DOCSLIB.ORG

An Essential Prerequisite for Studies of Social Organization of a Species Is the Accurate Determination of an Individual's Sex

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Essential Prerequisite for Studies of Social Organization of a Species Is the Accurate Determination of an Individual's Sex 山 階 鳥 研 報(J.Yamashina Inst.Ornithol.),27:78-88,1995 Sex Determination Based on Cloacal Protuberances in the Japanese Accentor Prunella rubida Masahiko Nakamura * and Yoshiyuki Matsuzaki * 1 Abstract External morphological measurements and the characteristics of cloacal protuberances were investigated to find a useful index of sexing the Japanese Accentor Prunella rubida. From 20 May to 15 June in 1989-1990 and 1992, morphological variations in eight characters were measured in known-sexed 58 males and 36 females inhabiting on the top of Mt. Norikura, Japan. The males were significantly heavier and had longer wings and tails than females, but these measurements could not be used as indexes for sexing because there was still considerable overlap. No sex-related difference in size was evident in the five skeletal elements monitored (tarsus, three bill dimensions and head length). The sharpness of the cloacal protuberance of each sex proved to be the most useful index to identify the sex of individuals. The males developed a nodular cloacal protuberance formed by the growth of the distal ends of sperm-filled ductus deferens, while the female's cloaca protruded from its original position to form a cylindrical protuberance. Because the cloacal protuberance of each sex developed only during the breeding season, its use as a characteristic for sex is confined to the breeding season. Male Japanese Accentors had a relatively large cloacal protuberance and testes compared with other passerines. It seems that these large reproductive organs are linked to the intense sperm competition predicted from this species' polyandrous or polygynandrous mating combina- tion. Key words: Cloacal protuberance, Japanese Accentor, Morphological measurement, Sex determination. Introduction An essential prerequisite for studies of social organization of a species is the accurate determination of an individual's sex. The Japanese Accentor Prunella rubida, endemic to Japan and southern Kuriles, is a common passerine in the Japan Alps up to timber line. However, the identification of sex is difficult because this species is sexually monomorphic in plumage, and because both males and females sing (Y. Matsuzaki unpubl. data). For passerine species with no readily visible sex-dependent indicators, sex is often determined from morphological measurements (Abe 1984, Ueda 1987, Nakamura et al. 1989). It is also possible to determine sex according to the external characteristics of cloacal protuber- ances (Drost 1938, Mason 1938, McCabe 1943, Wolfson 1952). In most (if not all) passerine males, the seasonal growth of the distal ends of sperm-filled ductus deferens, the seminal glomera, forces the posterior wall of the cloaca to form a nodular cloacal protuberance (Wolfson 1952, 1954, Salt 1954). The present paper forms part of a 3-year study of the social organization of the Received 22 April 1995, Revised 15 July 1995, Accepted 19 July 1995. * Department of Biology , Joetsu University of Education, 1 Yamayashiki-machi, Joetsu-shi, Niigata 943, Japan *1 Present address: Imoi Primary School , 753 Iriyama, Nagano-shi, Nagano 380, Japan 78 Sex determination in the Japanese Acceptor 79 Japanese Accentor. Here we investigate eight external morphological measurements and the external reproductive organ of this species to determine a sexing index. A congeneric species, the Alpine Accentor P. collaris has the largest male cloacal protuberance for its body-size of any known bird (Nakamura 1990, Birkhead et al. 1993) and male Dunnocks P. modularis also have large cloacal protuberances (Birkhead et al. 1991), but the protuberance of the Japanese Accentor has not been reported before. To examine whether it is a useful index for sexing, we describe the features and size of cloacal protuberances of each sex. Study Area and Methods The present study was conducted from May through September in 1989-1990 and l992 on the 15 ha summit of Mt. Norikura, central Honshu, Japan (36°06′N, 137°33′E, 2,664-2,817 m alt.). Adult birds were captured in mist nets between dawn and 0900, colour banded and then released at the study site. During the banding process, eight measurements were recorded for birds of known sex: (1) body weight, weighed to the nearest 0.1 g using a digital scale (TANITA, HANDYMINI 1476); (2) wing length, the maximum distance from the carpal joint to the tip of the longest primary in the flattened and straightened right wing; (3) tail length; (4) tarsus length; (5) bill length; (6) bill depth; (7) bill width; (8) head length, the maximum distance from the bill tip to the back of the skull. We also measured three cloacal dimensions (length, width and height, see Figs. 3a and 5a) in each sex (males, measured on 106 occasions, n=56; females, 57 occasions, n=35). All linear measurements were taken to the nearest 0.1 mm with vernier callipers. Sex was determined by the two independent methods of dissection and copulatory behaviour. We categorized individuals mounted at mating as males and birds who presenting pink cloacal lips during pre-copulatory displays as females (see Result section for details). Because incubation was performed only by birds that adopted the cloaca- presenting behaviours, the sex of incubating individuals was determined as female. Throughout the three years of sampling, 58 males and 38 females were captured a Table 1. Means±S.E. and ranges of eight measurements of male and female Japanese Accentors (body weight in grams, other measurements in mm). 80 M.Nakamura and Y. Matsuzaki Fig. 1. Photographs of the fully developed cloacal protuberance of a male Japanese Accentor . (a) lateral view, (b) dorsal view and (c) phallus (arrow) extruded from cloacal protuberance (photographed respectively on 22, 25 and 12 June in 1992). Sex determination in the Japanese Accentor 81 Fig.2. Spermatozoa in the ductus deferens at the cloacal protuberance. Scale bar=30μm. total of 110 and 58 times, respectively. In order to exclude any bias from seasonal fluctuations in the eight measurements, data collection was restricted within 20 May to 15 June in each year. This period corresponded to the pre-breeding season in this population. There was no significant year-to-year variation in the eight measurements (Kruskal-Wallis test,P<0.05 in allcases), so the data from allthe years were combined. Results are presentedas means with S.E. and the statisticalanalyses are done by two-tailedStudent's t-tests. Two males and a single female were collected; one male was killed by the Stoat Mustela erminea on 20 August in 1990, and another male and a female died from hitting the windows of mountain cottages on 22 June in 1992 and on 17 June in 1992, respectively. These birds were dissected to examine their respective reproductive tracts. For the males, both testes removed and separately weighted to the nearest 0.1 g using the digital scale and the length and breadth were taken to the nearest 0.1 mm with vernier callipers. The cloacal protuberance of the specimen collected on 22 June in 1992 was removed and embedded in paraffin blocks. Serial cross sections (4μm thick) were stained with haematoxylin and examined under a microscope. For the female, the body cavity was opened and the development of ovary was confirmed. Results 1. External morphological measurements Males had significantly greater body masses and longer wings and tails than did females, but the range of each measurement showed considerable overlap (Table 1). No sex-related difference in size was evident in the five skeletal elements monitored (tarsus length, three bill dimensions and head length). 2. Male's cloacal protuberance Male Japanese Accentors had a bulbous cloacal protuberance during the breeding 82 M. Nakamura and Y. Matsuzaki season (Fig. 1). The shape of the protuberance varied little between males . The fully developed cloacal protuberance was mostly bare except for a ring of feathers around the vent (Fig. 1) and the dissection of a male collected on 22 June in 1992 revealed it to be formed by two large pear-shaped bodies stuffed with the coiled seminal glomera . Micro- scopic sections of seminal glomera showed that they contained very large numbers of spermatozoa (Fig. 2). By gentle lateral squeezing, the protuberance everted to reveal a large, red, phallus-like structure, terminating in a small papilla (Fig . 1c), from which we could extrude a droplet of semen. The average dimensions of the fully developed protuberance were: length, 8.8±0.1mm; width, 9.2±0.1mm; height, 9.6±0.2 mm (n= 38 males). Fig. 3. Seasonal changes in the size of the male protuberance throughout the breeding season. a, b and c show the seasonal change in the size of the three labelled dimensions of the cloacal region . Data (n=106) were pooled for the 3 years. Solid lines connect the data points of the same individual. Sex determination in the Japanese Acceptor 83 Fig. 4. Photograph of the cloacal protuberance of a female Japanese Accentor (photographed on 28 June in 1990). Vent is surrounded by tuft of feathers; head to right. The size of the male's cloacal protuberance changed seasonally (Fig. 3). The males cloacal region swelled gradually, from the end of May to mid June, and the vent protruded about 7 mm from its original position by mid-June (Fig. 3). From 10 to 20 June, the coiled ducts of the seminal glomera could be seen through the skin of the protuberance in three out of 11 individuals, but the glomera were no longer visible by the end of June. The peak condition of the protuberance was maintained for about 50 days, from the middle of June to late in July (Fig. 3). Once developed, the protuberance showed no changes in size. Toward the end of August, the protuberance regressed and disappeared (Fig.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • "Official Gazette of RM", No. 28/04 and 37/07), the Government of the Republic of Montenegro, at Its Meeting Held on ______2007, Enacted This
    In accordance with Article 6 paragraph 3 of the FT Law ("Official Gazette of RM", No. 28/04 and 37/07), the Government of the Republic of Montenegro, at its meeting held on ____________ 2007, enacted this DECISION ON CONTROL LIST FOR EXPORT, IMPORT AND TRANSIT OF GOODS Article 1 The goods that are being exported, imported and goods in transit procedure, shall be classified into the forms of export, import and transit, specifically: free export, import and transit and export, import and transit based on a license. The goods referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article were identified in the Control List for Export, Import and Transit of Goods that has been printed together with this Decision and constitutes an integral part hereof (Exhibit 1). Article 2 In the Control List, the goods for which export, import and transit is based on a license, were designated by the abbreviation: “D”, and automatic license were designated by abbreviation “AD”. The goods for which export, import and transit is based on a license designated by the abbreviation “D” and specific number, license is issued by following state authorities: - D1: the goods for which export, import and transit is based on a license issued by the state authority competent for protection of human health - D2: the goods for which export, import and transit is based on a license issued by the state authority competent for animal and plant health protection, if goods are imported, exported or in transit for veterinary or phyto-sanitary purposes - D3: the goods for which export, import and transit is based on a license issued by the state authority competent for environment protection - D4: the goods for which export, import and transit is based on a license issued by the state authority competent for culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Ornithological Literature
    ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE A NEW DICTIONARY OF BIRIJS. Edited by Sir A. Landsborough Thomson. Thomas Nelson & Sons Limited, London, and McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1964: 7sh x 10% in., 928 pp., 17 col. pls., and 31 photos by various artists and photographers, numerous line drawings. $17.50. Reviewing an encyclopedia, which this work is in spite of its name, is quite a different matter from reviewing a book or paper concerning a single topic. In the former instance the reviewer can make no pretense of having read the entire work, but must base his appraisal on selected subjects in which he has special competence or about which he seeks information. Because of this, a review of an encyclopedia becomes highly personal and subjective. I have had this book on my desk for six months, using it almost daily as a reference, purposely delayin g a review until I felt I knew it well enough to appraise it from the viewpoint of my particular needs. The first introductory section of the book is a “List of Major Articles on General Sub- jects” arranged under broad headings, e.g., “form and function,” and further subdivided into more specific sections, e.g., “facies and integument.” This is of value to one wish- ing an introduction to, or a review of, a given field and is particularly handy for the instructor who may assign selected topics to supplement an ornithology textbook. The second section is “A List of Major Articles on Bird Groups” arranged by orders and families. A dual function is served in that the list is also a convenient summary of the classification adopted, which is basically that of Peters ’ “Check-list of Birds of the World.” A list of plates, a list of the contributors with their titles, academic degrees, and pro- fessional positions (a rather pretentious display to the American eye), and finally an editorial introduction, defining the aims and scope of the volume, conclude the pre- liminary material.
    [Show full text]
  • Version 2014-04-28 Attached Is the Dynamic1 List of Migratory Landbird
    African-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan Annex 3: Species Lists Version 2014-04-28 Attached is the dynamic1 list of migratory landbird species that occur within the African Eurasian region according to the following definition: 1. Migratory is defined as those species recorded within the IUCN Species Information Service (SIS) and BirdLife World Bird Database (WBDB) as ‘Full Migrant’, i.e. species which have a substantial (>50%) proportion of the global population which migrates: - with the addition of Great Bustard Otis tarda which is listed on CMS Appendix I and is probably erroneously recorded as an altitudinal migrant within SIS and the WBDB - with the omission of all single-country endemic migrants, in order to conform with the CMS definition of migratory which requires a species to ‘cross one or more national jurisdictional boundaries,’; in reality this has meant the removal of only one species, Madagascar Blue-pigeon Alectroenas madagascariensis. However, it should be noted that removing single-country endemics is not strictly analogous with omitting species that do not cross political borders. It is quite possible for a migratory species whose range extends across multiple countries to contain no populations that actually cross national boundaries as part of their regular migration. 2. African-Eurasian is defined as Africa, Europe (including all of the Russian Federation and excluding Greenland), the Middle East, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the Indian sub-continent. 3. Landbird is defined as those species not recorded in SIS and the WBDB as being seabirds, raptors or waterbirds, except for the following waterbird species that are recorded as not utilising freshwater habitats: Geronticus eremita, Geronticus calvus, Burhinus oedicnemus, Cursorius cursor and Tryngites subruficollis.
    [Show full text]
  • Explosive Radiation and Spatial Expansion Across the Cold Environments of the Old World in an Avian Family
    Explosive radiation and spatial expansion across the cold environments of the Old World in an avian family Liu, Baoyan; Alström, Per; Olsson, Urban; Fjeldså, Jon; Quan, Qing; Roselaar, Kees C. S.; Saitoh, Takema; Yao, Cheng-te; Hao, Yan; Wang, Wenjuan; Qu, Yanhua; Lei, Fumin Published in: Ecology and Evolution DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3136 Publication date: 2017 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Document license: CC BY Citation for published version (APA): Liu, B., Alström, P., Olsson, U., Fjeldså, J., Quan, Q., Roselaar, K. C. S., Saitoh, T., Yao, C., Hao, Y., Wang, W., Qu, Y., & Lei, F. (2017). Explosive radiation and spatial expansion across the cold environments of the Old World in an avian family. Ecology and Evolution, 7(16), 6346-6357. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3136 Download date: 26. sep.. 2021 Received: 21 December 2016 | Revised: 1 May 2017 | Accepted: 10 May 2017 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3136 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Explosive radiation and spatial expansion across the cold environments of the Old World in an avian family Baoyan Liu1,2 | Per Alström1,3,4 | Urban Olsson5 | Jon Fjeldså6 | Qing Quan1,2 | Kees C. S. Roselaar7 | Takema Saitoh8 | Cheng-te Yao9 | Yan Hao1,2 | Wenjuan Wang10 | Yanhua Qu1 | Fumin Lei1,2 1Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden 4Swedish Species Information
    [Show full text]
  • Holarktikas LV Putnu Nosauku
    4. pielikums 4. pielikums Galvenais redaktors Editor-in-chief A B Latvijas Ornitoloģijas biedrība A.k. 105, LV-1046, Rīga, Latvija [email protected] Literārie redaktori T!"#$"% Ķ'( D$)' Ķ'( Ilustrācijas M!( S*($+% Maketētāja I%($ V$/'')' Izdevējs L$*#2$ O(*3"372$ 8'%(98$ A.k. 105, LV-1046, Rīga, Latvija Tālr.: +371-67221580 Materiāls tapis ar [email protected] Latvijas vides aizsardzības fonda atbalstu www.lob.lv Žurnāla “Putni dabā” reģistrācijas numurs: 1716 ISSN 0132-2834 © 2014 Latvijas Ornitoloģijas biedrība Zīmējumu autortiesības saglabā autori Holarktikas putnu nosaukumi latviešu valodā M. Strazds, J. Baumanis, K. Funts Ievads Svešzemju putnu nosaukumu tulkošana Latvijā sākās jau ar pirmo publicēto grāmatu – E. Glika tulkoto Bībeli, jo jau tajā ir minēti vairāki svešzemju putni, piemēram, strauss ( Bībele. Latviešu val. 1689). Pēc tam dažādas Latvijā nesastopamas sugas ir minētas vairākās latviešu valodas vārdnīcās (Lange 1773; Stender 1789; u.c.), un daži no šiem nosaukumiem jau ir stabili iegājušies valodas praksē. Vajadzība pēc pilnīga putnu nosaukumu saraksta latviski ir palielinājusies pēdējā laikā, kad bija nepieciešams latviskot dažādu Latvijai saistošu konvenciju pielikumu tekstus, latviski tulko nopietnas enciklopēdijas (par putniem), tiek tulkotas dažādu zemju dokumentālās &lmas vai, vienkārši, daudzi cilvēki apceļo pasauli un grib citiem pastāstīt arī par eksotiskās zemēs redzētiem putniem. Arī tulkotajā daiļliteratūrā brīžiem pavīd kādi putni, kuru nosaukumi tiek latviskoti. Saraksta pamatu izveidoja Jānis Baumanis pēc holandiešu valodnieka Rūrda Jorritsma lūguma, kurš 1992. gadā sāka darbu pie putnu nosaukumu vārdnīcas izveides visās Eiropas valodās. Šobrīd vairs nav iespējams pateikt, cik no šeit publicētajiem nosaukumiem ir J. Baumaņa doti, taču viņa ieguldījums šā materiāla tapšanā ir ļoti nozīmīgs, tādēļ viņš saglabāts kā autors arī šim saraksta gala variantam.
    [Show full text]
  • Explosive Radiation and Spatial Expansion Across the Cold Environments of the Old World in an Avian Family
    Explosive radiation and spatial expansion across the cold environments of the Old World in an avian family Liu, Baoyan; Alström, Per; Olsson, Urban; Fjeldså, Jon; Quan, Qing; Roselaar, Kees C. S.; Saitoh, Takema; Yao, Cheng-te; Hao, Yan; Wang, Wenjuan; Qu, Yanhua; Lei, Fumin Published in: Ecology and Evolution DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3136 Publication date: 2017 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Document license: CC BY Citation for published version (APA): Liu, B., Alström, P., Olsson, U., Fjeldså, J., Quan, Q., Roselaar, K. C. S., ... Lei, F. (2017). Explosive radiation and spatial expansion across the cold environments of the Old World in an avian family. Ecology and Evolution, 7(16), 6346-6357. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3136 Download date: 08. apr.. 2020 Received: 21 December 2016 | Revised: 1 May 2017 | Accepted: 10 May 2017 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3136 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Explosive radiation and spatial expansion across the cold environments of the Old World in an avian family Baoyan Liu1,2 | Per Alström1,3,4 | Urban Olsson5 | Jon Fjeldså6 | Qing Quan1,2 | Kees C. S. Roselaar7 | Takema Saitoh8 | Cheng-te Yao9 | Yan Hao1,2 | Wenjuan Wang10 | Yanhua Qu1 | Fumin Lei1,2 1Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden 4Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural
    [Show full text]
  • Steve N. G. Howell1 Michael O'brien Brian L. Sullivan Christopher L
    henever you started birding , you had your favorite field guide, Wand the way it organized species was the sequence you learned. After a while you could open the book and simply flip to the species you wanted. But if you’ve been birding for a few years, or just a year or two, you’ll have found that newer guides —or even newer editions of “your” field guide—use different sequences, which can be frustrat - ing. The time you’ve spent learning where to find things has been lost. common trend has been for field guides to follow current taxonomic sequence. AGrouping birds in some other way—by color, say, or by habitat —hasn’t really worked. 1 So the default of taxonomy has seemed like as good an idea as any. Yet perhaps only one Steve N. G. Howell North American field guide has ever strictly followed taxonomic sequence. Do you know Michael O’Brien which one? Not the National Geographic guide, but, rather, the early Peterson guides. Brian L. Sullivan (Our comments here refer to the famous third edition, published in 1947). Well, not quite. Peterson’s text followed the taxonomic sequence of the day, but his plates didn’t. Christopher L. Wood There weren’t many birders back then, and there wasn’t economic justification for plates Ian Lewington opposite the text. The plates of the first Peterson guides were islands of pictures scattered in an ocean of text. One plate combined shearwaters and jaegers, and another grouped Richard Crossley “ground birds of open country ,” including Snow Bunting, Lark Bunting, Horned Lark, 1Corresponding author Northern Wheatear, pipits, and longspurs.
    [Show full text]
  • Spain: Birds and Art in Asturias
    SPAIN: BIRDS AND ART IN ASTURIAS SEPTEMBER 8-17, 2021 © 2020 The Principality of Asturias, an autonomous province in northernmost Spain, bills itself today as Spain’s Natural Paradise, with wild rocky coasts, placid beaches, and some of the highest, most rugged mountains on the continent. This is also one of Europe’s most culturally complex regions, continuously inhabited since the dawn of the Paleolithic, and it is in the caves of Northern Spain some thirty thousand years ago that western art was born. Near Ubiñas © Malte Beringer Our new tour samples it all at the most beautiful time of year, from murals painted before the dawn of history to medieval cathedrals, from shorebird concentrations on the Bay of Biscay to flocks of colorful tits and finches roving the heights of the Picos de Europa. With our base in a single hotel in the historic Asturian capital of Oviedo, our relaxed schedule of birding and cultural sightseeing— both activities often pursued at the same time, at the same site—makes this an ideal opportunity for birders and their non-birding (or less-birding) partners, spouses, and traveling companions to explore a rich and rewarding landscape. Spain: Birds and Art in Asturias, Page 2 September 8, Day 1: Departure from Home. Participants should arrange to arrive in Oviedo (Asturias Airport code OVD), with connection via Madrid-Barajas Airport (code MAD) on September 9. Most flights from the United States and Canada will depart on September 8, arriving in Spain the following day. Upon arrival, you will be provided with a transfer to our hotel in Oviedo (approximately 40 minutes).
    [Show full text]
  • Pseudopodoces Humilis, a Misclassified Terrestrial Tit (Paridae) of Tiie Tibetan Plateau: Evolutionary Consequences of Shifting Adaptive Zones
    /6/s(2003), 145, 185-202 Pseudopodoces humilis, a misclassified terrestrial tit (Paridae) of tiie Tibetan Plateau: evolutionary consequences of shifting adaptive zones HELEN F. JAMES,^* PER G.P. ERICSON,^ BETH SLIKAS,^ FU-MIN LEI*, FRANK B. GILL^ & STORRS L. OLSON^ ^ Department of Systematic Biology, National Museum of Natural History, Smitiisonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA ^Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, PO Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden ^Department of Research, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA '^Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Zhongguancun Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100080, China ^National Audubon Society 700 Broadway New York, NY 10003, USA Pseudopodoces humilis (Hume's Ground-Jay) is a small passerine bird that inhabits the high rocky steppes of the Tibetan (Qinghai-Xizang) Plateau. Although it was long classified as a small species of ground jay (Podoces), two previous anatomical studies cast doubt on its assignment to the Corvidae (crows and jays). We studied the evolutionary relationships of Pseudopodoces using three independent datasets drawn from comparative osteology, the nuclear c-myc gene, and the mitochondrial cytochrome h gene. All three datasets agree on the placement o{ Pseudopodoces in the family Paridae (tits and chickadees). The cytochrome h data further suggest that Pseudopodoces may be closest to the Great Tit Parus major species group. Pseudopodoces is the only species of parid whose distribution is limited to treeless terrain. Its evolutionary relationships were long obscured by adaptations to open habitat, including pale, cryptic plumage; a long, decurved bill for probing in crevices among rocks or in the ground; and long legs for terrestrial locomotion.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to Beijing's Most Sought-After Birds
    www.birding beijing.com Last update 14 July 2015 A Guide To Beijing’s Most Sought-After Birds Siberian Accentor (Prunella montanella, 棕眉山岩鹨) at Lingshan. A winter visitor to Beijing in varying numbers and one of visiting birders’ most sought-after species. Beijing is a brilliant place to watch birds. And the Chinese capital is an excellent place to see several range-restricted species that are difficult to see anywhere in the world. This is a short guide to 10 of the most sought-after species, including their status in Beijing, the best sites and some hints/tips for finding them. This guide should be used in conjunction with the site guides available at http://birdingbeijing.com/birders-guide-to-beijing/site-guide/ Please note that this guide is based on the best available information. If you have additional information, or spot any errors, please contact Birding Beijing via www.birdingbeijing.com. www.birdingbeijing.com www.birding beijing.com Top 10 Most Sought-After Species In Beijing English Name Scientific Name Chinese Name Pingyin Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii 鹮嘴鹬 Huán zuǐ yù Chinese Nuthatch Sitta villosa 黑头鳾 Hēi tóu shī Beijing (Chinese Rhopophilus pekinensis 山鹛 Shān méi Hill) Babbler Grey-sided Thrush Turdus feae 褐头鸫 Hè tóu dōng Green-backed Ficedula elisae 绿背姬鹟 Lǜ bèi jī wēng Flycatcher Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella 棕眉山岩鹨 Zōng méi shān shí liù Przewalski’s Phoenicurus 贺兰山红尾鸲 Hèlánshān hóng wěi (Alashan) Redstart alaschanicus qú White-winged Phoenicurus 红腹红尾鸲 Hóng fù hóng wěi (Guldenstadt’s) erythrogastrus qú Redstart Asian Rosy Finch Leucosticte arctoa 粉红腹岭雀 Fěnhóng fù lǐng què Pallas’s Rosefinch Carpodacus roseus 北朱雀 Běi zhūquè www.birdingbeijing.com www.birding beijing.com 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist Birds
    CHECKLIST of British Columbia BIRDS British Columbia Field Ornithologists Taxonomy This checklist follows taxonomy and nomenclature of the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds, including supplements up to the 59th (June 2018). h p://checklist.aou.org/ Legend B Confirmed breeding (as per Atlas) b Possible/Probable breeding (as per Atlas) Winters regularly in region (may be common to rare) N Confirmed provincial nes ng prior to/since Atlas A Accidental (1 or 2 records per ecoprovince) C Casual (>2 records per ecoprovince but less than annual) I Introduced X Ex pated * Review List species Ecoprovinces of British Columbia (See map on back cover) 1 Georgia Depression 2 Coast and Mountains/Northeast Pacific 3 Southern Interior 4 Southern Interior Mountains 5 Central Interior 6 Sub-boreal Interior 7 Boreal Plains 8 Taiga Plains 9 Northern Boreal Mountains/Southern Alaska xxxMountains Steller's Jay cover photo: William Murdock C ode Ecoprovince ü Common Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Main List Anseriformes Ducks, Geese, & Swans CD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Fulvous Whistling-Duck * A Emperor Goose * C C Snow Goose Ross's Goose Greater White-fronted Goose Pink-footed Goose * A Brant Cackling Goose Canada Goose B B B B B B B B B Mute Swan I B Trumpeter Swan B B B B B B B Tundra Swan Wood Duck B B B B B B Baikal Teal * A A Garganey * C C A Blue-winged Teal B B B B B B B b B Cinnamon Teal B B B B B B b b Northern Shoveler B b B B B B B b b Gadwall B b B B B b B b Falcated Duck * A Eurasian Wigeon American Wigeon B b B B B B B B B Mallard
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of Female Promiscuity in Passerides Songbirds Jan T
    Lifjeld et al. BMC Evolutionary Biology (2019) 19:169 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-019-1493-1 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Evolution of female promiscuity in Passerides songbirds Jan T. Lifjeld1* , Jostein Gohli1, Tomáš Albrecht2,3, Eduardo Garcia-del-Rey4, Lars Erik Johannessen1, Oddmund Kleven5, Petter Z. Marki1,6, Taiwo C. Omotoriogun1,7,8, Melissah Rowe1,9 and Arild Johnsen1 Abstract Background: Female promiscuity is highly variable among birds, and particularly among songbirds. Comparative work has identified several patterns of covariation with social, sexual, ecological and life history traits. However, it is unclear whether these patterns reflect causes or consequences of female promiscuity, or if they are byproducts of some unknown evolutionary drivers. Moreover, factors that explain promiscuity at the deep nodes in the phylogenetic tree may be different from those important at the tips, i.e. among closely related species. Here we examine the relationships between female promiscuity and a broad set of predictor variables in a comprehensive data set (N = 202 species) of Passerides songbirds, which is a highly diversified infraorder of the Passeriformes exhibiting significant variation in female promiscuity. Results: Female promiscuity was highly variable in all major clades of the Passerides phylogeny and also among closely related species. We found several significant associations with female promiscuity, albeit with fairly small effect sizes (all R2 ≤ 0.08). More promiscuous species had: 1) less male parental care, particularly during the early stages of the nesting cycle (nest building and incubation), 2) more short-term pair bonds, 3) greater degree of sexual dichromatism, primarily because females were drabber, 4) more migratory behaviour, and 5) stronger pre- mating sexual selection.
    [Show full text]