Evaluating the efficacy of seasonal grazing and livestock exclusion as restoration tools for birds in riparian habitat of the Okanagan Valley,British Columbia,Canada

Riparian habitat supports the highest density and diversity of songbirds in Western North America despite covering less than 1% of the land area. Widespread destruction and degradation of riparian habitat, especially by livestock grazing, has led to habitat restoration efforts. In 2000, restoration activities in the form of permanent and seasonal exclusion of livestock from riparian areas were initiated to improve habitat for the endangered Western Yellow‐breasted Chat (Icteria virens auricollis) population, which is dependent on early successional shrub habitat for nesting, in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. We assessed the effectiveness of livestock exclusion by examining temporal changes in the abundance, richness, and breeding performance of birds in restoration and reference sites. The abundance of W. Yellow‐breasted Chats significantly increased between 2002 and 2013 in areas where restoration activities occurred. However, restoration did not have significant effects on the abundance, richness, or breeding performance of other riparian birds at the restoration sites independent of temporal changes that occurred at reference sites. Our results provide evidence that limiting livestock grazing in temperate riparian areas can lead to recovery of endangered riparian songbirds that rely on early successional shrub habitat but may have limited effects on common species that are not strictly reliant on this habitat.     

Turnover and post‐bottleneck genetic structure in a recovering population of Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus

Dispersal is a process that increases genetic diversity and genetic connectivity of populations. We studied the turnover rate of breeding adults and genetic population structure to estimate dispersal in Peregrine Falcons in Finland. We used relatedness estimates among Finnish Peregrine Falcons over a 5‐year period, genotyping over 500 nestlings with 10 microsatellite loci to reveal the rate of turnover. Our results reveal a high turnover rate (21.7%) that does not seem to be correlated with the breeding success of the previous year. The extent of population genetic structure and diversity, and possible signs of the population crash during the 1970s, was assessed with a reduced dataset, excluding relatives. We found genetic diversity to be similar to previously studied falcon populations (expected heterozygosity of 0.581) and no population genetic structuring among our sampled populations. We did not find a genetic imprint of the past population bottleneck that the Finnish Peregrine population experienced. We conclude that high dispersal rates are likely to have contributed to maintaining genetic diversity across the landscape, by mixing individuals within the species’ distribution in Finland and thus preventing genetic structuring and negative effects associated with the population decline in the 1970s.     

Provision of supplementary food for wild birds may increase the risk of local nest predation

In countries such as the UK, USA and Australia, approximately half of all households provide supplementary food for wild birds, making this the public's most common form of active engagement with nature. Year‐round supplementary feeding is currently encouraged by major conservation charities in the UK as it is thought to be of benefit to bird conservation. However, little is understood about how the provision of supplementary food affects the behaviour and ecology of target and non‐target species. Given the scale of supplementary feeding, any negative effects may have important implications for conservation. Potential nest predators are abundant in urban areas and some species frequently visit supplementary feeding stations. We assess whether providing supplementary food affects the likelihood of nest predation in the vicinity of the feeder, by acting as a point attractant for potential nest predators. We provided feeding stations (empty, peanut feeder, peanut feeder with guard to exclude potential nest predators) in an area of suburban parkland in the UK and monitored the predation rate of eggs placed in artificial nests located at distances that replicated the size of typical suburban gardens. Nest predators (Magpies Pica pica, Grey Squirrels Sciurus carolinensis) were frequent visitors to filled feeders, and predation caused by Magpies, European Jays Garrulus glandarius and Grey Squirrels was significantly higher when nests were adjacent to filled feeders. The presence of a feeder guard did not significantly reduce nest predation. As supplementary feeding is becoming increasingly common during the breeding season in suburban habitats, we suggest that providing point attractants to nest predators at this time may have previously unconsidered consequences for the breeding success of urban birds.     

白马雪山自然保护区灰头小鼯鼠的巢址特征

动物的巢为其育幼、避敌和休息等提供了适宜的空间,因此,了解其巢址特征对于物种的保护和管理有着重要的意义。灰头小鼯鼠是一种小型树栖、夜行性哺乳动物,在国内主要分布在中部、南部及西南地区。2012年4月至6月和2012年9月至12月在白马雪山国家级自然保护区对灰头小鼯鼠的巢址特征进行了初步研究。结果表明:灰头小鼯鼠共利用2种巢,在针叶树上,灰头小鼯鼠多利用树枝巢;在阔叶树上,灰头小鼯鼠仅利用树洞巢。巢多紧靠树干(0.2±0.1) m,平均巢高(11.3±0.8) m,巢口无方向偏好。灰头小鼯鼠喜欢选择冠幅更大、通道数更多的树上筑巢,此外,其对郁闭度大,灌木盖度高的生境有明显的选择性。     

旅游对鸡形目鸟类巢成功率的影响——基于人工巢试验

旅游快速发展对野生动物的繁衍和种群发展造成的影响不容忽视。鸡形目鸟类大多为地面营巢,易受人为活动的影响。为揭示旅游对鸡形目鸟类巢成功率的影响,于2018年3—5月在河南董寨国家级自然保护区采用地面人工巢进行了两轮模拟试验,分析了试验轮次、巢密度、代表旅游活动强度的客流量和车流量,及植被类型、海拔等栖息地影响因子对人工巢成功率的影响。结果显示:客流量和海拔在繁殖成功巢和失败巢之间均存在不同程度的差异,繁殖成功巢的客流量较大、海拔较小,且在客流量较大、海拔较小的区域中人工巢的表观存活率明显较高。其中客流量是影响巢成功率的主导因素。此外,第二轮试验人工巢表观存活率显著低于第一轮试验,捕食者组成在不同试验轮次上也存在明显的差异,第一轮试验主要是鸟类,第二轮试验则是哺乳动物。白颈鸦、貉和野猪在本研究中是对巢威胁最大的捕食者。结果表明旅游活动可能会影响鸡形目鸟类的繁殖。因此建议在开展旅游活动时应综合考虑该区域所分布的野生动物及优先保护政策,注意控制旅游活动强度,以免对野生动物造成不良影响,并加强栖息地的保护。     

灰胸薮鹛繁殖行为初报

2009年春季在四川省屏山县老君山自然保护区对灰胸薮鹛Liocichla omeiensis繁殖行为进行了观察.灰胸薮鹛胆小畏人,喜藏匿于茂密灌丛中活动、鸣叫.4月中旬进入繁殖期后雄鸟占区鸣唱逐渐增加,5月中旬占区鸣唱达到高峰,5月下旬逐渐减少,进入育雏期.在山顶茂密方竹丛中找到1巢,对其进行了2个全天观察,雌、雄鸟共同喂雏,亲鸟均会暖雏,但雄鸟暖雏较雌鸟少.亲鸟吃掉幼鸟粪便及食物残渣,以保持巢的清洁.亲鸟喂给幼鸟食物以昆虫和小型蛾类为主,在巢期为15天.     

新疆巴音布鲁克繁殖期大天鹅的生境选择

2011年和2012年的6-8月,考察了分布于巴音布鲁克自然保护区的大天鹅(Cygnus cygnus)种群,分析了大天鹅巢址选择特征和育雏期生境选择特征。在野外共记录到了26个大天鹅巢址。与对照样方比较发现,植被高度、水深、所在水域面积、距干扰源距离和安全等级存在显著差异。进一步逻辑斯蒂回归分析表明,植被高度、水深和安全等级是影响大天鹅巢址选择的最主要的3种生境因子。采用样线法对育雏期大天鹅的生境选择进行了调查,发现大天鹅对沼泽湿地表现出正选择性,对草地表现出负选择性。样方法调查中,利用样方与对照样方比较发现,9种生境因子均存在显著差异,逻辑斯蒂回归分析表明,距干扰源距离和安全等级是影响大天鹅育雏期生境选择的最重要的两种因子。这样的选择机制有利于大天鹅更好的躲避敌害,顺利完成孵化和育雏工作。     

Nest building, sexual selection and parental investment

Avian nest building has traditionally been viewed as resulting in natural selection advantages, but it is also been associated with courtship and pair formation. We hypothesize that nest-building activity could be used as a sexually selected display, allowing each sex to obtain reliable information on the condition of the other. In this paper, we test the ‘good parent’ process in a scenario where nest size is a sexually selected trait. Thus, individuals with more extreme displays (larger nests) might obtain benefits in terms of either parental investment or differential parental investment by the partner. We predicted that: (1) species in which both sexes contribute to nest building have larger nests than those in which the nest is built only by one sex, because both sexes are using the nest-building process as a signal of their quality; (2) species in which both sexes work together in the nest-building process invest more in reproduction, because each can assess the other more reliably than in species where only one sex participates in nest building; and (3) in light of the two preceding predictions, nest size should be positively related to investment in parental care. A comparative analysis of 76 passerine species confirmed that nest size, relative to the species' body size, is larger when both sexes build the nest and that species with a larger nest relative to their body size invest more in reproduction. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

植被盖度对扬子鳄选巢和卵孵化的影响

于2002～2005年持续4年对自然和半自然环境下扬子鳄的87座巢内产卵与孵化情况进行观察,观察内容包括产卵时间、窝卵数、孵化期、孵化率等,同时对建巢处的植被盖度和植物种类进行观测。结果得出扬子鳄建巢所需的植被盖度适宜范围是63％～88％,鳄巢建在这种盖度范围内,巢内卵的自然孵化期缩短。     

秦岭西麓勺鸡巢及卵的初步观察

2006年在秦岭西麓林区,观察到4个勺鸡巢呈典型的深碗形,开口向上,圆形或近圆形,巢深8.60±0.33cm,巢口外径为21.50±0.41cm,巢口内径为14.75±0.96cm,巢材厚度为2.5～4.0cm。巢材质主要由枯叶、枯草及勺鸡自身掉落的羽毛构成。勺鸡卵近似椭球体,卵壳呈淡黄色,并伴有紫褐色斑点,平均长径为49.85±2.48mm;平均短径为36.00±1.41mm;窝卵数4～6枚。在秦岭西部山区,勺鸡喜欢选择栖息于1861～2100m之间的阔叶林或针阔混交林生境。由于森林的过度开发与人为捕猎,勺鸡野外生存状况不容乐观,亟需制定有效的措施加以保护。