Avian Research最新文献

{"title":"Distributional and behavioral responses of the wintering Oriental Storks to drought in China's largest freshwater lake","authors":"Fucheng Yang,&nbsp;Mingqin Shao,&nbsp;Jianying Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Extreme droughts are increasing in frequency and severity globally as a result of climate change. Developing understanding of species' responses to drought is crucial for their conservation, especially in regions experiencing increased aridity. Although numerous studies have investigated birds' responses to drought, the emphasis has primarily been on landbirds. Drought can significantly alter the wetland environments that waterbirds inhabit, but the response of waterbirds to drought remains understudied. In this study, we surveyed the distribution and behavior of Oriental Storks (<em>Ciconia boyciana</em>) in Poyang Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in China. Results indicate that drought-induced catchment areas at the lowest water level limited the total population size of Oriental Storks in the sub-lakes. Sub-lakes with large catchment areas at the lowest water level demonstrated a capacity to support a larger population of wintering Oriental Storks. Over time, Oriental Storks exhibited a gradual concentration in Changhu Lake, characterized by larger catchments, after resource depletion in sub-lakes with smaller catchments. Additionally, the duration of Oriental Storks’ vigilance and moving behaviors decreased significantly compared with that observed before the drought. After the drought, Oriental Storks increased their foraging efforts, as evidenced by increased presence in deeper water and reaching their heads and necks into deeper water to forage, higher search rates, but lower foraging rates. In accordance with area-restricted search theory, reductions in habitat quality resulting from drought, including extensive fish die-offs, forced Oriental Storks to increase their foraging efforts. Sustaining a specific water area in sub-lakes during droughts can preserve resource availability, which is crucial for the conservation of Oriental Storks. Implementing measures such as water level control and micro-modification of lake bottoms in sub-lakes might mitigate the impact of drought on the piscivorous Oriental Storks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100176"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716624000197/pdfft?md5=be1738db21e98a28ff3760d90667a8ff&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716624000197-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140793982","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":"Correlation of personality with individual reproductive success in shrub-nesting birds depends on their life history style","authors":"Jianchuan Li ,&nbsp;Wen Zhang ,&nbsp;Ningning Sun ,&nbsp;Yujie Wang ,&nbsp;Lifang Gao ,&nbsp;Ran Feng ,&nbsp;Liqing Fan ,&nbsp;Bo Du","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Two questions in the research of animal personality—whether there is a correlation between a personality trait and individual reproductive success, and what is the genetic basis underlying a personality trait—remain unresolved. We addressed these two questions in three shrub-nesting birds, the Azure-winged Magpie (<em>Cyanopica cyanus</em>, AM), White-collared Blackbird (<em>Turdus albocinctus</em>, WB), and Brown-cheeked Laughingthrush (<em>Trochalopteron henrici</em>, BL). The personality type of an individual was first identified according to its response to a territorial intruder. Then, we compared the fleeing distance, breeding parameters, and differential expressed genes (DEGs) in the brain transcriptome between bold and shy breeders. In the three species, bold breeders exhibited more aggressiveness towards an intruder of their territory than did shy breeders. The reproductive success of bold breeders was significantly higher than that of shy breeders in AM but not in WB and BL. The three species shared one DEG, <em>crabp1</em>, which was up-regulated in bold relative to in shy individuals. By regulating the expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone, higher <em>crabp1</em> gene expression can decrease cellular response to retinoic acid. Therefore, bold individuals are insensitive to external stresses and able to exhibit more aggressiveness to intruders than their shier counterparts. Aggressiveness is beneficial to bold individuals in AM but not in WB and BL because the former could evoke neighbors to make the same response of defending against intruders but the latter could not. Although a personality trait may have the same genetic basis across species, its correlation with reproductive success depends largely on the life history style of a species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100153"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716623000798/pdfft?md5=f640715899b21095de8600936de4a219&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716623000798-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139064006","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":"Diverse foraging strategies of breeding Swinhoe's Storm-petrel in the productive marginal sea of the Northwest Pacific","authors":"Yachang Cheng ,&nbsp;Lei Zhu ,&nbsp;Lin Xue ,&nbsp;Shisheng Ma ,&nbsp;Nan Jia ,&nbsp;Shaoping Zang ,&nbsp;Zhihai Cao ,&nbsp;Jing Yuan ,&nbsp;Yang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Understanding the foraging behavior is essential for investigating seabird ecology and conservation, as well as monitoring the well-being of the marine environment. Breeding seabirds adopt diverse foraging strategies to maximize energy gains and cope with the intensified challenges of parenting and self-maintenance. Such trade-off may stem from the heterogeneity of food resources and the constraints of central place foraging. Nevertheless, abundant marine productivity could alleviate the energy limitation for seabirds, resulting in a consistent foraging approach. Here, we investigated the foraging strategy during the breeding season of a cryptic small-sized seabird, Swinhoe's Storm-petrel (<em>Hydrobates monorhis</em>), in the Yellow Sea, a productive marginal sea of the Northwest Pacific. Using GPS tracking, we evaluated habitat preference, quantified the foraging strategy, and tested if environmental conditions and individual traits influence foraging trips. We found that Swinhoe's Storm-petrels preferred nearshore areas with shallow water and engaged in primarily short foraging trips. Distinctive southeastward and southwestward strategies emerged when combining trip metrics, including foraging direction, duration, and maximum distance. The bathymetry, proximity to the coastline, and sea surface temperature differed in two foraging strategies. Foraging strategies exhibited flexibility between individuals, potentially explained by wing morphology, in which longer-winged birds are more likely to embark on longer-distance foraging trips. These findings highlight the impact of environmental factors and individual traits on seabirds' foraging decisions in productive marginal sea ecosystems. Our study also provides valuable insights into the foraging ecology of this Asian endemic storm-petrel.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100157"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S205371662300083X/pdfft?md5=16c9f4e205037e233b2ce3a73d2e29f6&pid=1-s2.0-S205371662300083X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139078665","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":"Sounding the alarm: Functionally referential signaling in Azure-winged Magpie","authors":"Xingyi Jiang,&nbsp;Yanyun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100164","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100164","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Functionally referential signals are a complex form of communication that conveys information about the external environment. Such signals have been found in a range of mammal and bird species and have helped us understand the complexities of animal communication. Corvids are well known for their extraordinary cognitive abilities, but relatively little attention has been paid to their vocal function. Here, we investigated the functionally referential signals of a cooperatively breeding corvid species, Azure-winged Magpie (<em>Cyanopica cyanus</em>). Through field observations, we suggest that Azure-winged Magpie uses referential alarm calls to distinguish two types of threats: ‘rasp’ calls for terrestrial threats and ‘chatter’ calls for aerial threats. A playback experiment revealed that Azure-winged Magpies responded to the two call types with qualitatively different behaviors. They sought cover by flying into the bushes in response to the ‘chatter’ calls, and flew to or stayed at higher positions in response to ‘rasp’ calls, displaying a shorter response time to ‘chatter’ calls. Significant differences in acoustic structure were found between the two types of calls. Given the extensive cognitive abilities of corvids and the fact that referential signals were once thought to be unique to primates, these findings are important for expanding our understanding of social communication and language evolution.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100164"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716624000070/pdfft?md5=507206db2ba16a204afacf7c20485a24&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716624000070-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139957041","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 Crested Ibises expanding to plain areas exhibit a higher tolerance of human proximity","authors":"Yuqi Zou ,&nbsp;Yiting Jiang ,&nbsp;Zitan Song ,&nbsp;Xiaobin Fang ,&nbsp;Changqing Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100165","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100165","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Animals must strike a balance between anti-predation behavior and other essential behaviors, such as foraging. Within the same species, strategies may vary on individuals' risk-taking preferences, and in this process the environment is a determinant, in addition to predator regime. The Crested Ibis (<em>Nipponia nippon</em>) exhibits such tendency. This is an endangered species, once inhabiting exclusively in China's Qinling Mountain. This used to be the sole remaining wild population. However, over recent decades, this population has expanded. A portion has relocated to breed in the lower plain area, which is characterized by elevated level of human activities and landscape complexity. We used flight initiation distance (FID) as an indicator of the ibises' risk-taking preference, particularly their response to human proximity. Additionally, we examined the environmental factors influencing their foraging site selection, including altitude, terrain openness, human activity intensity and human construction. Our findings revealed a significantly shorter FID among individuals relocating to plain habitats, indicating a higher tolerance of human proximity. The results showed that FID decreased with distance to the nearest human settlement. Another finding is that FID was independent of instant human activity intensity and environmental factors (altitude and terrain openness). These different may arise from various combinations of human activity, predation risk, and food abundance within the two habitats. These results provide insights into the <em>in</em> <em>situ</em> conservation of the threatened species within the context of global urbanization.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100165"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716624000082/pdfft?md5=c78d58014bcc8a8a4b6b114e98850236&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716624000082-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140004614","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":"Hard life for sons in the nest? Sex-dependent offspring mortality in Great Tits in urban and forest areas","authors":"Nóra Ágh ,&nbsp;Henriett Anna Dalvári ,&nbsp;Krisztián Szabó ,&nbsp;Ivett Pipoly ,&nbsp;András Liker","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sex-biased mortality can occur in birds during development, for example due to sexual differences in energy requirement and/or environmental sensitivity, or the effects of sex hormones or sex differences in the expression of mutations linked to sex chromosomes. The extent of sex-bias in mortality may also be related to environmental conditions that influence offspring development and survival. Urban areas often provide poorer conditions for nestling development resulting in higher offspring mortality compared to natural areas, which may accelerate sex differences in offspring mortality in cities. To test this hypothesis, we examined the sex ratio of dead offspring in Great Tits (<em>Parus major</em>), using 427 samples of unhatched eggs and dead nestlings collected in two urban and two forest sites between 2013 and 2019. The ratio of males in the whole sample of dead offspring (56.9%) was significantly higher than expected by an 1:1 ratio, and the strongest sex biases were detected in urban areas (57.6% males) and in young nestlings (&lt;14 days old, 59.0% males). However, the sex ratios of dead offspring did not differ significantly among study sites and between offspring developmental stages. 29.3% of unhatched eggs contained a visible embryo, and the proportion of embryo-containing unhatched eggs did not differ significantly between urban and forest study sites. These results suggest male-biased offspring mortality in Great Tits, and highlight the need of large datasets to detect subtle differences between habitats and developmental stages.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100169"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716624000124/pdfft?md5=215534bf0f4adb732a7c0c1739b55d25&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716624000124-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140054661","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":"Population genomic data reveal low genetic diversity, divergence and local adaptation among threatened Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)","authors":"Qi Lu ,&nbsp;Pengcheng Wang ,&nbsp;Jiang Chang ,&nbsp;De Chen ,&nbsp;Shenghan Gao ,&nbsp;Jacob Höglund ,&nbsp;Zhengwang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100156","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Population genomic data could provide valuable information for conservation efforts; however, limited studies have been conducted to investigate the genetic status of threatened pheasants. Reeves's Pheasant (<em>Syrmaticus reevesii</em>) is facing population decline, attributed to increases in habitat loss. There is a knowledge gap in understanding the genomic status and genetic basis underlying the local adaptation of this threatened bird. Here, we used population genomic data to assess population structure, genetic diversity, inbreeding patterns, and genetic divergence. Furthermore, we identified candidate genes linked with adaptation across the current distribution of Reeves's Pheasant. The present study assembled the first <em>de novo</em> genome sequence of Reeves's Pheasant and annotated 19,458 genes. We also sequenced 30 individuals from three populations (Dabie Mountain, Shennongjia, Qinling Mountain) and found that there was clear population structure among those populations. By comparing with other threatened species, we found that Reeves's Pheasants have low genetic diversity. Runs of homozygosity suggest that the Shennongjia population has experienced serious inbreeding. The demographic history results indicated that three populations experienced several declines during the glacial period. Local adaptative analysis among the populations identified 241 candidate genes under directional selection. They are involved in a large variety of processes, including the immune response and pigmentation. Our results suggest that the three populations should be considered as three different conservation units. The current study provides genetic evidence for conserving the threatened Reeves's Pheasant and provides genomic resources for global biodiversity management.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100156"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716623000828/pdfft?md5=6d6721caf38120ae008cab4159dd34af&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716623000828-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139068433","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":"Combining video and GPS-tracking to study the spatial foraging distribution of a single-prey loading seabird","authors":"Ruben C. Fijn ,&nbsp;Wouter Courtens ,&nbsp;Bas W.R. Engels ,&nbsp;Emiel E. van Loon ,&nbsp;Judy Shamoun-Baranes","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Seabirds are valuable indicators of marine ecosystem processes and studying seabird diets can shed light on natural or human-induced variability in food-web composition. Specifically single-prey loading seabird species such as terns have the potential to act as visual sentinels of prey availability offshore. However, obtaining diet information from remote bird colonies is often challenging and time consuming. In this pilot study we present a novel approach to combine two established methods to study seabird foraging ecology, providing a powerful and cost-effective tool to study the distribution of prey items available to seabirds. We combined GPS tracking data of Sandwich Terns (<em>Thalasseus sandvicensis</em>) with prey-observations from a hide in 2012 and 2013, and from semi-continuously recorded camera footage in 2017. By doing so, we identified 115 approximate catch locations of prey (86 herring/sprat Clupeidae, 29 sandeel Ammodytidae). Combining GPS-data and prey observations yielded detailed knowledge on the movements and chick diets of tracked birds as well as the spatial origin and lengths of captured prey items. Further catch distances of both Clupeidae and Ammodytidae resulted in deliveries of larger prey items and thus higher energy yield per trip, but also a higher energy expenditure per trip. We discuss the limitations and potential of our methodological approach to study foraging energetics during chick-provisioning of seabirds that carry prey items visible in their beaks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100196"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716624000392/pdfft?md5=7f2ace86a3c2eda53262aa2d614e3128&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716624000392-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141852977","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":"Bird species (Charadriiformes) does not impact endosymbiotic bacteria (Gammaproteobacteria) of their ectoparasites (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera)","authors":"Alexandra A. Grossi ,&nbsp;Min Zhang ,&nbsp;Fasheng Zou ,&nbsp;Daniel R. Gustafsson","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Endosymbiotic bacteria of insects can facilitate host expansion into novel niches by providing their host with a fitness benefit such as vitamins or amino acids that are otherwise lacking in their hosts' diet. This close association can lead to cospeciation between insects and their symbionts; however, the symbionts’ small genome size leaves it susceptible to genome derogation which can result in symbiont replacement. Here, we screen chewing lice infesting shorebirds and terns to see what endosymbiotic bacteria are present, and build a summary phylogeny that includes louse endosymbiont sequences from this study as well as those from other louse genera, insects and bacteria strains from GenBank. We found a <em>Sodalis</em>-allied endosymbiont in <em>Carduiceps</em>, <em>Lunaceps</em>, <em>Quadraceps</em>, and <em>Saemundssonia</em>, as well as symbionts belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae in <em>Lunaceps</em>, and <em>Quadraceps</em>. No louse species were host to both endosymbionts; however, the birds Kentish Plover (<em>Charadrius alexandrinus</em>) and Greater Crested Tern (<em>Thalasseus bergii</em>) were host to two genera of lice, each of which was infested with a different group of endosymbionts. In the summary phylogeny the endosymbionts from shorebirds, and tern lice did not form a monophyletic group, and therefore likely acquired their bacterial endosymbionts multiple times.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100206"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716624000495/pdfft?md5=1d4d89ac48675a7623dd14e619ebee3a&pid=1-s2.0-S2053716624000495-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142172509","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":"Anthropogenic nesting materials and reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls (Pycnonotus sinensis) along the urbanization gradient in Hangzhou, China","authors":"Xingmin Chen ,&nbsp;Qin Zhang ,&nbsp;Sisi Lan ,&nbsp;Qin Huang ,&nbsp;Shuihua Chen ,&nbsp;Yanping Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100207","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100207","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife. One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces, which has discernible effects on wildlife. Interestingly, an emerging trend has been observed that birds are incorporating anthropogenic materials into their nests. However, the relationship between anthropogenic nesting materials (ANMs) and the reproductive performance of urban birds is unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the incorporation of ANMs into nests and the reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls (<em>Pycnonotus sinensis</em>) by monitoring and collecting data on 136 breeding nests in Hangzhou, China. We gathered data on seven reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls, including laying date, incubation period, nestling period, clutch size, egg volume, hatching success rate, and fledging success rate. We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index as a measure of the level of urbanization and examined its relationship with the proportion and weight of ANMs. Through examination of nest components, we observed significant increase in the proportion and weight of ANMs with the urbanization synthetic index. Notably, we found a higher hatching success rate of Chinese Bulbuls with an increasing proportion of ANMs. However, the inclusion of ANMs in nests was not correlated with other reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls. Overall, the use of ANMs by Chinese Bulbuls is consistent with the adaptive hypothesis and the availability hypothesis. Further studies should use controlled experiments to investigate the impact of ANMs on avian reproductive success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100207"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357190","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}