DOCSLIB.ORG

Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour ASSAB 2006 Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour 20–23 April 2006 Macquarie University ~ Sydney Hosted by the Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour Sponsored by: Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour, Macquarie University ~ Sydney With additional assistance from: Department of Psychology, Macquarie University Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University Public Relations and Marketing Unit, Macquarie University ASSAB Conference 2006 Program Date Session Time Chair Thursday 20 April Welcome reception 17:00- Thursday 20 April food 18:00- Friday 21 April Plenary: Simpson 8:30-9:30 Phil Taylor Friday 21 April Foraging 9:30-10:15 Jan Hemmi Friday 21 April Space 10:15-11:45 Jan Hemmi Friday 21 April Learning 11:45-12:45 Andrea Griffin Friday 21 April lunch & posters 12:45-13:45 Friday 21 April Dealing with pests 13:45-14:30 Ed Minot Friday 21 April Mating 14:30-17:15 Greg Johnston Friday 21 April business meeting 17:15-19:00 Friday 21 April BBQ & movie 19:00- Saturday 22 April Plenary: Griffith 8:30-9:30 Phil Taylor Saturday 22 April Communication 1 9:30-12:00 Dianne Brunton Saturday 22 April Communication 2 12:00-14:30 Richard Peters Saturday 22 April lunch & posters 12:45-13:45 Saturday 22 April Breeding 14:30-17:00 Jeremy Robertson Saturday 22 April bus for cruise 18:00 Sunday 23 April Plenary: Shine 8:30-9:30 Phil Taylor Sunday 23 April Predator and prey 9:30-12:45 Jochen Zeil Sunday 23 April lunch 12:45-13:15 Sunday 23 April Suites of behaviour 13:15-15:15 Mariella Herberstein Places to note Welcome reception: Biology courtyard (surrounded by E8A, E8B, E8C, see map on back cover) Talk sessions: C5C T1 (see map on back cover) Poster sessions: C5C 238 (see map on back cover) Posters will be on display throughout Friday and Saturday, with official sessions during lunch. Lunches: C5C courtyard (see map on back cover) BBQ (Friday night) Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour (see map) Bus for cruise: Dunmore Lang Hall parking lot Shopping Centre: Macquarie Centre, Herring Road and Waterloo Road (see map) Bus stops: Herring Road, or Macquarie Centre Contacts: Social events: Phil Taylor, Mariella Herberstein AV: Chris Evans Program: Ken Cheng Finance: Ximena Nelson 1 ASSAB Conference 2006 Program Friday 21 April Session Time Speaker Affiliation Plenary 8:30 Simpson, Steve University of Sydney Foraging 1 9:30 Raubenheimer, David University of Auckland Foraging 2 9:45 Schlotfeldt, Beth Flinders University Foraging 3 10:00 Anderson, Michael Massey University Space 4 10:15 Germano, Jennifer University of Otago tea break 10:30 Space 5 11:00 Dennis, Todd E University of Auckland Space 6 11:15 Freire, Raf University of New England Space 7 11:30 Narendra, Ajay Macquarie University Learning 8 11:45 Cheng, Ken Macquarie University Learning 9 12:00 Ebeling, Wiebke Australian National University Learning 10 12:15 Zhang, Shaowu Australian National University Learning 11 12:30 Kaplan, Gisela University of New England Posters and lunch break 12:45 Dealing with pests 12 13:45 Kilgour, RJ (Bob) NSW Department of Primary Industries Dealing with pests 13 14:00 Oorebeek, Margot Flinders University Dealing with pests 14 14:15 Colombelli-Négrel, Diane Flinders University Mating 15 14:30 Herberstein, Mariella Macquarie University Mating 16 14:45 Holwell, Greg Macquarie University Mating 17 15:00 Barry, Katherine (Kate) Macquarie University tea break 15:15 Mating 18 15:45 Richards, Nansi Macquarie University Mating 19 16:00 Radhakrishnan, Preethi Macquarie University Mating 20 16:15 Perez-Staples, Diana Macquarie University Mating 21 16:30 Robertson, Jeremy Flinders University Mating 22 16:45 Zajitschek, Susanne (Susi) University of New South Wales Mating 23 17:00 Hall, Matt University of New South Wales Business meeting 17:15 BBQ, movie 19:00 CISAB Movie (p 35) ~21:00 Fijn, Natasha Australian National University Saturday 22 April Plenary 8:30 Griffith, Simon University of New South Wales Communication 1 24 9:30 Nelson, Ximena Macquarie University Communication 1 25 9:45 Vorobyev, Misha University of Queensland Communication 1 26 10:00 Zeil, Jochen Australian National University Communication 1 27 10:15 How, Martin Australian National University tea break 10:30 Communication 1 28 11:00 Peters, Richard Australian National University Communication 1 29 11:15 Van Dyk, Daniel Macquarie University Communication 1 30 11:30 Woo, Kevin L Macquarie University Communication 1 31 11:45 McGuire, Angela Flinders University Communication 2 32 12:00 Evans, Chris Macquarie University Communication 2 33 12:15 Magrath, Rob Australian National University Communication 2 34 12:30 Peddemors, Vic Macquarie University & U of KwaZulu-Natal Posters and lunch break 12:45 Communication 2 35 13:45 Hartwig, Simone Humboldt University Communication 2 36 14:00 Wilson, David Macquarie University Communication 2 37 14:15 Brunton, Dianne Massey University Breeding 38 14:45 Drayton, Jean Australian National University Breeding 39 15:00 Kranz, Brenda University of Adelaide Breeding 40 14:30 Jennions, Michael Australian National University tea break 15:15 Breeding 41 15:45 Fisher, Diana Australian National University Breeding 42 16:00 Johnston, Greg Royal Zoological Society of South Australia Breeding 43 16:15 Geurts, Jacqueline Auckland, New Zealand Breeding 44 16:30 Goldizen, Anne W University of Queensland Breeding 45 16:45 Minot, Ed Massey University bus for cruise 18:00 2 ASSAB Conference 2006 Program Sunday 23 April Session Time Speaker Affiliation Plenary 8:30 Shine, Rick University of Sydney Predator and prey 46 9:30 Harmer, Aaron Macquarie University Predator and prey 47 9:45 Rao, Dinesh Macquarie University Predator and prey 48 10:00 Hemmi, Jan M Australian National University Predator and prey 49 10:15 Smolka, Jochen Australian National University tea break 10:30 Predator and prey 50 11:00 Whitehouse, Mary Australian Cotton Research Institute Predator and prey 51 11:15 Griffin, Andrea University of Newcastle Predator and prey 52 11:30 Koboroff, Adam University of New England Predator and prey 53 11:45 Sims, Rachel Australian National University Predator and prey 54 12:00 Galligan, Toby Flinders University Predator and prey 55 12:15 Massaro, Melanie University of Canterbury Predator and prey 56 12:30 Lambert, Sarah Flinders University lunch break 12:45 Suites of behaviour 57 13:15 Sinn, David University of Tasmania Suites of behaviour 58 13:30 Reaney, Leeann Australian National University Suites of behaviour 59 13:45 Cope, Taneal Massey University Suites of behaviour 60 14:00 Klose, Stefan M University of Ulm Suites of behaviour 61 14:15 Bonduriansky, Russell University of New South Wales Suites of behaviour 62 14:30 Lemon, Michelle Macquarie University Suites of behaviour 63 14:45 Ji, Weihong Massey University Suites of behaviour 64 15:00 Hagman, Mattias University of Sydney End 15:15 Posters Topic Day Presenter Affiliation Suites of behaviour 1 Fri McEvoy, Joanne University of Tasmania Information processing 2 Fri Nelson, Ximena Macquarie University Information processing 3 Fri Harland, Duane Canesis Network Ltd, Christchurch Information processing 4 Fri Nordström, Karin University of Adelaide Information processing 5 Fri Prabhu, Catherine Macquarie University Communication 6 Fri Delaney, Kim Dunedin, New Zealand Communication 7 Fri Wignall, Anne Macquarie University Communication 8 Fri Woo, Kevin L Macquarie University Communication 9 Fri Lemon, Michelle Macquarie University Communication 10 Fri Chen, Hou-chun University of New England Communication 11 Fri Chen, Hou-chun University of New England Communication 12 Fri Kaplan, Gisela University of New England Communication 13 Fri Johnson, Gayle University of New England Group living 14 Sat Koboroff, Adam University of New England Group living 15 Sat Sulikowski, Danielle Macquarie University Group living 16 Sat Wiszniewski, Joanne Macquarie University Group living 17 Sat Whitehouse, Mary Australian Cotton Research Institute Reproduction 18 Sat Collins, Samuel R Macquarie University Reproduction 19 Sat Harmer, Aaron Macquarie University Reproduction 20 Sat Möller, Luciana Macquarie University Reproduction 21 Sat Ison, Robyn University of New England Reproduction 22 Sat Kranz, Brenda University of Adelaide Reproduction 23 Sat Winnick, Claire Macquarie University Reproduction 24 Sat Brunton, Dianne Massey University Observing behaviour 25 Sat Schmitt, Natalie T 'Before Its Too Late' Wildlife Foundation Observing behaviour 26 Sat Peddemors, Vic Macquarie University & U of KwaZulu-Natal Observing behaviour 27 Sat Buist, Janine University of Newcastle 3 ASSAB Conference 2006 Program Plenary talks 21 April 8:30 Steve Simpson, University of Sydney, David Raubenheimer, University of Auckland Understanding nutrition: from cannibal crickets to human obesity There are three major themes in biology: sex, death and food. To a first approximation, the more sex the better and the less death, but what about food? Nutrition is a more complex problem. Animals must balance the location, selection, ingestion and use of numerous nutrients against multiple and changing metabolic requirements. They must achieve this in a world where foods typically vary in their availability and composition and are costly and dangerous to acquire and process. Several major disciplines have yet to deal adequately with the multidimensional nature of feeding and nutrition. To this end we have developed a set of state-space models [called the Geometric Framework (GF)] from extensive studies of insect herbivores. The GF unifies within a single model the animal and its multidimensional nutritional environment and provides a means of studying nutrition within evolutionary, ecological and developmental contexts. In my talk I will set out the basic structure of the models, illustrating them with data from insects - including some extraordinary, recent data on a large, mass-migrating cannibalistic cricket. I will then apply the GF to the problem of human obesity and shown that regulation of protein intake may explain more of the modern human nutritional condition than has previously been appreciated.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Status and Occurrence of White Wagtail (Motacilla Alba) in British Columbia
    Status and Occurrence of White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) in British Columbia. By Rick Toochin and Don Cecile. Introduction and Distribution The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine species that is found throughout the Old World: breeding from the southeastern tip of Greenland, and Iceland; from Great Britain, south to Morocco, across all of Europe; throughout western Russia, all of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, along the Himalayas east into southern China, Mongolia, all of eastern Russia, and into western coastal areas of Alaska (Alstrom and Mild 2003). The White Wagtail winters from Great Britain, south throughout western Europe from Germany to Spain, east through Italy, Greece, into Turkey and the Middle East, south into the northern countries of Africa, east to Saudi Arabia, throughout Iraq, Iran, into India, east throughout south east Asia north through southern China, the northern Philippines, Taiwan and Japan (Alstrom and Mild 2003). There are 9 recognized subspecies found throughout the range of the White Wagtail with only 3 having been recorded in North America (Alstrom and Mild 2003). The nominate subspecies of White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) has occurred accidentally along the east coast of North America (Hamilton et al. 2007, Dunn and Alderfer 2011). In western North America, the White Wagtails that occur are from the subspecies that make up the (Motacilla alba ocularis/lugens) complex (Sibley 2000, Dunn and Alderfer 2011). These two subspecies were once separate species with one called White Wagtail (Motacilla alba ocularis) and the other called Black-backed Wagtail (Motacilla alba lugens) (Alstrom and Mild 2003). In 2005, the AOU officially lumped Black- backed Wagtail back with White Wagtail and now the Black-backed Wagtail is considered a subspecies of the White Wagtail (Banks et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Birds of Anchorage Checklist
    ACCIDENTAL, CASUAL, UNSUBSTANTIATED KEY THRUSHES J F M A M J J A S O N D n Casual: Occasionally seen, but not every year Northern Wheatear N n Accidental: Only one or two ever seen here Townsend’s Solitaire N X Unsubstantiated: no photographic or sample evidence to support sighting Gray-cheeked Thrush N W Listed on the Audubon Alaska WatchList of declining or threatened species Birds of Swainson’s Thrush N Hermit Thrush N Spring: March 16–May 31, Summer: June 1–July 31, American Robin N Fall: August 1–November 30, Winter: December 1–March 15 Anchorage, Alaska Varied Thrush N W STARLINGS SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER SPECIES SPECIES SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER European Starling N CHECKLIST Ross's Goose Vaux's Swift PIPITS Emperor Goose W Anna's Hummingbird The Anchorage area offers a surprising American Pipit N Cinnamon Teal Costa's Hummingbird Tufted Duck Red-breasted Sapsucker WAXWINGS diversity of habitat from tidal mudflats along Steller's Eider W Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Bohemian Waxwing N Common Eider W Willow Flycatcher the coast to alpine habitat in the Chugach BUNTINGS Ruddy Duck Least Flycatcher John Schoen Lapland Longspur Pied-billed Grebe Hammond's Flycatcher Mountains bordering the city. Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel Eastern Kingbird BOHEMIAN WAXWING Snow Bunting N Leach's Storm-Petrel Western Kingbird WARBLERS Pelagic Cormorant Brown Shrike Red-faced Cormorant W Cassin's Vireo Northern Waterthrush N For more information on Alaska bird festivals Orange-crowned Warbler N Great Egret Warbling Vireo Swainson's Hawk Red-eyed Vireo and birding maps for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Yellow Warbler N American Coot Purple Martin and Kodiak, contact Audubon Alaska at Blackpoll Warbler N W Sora Pacific Wren www.AudubonAlaska.org or 907-276-7034.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolutionary History of the White Wagtail Species Complex, (Passeriformes: Motacillidae: Motacilla Alba)
    Contributions to Zoology 88 (2019) 257-276 CTOZ brill.com/ctoz The evolutionary history of the white wagtail species complex, (Passeriformes: Motacillidae: Motacilla alba) Maliheh Pirayesh Shirazinejad Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Mansour Aliabadian Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Research Department of Zoological Innovations, Institute of Applied Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran [email protected] Omid Mirshamsi Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Research Department of Zoological Innovations, Institute of Applied Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Abstract The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) species complex with its distinctive plumage in separate geographical areas can serve as a model to test evolutionary hypotheses. Its extensive variety in plumage, despite the genetic similarity between taxa, and the evolutionary events connected to this variety are poorly under- stood. Therefore we sampled in the breeding range of the white wagtail: 338 individuals were analyzed from 74 areas in the Palearctic and Mediterranean. We studied the white wagtail complex based on two mitochondrial DNA markers to make inferences about the evolutionary history. Our phylogenetic trees highlight mtDNA sequences (ND2, CR), and one nuclear marker (CHD1Z), which partly correspond to earlier described clades: the northern Palearctic (clade N); eastern and central Asia (clade SE); south- western Asia west to the British Isles (clade SW); and Morocco (clade M). The divergence of all clades occurred during the Pleistocene. We also used ecological niche modelling for three genetic lineages (ex- cluding clade M); results showed congruence between niche and phylogenetic divergence in these clades.
    [Show full text]
  • Wintering Range of Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla Flava in Africa and Europe in a Historical Perspective
    Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia - Research in Ornithology, 90 (1): 3-39, 2020 DOI: 10.4081/rio.2020.430 Wintering range of western yellow wagtail Motacilla flava in Africa and Europe in a historical perspective Flavio Ferlini Abstract - Over the past few centuries, some subspecies of the sporadiche nelle isole dell’Oceano Indiano (Seychelles, Réunion, western yellow wagtail Motacilla flava have shown changes in their ecc.). Assente dalle zone africane prettamente desertiche. A livello reproductive ranges. The aim of this research is to verify if changes di sottospecie nel periodo di studio si sono rilevate le seguenti varia- have occurred also in the wintering range of the species in Africa zioni: aumentata presenza della sottospecie flava in Egitto a partire and Europe from 1848 to 2017. The data, collected through the con- dagli anni 1970; minore ampiezza dell’area di presenza di iberiae sultation of over 840 bibliographic sources, 184 travel reports, 38 rispetto a quanto indicato in pasato, in particolare nell’Africa Occi- databases (including 25 relating to museum collections) and some dentale la sottospecie resta confinata fra la costa dell’Atlantico e website, shows an expansion of the wintering range to the north. il meridiano 2° Ovest anziché raggiungere il 14° Est come prece- The analysis is also extended to the single subspecies (flava, iberiae, dentemente indicato; espansione di cinereocapilla verso occidente, cinereocapilla, flavissima, thunbergi, pygmaea, feldegg, beema, con significative presenze numeriche in Senegal e Gambia; mag- lutea, leucocephala). The factors that can affect the conservation of giore ampiezza dell’areale di flavissima nell’Africa Occidentale the species during wintering are examined and the oversummering con possibili presenze anche in Nigeria e Cameroon (s’ipotizza per range of Motacilla flava in sub-Saharan Africa is also discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Hunting and Consumption of Passerine Birds by Wild Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) Author(S): Silviu O
    Hunting and Consumption of Passerine Birds by Wild Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) Author(s): Silviu O. Petrovan and Mihai Leu Source: Waterbirds, 40(2):187-190. Published By: The Waterbird Society https://doi.org/10.1675/063.040.0212 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1675/063.040.0212 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/ page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non- commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Hunting and Consumption of Passerine Birds by Wild Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) SILVIU O. PETROVAN¹,* AND MIHAI LEU² ¹Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, England, CB2 3QZ, U.K. ²Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, Strada Timisoarei, 15, Resita, 320232, Romania *Corresponding author; E-mail: [email protected] Abstract.—Predation of vertebrates by Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) has rarely been documented and only in relation to fish and amphibians. Mallard foraging behavior was observed at a reservoir bordering Semenic-Caras Gorges National Park in southwest Romania.
    [Show full text]
  • First Record of the Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla Tschutschensis)/ Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla Flava) for Alabama
    ALABAMA BIRDLIFE FIRST RECORD OF THE EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL (MOTACILLA TSCHUTSCHENSIS)/ YELLOW WAGTAIL (MOTACILLA FLAVA) FOR ALABAMA Robert A. Duncan and Lucy R. Duncan On 29 September 2003 at about 1130 hrs, Robert Duncan, Cecil Brown, and David Dortch were walking among the dunes south of the main fort at Fort Morgan, Baldwin County, Alabama, when Dortch spotted a passerine perched on a low bush on a dune ridge about 30 meters away. Duncan immediately recognized it as a wagtail by its gray and white coloration, pipit-like appear- ance and long tail. All three observers had excellent views of the bird through a 20x Swarovski telescope, under a clear sky and with the mid-day sun to the left. The bird flew before photographs could be made, but the observers were able to follow it several times and get off and on observations over a 30 minute period. Each time it flushed, it flew low to the ground, calling as it flew. Returning to their car, a field guide (National Geographic Society 1987) was consulted, and it was concluded that the wagtail was an immature Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava). A call was made to other birders, and between 1420 and 1715 hrs the bird was intermittently observed by Lucy Duncan, Howard Horne, Venetia Friend, Larry Gardella, Anabel Markel, Phil and Carolyn Snow, John Porter, and Laurie Bailey. All observers agreed it was a wagtail. The bird was slightly larger than the Palm Warblers (Dendroica pal- marum) that were in the vicinity. The top of its head, nape and back were uni- form gray.
    [Show full text]
  • Western Yellow Wagtail
    # 014 Bird-o-soar 21 March 2018 WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL Photographic record of leucistic Motacilla flava from Porbandar, Gujarat IUCN Red List: Global: Least Concern (Birdlife International 2017) Aberrantly coloured Western Yellow Wagtail (Photo: Dhaval Vargiya) The sighting of Leucistic Western yellow wagtail Motacilla flava at Karly II Wetland (21.6320300N & 69.6508750E) of Aves [Class of Birds] Mokarsagar Wetland Complex of Porbandar District, Gujarat, on 22 March 2015, is probably the first known published record of Passeriformes [Order of perching birds] leucism in Western Yellow Wagtail from India. Records of colour Motacillidae aberrations in Indian birds between 1886–2015 have been already [Family of Pipits and published but do not include Wagtail sp. (Mahabal et al. 2016). Wagtails] Western Yellow Wagtail is a common winter visitor to Motacilla flava [Western Yellow Wagtail] Gujarat and seen in suitable habitats across the state (Ganpule 2016). Head, nape and ear-coverts are dark slate-grey, sometimes Species described by Linnaeus in 1758 with a trace of a white supercilium. Back is olive and wings brown with two yellowish bars. Tail is dark brown with white outer edge. Zoo’s Print Vol. 33 | No. 3 37 # 014 Bird-o-soar 21 March 2018 The bird is bright yellow from chin to under Global Distribution: Native: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Angola; Armenia; Austria; tail-coverts. Winter plumage is duller, with Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Benin; Bhutan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; the grey on head mixed with olive. Sexes Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d’Ivoire; Croatia; are more or less alike.
    [Show full text]
  • Yellow Wagtail Motacilla Flava
    Yellow Wagtail 36.Motacilla flava Transhumance in the Sahel has special importance for Yellow Wagtails. Thousands of Wagtail fl ocks attend the cattle, sheep and goats as they sweep across plains, savanna and desert, profi ting from seasonal variations in food supply. The region covered by the 110 million herbivores in the western Sahel lies roughly between the zones that receive less than 100 mm of rainfall (insuffi cient for grass) and more than 1000 mm of rainfall (where tsetse fl ies reign), and within it, fl oodplains provide temporary food bonanzas when grasses put on growth spurts once the water has receded. From December to April, depending on the height of the fl ood, a paradise for fi sherman is transformed into a pastoralist’s idyll. The arrival of large herds in the defl ooded areas heralds an infl ux of Yellow Wagtails, whose thin high-pitched calls are easily audible above the bellows, grunts and trampling of the cattle. Nowhere particularly abundant during daytime, Wagtails leap to prominence just before dusk, when the magnitude of their numbers be- comes obvious, as a continuous stream starts heading for the roost. For as far as the eye can see along the column, it’s Wagtails galore. Counting is a near-impossibility, because the bulk passes when it is almost dark. The scale of roost migration, however, does give a fair impression of the populations hosted by huge Eurasian hinterland where these wagtails breed, and to which they are preparing to return, despite often harsh conditions en route. 4418 Livvinng onn thee edge Breeding range which occupy central and northern parts of the country from Vom to Nguru and Lake Chad (Fry et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomy of the Rock/Water Pipit Superspecies Anthus Petrosus, Spinoletta and Rubescens
    Taxonomy of the Rock/Water Pipit superspecies Anthus petrosus, spinoletta and rubescens Alan Knox t the time of the last British checklist (BOU 1971), the Rock and AWater Pipits were generally regarded as one polytypic species of Holarctic distribution, Anthus spinoletta. This species ranged from western Europe to eastern Siberia, across North America from Alaska to western Greenland and southwards along the Rocky Mountains. Recently, the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee, on the recommenda­ tion of its taxonomic working group, decided to treat these pipits as a superspecies composed of three species, A. petrosus, A. spinoletta and A. rubescens, all of which occur or have occurred in Britain and Ireland (BOURC 1986; table 1). In this paper, I shall briefly give the background to this decision. Geographic variation Many of the subspecies within the original Rock/Water Pipit complex (table 1) grade into one another to some extent. This is particularly so with the forms in western Europe, where a cline runs from the longer- billed and darker 'kleinschmidti' (see below), through petrosus, to the shorter- billed and paler littoralis (Hall 1961). These races also vary in the extent to which they undergo a moult in late winter. In the cases of 'kleinschmidti' and petrosus, the winter plumage is largely retained and the birds are dark and heavily streaked as the breeding season approaches. A distinctive spring plumage is acquired by littoralis, to a degree which varies between individuals. Some petrosus from Ouessant, France, appear to be intermedi­ ate, and moult into littoralis-\\ke spring plumage (Mayaud 1952). Although the northern end of this cline is called kleinschmidti, this form is 206 [Brit.Binha1:206-211,May I9RB] Taxonomy of Rock/Water Pipits 207 only poorly differentiated and arbitrarily separated from petrosus.
    [Show full text]
  • Scotland in Style
    SCOTLAND IN STYLE MAY 1-10, 2020 ©2019 Please note this tour may be taken in connection with Wild & Ancient Britain with Ireland cruise , May 11-26, 2020. Cairngorms National Park © Andrew Whittaker This short, one hotel tour provides an enormously varied and comprehensive taste of all that the bonnie Scottish Highlands have to offer. During our seven full days based around Strathspey and the spectacular Cairngorms National Park, there will be a varied and flexible daily program of events. Although the main focus is on birding excursions, we will be centrally located to visit many fine castles, battlefields, and sites of historical significance, plus we’ll enjoy a guided visit to a famous Scotch single malt whisky distillery. Scotland in Style, Page 2 The Highlands scenery is the most dramatic in the British Isles: the highest peaks in Britain; extensive remote moorlands; large tracts of ancient woodland of Caledonian Pines; stunning coastal scenery of cliffs, inlets, lochs, and offshore islands; and vast tracts of prehistoric peat bog and fast-flowing, crystal clear rivers. We will target localized and rare specialties such as Eurasian Capercaillie (rare), Black Grouse, Rock Ptarmigan, Willow Ptarmigan (the British subspecies known as Red Grouse, an excellent candidate for a future split and another endemic), the gorgeous Mandarin Duck, the endemic Scottish Crossbill, localized Ring Ouzel, Crested Tit, Horned Grebe, Arctic and Red-throated loon, and raptors such as the striking Red Kite, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Buzzard, and Golden and White-tailed eagle (rare). Most of these breed only within the British Isles, exclusively here in this wild region of Scotland, and we have good chances of seeing most of them.
    [Show full text]
  • Field Identification and Status of Black-Headed Yellow Wagtails in Western Europe
    Field identification and status of black-headed Yellow Wagtails in Western Europe Martin van den Berg and Gerald J. Oreel he male Yellow Wagtail Motacillaflava of the black-headed race feldegg T(Sammalisto 1961) in adult breeding plumage is a distinctive bird. Descriptions and illustrations in most field guides, however, are inade­ quate, and of little help in distinguishing it from other dark-headed races of the Yellow Wagtail. This has resulted in misidentifications. In our opinion, most records offeldegg in western Europe probably result from confusion with the grey-headed race M.f. thunbergi. In this paper, adult breeding plumage, bare parts and calls of these two races are described and compared. Distribution and migration of both races are reviewed, and the status oifeldegg in western Europe is discussed. Plumage and bare parts According to Bruun & Singer (1978), Heinzel etal. (1979) and Peterson et al. (1983), males of the black-headed racefeldegg in adult breeding plumage can be distinguished from those of the grey-headed race thunbergi by the head pattern. The met feldegg has a black forehead, crown, nape, lores and ear-coverts; thunbergi has a grey forehead, crown and nape, contrasting with black or almost black lores and ear-coverts. These features, however, are not completely diagnostic. Sammalisto (1961) demonstrated the existence of thunbergi with characters of both feldegg and other dark-headed races; moreover, of about 2,600 thunbergi which Sammalisto (in litt.) studied in Finland during 1955-80, three had a head pattern identical with that of feldegg. Adult breeding plumage and bare parts of males of the two races are described and compared in table 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Leg Colour in Grey Wagtail Motacilla Cinerea Maulik Varu, Gaurang Bagda & Prasad Ganpule
    166 Indian BirdS Vol. 9 Nos. 5&6 (Publ. 2 December 2014) Leg colour in Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Maulik Varu, Gaurang Bagda & Prasad Ganpule Varu, M., Bagda, G., & Ganpule, P., 2014. Leg colour in Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea. Indian BIRDS 9 (5&6): 166. Maulik Varu , C/o Physiology Department, Govt. Medical College, Bhavnagar 364001, Gujarat, India. Email: [email protected] Gaurang Bagda, 22/44 Morari Nagar, Near Alpha School-2, Opp. Avanti Apartment, Laxminagar, Junagadh 362001, Gujarat, India. Email:[email protected] Prasad Ganpule, C/o Parshuram Pottery Works, Nazarbaug, Morbi 363642, Gujarat, India. Email: [email protected] Manuscript received on 09 May 2014. dentification of wagtails (Motacillidae) is not easy. In Gujarat, This feature is often overlooked and not shown in several all the six species of wagtails reported from India are recorded, works (Grimmett et al.1998, 2011; Kazmierczak 2000; Ali & Iwith Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea occurring as a winter Ripley 2007; Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). Dharmakumarsinhji migrant (Kazmierczak 2002; Grimmett et al. 2011; Rasmussen (1955) notes in the text that leg colour is ‘horny brown’ in Grey & Anderton 2012). Wagtail. This is correctly given in text in Alström & Mild (2003), Leg colour is an important character in the identification of Grey who state for the Grey Wagtail, ‘The legs are pale pinkish, unlike Wagtail, which has pink or brownish-pink legs. We have observed in all other wagtails in post juvenile plumages, except Mountain more than 50 different individuals in the past ten years and Wagtail M. clara’ (which does not occur in India). Taylor (2004) specifically noted the leg colour of these birds [203].
    [Show full text]