The social organization of non-breeding Magpies Pica pica

The social behaviour of non-breeding individuals in a colour-marked population of Magpies was studied. In early autumn most non-breeders began to forage in a common area, the 'Non-breeding Flock Area'. A few individuals remained on their natal territories away from the flock area as solitary non-breeders. Most non-breeders were first-year birds, but some were second years or adults which no longer held a territory. Birds foraged in groups, their food intake rate differing with both group size and location. It appeared that the area in which birds foraged had a significant effect on food intake rate; foraging groups tended to form at sites rich in food. There was a dominance hierarchy amongst non-breeders; an individual's foraging behaviour, survivorship and chances of breeding were status dependent, with subordinates feeding less in groups and being less likely to survive and breed. Solitary individuals' chances of breeding were similar to those of high status birds, although their survivorship to breeding age may have been lower. Non-breeding Magpies are compared with non-breeders of other species and the factors which may influence their social behaviour are discussed. It is suggested that remaining as a solitary non-breeder is a viable alternative to becoming a low-status flock member for some birds.     

Factors influencing the distribution of Magpies Pica pica in an urban environment

Urban Magpie distribution was compared against various habitat characteristics, and found to correlate best with numbers and variety of trees available. Urban tree planting is thought to have aided colonisation, though the Magpie's unspecialised diet and relative freedom from persecution must also have been important factors.     

The effect of food supplementation on the reproductive success of Black-billed Magpies Pica pica

The effect of supplementary food on the reproductive success of Black-billed Magpies Pica pica was studied in an urban habitat in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We provided supplementary food (pelleted dog food) regularly from August 1986 to June 1988 in a feeder situated outside all known magpie territories. Magpies using the supplementary food showed (i) an advancement of 7 days in the initiation of laying, (ii) no increase in clutch-size, (iii) higher survival of nest contents (eggs and young) during a spring snow storm, (iv) an increase in rate of nestling weight gain, and (v) an increase in fledging success. Supplementary food did not prompt the fed pairs to select nest sites nearer the feeder in 1988 than in 1987. The feeder did not affect the breeding density because the nearest neighbour distances of fed magpies did not differ from unfed magpies in either year, nor did they differ between the two years for either fed or unfed magpies. This study provided evidence that magpies frequently renest even if their initial nests fail after the eggs hatch—a practice that has been reported to be absent or rare in other studies. Although brood reduction was equally frequent in the nests of food-supplemented and control pairs, the actual number of nestlings disappearing from the former (1.56 per nest) was significantly smaller than that from the latter (2.60 per nest), suggesting that the availability of food plays a major role in magpie reproductive success.     

The increase in risk of predation with begging activity in broods of Magpies Pica pica

Begging activity in broods of Magpies Pica pica was measured as the average total number of begging nestlings and the number of nestlings giving begging calls between 5 and 9 days since the first nestling hatched. There was considerable between-brood variation in begging activity relative to day-to-day variation within broods. Predation between 7 and 20 days of age was more frequent among those broods which had not previously suffered from brood reduction due to nestling starvation. Broods which were preyed upon showed significantly higher levels of begging activity than broods of a comparable size that were not preyed upon. In addition, the time elapsed from hatching to predation showed a negative correlation with the total number of begging nestlings. Within broods, those nestlings with the highest begging motivation (measured as the latency to respond when stimulated) seemed to be more readily taken by predators. These results confirm the existence of costs associated to begging in the form of an enhanced risk of being detected by predators.     

Structural Variations in the Begging Calls of Nestling Magpies Pica pica and their Role in the Development of Adult Voice

Like most corvids, adult magpies (Pica pica) have harsh vocal repertoires characterized by a wide distribution of energy over the frequency scale. Shortly after hatching, begging calls of magpie nestlings have a tonal quality but become increasingly noisier as they develop. The appearance of harsh structures in the calls is closely related to a process of frequency modulation which ends at about 16–18 days. At this age, nestlings suddenly develop genuine harsh calls, typical of fledglings and adult birds. During development, similarities can be observed between frequency modulation and noise production, suggesting that nestlings acquire the ability to produce adult harsh vocalizations by modulating their begging calls. This hypothesis does not explain, however, why genuine harsh calls develop without transitional forms being evident in the preceding begging calls. Also, intra- and interspecific differences in modulation rates do not cause differences in noise production in the way that this hypothesis would at first suggest. Frequency modulation and noise production do not seem to be involved in the ontogeny of the adult voice. It is suggested that both features contribute to call degradation in the environment, in order to compensate for the increasing risks of nests being detected by predators due to the more detectable calls of older nestlings.     

Development of 10 microsatellite loci for Yellow-billed Magpies (Pica nuttalli) and corvid ecology and West Nile virus studies

We developed 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci for Yellow-billed Magpies (Pica nuttalli). The primers were tested across a population of 57 Central California Yellow-billed Magpies and displayed an average of 3.9 alleles per locus. Forty-one American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) from California were polymorphic for seven of the loci with an average of 2.9 alleles per locus. One additional microsatellite-containing locus displayed diagnostic allele sizes and may be useful to distinguish between the two species. These corvid specific microsatellites will aid ecological studies of the population-level effects of diseases, such as West Nile virus.     

The Food of Nestling Jays and Magpies

Half of the 4,000 Grey Plovers which reach the Wash in late summer remain there to moult; more than a quarter are already in arrested wing moult, having begun elsewhere. The authors discuss this condition and also the birds' movements in the light of ringing recoveries.     

Notes on the diet of urban Kestrels

This paper seeks to quantify the diet of urban Kestrels in Manchester through pellet analysis. Birds comprised 76% of prey taken (passerines predominating) and rodents 22%, while invertebrates accounted for only 2%. Passerine remains are difficult to identify in raptor pellets, but the indication is that the House Sparrow is much the most significant prey.     

The comparative breeding biology of magpies Pica pica in an urban and a rural habitat (Aves: Corvidae)

The breeding biology of magpies in an adjacent urban and rural area in the same year was compared. Breeding commenced earlier in the urban habitat. This was attributed to the earlier availability of invertebrate food in the urban habitat as a result of higher urban ambient temperature. Hatching success and the amount of nest predation were lower in the urban area than in the rural area. Low levels of nest predation in urban areas were due to reduced human predation and probably to the relatively low numbers of many natural predators. Differences in the nest tree species utilized also influenced the probability of human predation. Despite these differences in the causes of egg and chick mortality, the number of young reared to 14 days of age per nest was similar in both habitats.     

Incidence and Seasonal Variations in Blood and Tissue Parasites of Yellow-Billed Magpies

SYNOPSIS. Blood and tissue smears from 156 yellow-billed magpies showed infection with hematozoa in 154 (99%). Leucocytozoon berestneffi was found in 149 (96%), Haemoproteus picae in 40 (26%), Plasmodium relictum , in 32 (21%), Trypanosoma sp. in 3 (2%), and microfilariae in 42 (27%). Fifty-two birds were infected with two genera of parasites, 27 with 3, and 4 with 4. Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium and microfilariae showed a higher incidence in tissue than in blood smears.     

山地次生林破碎化对喜鹊繁殖功效的影响

于1999－2000年春夏两季,在左家自然保护区及土门岭地区研究了破碎化山地次生林斑块面积对喜鹊（Pica pica）繁殖功效的影响。运用GPS定位系统确定了12块大（＞20hm^2,n=4）、中（10－20hm^2,n=hm^2）对照样地（每块面积20hm^2）。观测了各斑块及对照样地中喜鹊产第1枚卵的时间、窝卵数、平均卵重、出雏量及雏鸟出飞量等生态指标,结果表明,（1）斑块面积对喜鹊的繁殖功效存在着显著的影响;（2）喜鹊在对照样地和大面积斑块中的平均产卵时间早于小斑块中的11.62d;（3）对照样地和大面积斑块内的窝卵数略高于中、小面积块内,但差异不显著;（4）各斑块及对照样地中的平均卵重无显著差异,小面积斑块中的出雏率和雏鸟出飞率均最低（51.7%和42.88%）,大面积斑块中的出雏率最高（72.12%）,对照样地略次之（71.93%）,对照样地中的雏鸟出飞率最高（65.45%）,大面积斑块次之（62.71%）;（5）喜鹊在小面积次生林斑块中繁殖功效较低的主要原因是巢损失率较高。     

侧脑室注射orexin 对顺铂诱导大鼠异食癖的影响*

目的:研究化疗后止呕药联合侧脑室注射orexin能否改善顺铂诱导的异食癖与食欲减退,进一步探索吡嘧司特联合orexin抗呕吐的机制。方法:1腹腔注射止呕药并侧脑室置管给予orexin,观察大鼠高岭土摄取及摄食改变。2EIA法测量脑脊液中P物质含量。结果:1顺铂中高剂量组高岭土摄入增加、摄食和体重减少,呈量效依赖关系(P0.05~0.01)。2恩丹西酮早期抑制高岭土摄入(P0.05)。联合用药后延长该效应且晚期增加摄食(P0.05)。3阿瑞吡坦晚期抑制高岭土摄入,呈量效依赖关系(P0.05~0.01),联合用药后第4天,高岭土摄取减少、摄食增加(P0.05)。4吡嘧司特晚期抑制高岭土摄入,呈量效依赖关系(P0.05~0.01)。高剂量吡嘧司特晚期增加摄食(P0.05)。联合用药后第4、5天,高岭土摄入减少,第1、4、5天摄食增加(P0.05)。5注射顺铂脑脊液中P物质浓度升高(P0.05)。联合用药能够降低P物质浓度(P0.05)。结论:联合应用orexin能够延长止呕药作用期并改善顺铂引起的食欲减退。吡嘧司特通过减少P物质的含量,抑制高岭土摄入。     

顺铂化疗对下丘脑、血浆ghrelin和orexin 表达的影响

目的:观察顺铂化疗对下丘脑、血浆ghrelin、orexin表达和摄食量的影响。方法:Real-time PCR、ELISA法观察顺铂对大鼠下丘脑、血浆ghrelin、orexin表达及摄食量的影响;19名接受顺铂经导管动脉灌注化疗(TAI)的肝细胞患者(HCC),ELISA法检测化疗前和化疗后血浆ghrelin、orexin的变化,用直观类比标度(VAS)(0-10)评估食欲和摄食量。结果:每日腹腔注射顺铂6 mg/kg,1-5 d大鼠摄食量均显著减少(P0.05),且1-4 d血浆酰化ghrelin显著降低(P0.05),5d时浓度仍低于对照组,但无统计学意义。血浆非酰化ghrelin和总的血浆ghrelin没有明显变化(P0.05),而1-5天血浆orexin水平均明显降低(P0.05);顺铂注射1 d后,大鼠下丘脑ghreilin和orexin的mRNA表达量均显著减少(P0.05),ghrelin mRNA变化持续3 d,orexin mRNA在化疗后5 d仍低于对照组(P0.05);肝细胞癌患者化疗后1至8 d的摄食量明显降低,1 d和2 d时的血浆酰化ghrelin显著低于化疗前水平(P0.05)。3 d时逐渐恢复,化疗后3 d、4 d和7 d时血浆酰化ghrelin浓度与化疗前无统计学差异(P0.05)。血浆非酰化ghrelin和总的血浆ghrelin没有明显变化(P0.05);化疗后1~4 d时血浆orexin浓度均显著降低(P0.05),化疗后7 d时orexin基本恢复到化疗前水平(P0.05)。结论:顺铂可降低大鼠下丘脑和血浆ghrelin、orexin的mRNA表达,HCC的TAI会降低血浆酰化ghrelin、orexin、和摄食量。     

Body component growth and composition of the magpie Pica pica

Magpie nestling growth is documented as increments in body mass, tarsus length, and tenth primary length. A sample of 41 nestlings and eight adults was used to provide comparative data on changes in water content, lean dry mass, and fat content for 14 body components.
Changes in the composition of various components implicate water index (water content/ lean dry mass) as an indicator of tissue and nestling maturity. Lipid index (fat content/lean dry mass) for the whole body exhibited a sustained linear increase during the first two-thirds of the nestling period. About 80% of nestling body fat was located in the skin, body shell, and alimentary canal.
The state of development of particular components appeared to be related to the current functional requirements of the nestling. Thus the food processing components assumed an early significance, while the development of insulative and locomotory components was somewhat curtailed by comparison.