DOCSLIB.ORG

Carotenoid-Based Masks in the European Goldfinch Carduelis Carduelis Reflect Different Information in Males and Females

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Carotenoid-Based Masks in the European Goldfinch Carduelis Carduelis Reflect Different Information in Males and Females Carotenoid-based masks in the European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis reflect different information in males and females Guillermo López1,*, Jordi Figuerola2 and Ramón Soriguer1 López G., Figuerola J. & Soriguer R. 2008. Carotenoid-based masks in the European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis reflect different information in males and females. Ardea 96(2): 233–242. Sexual selection may play an important role in the evolution of carotenoid-based signals. According to the parasite-mediated sexual selection hypothesis, organism health, parasite resistance and the expression of ornaments are linked. While some studies have analysed the expression of male carotenoid-based ornaments in relation to para- sites and immune system capacities, few studies have focused on carotenoid-derived colour patches expressed in both sexes. We analysed the relationships between endoparasite (blood and systemic parasites) loads, haematological values and the components of red mask colour in wild European Goldfinches Carduelis carduelis, a species with a carotenoid-based facial mask in both sexes. Both, males and females were assessed for immune quality and face mask expression. Face mask coloration was sexually dichromatic, males have less orange masks than females. The yellow component of the mask showed less intensity in females infected with Haemoproteus blood parasites. The total leukocyte count was inversely correlated to the yellow component of the mask in females, suggesting that mask colour reflects the immune status of females during the breeding season. Isospora infection appeared to limit the UV reflection of the red mask of females. Key words: sexual selection, Goldfinch, bird, carotenoid, ornament, parasites, Coccidia, Haemoproteus 1Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Applied Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Avda. María Luisa s/n, 41013, Seville, Spain; 2Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Avda. María Luisa s/n, 41013, Seville, Spain; *corresponding author ([email protected]) INTRODUCTION colour signals requires the ingestion of carotenoids with food, as well as its absorption, transport, Carotenoid pigments are responsible for many of sometimes metabolism and incorporation into the the brightest colours and most conspicuous signals feathers, all processes that are generally consider- in birds (Hill 1999, Hill 2002). However, birds are ed costly to individuals (Hill 2002, McGraw et al. not capable of synthesizing carotenoids from basic 2005, McGraw et al. 2006). Scarcity of carotenoids biological precursors (Goodwin 1984), and there- in the food, or even the energetic cost of enzyme fore, the expression of carotenoid pigments as production and manipulation of carotenoids, 234 ARDEA 96(2), 2008 remain unclear. Carotenoids are also involved in (Merino et al. 2000): they have little impact when metabolic pathways related to host immunity and resources are abundant (Weatherhead & Bennett a trade-off between the ornamental and health 1992, Friend & Franson 2001), but affect nega- functions of carotenoids has been proposed (Hõrak tively the host when resources are scarce (Ots & et al. 2004a, Møller et al. 2004). According to this Hõrak 1998, Ilmonen et al. 1999). The mecha- hypothesis, signals based on carotenoid pigments nisms leading Coccidia to limit the expression of are costly and therefore act as honest indicators of carotenoid-based ornaments may work in at least an individual’s quality. two different direct ways. First, they may reduce The features that each carotenoid-based orna- the absorption of carotenoids through the intestine ment reflect have been mainly studied in males of (Tyczkowski et al. 1991, Allen 1992) and, second, very dimorphic species. Carotenoid-based orna- they may reduce the release of high-density ments have been shown to be related to body con- lipoproteins (Allen 1987), which are responsible dition (McGraw et al. 2002, Saks et al. 2003, for the transport of carotenoids in the bloodstream Jawor & Breitwisch 2004, Jawor et al. 2004), sex- to the tissues. Moreover, a third indirect mecha- ual selection (Collias et al. 1979, Hill 1991, nism related to body condition – to which both Drachman 1997) and even parasite loads carotenoid ornamentation and immunity have (Figuerola et al. 2003, Hill et al. 2004, Hõrak et al. shown to be linked – may also be at work (see 2004). In the case of parasites, studies have Smith et al. 2007). The mechanisms through reported variously negative (Thompson et al. which Haematozoa may limit the expression of 1997, Brawner et al. 2000, Figuerola et al. 2003, carotenoid-based ornaments are still unknown. Hõrak et al. 2004b), positive (Burley et al. 1991, Most of the relationships described up to now VanHoort & Dawson 2005) and non-significant between parasites and the expression of orna- (Seutin 1994) relationships between parasites and ments have been made focusing on conspicuous the expression of a carotenoid-based ornament. male ornaments, but little attention have been tra- The potential causes of these contradictory results ditionally paid to such a relation in female orna- could stem from varying methods of study (e.g. ments. Roulin (2001), for instance, conducted an correlational vs. experimental, ranges or doses of experimental study by comparing the degree of experimental treatments used), different impacts female Barn Owl Tyto alba ornamentation (eume- on parasites on their hosts and environmental- lanin-based spottiness) with parasite resistance in dependent effects of parasites on host condition their offspring raised by foster parents. He found (Figuerola et al. 2003). Work published up to now that in females ornamentation positively reflects has generally focused on a single type of parasite, parasite resistance ability. Some observational above all blood parasites, and analysis of the rela- studies have also demonstrated that the expression tive and combined impact of different types of par- of ornaments is negatively related to the parasite asites on ornament expression is still lacking. load in female birds (Hõrak et al. 2001, Piersma et Haematozoan parasites are blood-cell parasite al. 2001). protozoa transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods The aim of this study was to explore the rela- that are quite prevalent in wild passerines tionship between the colour of the carotenoid- (Deviche et al. 2001). Coccidian protozoa are based red mask of European Goldfinches, and a widespread intestinal epithelium parasites with a number of indices of condition (haematological direct biological cycle; transmission results from parameters and different parasite loads) in both the ingestion of oocysts liberated in the faeces of sexes, paying attention to possible inter-sex differ- an infected individual. Passerines are mainly ences. The study was carried out with free-living infected by genus Isospora (Hill 2002, Hõrak et al. birds during the breeding season, just after mate 2006). Both haematozoan and coccidian parasites choice had occurred, when individuals were going affect their hosts in a condition-dependent way through the costly task of raising young, because López et al.: GOLDFINCH RED MASK IMPLICATIONS 235 under these conditions we expected the effect of Svensson 1996). We also measured body mass (to parasites on their hosts to be maximal. To our the nearest 0.1 g) and wing length (maximum knowledge, this is the first study done analysing chord). Birds were kept individually in clean ring- the relationship between plumage coloration in ing bags for 20 minutes to collect faecal samples. both sexes and several groups of parasites at a Faeces were immediately placed in individually time. marked vials containing 5% formol, and the time of collection was recorded for each sample. To con- trol the mass of faecal samples, we avoided taking METHODS the urine-based part of the excretion and only col- lected the intestinal-based portion. We drew 0.1 The European Goldfinch is a 12-cm long, seed-eat- ml of blood from the jugular vein using 29 G ster- ing finch that has a unique colour pattern on its ile insulin syringes and prepared smears on a head. The front of the face has a conspicuous crim- microscopy slide as per Bennett (1970), which son patch, which is known to be composed of four were air-dried, fixed and stained using Diff-Quick carotenoid pigments (Stradi et al. 1995): a) ε,ε- solution. To confirm field sexing an analysis of the carotene-3,3'-dione, b) 3-hydroxy-ε,ε-carotene-3'- cellular fraction of a drop of blood was performed. one, c) 4,4'-dihydroxy-ε,ε-carotene-3,3'-dione (iso- Sex was determined from blood cell DNA via a astaxanthin), and d) 4-hydroxy-ε,ε-carotene-3,3'- polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of dione. the CHD genes (Ellegren 1996, Griffiths et al. Although ε,ε-carotene-3,3'-dione and 3-hydroxy- 1998). After blood extraction, we took two colour ε,ε-carotene-3'-one are very common yellow pig- measurements of the frontal area of the red mask ments in cardueline finches, isoastaxanthin and 4- in the 57 trapped birds using a MINOLTA CM- hydroxy-ε,ε-carotene-3,3'-dione have not yet been 2600d spectrometer, which measures the charac- found in any other species studied to date. These teristics of reflected light by illuminating the two pigments provide the red colour in the mask feather surface under standard light conditions. together with the keratin bond arrangement the We obtained the reflectance curve of the mask, pigments have in the feathers (Stradi et al. 1995). that is, the light reflection from the UVA (360 nm) Although both sexes are superficially similar to the end of the visible spectrum (740 nm), mea- (Cramp & Perrins 1994), small differences in the sured at 10 nm intervals (39 intervals). The UVA size of the patch exist, being larger on average in reflection is visible to birds and has important males (Svensson 1996). To our knowledge, differ- implications in sexual selection in some passerine ences between the sexes in mask colour have species (Saetre 1994, Siitari et al. 2002, Pearn et never been investigated. al.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • New Data on the Chewing Lice (Phthiraptera) of Passerine Birds in East of Iran
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/244484149 New data on the chewing lice (Phthiraptera) of passerine birds in East of Iran ARTICLE · JANUARY 2013 CITATIONS READS 2 142 4 AUTHORS: Behnoush Moodi Mansour Aliabadian Ferdowsi University Of Mashhad Ferdowsi University Of Mashhad 3 PUBLICATIONS 2 CITATIONS 110 PUBLICATIONS 393 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Ali Moshaverinia Omid Mirshamsi Ferdowsi University Of Mashhad Ferdowsi University Of Mashhad 10 PUBLICATIONS 17 CITATIONS 54 PUBLICATIONS 152 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Available from: Omid Mirshamsi Retrieved on: 05 April 2016 Sci Parasitol 14(2):63-68, June 2013 ISSN 1582-1366 ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE New data on the chewing lice (Phthiraptera) of passerine birds in East of Iran Behnoush Moodi 1, Mansour Aliabadian 1, Ali Moshaverinia 2, Omid Mirshamsi Kakhki 1 1 – Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Iran. 2 – Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiology, Iran. Correspondence: Tel. 00985118803786, Fax 00985118763852, E-mail [email protected] Abstract. Lice (Insecta, Phthiraptera) are permanent ectoparasites of birds and mammals. Despite having a rich avifauna in Iran, limited number of studies have been conducted on lice fauna of wild birds in this region. This study was carried out to identify lice species of passerine birds in East of Iran. A total of 106 passerine birds of 37 species were captured. Their bodies were examined for lice infestation. Fifty two birds (49.05%) of 106 captured birds were infested. Overall 465 lice were collected from infested birds and 11 lice species were identified as follow: Brueelia chayanh on Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), B.
    [Show full text]
  • American Goldfinch Carduelis Tristis
    American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis Photo credit: Erin Alvey, May 2009 Photo credit: Ken Thomas, May 2007 The American Goldfinch is the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington and is a highly recognizable and very handsome bird. They are very active foragers and welcomed guests of bird feeders that mostly eat seeds, especially thistle, and mainly eat sunflowers and nyjer at feeders. They are a common summer visitor to the Garden City Bird Sanctuary which has special "finch" feeders. Bird Statistics Description Scientific name- Carduelis (Spinus) tristis Size and Shape- A small finch with a short, Family- Fringillidae conical beak, small wings, and a notched tail. Conservation Status- Least concern Color Pattern- Males are bright yellow with Length- 4.3-5.1 in (11-13 cm) black cap. Females are golden yellow. Both have Wingspan- 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm) black and white striped wings and tail. Both are Weight- 0.4-0.7 oz (11-20 g) browner during winter. Behavior- Nimble and acrobatic birds that live in Egg Statistics flocks outside of the breeding season. They forage Color- Very pale blue-white with some brown actively and fly in an undulating pattern. spots near the large end Song- Varied; descending or random chirps. Nest- Tightly-woven rootlets and plant fibers Habitat- Live where weeds, brush, and thistles lined with plant down are common; including weedy fields, meadows, Clutch size- 2-7 eggs flood plains, roadsides, and orchards. Also found Number of broods- 1-2 near birdfeeders. Length- 0.6-0.7 in (1.62-1.69 cm) Range- Northeast, Central, and Northwest Width- 0.5-0.5 in (1.2-1.3 cm) America year-round.
    [Show full text]
  • A Hybrid Red Crossbill-Pine Siskin (Loxia Curvirostra X Carduelis Pinus
    January1984] ShortCommunications 155 HILLS, M. 1978. On ratios--a response to Atchley, nov, Cramer-Von Mises and related statistics Gaskins and Anderson. Syst. Zool. 27: 61-62. without extensive tables. J. Amer. Stat. Assoc. 69: SAS INSTITUTE.1982. SAS user's guide: basics.Cary, 730. North Carolina, SAS Institute, Inc. ZAR, J. H. 1974. Biostatisticalanalysis. Englewood SHAPIRO,S.S., & M. B. WILK. 1965. An analysis of Cliffs, New Jersey,Prentice-Hall, Inc. variance test for normality (complete samples). Biometrika 52:591-611. Received3 March 1983,accepted 6 September1983. STEPHENS,M.A. 1974. Use of the Kolmogorov-Smir- A Hybrid Red Crossbill-Pine Siskin (Loxia curvirostra x Carduelis pin us) and Speculations on the Evolution of Loxia DAN A. TALLMAN • AND RICHARD L. ZUSI 2 'Departmentof Mathematics,Natural Sciences and Health Professions, Northern State College, Aberdeen,South Dakota 57401 USA; and 2National Museum of NaturalHistory, SmithsonianInstitution, Washington, D.C. 20560 USA On the morning of 27 December1981, a strange streaksweakest on lower throat and belly and dark- finch appeared at Tallman's feeder in a residential est and best defined on flanks and crissum. backyardin Aberdeen,Brown County, South Dakota. Upperparts dusky olive streaked or spotted with Alone and in the companyof Pine Siskins,the bird dark gray. Feathersof forehead and crown dark with consumedsunflower seeds.It fed on the ground and whitish or yellowish edges, giving spotted effect. alsocracked seeds while perchedon a sunflowerhead Longer feathers of nape, neck, and back dark gray hung from a clothesline.Tallman noted that this finch, borderedwith dusky olive laterally, giving streaked when approached,did not fly with a small siskin effect.
    [Show full text]
  • Potential Threats to Afro-Palearctic Migrato
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Unravelling the drastic range retraction of an emblematic songbird of North Africa: potential Received: 31 October 2016 Accepted: 16 March 2017 threats to Afro-Palearctic migratory Published: xx xx xxxx birds Rassim Khelifa1, Rabah Zebsa2, Hichem Amari3, Mohammed Khalil Mellal4, Soufyane Bensouilah3, Abdeldjalil Laouar5 & Hayat Mahdjoub1 Understanding how culture may influence biodiversity is fundamental to ensure effective conservation, especially when the practice is local but the implications are global. Despite that, little effort has been devoted to documenting cases of culturally-related biodiversity loss. Here, we investigate the cultural domestication of the European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) in western Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) and the effects of long-term poaching of wild populations (1990–2016) on range distribution, socio-economic value, international trading and potential collateral damage on Afro- Palearctic migratory birds. On average, we found that the European goldfinch lost 56.7% of its distribution range in the region which led to the increase of its economic value and establishment of international trading network in western Maghreb. One goldfinch is currently worth nearly a third of the average monthly income in the region. There has been a major change in poaching method around 2010, where poachers started to use mist nets to capture the species. Nearly a third of the 16 bird species captured as by-catch of the European goldfinch poaching are migratory, of which one became regularly sold as cage-bird. These results suggest that Afro-Palearctic migratory birds could be under serious by-catch threat. Species overexploitation for wildlife trade is a major global threat to biodiversity, particularly birds1, 2.
    [Show full text]
  • American Goldfinch American Goldfinch Appearance Fairly Small, Slim, Somewhat Small-Headed Bird with a Fairly Long Notched Tail, and Short Conical Bill
    American Goldfinch American Goldfinch Appearance Fairly small, slim, somewhat small-headed bird with a fairly long notched tail, and short conical bill. Sexually dimorphic. Male Female Pale pinkish-orange bill. Pale pinkish-orange bill. Black cap, bright yellow body with white undertail coverts; Greenish-yellow crown; bright yellow underparts with white undertail covers; dusky two white wing-bars on black wings. olive/yellow upper parts; two white wing-bars on black wings. Photos: Jackie Tilles (left), Omaksimenko (right) DuPage Birding Club, 2020 2 American Goldfinch Appearance Fairly small, slim, somewhat small-headed bird with a fairly long notched tail and short conical bill. Sexually dimorphic. Female (left) and male (right) Photo: Mike Hamilton DuPage Birding Club, 2020 3 American Goldfinch Appearance Immatures are olive/brown above, pale yellow below, shading to buff on sides and flanks; throat of males progressively brighter yellow with age. Flight feathers dark blackish-brown, males darker than females; wing-bars and feather tips buffy. Immature American Goldfinch Immature American Goldfinch Photos: Mike Hamilton DuPage Birding Club, 2020 4 American Goldfinch Sounds From The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/ SONGS Males sing a long and variable series of twitters and warbles that can be several seconds long. The notes and phrases are variable and repeated in a seemingly random order. Birds continue to learn song patterns throughout life. CALLS The American Goldfinch’s most common call is its contact call, often given in flight. It sounds like the bird is quietly saying po-ta-to-chip or per- chik’-o-ree with a very even cadence.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeography of Finches and Sparrows
    In: Animal Genetics ISBN: 978-1-60741-844-3 Editor: Leopold J. Rechi © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Chapter 1 PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF FINCHES AND SPARROWS Antonio Arnaiz-Villena*, Pablo Gomez-Prieto and Valentin Ruiz-del-Valle Department of Immunology, University Complutense, The Madrid Regional Blood Center, Madrid, Spain. ABSTRACT Fringillidae finches form a subfamily of songbirds (Passeriformes), which are presently distributed around the world. This subfamily includes canaries, goldfinches, greenfinches, rosefinches, and grosbeaks, among others. Molecular phylogenies obtained with mitochondrial DNA sequences show that these groups of finches are put together, but with some polytomies that have apparently evolved or radiated in parallel. The time of appearance on Earth of all studied groups is suggested to start after Middle Miocene Epoch, around 10 million years ago. Greenfinches (genus Carduelis) may have originated at Eurasian desert margins coming from Rhodopechys obsoleta (dessert finch) or an extinct pale plumage ancestor; it later acquired green plumage suitable for the greenfinch ecological niche, i.e.: woods. Multicolored Eurasian goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) has a genetic extant ancestor, the green-feathered Carduelis citrinella (citril finch); this was thought to be a canary on phonotypical bases, but it is now included within goldfinches by our molecular genetics phylograms. Speciation events between citril finch and Eurasian goldfinch are related with the Mediterranean Messinian salinity crisis (5 million years ago). Linurgus olivaceus (oriole finch) is presently thriving in Equatorial Africa and was included in a separate genus (Linurgus) by itself on phenotypical bases. Our phylograms demonstrate that it is and old canary. Proposed genus Acanthis does not exist. Twite and linnet form a separate radiation from redpolls.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Salt Eating in Birds
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-1980 An Analysis of Salt Eating in Birds Kathryn Julia Herson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Herson, Kathryn Julia, "An Analysis of Salt Eating in Birds" (1980). Master's Theses. 1909. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1909 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN ANALYSIS OF SALT EATING IN BIRDS by KATHRYN JULIA HERSON A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Biology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August 1880 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am very graceful for Che advice and help of my thesis committee which conslsced of Dr8, Richard Brewer, Janes Erickson and Michael McCarville, I am parclcularly thankful for my major professor, Dr, Richard Brewer for his extreme diligence and patience In aiding me with Che project. I am also very thankful for all the amateur ornithologists of the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area who allowed me to work on their properties. In this respect I am particularly grateful to Mrs. William McCall of Augusta, Michigan. Last of all I would like to thank all my friends who aided me by lending modes of transportation so that I could pursue the field work.
    [Show full text]
  • Prairie Falcons of Coles County, Illinois 14
    MeadowlarkSUMMER/FALL 2017 Prairie Falcons of Coles County, Illinois 14 2017 IORC Report 7 Summer 2017 Fall 2017 Field Notes 21 Field Notes 46 Meadowlark PRESIDENT’S LETTER PUBLISHED BY Illinois Ornithological Society Anyone who has done a bit of bird watching on the western shore of Lake Michigan during fall migration knows that your success is very often weather EDITORIAL TEAM dependent. In fact, the best weather days (think sunny and calm) aren’t necessarily the best birding days at all. Warm sunny weather entices more people outside CHIEF EDITOR often with their kids and pets in tow. Better get up early or you’ll hear stories Eric Secker from fellow birders how dogs chased off a flock of graceful American Avocets from ASSISTANT EDITORS the beach or runners flushed an unexpected Upland Sandpiper moments before Tamima Itani, Adam Sell you arrived. There’s nothing more frustrating than missing a good bird by a few PRESIDENT & CHIEF SUPERVISOR minutes. Believe me. I’ve been there many times. Matt Igleski Experienced birders don’t mind getting up early or even braving the elements, LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION but it’s not just about trying to beat the crowd. Knowing how the weather may Eric Secker affect migration and bird activity improves your chances at finding certain species or of having a productive outing in general. FIELD NOTES EDITORS There’s probably one condition where you might as well pack it in for the Jill Anderson Matt Hayes day and that’s heavy rain. In a torrential downpour, you won’t be able to see or Dan Williams even keep your optics dry.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationships of the Hawaiian Honeycreepers (Drepaninini) As Indicated by Dna-Dna Hybridization
    THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE HAWAIIAN HONEYCREEPERS (DREPANININI) AS INDICATED BY DNA-DNA HYBRIDIZATION CH^RrES G. SIBLEY AND Jo• E. AHLQUIST Departmentof Biologyand PeabodyMuseum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 USA ABSTRACT.--Twenty-twospecies of Hawaiian honeycreepers(Fringillidae: Carduelinae: Drepaninini) are known. Their relationshipsto other groups of passefineswere examined by comparing the single-copyDNA sequencesof the Apapane (Himationesanguinea) with those of 5 speciesof carduelinefinches, 1 speciesof Fringilla, 15 speciesof New World nine- primaried oscines(Cardinalini, Emberizini, Thraupini, Parulini, Icterini), and members of 6 other families of oscines(Turdidae, Monarchidae, Dicaeidae, Sylviidae, Vireonidae, Cor- vidae). The DNA-DNA hybridization data support other evidence indicating that the Hawaiian honeycreepersshared a more recent common ancestorwith the cardue!ine finches than with any of the other groupsstudied and indicate that this divergenceoccurred in the mid-Miocene, 15-20 million yr ago. The colonizationof the Hawaiian Islandsby the ancestralspecies that radiated to produce the Hawaiian honeycreeperscould have occurredat any time between 20 and 5 million yr ago. Becausethe honeycreeperscaptured so many ecologicalniches, however, it seemslikely that their ancestor was the first passefine to become established in the islands and that it arrived there at the time of, or soon after, its separationfrom the carduelinelineage. If so, this colonist arrived before the present islands from Hawaii to French Frigate Shoal were formed by the volcanic"hot-spot" now under the island of Hawaii. Therefore,the ancestral drepaninine may have colonizedone or more of the older Hawaiian Islandsand/or Emperor Seamounts,which also were formed over the "hot-spot" and which reachedtheir present positions as the result of tectonic crustal movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Collation of Brisson's Genera of Birds with Those of Linnaeus
    59. 82:01 Article XXVII. COLLATION OF BRISSON'S GENERA OF BIRDS WITH THOSE OF LINNAEUS. BY J. A. ALLEN. CONTENTS. Page. Introduction ....................... 317 Brisson not greatly indebted to Linnaeus. 319 Linneus's indebtedness to Brisson .... .. ... .. 320 Brisson's methods and resources . .. 320 Brisson's genera . 322 Brisson and Linnaeus statistically compared .. .. .. 324 Brisson's 'Ornithologia' compared with the Aves of the tenth edition of Lin- naeus's 'Systema'. 325 Brisson's new genera and their Linnwan equivalents . 327 Brisson's new names for Linnaan genera . 330 Linnaean (1764 and 1766) new names for Brissonian genera . 330 Brissonian names adopted. by Linnaeus . 330 Brissonian names wrongly ascribed to other authors in Sharpe's 'Handlist of Birds'.330 The relation of six Brissonian genera to Linnlean genera . 332 Mergus Linn. and Merganser Briss. 332 Meleagris Linn. and Gallopavo Briss. 332 Alcedo Linn. and Ispida Briss... .. 332 Cotinga Briss. and Ampelis Linn. .. 333 Coracias Linn. and Galgulus Briss.. 333 Tangara Briss. and Tanagra Linn... ... 334 INTRODUCTION. In considering recently certain questions of ornithological nomenclature it became necessary to examine the works of Brisson and Linnaeus in con- siderable detail and this-examination finally led to a careful collation of Brisson's 'Ornithologia,' published in 1760, with the sixth, tenth, and twelfth editions of Linnaeus's 'Systema Naturae,' published respectively in 1748, 1758, and 1766. As every systematic ornithologist has had occasion to learn, Linnaeus's treatment of the class Aves was based on very imperfect knowledge of the suabject. As is well-known, this great systematist was primarily a botanist, secondarily a zoologist, and only incidentally a mammalogist and ornithol- ogist.
    [Show full text]
  • Order PASSERIFORMES: Passerine (Perching) Birds Suborder
    Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 275, 279 & 319-320. Order PASSERIFORMES: Passerine (Perching) Birds See Christidis & Boles (2008) for a review of recent studies relevant to the higher-level systematics of the passerine birds. Suborder PASSERES (or POLYMYODI): Oscines (Songbirds) The arrangement of songbirds in the 1970 Checklist (Checklist Committee 1970) was based on the premise that the species endemic to the Australasian region were derived directly from Eurasian groups and belonged in Old World families (e.g. Gerygone and Petroica in Muscicapidae). The 1990 Checklist (Checklist Committee 1990) followed the Australian lead in allocating various native songbirds to their own Australasian families (e.g. Gerygone to Acanthizidae, and Petroica to Eopsaltriidae), but the sequence was still based largely on the old Peters-Mayr arrangement. Since the late 1980s, when the 1990 Checklist was finalised, evidence from molecular biology, especially DNA studies, has shown that most of the Australian and New Zealand endemic songbirds are the product of a major Australasian radiation parallel to the radiation of songbirds in Eurasia and elsewhere. Many superficial morphological and ecological similarities between Australasian and Eurasian songbirds are the result of convergent evolution. Sibley & Ahlquist (1985, 1990) and Sibley et al. (1988) recognised a division of the songbirds into two groups which were called Corvida and Passerida (Sibley & Ahlquist 1990).
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Illegal Killing and Taking of Birds in Northern and Central Europe and the Caucasus
    Review of illegal killing and taking of birds in Northern and Central Europe and the Caucasus Overview of main outputs of the project The information collated and analysed during this project has been summarised in a variety of outputs: 1. This full report Presenting all the aspects of the project at regional and national levels http://www.birdlife.org/illegal-killing 2. Scientific paper Presenting results of the regional assessment of scope and scale of illegal killing and taking of birds in Northern and Central Europe and the Caucasus1 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bird-conservation-international 3. Legislation country factsheets Presenting a review of national legislation on hunting, trapping and trading of birds in each assessed country http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/country (under ‘resources’ tab) 4. ‘The Killing 2.0’ Layman’s report Short communications publication for publicity purposes with some key headlines of the results of the project and the previous one focussing on the Mediterranean region http://www.birdlife.org/illegal-killing Credits of front cover pictures 1 2 3 4 1 Hen harrier Circus cyaneus © RSPB 2 Illegal trapping of Hen Harrier in the UK © RSPB 3 Common Coot (Fulica atra) © MISIK 4 Illegal trade of waterbirds illegally killed in Azerbaijan © AOS Citation of the report BirdLife International (2017) Review of illegal killing and taking of birds in Northern and Central Europe and the Caucasus. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. 1 Paper in revision process for publication in Bird Conservation International in October 2017 when this report is released 1 Executive Summary The illegal killing and taking of wild birds remains a major threat on a global scale.
    [Show full text]