment. Theresults suggest that the foraging of large waterfowl (swans) had a clearlynegative effect on macroinvertebrate abundance and aboveground biomass ofP. pectinatus. At the end of the experiment, the densityofchironomids was about 46% lower in the open than in the closed cages. Ingeneral, the density of Pisidium sp. tended to be lower inthe open plots. Small waterfowl alone did not seem to affect either thevegetation or macroinvertebrates. We suggest that thePisidium sp. was influenced at an early stage of grazing,when waterfowl foraged on aboveground biomass, whereas chironomids wereaffectedat a later stage, when swans were digging for below-ground tubers.