Impacts of bird abundance, activity height and light intensity on the number of birds captured by mist netting

To understand better the impact on mist net capture rates of the activity height of birds, light intensity, bird richness and abundance, we compared data from mist nets and point counts at the Jianfengling Forest Area, Hainan Island. Mist-nets were operated for a total of 7135 net-hours. A total of 587 individuals of 45 bird species were captured. The total mean capture rate was 8.6 ± 10.4 per 100 net-hours. A total of 4932 individuals of 107 bird species were recorded by visual observation alone and 7616 individuals of 120 species were recorded in a visual and aural combination. The Grey-cheeked Fulvetta (Alcippe morrisonia) was the most abundant species, accounting for 38.7% of total captures, 27.9% of visual observations and 22.2% of visual + aural observations. The capture number was correlated with the number observed. Thirty-one species were more likely to be captured than observed. Canopy species, such as members of the Corvidae and Dicruridae, were seldom captured. For all ground feeding species, the capture number was greater than that of observation. Some cryptic species, such as the Lesser Wren Babbler (Napothera epilepidota), Spotnecked Babbler (Stachyris striolata) and Cuckoo Owl (Glaucidium cuculoides) also had a higher relative capture rate than that of observations. There was a significant relationship between light intensity and the number of birds captured.

Time budgets of Tibetan eared pheasants during the non-breeding season in an alpine scrub habitat

Time allocations of the group-living Tibetan eared pheasants Crossoptilon harmani with and without supplementary food were investigated by full-day sampling from winter through spring in an alpine scrub zone, south Tibet. At a flock scale, both the different food-supply flocks displayed similar daily patterns of activity, foraging in the morning and evening, and resting around midday. In terms of individual activity, either foraging or resting was highly synchronous with the flock＇s. Non-provisioned birds spent more time feeding and less resting in midwinter than in late autumn. In early spring as climates became warmer and day longer, however, non-provisioned birds did not decrease their feeding efforts significantly but the provisioned birds did. Across the non-breeding seasons, the provisioned birds （relying on nutrition-rich artificial food） devoted less time to feeding and more to resting than did the non-provisioned ones （relying on nutrition-poor plant roots）. Multivariate analysis showed increased food supply and ambient temperature resulted in a reduced foraging effort. However, the fact that the non-provisioned birds can save daily time for resting even in the cold short-day length mid-winter indicated that they faced no energetic constraint. Thus, protecting shelter vegetation rather than providing extra food is suggested to be important for long-term survival of the endangered galliform birds [ Current Zoology 55 （3） ： 193 - 199, 2009] .

Characteristics of bird communities between slope and valley in natural deciduous forest, South Korea

Bird communities were surveyed in natural deciduous forest of both slope area and valley area at Mt. Gyebangsan (3740 30 N, 12830 1 E), Gangwon Province, South Korea in winter, spring, summer and autumn from September 2000 to November 2001. The investigating results showed that there existed differences in the bird species composition, richness, bird species diversity, guild structure between slope area and valley area, and the vertical forest structure, especially coverage of understory, and diameter at breast height (DBH) distribution also had significant difference between the two study areas. The differences in habitat structure between the areas are very likely to have influences on how birds used the available habitat.

我曾踏月而来

我曾踏月而来,只因你在山中。——题记作家玄衣朱裳在《穆桂英挂帅》中曾言,'世间情动,不过盛夏白瓷梅子汤,碎冰碰壁当啷响',而我的情动时刻却是目光所处皆是诗情。'月色与雪色之间',诗'是第三种绝色'。然而,多少迁客骚人、文人雅士有过的,今天的视野却'杳不知其所之'了。可我,最爱'和羞走,倚门回首,却把青梅嗅'的羞涩;最爱'水光潋滟晴方好,山色空蒙雨亦奇'的景致;最爱'人行明镜中,鸟度屏风里'的清澈;最爱'长安一片月,万户捣衣声'的寂静……而它们今安在?

Space use of wintering waterbirds in India： Influence of trophic ecology on home-range size

Relationship between species＇ home range and their other biological traits remains poorly understood, especially in migratory birds due to the difficulty associated with tracking them. Advances in satellite telemetry and remote sensing techniques have proved instrumental in overcoming such challenges. We studied the space use of migratory ducks through satellite telemetry with an objective of understanding the influence of body mass and feeding habits on their home-range sizes. We marked 26 indi- viduals, representing five species of migratory ducks, with satellite transmitters during two consecutive winters in three Indian states. We used kernel methods to estimate home ranges and core use areas of these waterfowl, and assessed the influence of body mass and feeding habits on home-range size. Feeding habits influenced the home-range size of the migratory ducks. Carnivorous ducks had the largest home ranges, herbivorous ducks the smallest, while omnivorous species had intermediate home-ranges. Body mass did not explain variation in home-range size. To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind on migratory ducks, and it has important implications for their conservation and management [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 616-621, 2014].

Bird assemblages in natural and urbanized habitats along elevational gradient in Nainital district （western Himalaya） of Uttarakhand state, India

The Indian subcontinent is amongst the biologically better known parts of the tropics and its bird fauna has been well documented. However, avian community composition and diversity along elevational gradients and amongst habitat types remains unclear in India. We attempted to estimate bird assemblages in terms of diversity, species composition, status and abun- dance in urban and forest habitats of Nainital district of Uttarakhand （350-2450 m asl; 29N）, Western Himalayas. We sampled different elevational gradients and to understand the effect of urbanization and season on avian community composition. Field studies were conducted during January 2005 to January 2007. Results indicated that the forest had more complex bird community structure in terms of higher species richness （14.35 vs 8.69）, higher species diversity （Shannon＇s index 4.00 vs 3.54）, higher evenness （0.838 vs 0.811） and more rare species （17 vs 5） as compared to urban habitat. However, the abundance of 11 species was higher in urban habitats. Bird Species Richness （BSR） varied considerably among study areas （91 to 113 species）, was high- est （113 species） at mid elevation （1450-1700 m asl） and decreased （22 species） at high elevation （1900-2450 m asl）. It seems that high BSR at mid altitudes is not caused by the presence of a group of mid altitude specialists but rather that there is an over- lap in the distribution of low land and high elevation specialists at this altitude. BSR and Bird Species Diversity fluctuated across seasons but not habitat type [Current Zoology 57 （3）： 318-329,2011].

Breeding bird density does not drive vocal individuality

Many species produce individually specific vocalizations and sociality is a hypothesized driver of such individuality. Previous studies of how social variation influenced individuality focused on colonial or non-colonial avian species, and how so- cial group size influenced individuality in sciurid rodents. Since sociality is an important driver of individuality, we expected that bird species that defend nesting territories in higher density neighborhoods should have more individually-distinctive calls than those that defend nesting territories in lower-density neighborhoods. We used Beecher＇s information statistic to quantify individu- ality, and we examined the relationship between bird density （calculated with point-counts） and vocal individuality on seven spe- cies of passerines. We found non-significant relationships between breeding bird density and vocal individuality whether regres- sions were fitted on species values, or on phylogenetically-independent contrast values. From these results, we infer that while in- dividuality may be explained by social factors, breeding bird density is unlikely to be generally important in driving the evolution of individually-specific vocalizations [Current Zoology 58 （5）： 765-772, 2012].

Local predation pressure predicts the strength of mobbing responses in tropical birds

Many birds join cooperative mobbing aggregations and collectively harass predators. Individuals participating in these ephemeral associations benefit by deterring the predator, but also incur energetic costs and increased risk of predation. Ex- plaining the evolution of mobbing is challenging because individuals could prevail by selfishly seeking safety while allowing others to mob. An important step in understanding the evolution of mobbing is to identify factors affecting its expression. The ecological constraints model suggests that animals are more likely to cooperate under adverse environmental conditions, such as when local predation pressure is high. We tested this prediction by comparing the mobbing responses of several species of birds to the local abundance of their primary predator, the ferruginous pygmy-owl Glaucidium brasilianum. We used acoustic playback to elicit mobbing responses in environments where owls were common, uncommon, or rare. Stimuli were either the song of a fer- ruginous pygmy-owl or the mobbing calls of three of the owl＇s common prey species. During each playback, we characterized mobbing responses by noting the number of species and individuals that approached the loudspeaker, as well as the closest ap- proach by any bird. Mobbing responses to both stimuli were strong in locations where Ferruginous Pygmy-owls were common, intermediate where owls were uncommon, and weak where they were rare. This pattern persisted even after controlling for dif- ferences in species richness and composition among the three environments. Results support the ecological constraints model and provide strong evidence that intense predation pressure increases the expression of cooperative mobbing in tropical birds [Cur- rent Zoology 58 （5）： 781-790, 2012].

Woodland Mediterranean birds can resist a dry extreme cold wave

The ecological consequences of climate extreme events are still poorly understood, especially those related to cold episodes. Winter cold spells might imperil the energy balance of small passerines, thus compromising their survivorship. Here we analyze how the abundance and habitat use of three tree-gleaning passerine species wintering in a montane oakwood of central Spain at ca. 1,300 m a.s.1, was influenced by the cold wave that hit Europe in February 2012. We monitored temperature, wind and the relative abundance of great tit Parus major, blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus and long-tailed tit Aegithalos caudatus in 15 plots throughout three periods： before, during and after the cold wave. Our results clearly rule out widespread mortality and temporal migration of the studied passerine populations, as the abundance of these species did not diminish during the cold wave. Moreover, the species usually foraging higher in the tree canopy -and thus more exposed to windmoved to the less windy woodland plots （long-tailed tit） and reduced their foraging height above ground during the cold wave （long-tailed tit and blue tit）, probably to mitigate the deleterious effects of wind chill. Therefore, these forest birds were able to cope with a dry cold wave that was statistically extreme in terms of temperature and wind chill, according to the historic climate records of the region. It seems that, at least when foraging substrates are not heavily covered by snow or ice, Mediterranean birds can resist an extreme cold wave [Current Zoology 60 （4）： 429-437, 2014].

Spring and autumn migration of the red-breasted flycatcher through the Kizilirmak delta, Turkey

The red-breasted flycatcher Ficedula parva is a small passerine bird that breeds in Eastern Europe and across central Asia and winters on the Indian subcontinent. Birds from the western extreme of the breeding range migrating to and from the wintering grounds utilise a large longitudinal component en route that is not typical of the majority of European passerines. Therefore, it is one of the lesser-known species in Europe with respect to migration and biometrics. The aim of this study is to describe the numbers, phenology and biometry of the red-breasted flycatcher in relation to age, sex and migration season at a stopover site in northern Turkey. The number of individuals ringed in autumn was six times higher than in the spring passage. Furthermore, the period of the spring passage was shorter than in autumn, and in spring males migrate six days earlier than fe- males and juveniles; no such differences were found in antumn. Moreover, migrants carried more fuel reserves in spring than in autumn and no differences were recorded in the length of stopover duration. The study underlines the importance of further re- search into passerine migration across Turkey to better understand the whole migratory system of movements of the Palaearctic migratory passerine populations