Hematologic, protein electrophoresis, biochemistry, and cholinesterase values of free-living black stork nestlings (Ciconia nigra)

Hematologic, protein electrophoresis, serum biochemistry, and cholinesterase values were determined in 36 free-living black stork nestlings (Ciconia nigra) between 25 and 53 days of age in order to establish normal reference values for this population. The following values were evaluated: white blood cell counts, red blood cell counts, packed cell volume, hemoglobin, heterophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, prealbumin, albumin, alpha-globulin, beta-globulin, gamma-globulin, total protein, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, calcium, phosphorus, iron, cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, uric acid, urea, creatinine, total solids, bile acids, and butyrylcholinesterase. Sex-dependent differences were observed in hemoglobin, prealbumin, albumin, gamma-globulin, total protein, alkaline phosphatase, and triglycerides. Packed cell volume, butyrylcholinesterase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, and creatinine increased with age, whereas albumin, mean cell volume, calcium, phosphorus, cholesterol, and total solids decreased with age. These hematologic and serum biochemistry values can be used as reference ranges in free-living black stork nestlings.     

Hematology and blood chemistry of chicks of white and black storks (Ciconia ciconia and Ciconia nigra)

1. The hematology and blood chemistry of 15-68-day-old chicks have been studied. 2. Red cell numbers (1,900,000/mm3), hemoglobin content (11.5 g/dl) and hematocrit (37.5) were similar in both species of storks. 3. Total numbers of leucocytes (63,000/mm3) were similar in both species, whilst differential leucocyte counts were not. 4. Higher levels of plasma protein, GOT and cholesterol in HDL were found in white storks when compared with black storks but not differences were detected in plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, urea, uric acid, GPT and alkaline phosphatase.     

Uphill shifts in the distribution of the white stork Ciconia ciconia in southern Poland: the importance of nest quality

The aim of this paper is to explain the altitudinal changes that have occurred during the 20th century to the white stork distribution in the Podhale region of the uplands of the Tatra mountains, southern Poland. We analysed both historical data from the white stork censuses and detailed yearly records from 1974 to 2003 on population size, distribution and breeding success. A white stork nest was first recorded at Podhale in 1931 and numbers increased to seven nests in 1933, all located below 650 m altitude. During the 30‐years, 1974–2003, both the maximum and upper‐quartile altitudes of nests increased significantly. In 1974 the highest nest was at an altitude of 770 m, and the maximum reached 890 m in 1999. In the same period, the breeding population increased significantly. The minimum and lower‐quartile altitudes of nests decreased significantly following initial occupation of suitable lower altitude sites before uphill expansion. We noted the positive association between nest occupancy over the study period and breeding performance. As a result, long‐occupied nests contributed most of the young produced in the population and chicks from these nests probably colonized new areas. We believe this is the first well‐documented evidence of, and mechanism for, a particular bird species to ascend to higher elevations and that the altitudinal shifts reported for butterflies, plants and whole biomes can be detected in birds as well.     

The susceptibility of Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from white stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Proteus sp. rods are ubiquitous bacteria, widespread in the environment and classified also as opportunistic human pathogens. The aim of our study was to evaluate susceptibility of Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from white stork (Ciconia ciconia) regarding as his natural bacterial flora, compare and discuss their results with data obtained from scientific literature for clinical strains of the same species. Susceptibility of 59 P. mirabilis strains was estimated for 27 antimicrobials using disc-diffusion method and the ability to produce extended spectrum beta-lactamases was evaluated by double disc synergy test. Environmental P. mirabilis strains isolated from white stork were assessed as more susceptible to most of the examined antimicrobials and production of extended spectrum beta-lactamases was not noted amongst them.     

黑鹳人工笼养繁殖的研究

１９９１－１９９６年间采取人为生态环境,使Ｐ组黑鹳所繁殖的３只Ｆ１成熟后,人工组配又成功繁殖Ｆ２４只。笼养黑鹳性成熟雌鸟３岁,雄鸟４岁,Ｆ２发育和行为正常。     

Breeding dispersal directions in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) are affected by spring migration routes

We examined breeding dispersal directions in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia), a migratory bird breeding in large parts of Europe. We asked whether and how the direction of the major spring/autumn migration route (from south-east to north-west and vice versa) affects breeding dispersal directions. Breeding dispersal directions were clearly nonrandomly distributed and were influenced by the major spring migration direction, leading to a bias toward south-eastward and north-westward breeding dispersal.     

内蒙古赛罕乌拉国家级自然 保护区黑鹳繁殖记述

黑鹳(Ciconia nigra)种群数量稀少,成活率低,为国家Ⅰ级重点保护物种,加强对黑鹳的保护已刻不容缓。内蒙古赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区是黑鹳的重要繁殖栖息地,开展繁殖行为研究有助于提高对黑鹳的保护成效。2012至2015年对2处黑鹳繁殖巢址进行了繁殖期观察。2012年5月15日首次发现1巢内有4枚卵并有亲鸟在巢中孵卵,6月7日孵化出4只幼雏,8月底全部成功离巢。2013年4月黑鹳利用该巢产卵5枚,孵化1只雏鸟,孵卵期约33 d,后期卵、雏鸟均消失,推测为来自蛇类的捕食。2014、2015年该巢未被利用。2014年4月24日发现另外一处巢址,8月12日观察到3只幼鸟已开始练习飞行,至8月19日全部离巢。2015年该巢孵化雏鸟4只,6月初死于恶劣天气。通过监测发现黑鹳连续多年在保护区内栖息繁殖,所发现的两巢成功出雏7只个体。本研究初步获得保护区境内黑鹳的繁殖信息,为后续促进黑鹳种群恢复与栖息地保护提供了基础数据。     

Community structure and dispersal of mites (Acari, Mesostigmata) in nests of the white stork (Ciconia ciconia)

The fauna of Mesostigmata in nests of the white stork Ciconia ciconia was studied in the vicinity of Poznań (Poland). A total of 37 mite species was recovered from 11 of the 12 nests examined. The mite fauna was dominated by the family Macrochelidae. Macrocheles merdarius was the most abundant species, comprising 56% of all mites recovered. Most of the abundant mite species were associated with dung and coprophilous insects. It is likely that they were introduced into the nests by adult storks with dung as part of the nest material shortly before and after the hatching of the chicks.     

Melatonin and thyroxine response to pollution in white stork nestlings (Ciconia ciconia): aspects of rhythmicity and age

There is growing evidence that ubiquitous environmental contaminants may interfere with vertebrate endocrine systems. The selected endocrine biomarkers are used to indicate the condition of free-ranging populations of wildlife, including avian species. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of environment quality on serum thyroxine (T4) and melatonin (Mel) in white stork nestlings (Ciconia ciconia) living in different locations: small villages in natural areas surrounded by forests and crop fields, near the city and near the copper smelter. We extended our analyses to examine the hormones' day-night changes in conjunction with chicks' age. Total serum T4 and Mel was measured by RIA. T4 level, as a decisive measure of thyroid hormone productivity, was significantly lower in the nestlings exposed to pollutants from the copper smelter. Mel, as a well-known scavenger of free radicals, was elevated in the nestlings in the area near the copper smelter. This study indicates that alteration in T4 and Mel levels could be a useful marker of exposure of nestling wild storks to different toxic substances in field studies. Mel is postulated to be a susceptible defensive molecule as a protective mechanism for organisms.     

Developmental exposure to a toxic spill compromises long-term reproductive performance in a wild, long-lived bird: the white stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Background/Objective

Exposure to environmental contaminants may result in reduced reproductive success and long-lasting population declines in vertebrates. Emerging data from laboratory studies on model species suggest that certain life-stages, such as development, should be of special concern. However, detailed investigations of long-term consequences of developmental exposure to environmental chemicals on breeding performance are currently lacking in wild populations of long-lived vertebrates. Here, we studied how the developmental exposure to a mine spill (Aznalcóllar, SW Spain, April 1998) may affect fitness under natural conditions in a long-lived bird, the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia).

Methodology

The reproductive performance of individually-banded storks that were or not developmentally exposed to the spill (i.e. hatched before or after the spill) was compared when these individuals were simultaneously breeding during the seven years after the spill occurred (1999–2005).

Principal Findings

Female storks developmentally exposed to the spill experienced a premature breeding senescence compared with their non-developmentally exposed counterparts, doing so after departing from an unusually higher productivity in their early reproductive life (non-developmentally exposed females: 0.5±0.33SE fledglings/year at 3-yr old vs. 1.38±0.31SE at 6–7 yr old; developmentally exposed females: 1.5±0.30SE fledglings/year at 3-yr old vs. 0.86±0.25SE at 6–7 yr old).

Conclusions/Significance

Following life-history theory, we propose that costly sub-lethal effects reported in stork nestlings after low-level exposure to the spill-derived contaminants might play an important role in shaping this pattern of reproduction, with a clear potential impact on population dynamics. Overall, our study provides evidence that environmental disasters can have long-term, multigenerational consequences on wildlife, particularly when affecting developing individuals, and warns about the risk of widespread low-level contamination in realistic scenarios.     

Severe flooding causes a crash in production of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) chicks across Central and Eastern Europe

Recent theoretical and field studies show that stochastic, extreme ecological events may influence the dynamics of populations for many years. However, to date, studies have focused only on the short-term effect of ecological catastrophes and/or extremes on population dynamics. In this paper, we present results from the great flood of July 1997 in Central and Eastern Europe and how it affected the white stork (Ciconia ciconia), a long-lived bird species. Using long-term data collected in 1987–2003, we examined the effect of the great flood on population size and chick production and we focussed on the 10 years preceding and 6 years following the flood. Habitats of 18 of the 25 stork populations studied were inundated during the flood of 1997. The flooded populations had a massive loss of chicks in 1997 but quickly recovered to about 85% of expected normal chick production compared to the control populations. This suggests a relatively minor but long-term consequence on population dynamics over a large geographic scale resulting from the extreme flooding event.     

Geographical and environmental factors affecting the distribution of wintering black storks Ciconia nigra in the Iberian Peninsula

Here we explore the environmental and geographical factors affecting the winter distribution of the black stork Ciconia nigra in the Iberian Peninsula, where an increasing number of individuals have remained to winter in the last two decades. We recorded 179 locations of 54 ringed individuals between 1988 and 2011 to map the species habitat suitability with MaxEnt, a machine‐learning technique based on the principle of maximum entropy. The migratory movements of 25 birds equipped with satellite transmitters were used to define the autumnal migratory flyway used by most storks crossing the Peninsula as well as to define the wintering period. The aim was to test if the number of wintering storks was positively correlated to habitat suitability and negatively correlated to the flyway distance. Data provided by an extensive count across Portugal and Spain during the 2012–2013 winter supported the findings that black storks were more abundant in areas of high habitat suitability close to the migratory flyway. This agrees with previous evidence on the role of migratory flyways in determining the distribution of some wintering birds in Iberia. A gap analysis reflected that just 12.3% of the suitable areas and 18.8% of individuals recorded during the 2012–2013 winter were included within the Special Protection Areas network of Portugal and Spain. Most of these birds were crowded in unprotected areas covered by rice fields (68% of individuals), a key habitat for the species.     

African Odyssey project – satellite tracking of black storks Ciconia nigra breeding at a migratory divide

The African Odyssey project focuses on studying the migration of the black stork Ciconia nigra breeding at a migratory divide. In 1995–2001, a total of 18 black storks breeding in the Czech Republic were equipped with satellite (PTT) and VHF transmitters. Of them, 11 birds were tracked during at least one migration season and three birds were tracked repeatedly. The birds migrated either across western or eastern Europe to spend the winter in tropical west or east Africa, respectively. One of the juveniles made an intermediate route through Italy where it was shot during the first autumn migration. The mean distance of autumn migration was 6,227 km. The eastern route was significantly longer than the western one (7,000 km and 5,667 km respectively). Important stopover sites were discovered in Africa and Israel. Wintering areas were found from Mauritania and Sierra Leone in the west to Ethiopia and Central African Republic in the east and south. One of the storks migrating by the eastern migration route surprisingly reached western Africa. Birds that arrived early in the wintering areas stayed longer than those arriving later. On the average, birds migrating via the western route spent 37 d on migration compared to 80 d for birds migrating via the eastern route. The mean migration speed in the autumn was 126 km/d and the fastest stork flew 488 km/d when crossing the Sahara. The repeatedly tracked storks showed high winter site fidelity.     

Timing of arrival at breeding grounds determines spatial patterns of productivity within the population of white stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Early arrival at breeding grounds have important fitness consequences for migratory birds, both at individual and population level. The aim of this study was to investigate how the timing of arrival at the breeding territories affects the spatial patterns of reproductive success within a population of white storks (Ciconia ciconia). Data were gathered annually for ca. 200 pairs of storks breeding in central Poland between 1994 and 2011. Geostatistical analysis of data indicated that in years of delayed arrival of the population (measured by the first quartile arrival date), the reproductive output of storks was negatively autocorrelated, which indicated that there was a tendency for pairs of high breeding success to neighbour with pairs of low success. By contrast, in years when first storks returned in early dates to the breeding grounds, their reproductive success did not show any kind of spatial autocorrelation. These results suggest that delayed return of the first-arriving storks of the population may increase intensity of intra-specific competition to the level at which high-quality breeding pairs monopolize most of available resources at the expense of neighbouring low-quality pairs, which have lower reproductive success as a consequence. Such hypothesis was further supported with the analysis of nesting densities, showing that the late-arriving breeding pairs incurred greater fitness costs (or derived lower fitness benefits) while breeding in high densities comparatively to the early-arriving conspecifics.     

Nests of the black stork Ciconia nigra as a habitat for mesostigmatid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata)

We surveyed the Mesostigmatid mite fauna of nests of the black stork Ciconia nigra, to determine the role of these mites in the biology of their hosts. We present preliminary results obtained on the basis of material collected from 31 nests. A total of 1,615 mite specimens was recorded, belonging to 39 species. The most abundant species were Dendrolaelaps strenzkei, Apionoseius infirmus, Macrocheles merdarius and Macrocheles ancyleus, which constituted more than 65% of all the specimens recorded. The presence of large numbers of predatory mites could be beneficial to the birds, if they feed on the eggs and larvae of the bird’s parasites. It is likely that many of the mite species found in these nests were carried there by phoresy on insects, mainly Coleoptera.     

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。     

Migration and winter distribution of Iberian and central European black storks Ciconia nigra moving to Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar: a comparative study

This paper compares the migratory movements of Iberian and central European satellite‐tagged black storks Ciconia nigra moving to Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar. Results show that the populations differ in departure dates from breeding areas (central European birds start to move 15 d before Iberian birds), cross the Strait of Gibraltar together and reach the Sahel on similar dates. This synchronic arrival to the Sahel may be related with the onset of suitable conditions for the species after summer rains, when many pools are available for fishing. In this area, Iberian birds occupied westernmost localities compared to central European birds crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, which were distributed closer to those storks arriving in Africa across the Bosporus. This suggests that the parallel distribution of breeding and wintering areas results from posterior rearrangements of the two populations crossing Gibraltar. These patterns appear to be linked to the increasing population of central European black storks located on the western side of the migratory divide that moves throughout the western flyway to sectors of the Sahel close to their ancestral wintering grounds.     

The relationship between population means and variances of reproductive success differs between local populations of white stork (Ciconia ciconia)

We studied the size and productivity of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) populations in eight study sites in Poland. The number of nesting pairs and the average number of chicks fledged per pair fluctuated over time, and the studied populations differed in the variance of both breeding success and number of breeding pairs. The variance of breeding success (both for the mean number of chicks and the proportion of successful nests) and the variance of the number of breeding pairs was not correlated with the extent of stable habitats (pastures, meadows, wetlands), other habitats (farmland), or with local population trends over time. We found a non-linear symmetrical relationship between annual mean reproductive success and its variance but only when considered as the proportion of successful nests (i.e., when individual nests are coded as a binary value: 0, no success; 1, success). No such relationship existed when success was expressed as the number of fledged chicks. Although a positive significant correlation occurred between fledgling numbers (discrete data) and the proportion of successful nests (binary data), we believe that the use of only binary data will be inadequate in more detailed analyses, such as population viability analysis.