中国鸟类新纪录种——白颈鹳

2011年6月10日在云南省迪庆藏族自治州香格里拉县野外考察中,于纳帕海自然保护区发现一大型涉禽,经查阅文献,确认该物种为中国鸟类新纪录种——白颈鹳(Ciconia episcopus)。     

Have recent changes in forest structure reduced the Estonian black stork <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ciconia nigra</Emphasis> population?

The black stork Ciconia nigra is listed as a focal species for guiding forest management in Estonia, where forestry has recently intensified and the stork population has suffered a twofold decline. We explored a possible link between the decline of the population and man-induced changes in forest structure, by analysing nesting of the species in relation to forest cover, edge effects and stand structure. Although the storks had distinct habitat preferences (old remote stands near rivers and a certain distance far from ecotones in well-forested landscapes), these were hardly reflected in site re-occupancy and productivity. Therefore, changes in forest structure are probably not responsible for the population decline, although preferences for specific forest environments may limit the range of potential nest sites. The results indicated that edge avoidance cannot be considered a species-specific feature over large areas and clear habitat preferences are not necessarily related with the present success of a population. We also suggest that lists of focal species should be regularly updated and validated in the field.     

北京十渡自然保护区越冬黑鹳的种群生态调查

为了解黑鹳在北京地区越冬的生态特点,于2004年1月至2007年3月采用直接观察法对北京市拒马河自然保护区越冬黑鹳的数量、栖息地选择和取食规律进行了观察。结果表明拒马河流域已成为北京地区越冬黑鹳稳定的栖息地,种群数量超过20只。越冬聚群从11月开始,分群时间为次年2月。取食地相对集中,取食活动在越冬初期以上午和中午为主,中期以下午为主,末期则分为早晚两个时段。干旱和人为活动导致的适宜取食地减少是影响黑鹳生存的主要因素。     

Influence of weather conditions on the flight of migrating black storks

This study tested the potential influence of meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, wind direction, thermal convection) on different migration characteristics (namely flight speed, altitude and direction and daily distance) in 16 black storks (Ciconia nigra). The birds were tracked by satellite during their entire autumnal and spring migration, from 1998 to 2006. Our data reveal that during their 27-day-long migration between Europe and Africa (mean distance of 4100 km), the periods of maximum flight activity corresponded to periods of maximum thermal energy, underlining the importance of atmospheric thermal convection in the migratory flight of the black stork. In some cases, tailwind was recorded at the same altitude and position as the birds, and was associated with a significant rise in flight speed, but wind often produced a side azimuth along the birds'' migratory route. Whatever the season, the distance travelled daily was on average shorter in Europe than in Africa, with values of 200 and 270 km d⁻¹, respectively. The fastest instantaneous flight speeds of up to 112 km h⁻¹ were also observed above Africa. This observation confirms the hypothesis of thermal-dependant flight behaviour, and also reveals differences in flight costs between Europe and Africa. Furthermore, differences in food availability, a crucial factor for black storks during their flight between Europe and Africa, may also contribute to the above-mentioned shift in daily flight speeds.     

Retrospective Estimation of Genetic Diversity of an Extinct Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana) Population in Japan Using Mounted Specimens and Implications for Reintroduction Programs

The Japanese regional population of the Oriental white stork (Ciconia boyciana) became extinct in 1986. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region from 20 mounted specimens preserved at public facilities in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan and its vicinity (n = 17), the area inhabited by the last of the Japanese population, and samples originating from China (n = 3) which were kept at a zoo was analyzed. After extracting DNA from small pieces of skin from mounted specimens, a 1210-bp region of the mtDNA D-loop region was analyzed. The haplotypes among 11 specimens of storks captured or found dead at Toyooka City just before the population became extinct were completely identical. Four haplotypes observed among the mounted specimens preserved in the vicinity of Toyooka City were differentiated from those of captive storks originating from China and Russia in a previous study. Therefore, the last Japanese population might have been a genetically unique group. However, phylogenetic analysis using the maximum likelihood method showed that haplotypes found in the Japanese regional population were closely related to the Chinese and Russian lineages (sequence difference = 2.1%). One mounted specimen collected in 1935 at Izushi village, in the vicinity of Toyooka City, showed the same haplotype as the captive storks from China, suggesting that genetic flow may have historically occurred between the populations of Japan and the continent. Recently, reintroduction for the Oriental white stork has been planned in Toyooka City. The planning for the recovery of extinct populations should not only involve translocation of species to the range from which it disappeared, but also reconstruction of regional populations while considering the genetic lineage between the extinct and introduced populations.     

越冬地东方白鹳繁殖生物学的初步研究

近年来,陆续在长江中下游越冬地发现东方白鹳(Ciconia boyciana)繁殖个体。为了了解该种在当地的繁殖对策和种群现状,2004-2006年在安庆市望江县武昌湖地区(116°51.15′-116°49.47′E,30°19.53′-30°19.79′N)对东方白鹳的繁殖生物学进行了研究。东方白鹳在当地开始营巢时间不一致,最早为2月5日,而受干扰的繁殖个体则延至5月6日。观察到的巢全在高压线塔上,巢高34.6±0.8m(n=11),巢间距908.8±1039.4m(n=6)。产卵期最早开始于2月11日,最晚6月21日,窝卵数4.2±0.4(4-5)枚(n=6)。育雏期71.0±16.1d(n=3),日育雏5.1±2.6(n=38),雏鸟离巢时间最早6月14日,最晚9月20日。2004和2005年东方白鹳在该地区共营巢8窝,产卵25枚,孵出雏鸟9只,出飞7只。繁殖失败5巢,其中,人工干扰造成4巢失败,高压电击毁1巢。繁殖不同时期,亲鸟的觅食、休息、警戒、取材、翻卵、育雏、交配、在巢、视野外行为时间分配差异显著,而飞翔、行走、理羽、击喙、整巢和其它行为差异不显著。雏鸟在发育的不同时期,觅食、飞翔、休息、整巢、在巢、行走、视野外行为时间分配差异显著,理羽、警戒、击喙和其它行为差异不显著     

Foraging behaviour and prey size of the painted stork

The foraging behaviour of painted stork Mycteria leucocephala was studied during 2004–2006 at 14 different sites in the Delhi region, India. Observations were recorded on 131 individuals, including 29 juvenile birds using a video camera. Recordings were also made at the nesting colony in Delhi zoo to study the prey sizes regurgitated to nestlings. The results confirm that the painted stork is a tactile forager and exclusively piscivorous. Foraging group size ranged from 1 to 18 individuals. Per 5 min foot stirring rates in the vegetated habitats were significantly higher than in non-vegetated habitats. The attempt rate and feeding rate in the breeding season were significantly higher than that in the non-breeding season. Prey sizes taken in the breeding season were significantly smaller than those taken in the non-breeding season. About 80% fish fed to the chicks were smaller than 10 cm. Young chicks were offered smaller prey compared with older chicks. The variations in foraging parameters are discussed in relation to habitats and their conservation in the Delhi region.     

Development of microsatellite DNA loci from the wood stork (Aves,Ciconiidae, Mycteria americana)

We isolated 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci for wood stork (Mycteria americana). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers and conditions are described for the amplification of five dinucleotide, one trinucleotide and five tetranucleotide microsatellite loci. The PCR primers were tested on two wood stork populations, Fazenda Ipiranga, Mato Grosso, Brazil (n = 11) and Tamiami West, Everglades, Florida, USA (n = 20). The primers yielded two to four alleles per locus, an observed heterozygosity of 0.0–0.727 and a polymorphic information content of 0.048–0.604. The low level of polymorphism for these markers is consistent with previous studies of this species.     

Relationship between arrival date, hatching date and breeding success of the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) in Slovakia

Changes in the spring arrival dates of migrant birds have been reported from a range of locations and many authors have focused on long-term trends and their relationship to temperature and other climatic events. Perhaps more importantly, changed arrival dates may have consequences for the breeding dates of birds which strongly influence breeding success. In this paper we take the opportunity provided by a monitoring scheme of the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) to examine several features of the timing of arrival and breeding in relation to chick production in Slovakia during the period 1978–2002. First arrival dates ranged from 5^th March to 30^th April, and hatching dates varied between 26^th April and 8^th July. Generally, early arriving pairs started breeding earlier and a shorter interval between the arrival of the first partner and breeding, expressed here as hatching date, resulted in higher breeding success.