西藏察隅县发现灰头麦鸡

<正>2016年6月19日,在西藏自治区察隅县竹瓦根镇(97°27'20.03″E,28°39'14.04″N,海拔2 302 m)观察到1只灰色涉禽,该鸟全身呈灰褐色,喙呈黄色,喙端有黑斑,头灰色,胸前有黑色条状斑,腹部白色,飞行时背部褐色,翅初级飞羽黑色、次级飞羽白色,尾白色。经鉴定,该鸟为灰头麦鸡Vanellus cinereus(MacK innon et al.,2000),通过查阅文献(中国科学院青藏高原综合科学考察队,1983;郑光美,2011;刘迺发等,2013;曲利明,2014),发现该鸟为西藏鸟类新纪录。     

凤头麦鸡

凤头麦鸡Vanellus vanellus在江苏为冬候鸟,地方名称为扯旗,皂隶。 每年11月至次年3月,凤头麦鸡来此越冬,留居4个月。1975—1979年在太仓观察,最早见到日期为11月24日,最迟见到日期为3月21日。见于江边,水域,田野及滩地。一般呈三、五小群或二、三十只的群游荡觅食。大群少见,1977年1月1日在嘉定偶曾见到约70只的群。 性机警,不易接近。警戒及兴奋时冠羽竖     

凤头麦鸡繁殖行为观察

2006～2009年在黑龙江省牡丹江地区对凤头麦鸡Vanellus vanellus繁殖生态习性进行了观察.凤头麦鸡在牡丹江属夏侯鸟,每年3月末4月初迁来,9月下旬迁走,居留期约6个月;4月底开始筑巢,繁殖期间的配偶关系为一雄一雌,营巢于沼泽草甸,也有个体将巢筑于田边或荒地中,个别将巢直接筑在农田的垄上.巢比较简单,在1～2 d内完成.巢筑成后的7～10 d开始产卵.每窝4枚,平均卵重25.2 g,最后一枚卵产出后即开始孵卵,孵化期为24～29 d, 孵化率50%～100%;幼鸟为早成鸟,育雏期30 d左右.     

重庆市发现宜章臭蛙

2014年7~8月在重庆市南川区三泉镇采集到5号臭蛙类标本,经形态特征比较和DNA数据比对及遗传距离分析,鉴定为宜章臭蛙(Odorrana yizhangensis),属重庆市新纪录。重庆南川的宜章臭蛙与模式产地标本相比,指关节下瘤雌蛙较雄蛙明显;有外掌突;趾关节下瘤明显,趾间全蹼;后肢前伸贴体时胫跗关节超过吻端。重庆南川区与湖南宜章经度和纬度相距均约5°,为宜章臭蛙已知分布的最西点。宜章臭蛙的形态和遗传分化及分布格局,是否由于我国滇西高山峡谷地区、粤桂湘赣南岭山地和湘渝鄂边境地区特殊地理效应及第四纪冰期气候的反复变化造成的,值得进一步探讨。     

灰头麦鸡生态的初步观察

灰头麦鸡(Microsarcops cinreus)是苏北地区常见的夏候鸟,是典型的旷野鸟类。体型较大,目标明显,为本地猎户狩猎的对象。1970—1984年间,对该鸟进行了观察,研究。现将资料初步综合如下:形态灰头麦鸡的头、颈羽为灰色,略带褐色,前胸羽毛为黑色,形成环状羽斑,腹羽白色,稍带灰色,背羽、小翼羽、初级飞羽黑色,腹面黑褐色,共10枚。初级翼上复羽亦为黑色。次级飞羽和它们的复羽均为白色,共11枚。三级飞羽6枚褐色,三级飞羽的顶端仅有羽干,无羽枝。尾羽12枚,最外侧第1枚尾羽白色,向内第2枚基本白色,顶端稍有褐色羽斑,其余尾羽大部白色,只有极近顶端…     

肉孢子虫在陕西省鹿体内的发现

肉孢子虫除发现寄生禽类、爬虫类外,还在很多哺乳动物(包括家畜和某些野生动物)的体内寄生。人体也有感染肉孢子虫的报道。它们均隶属于真球虫目(Eucoccidiorida),肉孢子虫     

吉林省凤头麦鸡中吸虫三新种的记述

我国鸟类吸虫已有不少报道,但吉林省鸟类吸虫仅有少数几篇报告。Yamaguti等(1942)报告了吉林省吉林和长春野禽吸虫4种。浅田(1942)对东北蠕虫的总结中,仅有极少数是鸟类吸虫。吉林省农业科学院兽医研究所(1960)在长春地区鸡中发现棘口吸虫,感染率5.8％。姜泰京(1965)在延边地区家禽和野鸭中发现吸虫7种。我教研室对吉林省鸟类血吸虫进行了研究,部分虫种已作了报道(刘兆铭等,1963,1974,1976;白功懋等,1963,1978)。     

Simultaneous tetragyny in Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Capsule Fuel load is correlated with fuel deposition rate; stopover duration is affected by arrival fuel load.

Aims To determine the stopover duration, fuel management and flight ranges at departure of Blackcaps stopping over in northern Spain.

Methods Systematic mist-netting and ringing allowed the use of mark–recapture Cormack–Jolly–Seber models for the estimation of stopover duration. Trapped birds were measured and weighed in order to estimate mass gain. FLIGHT software was used to estimate flight ranges.

Results Stopover duration ranged from 3.6 to 13.6 days, and was negatively correlated with arrival body mass (assessed by body mass at the first capture event). On average, arrival body mass was 18.4 g, whilst body mass at departure was 19.8 g. No significant differences in arrival body mass and departure body mass were observed between age or sex classes. Mass deposition rate did not differ between age or sex classes (mean = 0.20 g/day). Birds recaptured one day after the first capture event lost mass, whilst recaptures from the second day onwards had a mean gain of mass; mass was observed to increase linearly with the stopover duration. Mass deposition rate was positively correlated with departure body mass. Finally, with a mean departure body mass of 19.8 g, a Blackcap stopping over in northern Spain should be able to fly up to 1100 km.

Conclusions Stopover duration assessed by Cormack–Jolly–Seber models was longer than that observed in birds recaptured more than once (‘minimum stopover duration’). Stopover was longer for birds arriving with less fuel. The positive relationship between departure body mass and mass deposition rate suggests a time-minimizing strategy. The lack of difference in fuel deposition rate between age and sex classes suggests a relatively abundant food supply at the study site, but other explanations might also account for the lack of age and sex differences, for example if competition for food was not determined by social hierarchies but by scramble competition. Departing fuel load would allow these birds to arrive at their wintering areas in southern Spain under still-air conditions, without needing to refuel.     

Mating systems in the Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

The Lapwing Vanellus vanellus has traditionally been regarded as a monogamous, single brooded species, defending a single territory. Recent studies involving individually recognizable Lapwings have begun to challenge the ubiquity of these statements, with high frequencies of polygyny and the production of second broods being reported. Breeding Lapwings were studied in Upper Teesdale, County Durham, U.K., between 1993 and 1995, where both adults and chicks had been individually colour-ringed since 1990. A total of 90 territorial males and 64 females were intensively studied during the 3 years. Overall, 30% of territorial males had more than one mate in any year, with 19% more adult males than yearling males mating polygynously. On two occasions, polygynous males simultaneously defended two territories. Five females attempted to produce second broods, and one was polyandrous.     

Parental behaviour in the Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Parental behaviour of monogamous and polygynous Lapwings was studied during incubation and brood care. Both parents attended the nest in 86% of monogamous pairs ( n = 29 pairs). In 14% of pairs, only the male parent continued incubation until the eggs hatched, whereas the female deserted the clutch before or at the end of incubation. There was a clear division of parental roles during incubation. Females spent more time incubating (64% of time) than their mates (27%), whereas males spent more time defending the nest (3%) than females (>1%). Time spent incubating did not differ between monogamous and polygynous males. However, polygynous females spent more time incubating (primary females: 95%; secondary females: 97%) than monogamous females. Biparental care was the most common pattern of post-hatching care, although in some broods either the male or the female parent deserted before the chicks fledged. Division of sex roles was less pronounced in brood care than during incubation. Females spent more time brooding (21%) than males (3%), and females attended their chicks more closely than males. Nevertheless, males and females spent similar amounts of time defending the brood from predators and conspecifics. We suggest that the apparent division of parental roles may be explained by sexual selection, i.e. the remating opportunities for male Lapwings might be reduced if they increase their share in incubation. However, the different efficiency of care provision, for example in ability to defend offspring, may also influence the roles of the sexes in parental care.     

The diet of Lapwing Vanellus vanellus chicks on Scottish farmland

The feeding ecology of Lapwing chicks was studied in two agricultural study areas in central Scotland. Chicks probably fed opportunistically rather than selectively and their diet was varied but comprised mainly Coleoptera, leatherjackets (Tipulidae) and earthworms.     

Exclusion of ground predators improves Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus chick survival

Many farmland‐breeding wader species have declined across Europe, probably due to reductions in reproductive output caused by high nest losses as a result of agriculture or predation, or low chick survival between hatching and fledging. Most studies have focused on nest failures, and the factors affecting post‐hatching survival of chicks are poorly known. In an experimental approach, we fenced parts of the arable foraging areas of Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus families to quantify chick survival simultaneously in the presence and absence of ground predators. Lapwing chicks were radiotagged to estimate survival probabilities by daily locations, applying multistate capture–recapture models. During the night, chick survival was considerably lower outside fenced plots than within. During the day, chick survival was higher than at night and did not differ between protected and unprotected plots. This suggests that nocturnal ground predators such as Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes were responsible for a significant proportion of chick mortality. Cumulative survival probability from hatching to fledging was 0.24 in chicks within fenced plots, but virtually zero in chicks outside fenced plots. In farmland, temporary electric fences can be effective in minimizing the impact of ground predators and offer a promising short‐term method to increase fledging success of precocial birds.     

Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis cooperative helpers at nests are older siblings

Cooperative breeding is rare in shorebirds, and when found it is thought to be due to polygamous mating (cooperative polygamy). Here we describe the social structure of cooperatively breeding groups in Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis and test the prediction that offspring sex ratio is skewed towards the sex that helps. The social groups consisted of a breeding pair with one or two young (mostly males, 68%) from the previous breeding season, and offspring sex ratio was not skewed. Cooperative breeding in the Southern Lapwing is not the consequence of cooperative polygamy, but rather groups were formed by a mated pair and some of their offspring from previous nests as helpers.     

Conservation management of Lapwing Vanellus vanellus on lowland arable farmland in the UK

Lapwing Vanellus vanellus is known to be declining throughout much of its UK breeding range. The ecological requirements of the species are well known and a variety of mechanisms exist which can be implemented to help recovery. Arable options within agri-environment schemes can be used to provide breeding habitat throughout the species' UK range, and targeted recovery projects have been shown to have the potential to deliver increases in breeding pairs at the local level. The farming community need to be made aware of the requirements of Lapwing if agriculture and conservation needs are to be integrated.     

Age at first breeding, philopatry and breeding site-fidelity in the Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Breeding Lapwings Vanellus vanellus were studied in the Eden Valley (Cumbria) and in Teesdale (County Durham) between 1990 and 1992. A total of 300 adult Lapwings and 801 near-fledged young were uniquely colour-ringed. Breeding adults were highly site-faithful, almost always nesting in the same or an adjacent field in successive years. Second-year birds were less site-faithful, with more birds nesting in adjacent and other fields and fewer in the same field in successive years. In Teesdale, 74% of colour-ringed young Lapwings returned in their first or second year of life to within 5 km from where they hatched. In contrast, in the Eden Valley only 37% of young birds in their first or second year of life returned to within 5 km from where they hatched. From an analysis of British ringing recoveries in April and May, 61% of Lapwings were recovered within 10 km from where they were ringed as chicks. A further 11% were recovered more than 100 km from where they were ringed. Young Lapwings were highly philopatric, with 45% of males and 52% of females breeding in the same field or a field adjacent to where they hatched. The majority of Lapwings (67%) began breeding at 1 year old. Of the remaining birds, 27% bred for the first time when 2 years old and 6% for the first time in their third year of life. There was no difference between the sexes. Chicks hatching and subsequently fledging late in the season returned less frequently to the study areas in subsequent years than did chicks hatching earlier in the season.     

Nest survival and productivity of the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius

The Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius is a critically endangered species, probably declining from 5000 pairs to 500 pairs in 11 years. Fieldwork was conducted at two sites in Kazakhstan, May–August 2004, to identify causes of the species’ decline. In total, 58 nests and a minimum of 36 broods in 16 colonies were found: colonies consisted of 1–8 nests that were on average 154 m apart, with 2.1 km between colonies. Although classified as biparental, the total proportion of time both parents spent incubating was low (77 ± 2% se, n = 13 nests). Daily survival rates (Mayfield method) were very low during incubation (0.943 ± 0.009 se) but high during the chick stage (0.986 ± 0.004 se); incubation and chick‐stage durations were found to be 28.5 and 29 days, respectively, so that the overall probability of any breeding attempt fledging chicks was 0.124 (0.055–0.274 95% confidence interval). A breeding attempt that produced fledglings, fledged 2.2 ± 0.2 se chicks (n = 26) on average. Observed productivity predicted the population decline over the last 11 years well (using the maximum number of nesting attempts per pair of 1.4 that could have occurred in this study, and assuming an adult and first‐year survival rate of 0.74 and 0.60, respectively, based on the means for Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus and Golden Plover Pluvialis apricalia). Nest survival during incubation (controlling for colony effects) may have been longer for nests in predominantly Artemisia rather than grass habitat. Mean nest survival for a colony was higher in areas with more bare ground and more nest predators, suggesting that predators were relatively unimportant in nest (egg or chick) mortality, but was lower in areas with high numbers of cattle, suggesting that trampling was important (64% of known‐cause nest failures, n = 11, were trampled). Nests were preferentially sited in areas of Artemisia, where there was greater dung abundance, and probably shorter vegetation, suggesting that highly grazed vegetation is important for nesting. Chicks preferentially selected areas with a lower percentage of bare ground and possibly taller vegetation, suggesting that more vegetated areas are important for chicks. The results suggest that low egg survival due to nesting in areas of high grazer density may be responsible for the Sociable Lapwing's decline. Although grazers may create suitable vegetation for initial nesting, if those grazers remain at high density as in anthropogenic systems then they may reduce nest survival, probably through trampling. Experimentally maintaining grazing early but reducing it later in the breeding season is the logical first step in managing the species to increase egg survival and so to increase productivity.     

Post-Soviet steppe management causes pronounced synanthropy in the globally threatened Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius

Habitat associations and distribution of breeding Sociable Lapwings were examined in 2004–2008 in central Kazakhstan to develop and assess hypotheses relating to the species' decline and high conservation threat status. At a landscape scale, breeding colonies were strongly positively associated with villages and rivers. Habitat suitability models had very high predictive power and suggested that only 6.6–8.0% of the 30 000-km² study area was potentially suitable for Sociable Lapwings. Models developed to describe the spatial distribution of nests in one region of Kazakhstan in one year predicted well the distribution of nests in another region, suggesting good generality. At a colony scale, nests were most likely to be found in the most heavily grazed areas, with a high cover of animal dung and bare ground. Despite the low density of human settlements in the study area, most Sociable Lapwing nests were < 2 km from a village. Patterns of grazing were assessed by fitting GPS loggers to cattle. There was a strong positive correlation around villages between grazing intensity and the density of Sociable Lapwing nests, with clear evidence of a threshold of grazing density that needs to be reached before birds will breed. This high degree of synanthropy, perhaps unique in a critically endangered bird, is likely to result from post-Soviet changes in steppe management and offers both threats and opportunities to the species' conservation.