Habitat Utilization of the Sichuan Hill Partridge (Arborophila rufipectus) in the Non-breeding Period in Laojunshan Nature Reserve

The Sichuan Hill Partridge （Arborophila rufipectus ） requires successional broadleaf forest and their populations have declined as a result of fragmentation of endemic bird areas in subtropical forest in the mountains of southwestern China. In this paper, habitat utilization of the Sichuan Hill Partridge was studied in replanted broadleaf forests, in Laojunshan Nature Reserve of Sichuan, to determine the importance of habitat features, during the non-breeding period from November to December 2005. The Sichuan Hill Partridge utilized habitats within elevations of 1 000 to 1 600 m and with a south-facing slope of two to 15 degrees, close to road and forest edges. The birds preferred sites with smaller bamboo density, lower bamboo cover and snow cover and shrub cover was greater at used sites than at random sites. Principal components analysis indicated that food on the ground layer, topographic condition, concealment and temperature were the first four components of bird habitat selection, and the load of the first component was 29.407%. The findings indicated that the Sichuan Hill Partridge might face the well-documented trade-off between food resource and predation risk when utilizing habitat. We suggest that the conservation and restoration of successional broadleaf forest habitats will benefit the Sichuan Hill Partridge.

Detecting the non-breeding region and migration route of Whimbrels(Numenius phaeopus rogachevae)in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway

Determining the migration routes and connections of migratory birds at the population level helps clarify intraspecific differences in migration.Five subspecies have been recognized in the Whimbrel(Numenius phaeopus)in Eurasia.Ssp.rogachevae is the most recently described subspecies.It breeds in Central Siberia,while its non-breeding region and migration routes are still unclear.We tracked the migration of Eurasian Whimbrels captured at three non-breeding sites(Moreton Bay in east coast of Australia,Roebuck Bay in Northwest Australia and Sungei Buloh Wetland in Singapore)and two migration stopover sites(Chongming Dongtan and Mai Po Wetland in China).We determined the breeding sites and inferred the subspecies of the tagged birds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway(EAAF)based on the known breeding distribution of each subspecies.Of the 30 tagged birds,6 and 21 birds bred in the breeding range of ssp.rogachevae and variegatus,respectively;one bred in the presumed transition area between the breeding range of ssp.phaeopus and rogachevae,and two bred in the region between the breeding range of ssp.rogachevae and variegatus.The birds that bred in the ssp.rogachevae breeding range spent their non-breeding season in the northern Sumatra,Singapore,East Java and Northwest Australia and mainly stopped over along China's coasts during migration.None of our birds bred in the exclusive breeding range of the phaeopus subspecies.Previous studies have predicted that rogachevae whimbrels migrate along the Central Asian Flyway and spend the non-breeding season in West India and East Africa.We found that at least some rogachevae whimbrels migrate along the EAAF and spend the non-breeding season in Southeast Asia and Australia.The ssp.phaeopus is at best sparsely distributed in the EAAF in the west region,or possibly does not occur at all.

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] .

Homeward bound:canopy cover and species identity influence non-breeding season homing success and speed in forest birds

Background:Efficient and safe movement is fundamental for wild birds to thrive in their environments.For arboreal forest animals,especially birds,canopy cover has a large impact on birds’daily movements and is a crucial component of conservation strategies seeking to retain avian population in disturbed or urban habitats.Methods:We translocated woodland bird species utilizing different forest strata during two non-breeding seasons in Gainesville,FL,USA.We used linear model and generalized linear model to examine the effects of canopy cover and species identity on homing success and speed.Results:Among our study species of Tufted Titmouse(Baeolophus bicolor),Carolina Chickadee(Poecile carolinensis),and Northern Cardinal(Cardinalis cardinalis),we found that Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice were more likely to return than Northern Cardinals.Among birds that successfully returned,homing speed is significantly affected by forest canopy cover and species identity(titmice had higher homing speed than cardinals).Birds return much faster in landscape with higher canopy cover.Conclusions:This study presented evidence of species identity’s effect on homing success and speed in common feeder bird species in Southeast US and provided further evidence that bird movements in the suburban land cover are constrained by low canopy cover.

低非植酸磷饲粮添加植酸酶对蛋种鸭产蛋性能、种蛋蛋壳品质和孵化性能及子代骨骼发育的影响

本试验通过研究在低非植酸磷(NPP)饲粮中添加植酸酶对蛋种鸭产蛋性能、种蛋蛋壳品质和孵化性能、子代骨骼指标和粪磷含量的影响,旨在明确低NPP水平饲粮与植酸酶在蛋种鸭中的应用效果。试验采用2×2两因素完全随机试验设计,其中NPP水平分别为0.18%和0.25%,植酸酶添加水平分别为0和500 FTU/kg。试验选取54周龄龙岩山麻鸭种母鸭240只,随机分为4个组,每组6个重复,每个重复10只,单笼饲养。试验期27周。结果表明:1)0.25%NPP组蛋种鸭平均日采食量显著低于0.18%NPP组(P<0.05)。饲粮NPP和植酸酶水平对蛋种鸭产蛋率、平均蛋重、日产蛋重和料蛋比均无显著影响(P>0.05)。2)0.25%NPP组出壳雏鸭体重显著高于0.18%NPP组(P<0.05)。饲粮NPP和植酸酶水平对出壳雏鸭体重有显著的交互作用(P<0.05),其中0.18%NPP+500 FTU/kg植酸酶组出壳雏鸭体重显著高于0.18%NPP+未添加植酸酶组(P<0.05),且与0.25%NPP+500 FTU/kg植酸酶组相比差异不显著(P>0.05)。饲粮NPP和植酸酶水平对种蛋蛋壳相对重量、蛋壳强度、蛋壳厚度、受精率、受精蛋孵化率和健雏率均无显著影响(P>0.05)。3)0.25%NPP组蛋种鸭子代雏鸭龙骨长显著高于0.18%NPP组(P<0.05)。4)0.25%NPP组蛋种鸭血浆甲状旁腺素含量显著高于0.18%NPP组(P<0.05)。5)0.25%NPP组蛋种鸭粪水溶性磷含量显著高于0.18%NPP组(P<0.05)。与未添加植酸酶相比,饲粮中添加500 FTU/kg植酸酶显著降低粪总磷含量(P<0.05)。由此可见,蛋种鸭饲粮NPP水平从0.18%提高至0.25%,能够显著提高雏鸭出壳体重和龙骨长;在NPP水平为0.18%的饲粮中添加500 FTU/kg植酸酶可显著改善雏鸭出壳体重,降低蛋种鸭粪磷含量。

肉种鹅反季节繁殖技术的研究

为了克服种鹅繁殖活动的季节性束缚,从而使雏鹅和商品肉鹅分别能够在全年各个时期均衡供应市场,本文从遮黑鹅舍、光照控制、限制饲喂和人工强制换羽方案设计四方面详实阐述了改变种鹅传统的季节性繁殖的方式,实现反季节繁殖。该项技术的具体实施方案可操作性强、适用性广,对促进我国鹅业产业化快速发展必将起到积极的推动作用。

Synchronization of Estrus in Sheep in Different Seasons

[Objectives] The aim was to improve and stabilize the estrus synchronization of local sheep in Xinjiang during the breeding season and non-breeding season. [Methods]The data of estrus rate and estrus concentration time were analyzed by different hormone treatment programs. [Results]eding season,whether PMSC was used did not affect the estrus of sheep when sponge and PG were used（ P 〉 0. 05）. Estrus was concentrated in 36-48 h after sponge plugs were removed,and the estrus rate in this period accounted for 74. 19% of the total. In non-breeding season,the estrus rate in the sponge plug plus PGF treatment was only56. 12%,significantly lower than that（ 90. 43%） in the sponge plug plus PG plus PMSG treatment（ P 〈 0. 01）. The estrus was also concentrated in 36-48 h after sponge plugs were removed. The estrus rate at this stage was 67. 42%,accounting for 82. 8% of the total. In breeding season,the estrus rate in sheep injected with333 IU of PMSG（ 81. 96%） was significantly lower than those of sheep injected with 500（ 90. 25%） and 750 IU（ 95. 3%）（ P 〈 0. 05）. [Conclusions] This study provides a theoretical basis for the production enterprises to save a lot of manpower and material resources.

GPS tracking of non-breeding ravens reveals the importance of anthropogenic food sources during their dispersal in the Eastern Alps

In many songbirds, the space use of breeders is well studied but poorly understood for non-breeders. In common ravens, some studies of non-breeders indicate high vagrancy with large individual differences in home range size, whereas others show that up to 40% of marked non-breeders can be regularly observed at the same anthropogenic food source over months to years. The aim of this study was to provide new insights on ravens＇ behavior during dispersal in the Eastern Alps. We deployed Global Positioning System （GPS） loggers on 10 individuals to gather accurate spatial and temporal information on their movements to quantify： 1） the dimension of the birds＇ space use （home range size with seasonal effects and daily/long-term travel distances）, 2） how long they stayed in a dispersal stage of wandering as opposed to settling temporarily, and 3） their destination of movements. We recorded movements of up to 40km per hour, more than 160km within 1 day and more than 11,000 km within 20 months, indicating high vagrancy. Switching frequently between temporarily settling and travelling large distances in short time intervals leads to extensive home ranges, which also explains and com- bines the different findings in the literature. The destinations are rich anthropogenic food sources, where the birds spent on average 75% of their time. We discuss how ravens may find these ＂feeding hot spots＂ and which factors may influence their decision to stay/leave a site. The strong dependence on anthropogenic resources found in this population may have implications for site management and conservation issues.

肉牛产业中非专业养殖者退出路径

受养殖成本和养殖目的约束,现阶段非专业肉牛养殖仍然处于标准化、规模化、专业化比较低的水平。与此同时,进城务工等机会成本提高、专业化养殖门槛提高和机械化水平提高的影响使得非专业养殖者不断退出肉牛养殖产业成为趋势。退出并非一蹴而就、整齐划一的行为。根据实地调研和理论分析,本文将退出路径大致分为4类:专业化养殖、维持养殖现状、跨业养殖、完全退出。通过对散户特征和退出路径的梳理归纳,有针对性、选择性的制定政策,帮助非专业养殖者有序退出、适度规模化发展将对肉牛产业健康发展大有裨益。

Migration phenology determines niche use of East Asian buntings (Emberizidae)during stopover

Stopover niche utilization of birds during migration has not gained much attention so far,since the majority of the studies focuses on breeding or wintering areas.However,stopover sites are crucial for migratory birds.They are often used by a multitude of species,which could lead to increased competition.In this work,we investigated niche use of 8 migratory and closely related Emberiza bunting species at a stopover site in Far East Russia,situated on the poorly studied East Asian flyway.We used bird ringing data to evaluate morphological similarity as well as niche overlap on the trophic,spatial,and temporal dimension.Bill morphology was used as a proxy for their trophic niche.We were able to prove that a majority of the species occupies well-defined stopover niches on at least one of the dimensions.Niche breadth and niche overlap differ between spring and autumn season with higher overlap found during spring.Morphological differences are mostly related to overall size and wing pointedness.The temporal dimension is most important for segregation among the studied species.Furthermore,all species seem to exhibit a rather strict and consistent phenological pattern.Their occurrence at the study site is highly correlated with their geographic origin and the length of their migration route.We assume that buntings are able to use available resources opportunistically during stopover,while trying to follow a precise schedule in order to avoid competition and to ensure individual fitness.