Avian Research最新文献

{"title":"Moult-breeding trade-offs in the Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) could have management applications","authors":"Jia Li ,&nbsp;Dongping Liu ,&nbsp;Wei Li ,&nbsp;Wenbin Duan ,&nbsp;Jie Gao ,&nbsp;Chao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100250","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100250","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Moult is an essential event in the annual cycle of birds. Moult patterns and strategies of birds are crucial for understanding their life-history trade-offs and adaptations to the environment. However, moult knowledge is still lacking for many Eastern Palaearctic birds, especially large endangered species, mainly because of the difficulty in data collection. Here, we used field photography, a non-invasive method, to detect and score moult in the endangered Crested Ibis (<em>Nipponia nippon</em>) and explored the moult timing variations and moult-breeding trade-offs. The adult Crested Ibis sequentially moults its primaries outward, and secondaries inward from three foci from April to October. Age (adult versus sub-adult) and breeding status (breeding or not) have a significant effect on moult timing. Moult timing does not differ between the sexes, likely because of similar parental investments in breeding. Crested Ibis exhibits significant moult-breeding overlap, because moult is time constrained and needs to finish before the season of food scarcity in winter. Breeding timing (first egg laying date) has a strong impact on moult duration, with late breeders experiencing a longer moult duration, indicating that the moult intensity is slowed down during the breeding period because of trade-offs between moult and breeding. This reflects that energy allocation of late breeders is challenging during extensive periods of moult-breeding overlap, which might partly contribute to their high breeding failure. Our results strongly suggest the existence of a negative relationship between breeding time on one hand, and fitness and moult on the other: early breeders show higher reproductive output and higher quality plumage, whereas late breeders show lower reproductive output and lower quality plumage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100250"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An updated list of parasitic cuckoos and their hosts in China","authors":"Jianping Liu ,&nbsp;Sidan Lin ,&nbsp;Wei Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Avian brood parasitism is a unique reproductive behavior in which parasitic birds depend on other species to incubate their eggs and raise their offspring. In China, there are 20 species of cuckoos in the family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes, of which 17 species are parasitic cuckoos. This makes China one of the countries with the largest number of parasitic cuckoo species worldwide. Understanding the host utilization of cuckoos provides fundamental data for studying the coevolution of cuckoos with their hosts. We collected information on cuckoo hosts from the literature, photographs provided by birdwatchers, and online short video platforms, combined these data with our field observations, and summarized the parasitic cuckoos and their host species in China. A total of 1155 parasitism events were counted, involving 12 parasitic cuckoo species and 87 bird host species. These hosts belonged to 26 families, among which Muscicapidae was the most diverse with 19 species, accounting for 21.8% of the total hosts, followed by the families Phylloscopidae and Leiothrichidae with 8 species each, accounting for 9.2% of the total hosts recorded. The Common Cuckoo (<em>Cuculus canorus</em>) had the largest number of host taxa with 38 species, accounting for 43.7% of the total host species. This study adds 14 host species that have not been reported in China. However, for five species, the Jacobin Cuckoo (<em>Clamator jacobinus</em>), Banded Bay Cuckoo (<em>Cacomantis sonneratii</em>), Violet Cuckoo (<em>Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus</em>), Common Hawk-cuckoo (<em>Hierococcyx varius</em>), and Whistling Hawk-cuckoo (<em>Hierococcyx nisicolor</em>), information regarding host utilization is still lacking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100249"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Avian acoustic communication: Understanding of peripheral and central neural systems with ecological adaptations","authors":"Xuan Peng ,&nbsp;Limin Wang ,&nbsp;Chenchen Shao ,&nbsp;Dongming Li","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100248","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100248","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Avian vocal communication represents one of the most intricate forms of animal language, playing a critical role in behavioral interactions. Both peripheral and central auditory-vocal pathways are essential for precisely integrating acoustic signals, ensuring effective communication. Like humans, songbirds exhibit vocal learning behaviors supported by complex neural mechanisms. However, unlike most mammals, songbirds possess the remarkable ability to regenerate damaged auditory cells. These capabilities offer unique opportunities to explore how birds adjust their vocal behavior and auditory processing in response to dynamic environmental conditions. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the plasticity of avian vocal communication system, yet the vocal diversity and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying vocalization and hearing have often been examined independently. A comprehensive overview of how these systems interact and adapt in birds remains lacking. To address this gap, this review synthesizes the peripheral and central features of avian vocalization and hearing, while also exploring the mechanisms that drive the remarkable plasticity of these systems. Furthermore, it explores seasonal variations in bird vocalization and hearing and adaptations to environmental noise, focusing on how hormonal, neural, and ecological factors together shape vocal behavior and auditory sensitivity. Avian vocal communication systems present an exceptional model for studying the integration of peripheral and central vocal-auditory pathways and their adaptive responses to ever-changing environments. This review underscores the dynamic interactions between avian vocal communication systems and environmental stimuli, offering new insights into broader principles of sensory processing, and neuroplasticity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100248"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Crown saturation and intrasexual dominance: Evidence of a negatively correlated handicap in male Saffron Finches” [Avian Res. 16 (2025) 100241]","authors":"Camilo Ernesto Espinosa ,&nbsp;James Montoya Lerma ,&nbsp;Hector Fabio Rivera-Gutierrez ,&nbsp;Lorena Cruz-Bernate","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100246","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100246","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100246"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143792461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Size of the ulna and taxonomic order affect vane dimensions of secondary remiges in birds","authors":"D.C. Deeming,&nbsp;E.P. Bayliss,&nbsp;E. Ketley","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100245","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100245","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The number of secondary feathers varies among orders of birds with some orders exhibiting a positive relationship with ulna length, whereas in other orders secondary number is invariant. This difference has implications for scaling of the width of the feather vane within orders. In those species where the number of secondary remiges is invariant with ulna length, vane width should scale isometrically with ulna size to maintain an aerodynamic flight surface. Where feather count increases with increasing ulna length then vane width should exhibit negative allometry. Vane length should also correlate with ulna length, irrespective of the number of feathers. Data were compiled from an online library of images for the vane length and the width of the vane at 50% of the vane length for the fifth secondary feather for 209 bird species from 24 different orders. The results supported the hypotheses that vane width is a function of ulna size, and the number of secondary feathers as associated with different orders. Vane length was unaffected by the number of secondaries but varied between orders. The results suggest that birds have solved the problem of maintaining the aerodynamic surface of the proximal wing in two ways. Hence as ulna length increases the first solution involves more feathers that exhibit negative allometry for vane width, or in the second where feather count doesn't change, the vane width simply scales isometrically. The implications for the mechanical properties of the vane, and how it affects wing function, have not yet been explored in a range of birds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100245"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of China's natural forest protection project on habitat distribution of key protected birds in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau","authors":"Changli Bu ,&nbsp;Wendong Xie ,&nbsp;Zihe Ma ,&nbsp;Yifei Wang ,&nbsp;Yun Fang ,&nbsp;Kai Song ,&nbsp;Yue-Hua Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100244","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100244","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Natural Forest Protection Project (NFPP), initiated by the Chinese government in 2000, is a crucial ecological construction project that has played a significant role in forest restoration in China. Forests in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) serve as important habitats for many rare and endemic birds. Understanding the conservation efficiency of NFPP implementation on these birds holds significant practical significance. In this study, we utilized land use change matrices to analyze the forest changes in the QTP before and after NFPP implementation, predicted the potential spatial distribution of 16 nationally protected birds using Species Distribution Models (SDMs), and compared the impacts of this project on bird habitats under different carbon emission scenarios. Mann-Whitney <em>U</em> tests were employed to analyze the adaptation of different birds to forest changes during NFPP implementation. Our results showed that NFPP protected 172,398 km² of primary forests and added 6379 km² of secondary forests in our study area. The potential spatial distribution and sympatric species richness of the 16 protected birds slightly increased after NFPP implementation under different climate change scenarios, and NFPP implementation contributed to improving the potential spatial distribution of birds. Compared to newly established secondary forests, protected primary forests exhibited enhanced conservation for forest birds (<em>Z</em><em>-</em>value &gt; 0 for six bird species, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.1), while being less suitable for non-forest birds (significantly unsuitable for three non-forest bird species, <em>Z</em><em>-</em>value &lt; 0, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05; non-significantly unsuitable for four non-forest bird species, <em>Z</em><em>-</em>value &lt; 0, <em>P</em> &gt; 0.1). This indicates that the protection of primary forests during NFPP implementation benefits forest bird conservation while the addition of secondary forests is beneficial to non-forest birds. To enhance the role of NFPP in avian conservation in the QTP, it is suggested to increase the landscape heterogeneity of forest, particularly in newly established secondary forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100244"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143783719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Habitat suitability and influencing factors of a threatened highland flagship species, the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)","authors":"Hongying Xu ,&nbsp;Ru Jia ,&nbsp;Hongrui Lv ,&nbsp;Ge Sun ,&nbsp;Dongping Liu ,&nbsp;Hongyan Yu ,&nbsp;Cunxin Ma ,&nbsp;Tian Ma ,&nbsp;Wenhong Deng ,&nbsp;Guogang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100243","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100243","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Evaluating the habitat suitability of flagship species and its key influencing factors is vital for understanding potential conservation issues and developing coping strategies. We surveyed the wintering population size and distribution of the Black-necked Crane (<em>Grus nigricollis</em>) in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZRB) from 10 to 29 January 2022, and predicted the current potentially suitable habitat distribution and its effective factors using the MaxEnt model. A total of 9337 wintering Black-necked Cranes were recorded in the YZRB in 2022, 76.58 % of which were primarily found in Lhunzub, Samzhubze, Namling, and Lhaze. Compared to 2018, the crane population has exhibited a notable decline in Samzhubze and Taktse, likely due to farmland plowing, winter irrigation, changes in agricultural practices, road construction and hydraulic projects. The crane population within various counties exhibited a significant positive correlation with the suitable habitat area (<em>r</em> = 0.70, <em>P</em> = 0.002, <em>n</em> = 17). We also found that the currently suitable habitat area covered 17,204 km², of which only 3244 km² (18.86 %) was effectively protected at the national level, which was predominantly distributed in farmland and rangeland habitats characterized by gentle slopes, altitudes not exceeding 4500 m, and proximity to human settlements along rivers, where suitable isothermal values (51) and less seasonal precipitation (20 mm) prevail. Our study will be helpful for formulating reasonable conservation strategies to protect the core population of this threatened highland flagship species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100243"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crown saturation and intrasexual dominance: Evidence of a negatively correlated handicap in male Saffron Finches","authors":"Camilo Ernesto Espinosa ,&nbsp;James Montoya Lerma ,&nbsp;Hector Fabio Rivera-Gutierrez ,&nbsp;Lorena Cruz-Bernate","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100241","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100241","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carotenoid-based plumage coloration may signal individuals’ overall body condition, influencing reproduction and survival of birds. In tropical species, little is known about the influence of color on social interactions and mate attraction. We evaluated the chromatic variation of 136 adult Saffron Finches (<em>Sicalis flaveola</em>) in Cali and Jamundí, Colombia. Our aim was to determine whether plumage coloration in this social, abundant, and widely distributed species is a signal used in mate choice and establishment of hierarchies. We predicted that there was intrasexual chromatic variation in crown and throat, and that individuals with higher saturation, regardless of sex, would be preferred by opposite sex and they would be dominant in intrasexual aggressive interactions, reflecting better condition. We quantified the reflectance of the crown and throat with visible and ultraviolet light (300–700 nm) subsequent to the molecular sex determination of each individual. Our results suggest that the chromatic variation in the crown and throat is explained by the perception of medium and long wavelengths in both sexes. Additionally, saturation is the color characteristic that best explains the chromatic variation. We formed duos of individuals based on chromatic contrast and conducted 23 mate choice experiments and 21 dominance experiments. The analysis of spectra and experiments revealed that dominance in males was associated with less saturated crowns. Our results reveal that in the Saffron Finches the “negatively correlated handicap” is a plausible hypothesis. Crown color appears to mediate dominance interactions, with less saturated males potentially taking greater risks to gain access to resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100241"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of climatic conditions in wintering and breeding quarters on long-term breeding success in the Common Swift","authors":"Marco Cucco ,&nbsp;Giovanni Boano ,&nbsp;Carlo Ciani ,&nbsp;Mauro Ferri ,&nbsp;Luciano Gelfi ,&nbsp;Fausto Minelli ,&nbsp;Irene Pellegrino","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change can affect rainfall and temperature worldwide, and the ability of birds to react to these changes can be mirrored by studying population phenology and their breeding success. Some European species have advanced arrival and breeding dates in response to local spring advancement, but conditions experienced during winter seasons may also affect arrival dates and subsequent breeding success. We utilized data collected from 1983 to 2020 in four colonies of Common Swift (<em>Apus apus</em>) in Northern Italy (5486 breeding attempts) to examine the variations of laying date and breeding success in relation to non-breeding conditions (previous winter in Africa) and local conditions in breeding period (spring). Climatic conditions were monitored using the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices to describe conditions experienced in winter quarters and the local temperature and rainfall conditions of the breeding area. Common Swifts laid their eggs earlier in warmer springs, and this in turn had a positive effect on breeding success. We did not find evidence for any effects of African winter conditions on laying date nor on breeding success. However, because studies made in the same area have demonstrated a relationship of winter conditions (NAO) on individual survival, our data highlight the importance of considering environmental variables across the annual life cycle to understand variation in Common Swift populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100242"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of female bubbling calls: Within- and between-species variation among the four species of Cuculus cuckoos","authors":"Sue-Jeong Jin ,&nbsp;Hae-Ni Kim ,&nbsp;Jun-Seo Go ,&nbsp;Myeong-Chan Cha ,&nbsp;Heesoo Lee ,&nbsp;Seongho Yun ,&nbsp;Jin-Won Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In brood-parasitic <em>Cuculus</em> cuckoos, male vocalizations are species-specific and easily distinguishable, whereas female calls are remarkably similar across species, making species identification challenging. In this study, we examined the structural characteristics and variability of female bubbling calls among four <em>Cuculus</em> species (Common Cuckoo <em>C. canorus</em>, Oriental Cuckoo <em>C. optatus</em>, Indian Cuckoo <em>C. micropterus</em>, and Lesser Cuckoo <em>C. poliocephalus</em>) breeding in South Korea. Comprehensive acoustic analyses of seven call parameters, using recordings from 2021 to 2023, were conducted to quantify the characteristics of their calls and compare within- and between-individual variability across species. Significant differences were found across all call parameters, with the Common Cuckoo producing the highest number of notes and the Oriental Cuckoo the lowest-frequency calls. Despite these differences, the overall structure of the calls remained acoustically similar, with overlapping characteristics across species. Furthermore, female Common Cuckoos exhibited greater within-individual variability in their calls, while the other species showed higher between-individual variability, which may further complicate species identification based vocalization alone. These findings highlight the complexities of female vocalizations in <em>Cuculus</em> cuckoos and suggest that ecological, social, and evolutionary factors may contribute to this vocal variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 100240"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}