Male feeding contribution facilitates multiple brooding in a biparental songbird

Despite the cost of lost mating opportunities, biparental care is routinely observed across different groups of animals. Theory predicts that paternal care will increase reproductive success, yet many empirical studies have failed to find a direct link. Most studies have focused on the effect of paternal care on current breeding attempts, but male contributions may benefit future reproduction. Species producing clutches or litters more than once per season (i.e. multiple breeding attempts per season) are suitable for investigating whether paternal care contributes to current or future reproductive success, or both. We investigated the importance of the male's feeding contribution to multiple brooding in Japanese Tits Parus minor in northern Japan, where approximately 50% of pairs were known to reproduce multiple times within a breeding season. Male feeding contribution (proportion of provisioning delivered by the male) was positively correlated with the probability of the female multiple brooding and with nestling body mass. However, it was not correlated with fledging success in the current breeding attempt. Our results demonstrate the importance of male parental care for annual reproductive success in this multi‐brooded species and provide insights into the evolution of biparental care.     

Consistency of passerine embryo development and the use of embryonic staging in studies of hatching failure

Hatching failure is widespread in birds, and is usually the result of embryo death rather than infertility. Embryo death can result from both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, some of which may vary across the developmental period. Determining the point at which an embryo died during development may therefore help us to understand the underlying cause of death. Here we describe simple criteria that can be used by field ornithologists to establish the developmental stage of dead embryos found in unhatched passerine eggs, and explain how this can be used to estimate the date of embryo death. We compared the pattern of embryo development over the incubation period for three species, the Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata, Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tit Parus major. We also compared rates of Zebra Finch embryo development under artificial and standard (parental) incubation. Embryo development rates were remarkably similar across the three species and between Zebra Finch embryos under artificial and natural incubation conditions. We therefore suggest that the pattern of embryo development in the Zebra Finch may provide a model for other small passerines with similar incubation periods, but acknowledge that further interspecific comparisons are required before this model is considered more widely applicable. By estimating embryo death dates using our approach, ornithologists will be able to determine temporal patterns of embryo mortality in relation to extrinsic environmental conditions. This approach may shed light on how extrinsic factors such as climate and parental behaviour influence embryo survival in wild birds.     

山西省夏县和沁水县发现银脸长尾山雀

正在进行环保部生物多样性监测示范项目的鸟类野外调查期间,曾分别于2016年4月14日和27日在山西省夏县太宽河省级自然保护区王家河管护站附近林区(35°6′20.48″N,111°29′59.14″E,海拔1 163 m),4月15日、25日和26日以及5月25日在山西省沁水县历山国家级自然保护区下川保护站附近林区(35°26′31.28″N,112°1′46.25″E,海拔1 633 m)多次观察并拍摄到银脸长尾山雀(Aegithalos fuliginosus),经查阅相关文献(郑作     

不同纬度洞巢鸟类对人工巢箱的利用及差异

迄今对洞巢鸟类生活史特征的纬度变异（特别是热带洞巢鸟类的繁殖）了解还十分有限。我们于2018年3至8月,分别在海南吊罗山（热带）、河南董寨（亚热带）和河北塞罕坝（温带）的林缘地带,悬挂相同规格的人工巢箱招引洞巢鸟类繁殖,用以比较不同地理区域的洞巢鸟类对人工巢箱的利用情况及其孵化成效和繁殖成功率。野外共悬挂577个木制巢箱,3个研究地的利用率在海南吊罗山为最低（32.6%）,河南董寨最高（92.0%）。3个地点均有大山雀（Parus cinereus）入住（占总巢数的84.3%）,其孵化成效和繁殖成功率在3个地点不存在显著差异（P > 0.05）。但在河北塞罕坝,大山雀的孵化成效（75.7%）和繁殖成功率（65.7%）显著低于同域繁殖的褐头山雀（Poecile montanus）（97.7% 和97.7%）和煤山雀（Periparus ater）（93.5%和90.3%）（P < 0.05）。研究表明,3个地理区域利用巢箱繁殖的洞巢鸟的种类、数量以及对巢箱的利用率均存在差异,但对于广布种大山雀来说,地理位置的差异并不影响其孵化成效和繁殖成功率。     

甘肃莲花山黑冠山雀繁殖生态的初步研究

2017和2018年每年的4至8月在甘肃莲花山国家级自然保护区,对人工巢箱中黑冠山雀（Periparus rubidiventris）的繁殖生态进行了研究。共悬挂100个巢箱,两年共计招引到15巢黑冠山雀。此外,还记录到4个自然巢,分别位于干枯的糙皮桦（Betula utilise）树洞（1巢）、土坡的缝隙（1巢）和路边水泥护坡的出水管中（2巢）。黑冠山雀雌雄亲鸟共同筑巢,巢内壁为兽毛夹杂少量绒羽,外壁为草茎须根和苔藓。5月中下旬为黑冠山雀的产卵高峰期,清晨产卵,日产1枚,产下最后1枚卵后开始孵卵。平均窝卵数为6枚（4 ~ 7 枚,n = 15）,平均卵重（1.12 ± 0.02）g,卵长径（15.30 ± 0.10）mm,卵短径（12.09 ± 0.11）mm（n = 86）。孵卵由雌鸟承担,孵卵期为15 d（14 ~ 16 d,n = 5）。产卵期,雌鸟离巢时有用巢材盖卵的行为,开始孵卵后则不再盖卵。双亲共同育雏,育雏期为16 d和17 d（n = 2）。所记录的18巢黑冠山雀的繁殖成功率为83.3%,人工巢箱（15巢）中繁殖成功率为86.7%,巢捕食者主要为鼠类。     

破碎化次生林斑块面积及斑块隔离对大山雀繁殖成功的影响

研究了破碎化山地次生林中斑块面积及斑块隔离度对大山雀（Parus major)繁殖成功的影响,运用GPS定位系统确定了18块大,中,小3种类型的斑块及对照样点,观测了大山雀产第一枚卵时间,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,斑块隔离度对大山雀繁殖成功没有影响,1999－2000年两年中,大山雀在连续分布次生林中的产卵时间平均早于各斑块中的产卵时间7．2d,各斑块间的产卵时间差异较小,连续分布次生林和较大面积斑块内的大山雀窝卵数略高于中,小面积斑块内的窝卵数,连续分布生林中的平均卵重最大,斑块面积对出雏量及雏鸟不量没有影响,中,小面积斑块内的巢损失率较高,最主要的原因是巢址竞争较激烈。     

Energy metabolism, testosterone and corticosterone in white-crowned sparrows

The influence of the steroid hormones testosterone and corticosterone on energy metabolism and activity of birds is largely enigmatic. We measured resting metabolic rate during night and day in 12 long-term castrated and 12 intact male white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) under short-day (8:16 SD), long-day (20:4 LD), LD+testosterone implant and LD−testosterone implant conditions. Each male was sequentially measured under all four conditions. Photostimulation increased testosterone, resting metabolic rate, food intake, hopping activity and body mass in castrates and intact males. Surprisingly, testosterone levels and metabolic rates did not differ between intact and castrated males. Testosterone implantation increased activity and food intake, but decreased body mass and resting metabolic rate in both groups. Removing testosterone implants reversed the effects on resting metabolic rate, activity and food intake. Corticosterone levels, measured immediately at the end of metabolism measurements, showed birds were not stressed. Corticosterone had no apparent relationship with resting metabolic rate and there was no interaction between corticosterone and testosterone. Overall, positive changes in testosterone levels resulted in a decrease of resting metabolic rate. We speculate that testosterone increases activity, and birds compensate for increased activity metabolism by reducing resting metabolic rate. Accepted: 18 July 1999     

Winter feeding influences the cost of living in boreal passerines

The plastic regulation of internal energy reserves is acknowledged as the main adaptive response to winter conditions of resident small birds in northern latitudes, a strategy that may be altered whenever human‐supplemented food is available. We investigated the effects of supplementary feeding on the energy management strategy of two wild passerine species, the Willow Tit Poecile montanus and Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus, wintering in boreal conditions by measuring body mass and the energy cost of living, i.e. basal metabolic rate. Individuals of both species were heavier, larger and exhibited a higher energy cost of living when captured at the feeders than were individuals captured away from feeders. Fed Willow Tits expended more energy in maintenance, although this difference disappeared once mass was accounted for. Conversely, Blue Tits at feeders had higher mass‐adjusted energy cost of living, but only at low ambient temperatures. The results indicate that winter feeding has species‐specific effects on overall energy management strategy and modifies the response to environmental conditions of wintering passerines.     

The relationship between uric acid and its oxidative product allantoin: a potential indicator for the evaluation of oxidative stress in birds

Uric acid is the main nitrogenous waste product in birds but it is also known to be a potent antioxidant. Hominoid primates and birds lack the enzyme urate oxidase, which oxidizes uric acid to allantoin. Consequently, the presence of allantoin in their plasma results from non-enzymatic oxidation. In humans, the allantoin to uric acid ratio in plasma increases during oxidative stress, thus this ratio has been suggested to be an in vivo marker for oxidative stress in humans. We measured the concentrations of uric acid and allantoin in the plasma and ureteral urine of white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) at rest, immediately after 30 min of exercise in a hop/hover wheel, and after 1 h of recovery. The plasma allantoin concentration and the allantoin to uric acid ratio did not increase during exercise but we found a positive relationship between the concentrations of uric acid and allantoin in the plasma and in the ureteral urine in the three activity phases. In the plasma, the slope of the regression describing the above positive relationships was significantly higher immediately after activity. We suggest that the slope indicates the rate of uric acid oxidation and that during activity this rate increases as a result of higher production of free radicals. The present study demonstrates that allantoin is present in the plasma and in the ureteral urine of white-crowned sparrows and therefore might be useful as an indicator of oxidative stress in birds.     

扎龙保护区人工林内中华攀雀巢址特征分析

作者2011年9 ～ 10月在黑龙江省扎龙国家级自然保护区对人工林内中华攀雀(Remiz consobrinus)的巢址特征进行了研究.研究期间共发现36巢,选取巢距地面距离、巢距主干距离、巢距挂枝末端距离、巢树胸径等9个巢址因子进行主成分分析.结果表明,巢下生境、巢距地面距离和巢距主干距离以及巢距挂枝末端距离在中华攀雀巢址选择中起主要作用;巢树胸径、巢向和巢挂枝年龄次之.中华攀雀巢距地面(5.59±1.44)m,距主干距离为(1.81±0.50)m,距挂枝末段距离为(0.10±0.04)m,巢树胸径(0.29±0.08)m.巢距地面高度(P =0.002 3)和巢距明水面距离(P =0.003 7)在芦苇沼泽与林地草甸2种生境类型之间差异显著,巢树胸径在林地草甸与房屋农田2种生境类型之间差异显著(P=0.003 4),不同生境类型之间巢距主干距离、巢距挂枝末端距离和巢挂枝年龄无显著差异.