笼养绿尾虹雉炫耀行为节律及天气因素对该行为的影响研究

求偶炫耀行为有助于鸟类吸引配偶,促进发情同步。目前,笼养绿尾虹雉面临的最大问题是自然繁殖率低,发情不同步导致卵不受精是一个重要因素。本文采用瞬时扫描记录法,对四川蜂桶寨国家级自然保护区笼养绿尾虹雉的求偶炫耀行为节律及天气因素对该行为的影响进行了研究。通过对4只雄性个体和5只雌性个体的观察发现,求偶炫耀仅由雄性来发起。3月底雄性开始出现求偶炫耀行为;4月求偶炫耀进入高峰阶段,并持续到5月初,5月中、下旬渐渐消失。在一天之中,07∶00—09∶00为求偶炫耀行为的高峰期。天气因素显著影响雄性求偶炫耀行为的发生频次,与晴天相比,阴天和雨天里求偶炫耀行为发生频次更高。建议在绿尾虹雉求偶炫耀期间,尽量减少人为干扰。同时适当创造阴湿环境,将笼舍的环境温湿度调控到一个适中的区域,为发情营造良好的条件,以促进绿尾虹雉自然交配行为发生。     

配偶选择中“听众效应”及鸣唱对雌性灰文鸟行为的影响

配偶选择是性选择研究核心问题之一。雌性通过选择高质量的雄性配偶获得直接利益,如资源、营养和保护等,也可以通过获得高质量雄性提高后代的适合度。配偶选择研究对于研究性选择机制和进化均具有重要意义。目前,对配偶选择的研究主要集中在影响配偶选择的因素及雌性"听众效应"中雄性-雄性竞争方面。鸣唱对配偶选择的影响和雄性"听众效应"中雌性-雌性竞争的研究对于探索鸟类配偶选择中信号交流、调整的方式及选择策略均具有重要意义。以灰文鸟为对象,研究了雄性鸣唱对雌性配偶选择的影响及雄性"听众效应"对雌性灰文鸟同性竞争行为的影响进行了探讨。实验一利用双向选择装置,以配偶鸣唱(求偶鸣唱或非求偶鸣唱)和非配偶鸣唱(求偶鸣唱或非求偶鸣唱)对雌鸟进行刺激,观察雌鸟对两端鸣唱的偏爱状况。实验二主要观察雌鸟之间在无听众、听众为熟悉的雄性和听众为配偶条件下的竞争行为。结果表明,雌性灰文鸟大多偏爱配偶鸣唱,相对于配偶的非求偶鸣唱更偏爱非配偶的求偶鸣唱。求偶鸣唱比非求偶鸣唱更具有吸引力,求偶鸣唱更能刺激雌性灰文鸟配偶选择的积极性,这种积极要付出更多的时间和资源,但雌鸟可以通过选择更高质量的雄性配偶获益。在配偶雄性作为听众条件下雌鸟攻击行为最高,显著高于熟悉雄性为听众的条件下,并且两者都显著高于无听众条件下雌鸟的攻击行为。雌性灰文鸟会基于不同"听众"而对雌-雌竞争行为做出适当调整。上述研究结果对于深入理解鸟类的性选择行为机制具有重要帮助作用。     

黄腹角雉求偶炫耀行为

黄腹角雉雄鸟的求偶炫耀为典型的正面型。自12月开始炫耀行为即时有出现,至3、4月份达高潮,高峰出现于交配及雌鸟产卵期间。典型正面型根据炫耀程度可分完全及不完全求偶炫耀两种类型。雌鸟的反应是达到完全求偶炫耀的重要因素。完全求偶炫耀由6个动作组成,需时45—48秒。对雄鸟求偶炫耀时的叫声进行了声谱分析,频率范围与红腹角雉相似,但音节多。     

环颈雉的配偶选择

环颈雉是一种世界性分布的鸟类,对其交配系统及配偶选择机制的研究近来取得突破性进展。最新研究结果表明:雄鸟距的长度是一个不仅与雄鸟自身的存活力有关,而且与雌、雄雉的繁殖成功率都密切相关的重要性状,是雌雉选择配偶的唯一的最重要的标准。     

卧龙自然保护区血雉的社群组织

１９９４年１１月至１９９５年９月在四川卧龙自然保护区五一棚地区,采用无线电追踪技术并结合野外观察,对血雉的社群组织进行了研究。血雉冬季集群活动,相邻群体相遇,有驱逐行为发生。分群配对时,雌鸟长距离迁移。血雉为单配偶制,配偶关系联结紧密,可维持整个繁殖季节。孵卵由雌鸟承担,取食时由雄鸟相伴,雌雄鸟共同育雏。繁殖季节不参加繁殖的亚成体雄鸟、参加繁殖的成体雄鸟或配偶对往往也有集群活动的倾向。在繁殖季节,     

白顶(即鸟)的繁殖习性

白顶(即鸟)(Oenanthe hispanica pleschanka)俗名白秃秃,又称白朵朵等。1980年4—6月间,我们在太谷县凤凰山一带和阳曲县金家岗地区,对白顶(即鸟)的繁殖习性进行了初步观察,现报道如下: (一)配偶交尾 白顶鸱在清明节前后,由南方单独迁来本地,不久开始求偶配对。4月15日曾4次见到雄鸟独自站在灌丛上或田头地边高声婚鸣,抬头翘尾,搧动双翼。当发现雌鸟时,奋力飞到距雌鸟1—2米处,发出柔和的求偶声,逐渐向雌鸟靠拢。4月17日后,常见白     

鸟类的饰羽与求偶

达尔的性选择理论解释了为何某些鸟类具有华丽羽衣,他认为,雄鸟的饰羽是雌鸟基于抽象美感择偶的结果,正如饲养通过有意识的人工选择生产出品种珍奇的各种雄鸽。华莱士提出另一种可能性的解释：身体越强壮的雄鸟饰羽越华丽,因而能够在竞争配偶时获胜。同时,赫克胥指出：雄鸟的饰羽有助于建立其在雌鸟中的支配地位：饰羽还起到了恐吓其它雄鸟从而减少了争夺的必要。     

笼养黄腹角雉繁殖期取食活动性的研究

笼养条件下黄腹角雉繁殖期的日取食活动呈现早、中、晚三个高峰;雄鸟在交配前后的日取食活动无显著差异,雌鸟的日取食活动在不同繁殖阶段则出现规律性的变化。逐步回归分析的结果表明:影响雄鸟取食的主要因素是总活动时间、炫耀次数和走动时间,影响雌鸟取食的因素主要是理羽时间、飞行次数和跳跃次数。     

人工饲养白颈长尾雉(Syrmaticus ellioti)夏、秋季行为节律研究

白颈长尾雉Syrmaticus ellioti是鸡形目Galliformes雉科Phasianidae长尾雉属Syrmaticus珍稀鸟类。为了解笼养白颈长尾雉夏秋季行为节律的特点和变化规律, 2016年6月和10月采用瞬时扫描法对湖南省野生动物救护繁育中心笼养的6只白颈长尾雉行为节律进行观测。将白颈长尾雉的行为分为取食、运动、警戒、静止、清理共5类, 包含16种具体行为, 对每一种行为进行描述, 初步建立白颈长尾雉行为谱。统计各时间段白颈长尾雉行为种数, 研究发现白颈长尾雉夏季的行为种类较多且更活跃。游走、站立、休憩、摄食、觅食、理羽和张望等行为在各个时间段有发生。运动和静止行为是人工饲养白颈长尾雉主要行为类型。夏季的警觉行为相较秋季发生频率更高。建议笼养条件下在繁殖期间对雄鸟进行分栏管理, 避免雄鸟求偶炫耀争夺配偶打斗受伤, 同时雌雄搭配多应以1雄2雌或者1雄3雌搭配为佳; 警觉行为在秋季发生的频率较低, 秋季白颈长尾雉受威胁情况不多, 且不存在求偶、孵卵、育雏等繁殖期行为, 只需要保证自身安全即可, 非繁殖期共笼饲养是可行的, 只需保持合理的密度即可。初步掌握白颈长尾雉夏秋季节的行为习性, 时间规律和活动节律, 能为笼养白颈长尾雉饲养、野外放归、保护等提供科学参考。     

黄腹角雉的繁殖生态研究

报道了黄腹角雉(Tragopan caboti)的典型栖地、种群密度、配偶、求偶炫耀、巢与卵的特征、觅食区及雌鸟孵卵行为。为在原产地对野生种群繁殖习性的首次系统记述。     

Experimental analyses of sexual and natural selection on short tails in a polygynous warbler

We believe that no experimental study has yet tested Darwin's idea that, as well as generating trait elaboration, intersexual selection might sometimes drive sex-biased trait reduction. Here we present the results of two experiments exploring the negative relationship between tail length and reproductive success in male golden-headed cisticolas (Cisticola exilis). In the first experiment, artificially shortening a male's tail produced a dramatic increase in his reproductive success, measured as either the number of females nesting or number of chicks Hedged on his territory. A second experiment, in which manipulated birds were flown through a maze, revealed that short tails also impose costs by reducing aerodynamic performance during slow-speed foraging flight. Because tail shortening yields reproductive benefits and viability costs, we conclude it has evolved via sexual selection. Disentangling exactly how short tails enhance male reproductive success is more difficult. Male-male competition appears partly responsible: aerodynamic theory predicts that tail reduction enhances high-speed flight and, in line with this, shortened-tail males spent more time engaged in high-speed aerial chases of rivals and defended higher-quality territories. However, shortened-tail males had higher reproductive success independent of territory quality and spent more time in aerial displays which may be directed at females. This suggests that tail shortening is also favoured via female choice based on male phenotype.     

Plasticity in courtship and sneaking behaviors depending on tail length in the male guppy, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Poecilia reticulata</Emphasis>

Male guppies Poecilia reticulata exhibit two types of mating behavior, i.e., courtship displays for cooperative copulation and sneaking attempts for forced copulation. The frequencies of the two male mating behaviors are influenced by tail length. Males possessing long tails exhibit courtship displays less frequently and sneaking attempts more frequently than those possessing short tails, even though they have similar total lengths. To examine whether these male behavioral tendencies depending on tail length are genetically controlled or are determined by tail length per se, tail length manipulation was conducted. The tail lengths of males that had previously possessed longer tails were surgically shortened to a greater degree than those of their counterparts that had previously possessed shorter tails. Although the frequencies of the mating behaviors exhibited by the latter males did not apparently change, the former males clearly increased the frequency of courtship displays and decreased that of sneaking attempts following tail shortening. These results indicate that males adjust the frequencies of the two mating behaviors according to their tail length. Since females avoid cooperative mating with males possessing long tails, the change in mating behavioral patterns by males depending on their tail length may increase their mating opportunities.     

When less is best: female brown-headed cowbirds prefer less intense male displays

Sexual selection theory predicts that females should prefer males with the most intense courtship displays. However, wing-spread song displays that male brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) direct at females are generally less intense than versions of this display that are directed at other males. Because male-directed displays are used in aggressive signaling, we hypothesized that females should prefer lower intensity performances of this display. To test this hypothesis, we played audiovisual recordings showing the same males performing both high intensity male-directed and low intensity female-directed displays to females (N?=?8) and recorded the females' copulation solicitation display (CSD) responses. All eight females responded strongly to both categories of playbacks but were more sexually stimulated by the low intensity female-directed displays. Because each pair of high and low intensity playback videos had the exact same audio track, the divergent responses of females must have been based on differences in the visual content of the displays shown in the videos. Preferences female cowbirds show in acoustic CSD studies are correlated with mate choice in field and captivity studies and this is also likely to be true for preferences elucidated by playback of audiovisual displays. Female preferences for low intensity female-directed displays may explain why male cowbirds rarely use high intensity displays when signaling to females. Repetitive high intensity displays may demonstrate a male's current condition and explain why these displays are used in male-male interactions which can escalate into physical fights in which males in poorer condition could be injured or killed. This is the first study in songbirds to use audiovisual playbacks to assess how female sexual behavior varies in response to variation in a male visual display.     

Effects of male partners upon proceptivity in ovariectomized estradiol-treated marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Effects of male partners upon the expression of female proceptivity were examined in two experiments using 16 ovariectomized marmosets. Experiment 1 showed that the female's proceptive tongue-flicking display (PTF) is triggered specifically by eye contact with the male. Stimulation of PTF by administration of estradiol-17 beta (E2) to ovariectomized females depends in part upon the male's responsiveness to female displays, such as "staring" and "freezing," which may serve to attract his attention and to establish eye contact. Experiment 2 provided evidence that females' proceptivity decreases if their male partners are lesioned in the preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus. Such males are sexually hypoactive and less responsive to the females' visual displays. However, E2 still activates PTF if females succeed in initiating eye contact with males. Results indicate that variability in effects of E2 upon proceptivity in marmosets may be influenced by subtle aspects of facial communication between the sexes as well as by individual differences in hormonal sensitivity. Copulatory activity in males is not essential for E2 to exert its stimulatory action upon proceptivity in female marmosets.     

Male pipefish prefer dominant over attractive females

Animals may obtain information guiding their choice betweenpotential partners from observing competitive interactionsand displays between them, or from displays directed at thechoosing individual. In the sex-role reversed pipefish Syngnathustyphle females display a temporary ornament (a color pattern)to other females as well as to males. We have previously shown that display of female ornaments per se is attractive to males.Here we show that information from competitive displays canoverride such direct attraction displays as signals in thepartner choice process. In a mate choice experiment, an enclosedmale could choose between two females. On the first experimentalday, females could interact freely, while on the second daythey were isolated from each other. When female-female competitionwas allowed, the ornament display was directed more to theother female than to the male: Time competing, rather thantime courting the male, correlated with ornament display duration.However, ornament display under competition and ornament displayin the absence of competition did not correlate significantly.In fact, females competing more intensively on day one displayedthe ornament less on day two. Furthermore, the ornament displayduring the first, but not the second, day predicted male matechoice on the second day. Thus, males remembered previous informationfrom competitive displays and used it rather than immediateinformation from displays in the absence of female-female competition.We suggest that competitive displays more reliably signal female quality as compared to noncompetitive ones, and that males benefitfrom mating with dominant females.     

Dangerous love? Predation risk does not affect female mate choice in blue‐black grassquits

Predation risk may be an important factor affecting female mate choice. Hypothetically, females could choose extravagantly ornamented males that survive in high predation risk environments. However, this decision could be different if choosing a conspicuous male under high predation risk is costly for females or results in reduced offspring survival. In such contexts, females could become indifferent to male quality or prefer inconspicuous males. We tested this idea using captive blue‐black grassquits (Volatinia jacarina, Linnaeus, 1766), a species in which males perform conspicuous leap displays coupled with songs during the breeding season, which presumably subjects females and offspring to higher predation risk. Females were placed in an arena with speakers on opposite sides emitting male courtship songs. One speaker emitted songs at a high rate (proxy for a conspicuous male) while the other speaker broadcast songs at a low rate (proxy for a less conspicuous male). While the female evaluated the two male songs, a third speaker emitted vocalizations characterizing three levels of risk: adult predator, nest predator, and no‐risk control. Females showed no preference for either male stimuli across the predation risk treatments. This lack of preference relative to frequency of male vocal displays suggests that leap‐song frequency is not used by females during mate choice. We suggest that in addition to its role in courtship, male grassquit displays also signal status to other males when competing for territories. Thus, we propose that predation risk does not directly influence blue‐black grassquit intersexual selection and that females in this species may exercise indirect mate choice, choosing social mates based on male ability to establish and defend a territory, and relying secondarily upon other aspects of male display attributes, such as its visual components.     

Female choice of large males in the treefrog Hyla ebraccata

The mating behaviour and male mating success of Hyla ebraccata were examined over three study periods. Mated males were larger than unmated males on a significant number of nights and for one of the three study periods. In field observations of pair formation, female behaviour was consistent with choice of large males: females moved freely through the chorus, remaining within 10 cm of males larger than the nightly mean, before the male initiated amplexus. In 27% (n = 3) of these observations, males chased and fought over the female. However, the females removed two of these three males from amplexus, suggesting that females can also exercise choice after amplexus. There was a significant negative correlation between male size and dominant frequency of the primary note, indicating that the male's advertisement call contained size-related information. Comparisons of the size of mated and unmated males suggest that two factors may have affected the degree to which female choice influenced male mating success. First, the distance between calling males may have limited the opportunity for females to express a mating preference. Secondly, an increase in mean and a decrease in the variance of male size in one of the three study periods also may have limited the ability of females to express a preference for large males.     

Bowers on the savanna: display courts and mate choice in a lekking widowbird

Individual display courts, constructed by lekking male Jackson'swidowbirds, Euplectes jacksoni, were studied with respect tofemale mate choice. The court is a shaped tuft of grass, surroundedby a circular track on which displays and mating are performed.At the base of the tuft there are two cup-shaped recesses. Femalessit in front of, and often pluck at, one ofthese recesses whilemales display at the opposite side for about 1 min before theyapproach and attempt to copulate. The vast majority of femalesvisiting courts with experimentally destroyed or impaired recessesstayed shorter than the average time of male approach, whereasvisits to improved courts lasted longer than visits to intactcourts. All recorded copulations occurred at intact or improvedcourts. The display court is a weak predictor of male matingsuccess compared to other choice cues such as display rate andtail length, but females may require the court quality to exceeda certain stimulus threshold to accept the male. Court qualitycorrelates positively with male lek attendance and tail length.This paper discusses the implications of the results for sexualselection and considers the possibility that display courtsare ‘external sexual ornaments.’ From comparativedata on breeding behavior in related species, the display courtand its associated behaviors are suggested to originate frommale nest-initiation and female nest-inspection within an ancestralstate of resource-defense polygyny.     

Social influences on female choice in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis)

We conducted an experiment on female Anolis carolinensis lizards to investigate whether social factors influenced their selection of an end-chamber in a test arena. We tested (1) whether characteristics of males previously seen in the end-chambers would influence female choice and (2) whether the presence of other females simultaneously choosing would influence choice. In experiment one, females observed a large and a small male in the end-chambers prior to choosing. Females were tested individually and in pairs. When tested individually, females preferred the end-chamber previously inhabited by the larger male. When females were tested in pairs, however, in each case one female chose the large male's end-chamber and the other female failed to make a choice. In experiment two, we conducted the same paired-choice test, but prior to the test we evaluated the dominance relationships between the pair of females. In the majority of cases, the more dominant female was the one to enter the large male's end-chamber. Results indicate that females are influenced by the presence and characteristics of males, but that female competition also plays a role in choice.