两种雀形目鸟类孵化行为对子代质量的影响

对高寒草甸地面营巢的小云雀 (Alaudagulgula)和灌丛筑巢的黄嘴朱顶雀 (Acanthisflavirostris)繁殖方式的研究表明 :①小云雀孵化异步性较弱 (1d) ;平均卵重与产卵顺序不显著相关 ,但最后 1枚卵最重 ;出壳顺序与雏鸟生长率极显著正相关 (P <0 0 1) ;出壳顺序对幼鸟的雏期和离巢体重无显著影响 (P >0 0 5 )。②黄嘴朱顶雀孵化异步性较强 (2～ 3d) ;平均卵重与产卵顺序显著正相关 (P <0 0 5 ) ,最后 1枚卵最重 ,第 1枚次之 ;出壳顺序对雏鸟生长率、雏期和离巢体重均无显著影响 (P >0 0 5 )。结果分析表明 ,2种雀形目鸟类都选择了异步孵化和加强窝雏数对策的繁殖模式。     

窝雏数处理对两种雀形目幼鸟生长的影响

基于 1 997～ 1 999年野外实验 ,对高寒草甸小云雀和黄嘴朱顶雀两种雀形目鸟的窝雏数进行增减处理。结果表明 ,对照组的幼鸟生长率和离巢体重都大于增加组 ,说明窝雏数增加后 ,幼鸟质量下降。随着窝雏数增加 ,这两种幼鸟生长率显著下降 (小云雀 :r =-0 965 ,P =0 0 3 5 <0 0 5 ;朱顶雀 :r =-0 82 8,P =0 0 2 2 <0 0 5 )。窝雏数改变对小云雀幼鸟出飞重影响不显著 (r =-0 41 8,P =0 5 2 8>0 0 5 ) ,而对黄嘴朱顶雀有显著的影响 (r=-0 90 1 ,P =0 0 1 4<0 0 5 )。     

青海海北高寒草甸黄嘴朱顶雀亲鸟递食率

中国科学院海北高寒草甸生态系统定位站的黄嘴朱顶雀（Acanthis flavirostris)雌雄亲鸟的育幼行为数据收集于1999－2001年的3个繁殖季节（5－8月）。观察使用了一个闭路电视系统,包括放在鸟巢附近5－10cm处的摄像头和35－40m外的监视器。数据分析表明：亲鸟的递食率无年间变化;雌、雄鸟递食率没有差异;总递食率不随雏鸟日龄和日间不同时段改变,但雌鸟在傍晚以前的递食率低于雄鸟并在傍晚高于雄鸟。在雏鸟6日龄前,雌鸟总递食率低于雄鸟,且二者逐步逼近,然后稳定在同一水平。此种性别差异与雌鸟在递食以外所承担的,为雏鸟保温、遮阳以及清除雏鸟粪便等事务有关。这些结果与单配制鸟类亲本投资理论一致。     

广东常见森林鸟类的繁殖习性记述

2016和2017年,在广东鼎湖山国家级自然保护区及广东同乐大山省级自然保护区,用行为观察法和微型摄像机记录了淡眉雀鹛（Alcippehueti）、红嘴相思鸟（Leiothrixlutea）、栗颈凤鹛（Staphida torqueola）和褐顶雀鹛（Schoeniparus brunneus）等12种鸟类的繁殖习性。描述了它们的巢特征、卵重、卵大小、窝卵数及育雏等繁殖参数。研究发现：1）与历史数据相比,经过近30年的时间,在广东鼎湖山的淡眉雀鹛筑巢高度增加;2）与国内其他地区相比,红嘴相思鸟的筑巢高度也增加;3）发现乌鹃（Surniculus lugubris）和棕腹鹰鹃（Hierococcyx nisicolor）将淡眉雀鹛巢中的淡眉雀鹛雏鸟移出巢外;4）发现淡眉雀鹛亲鸟将其巢中的鸟卵和雏鸟移出巢外。     

广西防城发现黄嘴白鹭的繁殖种群

20 0 2年 3～ 8月 ,在广西防城万鹤山首次发现国家Ⅱ级重点保护动物黄嘴白鹭的繁殖种群 ,约 4巢 ,8只成鸟 1 4只雏鸟。黄嘴白鹭于该年 3月底 4月初迁来筑巢繁殖。巢材多为常绿、落叶阔叶树枯枝和松枝。窝卵数 4枚 ,卵为淡蓝青色。雌雄鸟轮流交替孵卵 ,孵化期 2 4 5 0± 1 5 0 ( 2 3～ 2 6)d ,孵化率1 0 0 %。育雏期 41± 2 ( 3 9～ 43 )d ,窝雏数 3 5 0± 0 2 9( 3～ 4)只 ,雏鸟成活率 87 5 0 %。食性主要为鱼( 77 84% )、虾 ( 1 6 76% )和青蛙 ( 5 40 % )。     

筑巢投入与巢材组成对大山雀繁殖产出的影响

鸟类在筑巢期投入能量的多少会影响其繁殖成效,巢材组成的差异也会影响其最终繁殖产出。本文以大山雀(Parus major)为研究对象,通过探究巢重及巢材组成对其繁殖的影响,以揭示筑巢投入和巢材对繁殖产出的影响。对2015年收集到的35巢进行了分析。结果表明:巢材总重与出飞数、出飞成功率及繁殖成功率呈极显著的负相关;羽毛重及其所占总重的比例与窝卵数、出雏数及出飞数呈显著的正相关,与产首枚卵的日期呈显著的负相关;植物茎重及其所占总重的比例与窝卵数及出雏数呈显著的正相关。本研究表明,大山雀亲鸟筑巢消耗的能量越多,子代出飞情况反而越差;同时,巢内保温性和支撑性巢材越多,繁殖产出越大。     

太湖地区夜鹭配对年龄及繁殖效果

为了解夜鹭同龄配对及其与窝卵数、窝雏数、雏鸟成活率的关系,2001年4-6月对无锡太湖地区夜鹭（Nycticorax nycticorax）的年龄配对及其繁殖作了观察。在方便观察的206个样巢中,二龄（2Y）、三龄（3Y）鸟参与配对繁殖的达35.4％：亲鸟“2Y 4Y^ “的2对,“2Y 2Y“的39对,“3Y 3Y“的34对。“4Y^ 4Y^ 的131对（含6对弃巢鸟）。在200个成功育雏的巢中,不同年龄亲鸟所产卵的体积和窝卵数无差异,但卵重、窝雏数、孵化率及成活率有随亲鸟年龄增加的趋势。     

杂色山雀双亲差异性育雏策略

社会性单配制鸟类的配偶双方在抚育子代时常存在性别差异,不同鸟种的雌雄双亲往往采取不同的育雏策略。以杂色山雀(Sittiparus varius)为研究对象,2017年3—7月对繁殖巢箱进行录像监测,记录杂色山雀育雏期亲代投入情况。分析结果显示:1)双亲递食率在育雏前期(4—6日龄)无显著差异,而育雏后期(10—12日龄)雌性的递食率显著高于雄性。2)雌性亲鸟后期递食率较育雏前期显著增加;而雄性亲鸟育雏前期和后期递食率无显著差异。3)雌性递食率与自身喙宽呈极显著正相关,雄性递食率与双亲体征参数均无相关关系。总的来说,在育雏阶段,杂色山雀雌性亲鸟的递食率随着雏鸟的需求和自身身体质量发生调整,雌性在育雏后期递食率显著升高,而雄性亲鸟递食率无变化,这可能与育雏期双亲投入分工不同有关。     

骨顶鸡的繁殖行为

2008和2009年4-9月,对黑龙江省安邦河自然保护区以及龙凤湿地骨顶鸡繁殖种群进行了观察.结果表明:骨顶鸡繁殖季节会建造3种巢结构:炫耀台、产卵巢和育雏巢,雌雄共同参与筑巢及领域防卫活动;巢高和巢深随窝卵数增多而呈上升趋势;平均窝卵数为8.77±0.24(n=75)枚,窝卵数随繁殖时间推迟而呈减少趋势;骨顶鸡雌雄共同参与孵化,雌性平均每次孵化时间高于雄性;雌雄共同参与喂雏,雏鸟至亚体阶段才完全独立,之前需亲鸟饲喂;骨顶鸡是杂食性鸟类,食物以植物为主,但也摄取动物性食物.     

波兰东南部乌灰鹞在雏鸟出羽后期的同窝雏间冲突

通过对波兰东南部的13巢乌灰鹞(Circus pygargus) ,37只雏鸟观察,对同窝雏鸟间的竞争进行了研究。无论是在食物的数量或者生物量上,早孵出的雏鸟占有空中喂养与巢内喂养的食物源的绝对优势。空中学习捕食的食物量占喂养食物量的比例随着雏鸟年龄的增长而增加。雏鸟在空中喂养中的攻击行为通过对空中食物传递进行研究。在370次的食物传递中,由于雏间竞争而引起的落地食物的比例57次(7·8 %)。由于雏间竞争而不能获得亲鸟喂养的幼鸟有时捕食周围的雀形目小鸟。亲鸟很少喂养较小的雏鸟。窝雏数越大,雏鸟间对食物的争斗持续时间越长。空中食物传递中捕食的成功率与雏鸟的空间分布相关。这种建立在雏鸟早期的等级制一直持续到雏鸟的出羽后期,从而保证早出雏具备开始迁徙的良好身体条件[动物学报51 (5) : 790 -796 ,2005]。     

Sudden weather deterioration but not brood size affects baseline corticosterone levels in nestling Alpine swifts

While evidence is accumulating that stress-induced glucocorticoid responses help organisms to quickly adjust their physiology and behaviour to life-threatening environmental perturbations, the function and the ecological factors inducing variation in baseline glucocorticoid levels remain poorly understood. In this study we investigated the effects of brood size by experimentally manipulating the number of nestlings per brood and the effect of weather condition on baseline corticosterone levels of nestling Alpine swifts (Apus melba). We also examined the potential negative consequences of an elevation of baseline corticosterone on nestling immunity by correlating corticosterone levels with ectoparasite intensity and the antibody production towards a vaccine. Although nestlings reared in enlarged broods were in poorer condition than nestlings reared in reduced broods, they showed similar baseline corticosterone levels. In contrast, nestling baseline corticosterone levels were higher immediately after cold and rainy episodes with strong winds. Neither nestling infestation rate by ectoparastic flies nor nestling antibody production against a vaccine was correlated with baseline corticosterone levels. Thus, our results suggest that altricial Alpine swift nestlings can quickly modulate baseline corticosterone levels in response to unpredictable variations in meteorological perturbation but not to brood size which may be associated with the degree of sibling competition. Apparently, short-term elevations of baseline corticosterone have no negative effects on nestling immunocompetence.     

Parasites favour intermediate nestling mass and brood size in cliff swallows

A challenge of life‐history theory is to explain why animal body size does not continue to increase, given various advantages of larger size. In birds, body size of nestlings and the number of nestlings produced (brood size) have occasionally been shown to be constrained by higher predation on larger nestlings and those from larger broods. Parasites also are known to have strong effects on life‐history traits in birds, but whether parasitism can be a driver for stabilizing selection on nestling body size or brood size is unknown. We studied patterns of first‐year survival in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in western Nebraska in relation to brood size and nestling body mass in nests under natural conditions and in those in which hematophagous ectoparasites had been removed by fumigation. Birds from parasitized nests showed highest first‐year survival at the most common, intermediate brood‐size and nestling‐mass categories, but cliff swallows from nonparasitized nests had highest survival at the heaviest nestling masses and no relationship with brood size. A survival analysis suggested stabilizing selection on brood size and nestling mass in the presence (but not in the absence) of parasites. Parasites apparently favour intermediate offspring size and number in cliff swallows and produce the observed distributions of these traits, although the mechanisms are unclear. Our results emphasize the importance of parasites in life‐history evolution.     

Costs and benefits of parental care in eastern kingbirds

We manipulated brood sizes of eastern kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus)to measure the costs and benefits of parental care and to testwhether kingbirds showed evidence of individual optimizationof reproductive effort. We found that the number of feedingtrips (trips/h) increased and that per capita feeding rates(trips/nestling/h) declined as brood size increased. The declinein per capita feeding rates was mostly due to high feeding rateto broods of one: parents made roughly equal number of tripsto feed each nestling in broods of two to five. Nonetheless,nestling mass declined with brood size, probably because largebroods were fed more small prey. Nestling condition (mass adjustedfor structural size) differed only between broods of one andfive. After controlling for effects of brood size, feeding rateshad no supplementary influence on either nestling size or condition,but productivity and feeding rate were positively and significantlyrelated. Adult male condition did not vary with brood size,manipulated brood size, or total feeding rate, but declinedas the pair's per capita feeding rates increased. In addition,males that returned to breed were in better condition beforeleaving for migration than those that failed to return. Femalecondition tended to decline, and the probability of returningto breed dropped when broods were enlarged. However, femalecondition was independent of the probability of returning. Ourresults show that high feeding rates were costly, but that theycarried benefits (greater productivity). Some evidence for individualoptimization of reproductive effort existed: variability innestling and adult female condition were better explained bychanges in brood size than by the actual number of young inthe nest. However, most evidence supported the alternative thatincreased brood size was equally costly for all birds     

Brood size and body condition in the House Sparrow Passer domesticus: the influence of brooding behaviour

In many bird species, females undergo a marked decline in body condition during the first days of the nestling period. This decline may be because brooding young chicks reduces the time available for foraging. Alternatively, it might be viewed as an adaptive way to reduce flight costs when the food demand of the brood is highest. To test these hypotheses we modified the brooding commitment of House Sparrows Passer domesticus by manipulating brood size to see if changes in time spent brooding affects adult body condition. During the nestling period, females provided on average three times as much brooding as males. Reduced broods received 14% more brooding than large broods and time spent brooding declined with brood size and chick age according to an exponential decay function. Male body condition was unaffected by brood size and remained stable throughout the reproductive period. Body condition of females with enlarged broods decreased gradually during the nestling period, whereas that of females tending reduced broods dropped abruptly and significantly upon hatching. This resulted in females with reduced broods having lower body condition during the first half of the nestling period than those with enlarged broods. The sharp drop in body condition of females with reduced broods coincided with the period that brooding was most intensive. Indeed, female body condition at the end of the nestling period was negatively correlated with the proportion of time they spent brooding during the first half of the nestling period. Thus, the probable lower homeothermic capacities of reduced broods implies a higher brooding commitment for female House Sparrows that, in turn, may reduce their opportunity to forage and consequently also their body condition.     

Hatching asynchrony and brood reduction influence immune response in Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus nestlings

The onset of incubation before the end of laying imposes asynchrony at hatching and, therefore, a size hierarchy in the brood. It has been argued that hatching asynchrony might be a strategy to improve reproductive output in terms of quality or quantity of offspring. However, little is known about the mediating effect of hatching asynchrony on offspring quality when brood reduction occurs. Here, we investigate the relationship between phenotypic quality and hatching asynchrony in Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus nestlings in Spain. Hatching asynchrony did not increase breeding success or nestling quality. Furthermore, hatching asynchrony and brood reduction had different effects on nestlings’ phytohaematogglutinin (PHA)‐mediated immune response and nestling growth. In asynchronous and reduced broods (in which at least one nestling died), nestlings showed a stronger PHA‐mediated immune response and tended to have a smaller body size compared with nestlings raised in synchronous and reduced broods. When brood reduction occurred in broods hatched synchronously, there was no effect on nestling size, but nestlings had a relatively poor PHA‐mediated immune response compared with nestlings raised in asynchronous and reduced broods. We suggest that resources for growth can be directed to immune function only in asynchronously hatched broods, resulting in improved nestling quality, as suggested by their immune response. We also found that males produced a greater PHA‐mediated immune response than females only in brood‐reduced nests without any effect on nestling size or condition, suggesting that females may trade off immune activities and body condition, size or weight. Overall, our results suggest that hatching pattern and brood reduction may mediate resource allocation to different fitness traits. They also highlight that the resolution of immune‐related trade‐offs when brood reduction occurs may differ between male and female nestlings.     

Correlates of cell-mediated immunity in nestling house sparrows

Cell-mediated immunity is an important vertebrate defense against pathogens, but components of this response may vary in quality. Such variation could arise through the effects of ecology on optimal immunocompetence. We used injections of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) to measure the factors influencing T-cell proliferation in nestling house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Bivariate analyses revealed positive associations with nestling mass and size, but no effect of ectoparasites. The response to PHA was, however, strongly affected by brood identity. A mixed model with brood identity as a random factor and nestling mass, size, number of ectoparasites, parental feeding rate, clutch size, brood size at hatching, and date uncovered significant positive correlations between PHA response and both nestling mass and the brood size at hatching. Because many of these variables are related hierarchically, we used path analysis to explore the relationships in more detail. We found that a nestling immune response was affected by several indirect paths. Brood size at hatch had both positive and negative paths, and date in the season had several indirect negative effects through its effect on brood size and nestling mass. The approach used and the results obtained offer some new ideas for incorporating immune responses into life history theory.     

Energy expenditure, nestling age, and brood size: an experimental study of parental behavior in the great tit Parus major

A brood manipulation experiment on great tits Parus major was performedto study the effects of nestling age and brood size on parentalcare and offspring survival. Daily energy expenditure (DEE)of females feeding nestlings of 6 and 12 days of age was measuredusing the doubly-labeled water technique. Females adjusted theirbrooding behavior to the age of the young. The data are consistentwith the idea that brooding behavior was determined primarilyby the thermoregulatory requirements of the brood. Female DEEdid not differ with nestling age; when differences in body masswere controlled for, it was lower during the brooding periodthan later. In enlarged broods, both parents showed significantlyhigher rates of food provisioning to the brood. Female DEE wasaffected by brood size manipulation, and it did not level offwith brood size. There was no significant effect of nestlingage on the relation between DEE and manipulation. Birds wereable to raise a larger brood than the natural brood size, althoughlarger broods suffered from increased nestling mortality ratesduring the peak demand period of the nestlings. Offspring conditionat fledging was negatively affected by brood size manipulation,but recruitment rate per brood was positively related to broodsize, suggesting that the optimal brood size exceeds the naturalbrood size in this population.     

Does daylength explain the latitudinal variation in clutch size of Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca?

Geographical trends in breeding parameters were studied in the Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca in the western Palaearctic. Predictions arising from the hypothesis that daylength and/or energy requirements of the brood explain latitudinal clutch size variation were tested. The nestling period decreased with latitude, but nestling mass on day 13 after hatching did not show a trend with latitude. The length of the daily activity period (working day) at the time of peak brood demand showed a quadratic relationship with latitude and did not increase linearly with daylight hours. The present study supports the hypothesis that latitudinal clutch size variation is influenced by the duration of the working day and the energy requirements of the brood. The balance between the energy requirements of the brood and the parents, in relation to the duration of working day and ambient temperature, are proposed to explain the latitudinal variation in clutch size in the Pied Flycatcher.     

Body-Mass, Composition, and Survival of Nestling and Fledgling Starlings (

Earlier studies of the starling (Sturnus vulgaris) population at Belmont, Lower Hutt, New Zealand, showed that nest productivity was low compared with other populations in New Zealand and elsewhere. Therefore, we investigated possible trade-offs between offspring number and quality (as measured by body mass and composition). We also compared these measures of offspring condition with pre- and post-fledging survival. Nestling mass did not significantly differ with clutch size or brood size at any age. In starlings about to leave the nest, lean (i.e., fat-free) dry mass and water mass increased with body mass, but lipid mass increased approximately twice as much. When the effects of the other variables were controlled in a partial correlation analysis, lean dry mass, water mass, lipid mass, and mass of stomach contents were positively correlated with mass at nest-leaving; brood size was not correlated with mass at nest-leaving. Nest success was independent of clutch size and brood size, but lighter broods were more likely to fail totally than were heavier broods early in the nestling period. Nestling survival early, but not late, in the nestling period was positively correlated with nestling mass. The likelihood that a nestling raised in 1973-1979 would be recruited as a breeder was independent of its mass at brood- day 12. Thus, unlike some other passerines, larger, heavier starling nestlings did not seem to survive better than average ones. Low productivity was not accompanied by a decrease in body condition of those nestlings that survived the nestling period. Therefore, starlings at Belmont reduced offspring number rather than offspring quality when they encountered unfavourable conditions.