DOCSLIB.ORG

Foraging Ecology of Three Sympatric Turacos in a Montane Forest in Rwanda

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Foraging Ecology of Three Sympatric Turacos in a Montane Forest in Rwanda The Auk 114(3):396-404, 1997 FORAGING ECOLOGY OF THREE SYMPATRIC TURACOS IN A MONTANE FOREST IN RWANDA CHIN SUN • AND TIMOTHY C. MOERMOND Departmentof Zoology,University of Wisconsin,Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA ABSTRACT.--Westudied the foragingecology of three sympatrictufacos (Great Blue Tu- raco [Corythaeolacristata], Ruwenzori Turaco [Musophagajohnstoni], and Black-billedTuraco [Tauracoschuettii]) in a tropical montaneforest in Rwandabetween November 1991 and De- cember1992. All three speciesfed primarily on fruit. WhereasBlack-billed Turacos were strictlyfrugivorous, Great Blue and Ruwenzorituracos were partially folivorous;leaves con- stituted25% and 6.3%of their overalldiets, respectively. The overalldietary diversity was highestfor GreatBlue Turacos and lowestfor Black-billedTufacos. Most fruits eaten by tu- racoscame from trees.Although most leaveseaten by Great Blue Turacosalso camefrom trees,leaves eaten by RuwenzoriTuracos mainly camefrom lianasand epiphytes.For the Ruwenzoriand Black-billedtufacos, the two territorialspecies, monthly dietary diversity increasedwith increasingfruit abundancein the environment,but this relationshipdid not hold for GreatBlue Turacos. During periods of fruit scarcity,all threespecies depended more heavilyon theirmost frequently used foods; this trend was particularly evident in the two territorial species.Like most frugivores,these turacos probably were generaliststhat ex- ploited a great varietyof fruit sources.Received 24 June1996, accepted 24 January1997. TURACOS(FAMILY MUSOPHAGIDAE) are large ecologyof theseturacos between 2,000 and birds endemic to woodland and forested habi- 2,500m, where they coexist.Specifically, we tats of sub-Saharan Africa and are considered addressthe following:(1) Whatis the diet com- to be principallyfrugivorous (Brosset and Fry positionfor eachspecies of turaco?(2) Whatis 1988).Given their large body sizeand poten- the dietaryresponse of eachspecies to tempo- tially frugivoroushabits, forest turacos may be ral changesin resourceabundance in the en- important seeddispersers in African tropical vironment? forests.However, the ecologyof mostturacos is poorly known (Dowsett-Lemaire1983, 1990; METHODS Candy 1984;Brosset and Erard 1986;Brosset and Fry 1988).Here, we examinethe foraging Studysite and birds.--The Nyungwe NaturalForest ecologyof threesympatric turacos in a tropical Reserve is a 950-km 2 montane forest located in south- montane forest in Rwanda. western Rwanda, Africa (ca. 2ø35'S,29ø15'E). The Threespecies of turacosoccur in theNyung- generaltopography of the forestis highlydissected, with steepslopes and few levelareas. The studysite we Forest Reserve, Rwanda. The Great Blue Tu- encompassesan area of approximately3.5 km2 and raco(Corythaeola cristata) exists throughout the rangesfrom 1,950to 2,500 m in elevation.Extensive entire elevationalrange of the forest(1,760 to trail systemswithin the study siteprovide access to 2,950 m; Dowsett-Lemaire1990). The Ruwen- the home rangesof all focalbirds studied. zori Turaco (Musophagajohnstoni) is common The Great Blue Turaco weighs approximately between2,000 and 2,920m and may descendto 1,000g and is the largestspecies in the family.The 1,800 m in some wetter areas (J.-P. Vande Great Blue Turaco lives in social groups of 6 to 20 Weghepers. comm.,C. Sun pers. obs.).The individuals (Brossetand Fry 1988,C. Sun pets. obs.). Black-billedTuraco (Tauracoschuettii) is found Fifteenbirds formed the focalgroup that we studied. up to 2,500 m but is more abundantat lower Ruwenzori and Black-billed turacos each weigh elevations and reaches the lowest limit of the about250 g. Individualsof both specieslive in pairs that defend year-round territories (Brossetand Fry forest (Dowsett-Lemaire 1990, C. Sun pers. 1988, C. Sun unpubl. data). obs.).In this paper we comparethe foraging Between November 1991 and December 1992, C.S. followedfocal groupsof turacosmonthly and re- • Presentaddress: Department of Plant Pathology, corded their activities, movements,and diets. Each University of Wisconsin,Madison, Wisconsin 53706, specieswas followed for two to fivedays each month, USA. E-mail: [email protected] during whichdata were collectedfor 25 to 40 h. On 396 July1997] ForagingEcology ofFrugivorous Turacos 397 A A=0.5 C=0.5 Food scores A--1 A=I B=0.5 B--1 B=I B=I C=1 B=0.5 A A B B C B Feeding pattern I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Time 00 03 06 09 12 15 16 21 24 27 30 min Activity FORAGE B A=0.5 Food scores A=I B=I B=0,5 B=I B=I AAB B B AB B B Feedingpattern,, Time 00 03 06 09 12 15 16 21 24 27 30 min Activity REST I FORAGE--•- F•G.1. Schematicsof activitiesand feedingpatterns of two focalbirds and their food scores. (A) depicts a focalbird activelyforaging, (B) depictsa bird mostlyresting. "Activity" indicates the behavior state of the focalbird during each3-min interval.Dots and linesabove the time barsdepict the feedingpatterns; dots denotefeeding "incident," linesdenote continuous feeding. Letters above each dot or line indicatesthe food type(s)eaten during that feeding episode. "Food scores" records the type of foodeaten and its corresponding scorein each3-min interval. The dashed vertical lines protruding from the time bar (B) divide 3-min intervals into half. average,one group of Great Blue Turacos,2.2 pairs foodtypes eaten by eachbird weregiven a totalscore of RuwenzoriTuracos, and 1.6 pairs of Black-billed of one.If a bird ate two typesof foodwithin a 3-min Turacoswere followedmonthly. Results presented period,each food type was scored0.5 for that bird herewere based on 433,476, and400 h of systematic duringthat interval(Fig. 1A). Wedid not distinguish observationson one group of Great Blue Turacos(15 how long a bird fed on eachfood type during a 3-min birds), four pairs of Ruwenzori Turacos, and two interval.Birds often ate only onefood type duringa pairs of Black-billedTuracos, respectively. foragingbout and never were observedto feed on Recordingactivities.--We used a focal-animalsam- more than two food typeswithin a 3-min interval. pling procedure(Altmann 1974)to documentthe ac- During long restingperiods, a focalbird occasion- tivity patterns of territorial Ruwenzori and Black- ally tookone or two fooditems. Foods taken at such billed turacos. For the Great Blue Turaco, we used a feeding"incidents," when the bird wasnot "forag- focal-group scan sampling procedure.We used a ing," were recordedonly if the feeding occurred 3-min instantaneoussampling method to recordthe during the first half of a 3-min interval (Fig. lB). behavior"states" (Altmann 1974) of focalbirds. Be- Foodeaten at a feedingincident that began in thesec- havior "events" of short duration (e.g. calls and ond half of a 3-min interval would have been record- fights) were recordedas frequencieswithin each ed in the subsequentinterval(s) if the feedinginci- 3-min interval (Martin and Bateson1986). dent turned into a continuous bout that extended Recordingdiets.--A food type wasdefined as a dis- into a subsequenttime interval(s). On average,then, tinct kind of item eatenby turacos(e.g. fruits of spe- foodseaten at thesefeeding incidents were recorded ciesA, leavesof speciesB). Fruits, leaves, and flowers only50% of thetime. Foods recorded at thesefeeding of the sameplant specieswere treatedas different incidentswere scored equally as those recorded dur- food types.To quantifythe differentialuse of food ing continuousfeeding (i.e. when birds were "for- types,we usedthe followingprocedure. When focal aging"). birdswere activelyforaging, the behaviorstate (i.e. By consideringfoods eaten at shortfeeding inci- "foraging") and the numberof foragingindividuals dentsequally with thoseconsumed during contin- wererecorded at 3-min samplingpoints. During the uous feeding,we might have biasedour results. 3-min interval following each samplingpoint, all However,this practicewas necessary given that ob- 398 SUNAND MOERMOND [Auk, Vol. 114 serving several birds simultaneouslynecessitated (numberper ha) of reproductivelymature treesof that we recorddata quicklyand consistently,and we speciesi. For community-widefruit abundancein- could not predict at the outsetwhether a feeding dices,i includesall speciesof treessampled in the would be an extendedfeeding bout or a short inci- phenologysurvey. Because animals use only a subset dent. Our procedurerepresented the best compro- of resourcesin their environment,community-wide misebetween neglecting and overestimating the im- fruit abundanceindices may be a poor measureof portanceof food typeseaten at theseincidents. the quantityof resourcesactually available to a par- Becausethe daily overallnumber of foodtypes eat- ticularspecies. Therefore, we calculatedfruit abun- en by a group or pair of turacosusually was small, danceindices specific to eachturaco species, includ- and the foodtypes eaten at feedingincidents usually ing only plant speciesactually consumedby the were not different from thoseeaten during continu- birds. Unless indicated otherwise, all fruit abun- ous feeding, our samplingscheme was unlikely to danceindices applied in the followinganalyses are havemissed recording the rare food types. the indicesspecific for eachturaco species. Estimatingfruit abundance.--Todocument tempo- Data analyses.--Weused the Simpsonindex (D), ral changesin community-widefruit abundance,we the reciprocalof Simpson,soriginal formula (Simp- conductedmonthly surveys on the phenologyof 568 son 1949), to describedietary diversity of each tu- reproductivelymature trees of 49 species.As part of raco species: a study of seeddispersal
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Comparative Anatomy of Mu50phagidae (Turacos)
    Comparative Anatomy of MU50phagidae (Turacos) by Georgann B. Johnston Sacramento, CA Introduction proVides the red colored feathers in he 20 species which comprise species of the first two genera. Both the avian order Musophagidae' pigments contain copper and spectral (commonly called turacos) data demonstrates that the former is have a number of physical and likely an oxidized version of the latter. anatomical characteristics that set them swered and many generalizations sus­ (Dyck, 1992) In fact, the two pigments apaI1 from many other birds. While pect in light of new information about are intermingled within individual uniformity among the 20 species is not these species' ecology including feathers in the breast patches and crests complete, ceI1ain generalizations can behavior and diet. of some species and turacoverdin be made. One ofthese is that the sexes occurs only in the presence of turacin. are visually indistinguishable in all of Feathers Other species outside the the species save C. Jeucogaster, in Probably the most distinguishing fea­ Musophagidae order have turacoverdin which the males have a black beak ture of these birds are two unique pig­ pigment, including Ithaginis (pheasant) and the females a green beak. ments deposited in their feather keratin. and Rollolus (paI1ridge), both members Unfortunately, most of the literature One, turacoverdin, is a green pigment of the Galliformes. An additional inter­ regarding the anatomy of these birds found in the rami in all species of esting note is that both pigments are was developed more than 40 years Tauraco and Musophaga, and in soluble in a weak base - which may ago, leaving many questions unan- Corythaeola cristata.
    [Show full text]
  • South Africa Mega Birding Tour I 6Th to 30Th January 2018 (25 Days) Trip Report
    South Africa Mega Birding Tour I 6th to 30th January 2018 (25 days) Trip Report Aardvark by Mike Bacon Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Wayne Jones Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to South Africa Trip Report – RBT South Africa - Mega I 2018 2 Tour Summary The beauty of South Africa lies in its richness of habitats, from the coastal forests in the east, through subalpine mountain ranges and the arid Karoo to fynbos in the south. We explored all of these and more during our 25-day adventure across the country. Highlights were many and included Orange River Francolin, thousands of Cape Gannets, multiple Secretarybirds, stunning Knysna Turaco, Ground Woodpecker, Botha’s Lark, Bush Blackcap, Cape Parrot, Aardvark, Aardwolf, Caracal, Oribi and Giant Bullfrog, along with spectacular scenery, great food and excellent accommodation throughout. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Despite havoc-wreaking weather that delayed flights on the other side of the world, everyone managed to arrive (just!) in South Africa for the start of our keenly-awaited tour. We began our 25-day cross-country exploration with a drive along Zaagkuildrift Road. This unassuming stretch of dirt road is well-known in local birding circles and can offer up a wide range of species thanks to its variety of habitats – which include open grassland, acacia woodland, wetlands and a seasonal floodplain. After locating a handsome male Northern Black Korhaan and African Wattled Lapwings, a Northern Black Korhaan by Glen Valentine
    [Show full text]
  • State of Africa's Birds
    An assessment by the BirdLife Africa Partnership1 State of Africa’s birds INTRODUCTION: The importance of birds and biodiversity Biodiversity Foreword underpins In 2009, BirdLife Botswana, the BirdLife Partner in Botswana, working with the Government of Botswana, established a Bird Population Monitoring (BPM) Programme. The BPM Programme is part of our lives the global Wild Bird Index effort, which uses information on birds to assess the overall condition of ecosystems and the environment on which we all depend. These trends will be used to set Africa is rich in its variety of conservation priorities, report on biodiversity changes (including the response of fauna and flora to living things, together referred climate change), as well as serve as useful inputs to State Of the Environment Reports and national to as biodiversity. Biodiversity reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). is fundamental to human wellbeing: it offers multiple Currently there are over 350 volunteers supporting the programme who regularly monitor 241 transects spread throughout the country. My Government has been particularly supportive of the BPM opportunities for development Programme because it, among other things, bolsters the participation of rural communities in natural and improving livelihoods. resources management. Additionally, analysis of bird data will influence environmental policies and It is the basis for essential their implementation (e.g. game bird hunting quotas, and the control of the Red-billed Quelea), environmental services upon land-use planning and tourism development. The science of using bird information by the BirdLife which life on earth depends. Global Partnership to inform policies has far reaching impacts from local to global level.
    [Show full text]
  • WORKING with TURACOS Musophagidae Spp
    125 AL WABRA WILDLIFE PRESERVATION, QATAR: WORKING WITH TURACOS Musophagidae spp. by Simon Bruslund Jensen The turacos are a primitive, almost primeval-looking family of medium to large-sized birds, most closely related to the cuckoos. The 23 species are distributed exclusively in tropical African forests and savannahs. Most species are beautifully coloured in shades of green, blue and red, and are well known for their unique feather pigments, the so-called turacin and turacoverin, found only in this family. Sven Hammer/AWWP A Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco Tauraco ruspolii approaching a waterhole close to Arero, Ethiopia. Due to their appealing appearance, many of the species have for many years been popular in zoos and private collections. However, just a few years back, captive breeding would never have been considered as an option for the conservation management of turacos, as they had long been considered as delicate and rather difficult to breed in captivity. In recent years the methods used for keeping and breeding turacos have improved a great deal, due largely to the systematic approach by dedicated individuals and public collections such as the zoos in Cologne, Germany and Houston, Texas, USA. Now for the first time, it seems possible to establish self-sustainable captive populations, in particular within the 126 JENSEN - TURACOS framework of regional and international cooperation, with studbooks being maintained to ensure the necessary exchange of bloodlines. This is in line with the identification of more and more threats to several turaco species in the wild, especially to some of the unique subspecies with limited distribution.
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 2. Animals
    AC20 Doc. 8.5 Annex (English only/Seulement en anglais/Únicamente en inglés) REVIEW OF SIGNIFICANT TRADE ANALYSIS OF TRADE TRENDS WITH NOTES ON THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF SELECTED SPECIES Volume 2. Animals Prepared for the CITES Animals Committee, CITES Secretariat by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre JANUARY 2004 AC20 Doc. 8.5 – p. 3 Prepared and produced by: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK UNEP WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE (UNEP-WCMC) www.unep-wcmc.org The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre is the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme, the world’s foremost intergovernmental environmental organisation. UNEP-WCMC aims to help decision-makers recognise the value of biodiversity to people everywhere, and to apply this knowledge to all that they do. The Centre’s challenge is to transform complex data into policy-relevant information, to build tools and systems for analysis and integration, and to support the needs of nations and the international community as they engage in joint programmes of action. UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services that include ecosystem assessments, support for implementation of environmental agreements, regional and global biodiversity information, research on threats and impacts, and development of future scenarios for the living world. Prepared for: The CITES Secretariat, Geneva A contribution to UNEP - The United Nations Environment Programme Printed by: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK © Copyright: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre/CITES Secretariat The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP or contributory organisations.
    [Show full text]
  • Guineaturaco
    Captive Propagation and WHITE-BREASTED NORMAL COLORS Management ofthe ~ Herschel Frey Guinea Turaco -l-.:~------- 1170 Fi rwood Dr. (Tauraco p. persa) Pittsburgh, PA. 15243 (412) 561-7194 byJohn Heston Los Angeles, California Taxonomy tively small and restricted range. So distinctive are turacos in general form and plumage pigmentation, it is Morphology and Natural History not surprising that they were at one When it comes to obsession and bias time collectively considered to be the with respect to favorite bird groups, sole representatives of the now non­ aviculturists can be the epitome. Yet, if it existent order, Musophagiformes. Since, is possible to set aside personal prefer­ attempts to "lump" them with other ences and evaluate the fantastic variety well established taxonomic groups have of birds found throughout the world, been interesting. Turacos have been we would find that each species is a associated with the Galliformes uniquely adapted creature reflecting the (pheasants, quail, etc.) on the basis they selective pressures ofevery conceivable were found to be a potential host to habitat and niche. Likewise, to suggest some of the same ectoparasites. Not that turacos are the most interesting being qualified in the field of co­ animal that ever bore feathers, would evolutionary aspects of host-parasite lack perspective. Even so, there are relationships, I would not attempt to some traits, both subtle and otherwise, contest the basis of that criteria; that are unique only to this family of however, from a more contemporary birds. For a start, turacos are "semi­ taxonomic, or systematic viewpoint, to zygodactylous" - a term that refers to a classify this group of birds on that basis condition in which the outer toe (#4) is alone seems a hasty decision, and inher­ reversible.
    [Show full text]
  • Anatomy of the Avian Integument
    2/5/2008 I. Skin highly specialized, Anatomy of the Avian semisemi--transparent,transparent, Integument elastic organ. In birds the skin is very thin, particularly in Caprimulgiformes, and Strigiformes. A. Layers Skin composed of two tissue layers 1 2/5/2008 1. Epidermis a. Stratum germinativum Derived from embryonic ectoderm separated from dermis by stratum basale 4 layers layer whose cells continuously divide Deep layer of dividing cells, stratum these cells enlarge and form intermediate germinativum,,p and superficial lay er of layer keratinized cells, stratum corneum Stratum intermedium – middle epidermal As cells mature, carried toward surface of skin layer, signs of keratinization (stratum and flatten granulosum name applied in mammals) Once flattened cells become keratinized and die forminggy horny stratum corneum b. stratum corneum Feathered areas – layer 2-3 cells thick horizontally flattened keratinized cells other areas (feet) – much thicker and greatly modified Living cells synthesize keratin 2 2/5/2008 Keratin – 2 types of keratin found in birds • highly resistant to chemical or physical Theta keratin – feathers, scales of legs breakdown Alpha keratin – epidermis between feather • functions as a water barrier follicles •amiidino acid sequence si iilfllbidmilar for all birds 2. Dermis lies between epidermis and subcutaneous Superficial layer tissue divided into superficial and deep layers Deep layer Derived from embryonic mesoderm Dermis very pliable but scattered elastin consists of and collagen throughout. • connective tissue Also thick type of elastin joined together • adipose to form tendons which run to smooth muscle • blood vessels Muscles run throughout dermis and move • smooth muscles feathers • sensory structures 3 2/5/2008 B.
    [Show full text]
  • Uganda Highlights
    UGANDA HIGHLIGHTS JANUARY 11–30, 2020 “Mukiza” the Silverback, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer) LEADERS: KEVIN ZIMMER & HERBERT BYARUHANGA LIST COMPILED BY: KEVIN ZIMMER VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM UGANDA HIGHLIGHTS January 11–30, 2020 By Kevin Zimmer Shoebill, Mabamba wetlands, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer) This was the second January departure of our increasingly popular Uganda Highlights Tour, and it proved an unqualified success in delivering up-close-and-personal observations of wild Mountain Gorillas, wild Chimpanzees, and the bizarre Shoebill. Beyond these iconic creatures, we racked up over 430 species of birds and had fabulous encounters with Lion, Hippopotamus, African Elephant, Rothschild’s Giraffe, and an amazing total of 10 species of primates. The “Pearl of Africa” lived up to its advance billing as a premier destination for birding and primate viewing in every way, and although the bird-species composition and levels of song/breeding activity in this (normally) dry season are somewhat different from those encountered during our June visits, the overall species diversity of both birds and mammals encountered has proven remarkably similar. After a day at the Boma Hotel in Entebbe to recover from the international flights, we hit the ground running, with a next-morning excursion to the fabulous Mabamba wetlands. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Opportunistic roadside stops en route yielded such prizes as Great Blue Turaco, Lizard Buzzard, and Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, but as we were approaching the wetlands, the dark cloud mass that had been threatening rain for the past hour finally delivered.
    [Show full text]
  • A Community Effort to Annotate the Chicken Genome
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/012559; this version posted December 12, 2014. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. Submitted to Cytogenetic and Genome Research as part of the Third Report on Chicken Genes and Chromosomes The Avian RNAseq Consortium: a community effort to annotate the chicken genome (Prepared by Jacqueline Smith, David W. Burt and the Avian RNAseq Consortium) Publication of the chicken genome sequence in 2004 (International Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium 2004) highlighted the beginning of a revolution in avian genomics. Progression of DNA sequencing technologies and data handling capabilities has also meant that genome sequencing and assembly is now a relatively simple, fast and inexpensive procedure. The success seen with the chicken genome was soon followed by the completion of the zebra finch genome (Warren et al., 2010), an important model for neurobiology (Clayton et al., 2009), again based on Sanger sequencing. In recent years the rapid advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies, hardware and software have meant that many more genomes can now be sequenced faster and cheaper than ever before (Metzker, 2010). The first avian genome to be sequenced by NGS methods was the turkey (Dalloul et al., 2010), which was also integrated with genetic and physical maps thus providing an assembly of high quality, even at the chromosome level. Recently, NGS has been used to sequence the genomes of a further 42 avian species, as part of the G10K initiative (Genome 10K Community of Scientists, 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Coos, Booms, and Hoots: the Evolution of Closed-Mouth Vocal Behavior in Birds
    ORIGINAL ARTICLE doi:10.1111/evo.12988 Coos, booms, and hoots: The evolution of closed-mouth vocal behavior in birds Tobias Riede, 1,2 Chad M. Eliason, 3 Edward H. Miller, 4 Franz Goller, 5 and Julia A. Clarke 3 1Department of Physiology, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona 85308 2E-mail: [email protected] 3Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas 78712 4Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada 5Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, Utah Received January 11, 2016 Accepted June 13, 2016 Most birds vocalize with an open beak, but vocalization with a closed beak into an inflating cavity occurs in territorial or courtship displays in disparate species throughout birds. Closed-mouth vocalizations generate resonance conditions that favor low-frequency sounds. By contrast, open-mouth vocalizations cover a wider frequency range. Here we describe closed-mouth vocalizations of birds from functional and morphological perspectives and assess the distribution of closed-mouth vocalizations in birds and related outgroups. Ancestral-state optimizations of body size and vocal behavior indicate that closed-mouth vocalizations are unlikely to be ancestral in birds and have evolved independently at least 16 times within Aves, predominantly in large-bodied lineages. Closed-mouth vocalizations are rare in the small-bodied passerines. In light of these results and body size trends in nonavian dinosaurs, we suggest that the capacity for closed-mouth vocalization was present in at least some extinct nonavian dinosaurs. As in birds, this behavior may have been limited to sexually selected vocal displays, and hence would have co-occurred with open-mouthed vocalizations.
    [Show full text]
  • A North American Stem Turaco, and the Complex Biogeographic History of Modern Birds Daniel J
    Field and Hsiang BMC Evolutionary Biology (2018) 18:102 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-018-1212-3 RESEARCHARTICLE Open Access A North American stem turaco, and the complex biogeographic history of modern birds Daniel J. Field1,2* and Allison Y. Hsiang2,3 Abstract Background: Earth’s lower latitudes boast the majority of extant avian species-level and higher-order diversity, with many deeply diverging clades restricted to vestiges of Gondwana. However, palaeontological analyses reveal that many avian crown clades with restricted extant distributions had stem group relatives in very different parts of the world. Results: Our phylogenetic analyses support the enigmatic fossil bird Foro panarium Olson 1992 from the early Eocene (Wasatchian) of Wyoming as a stem turaco (Neornithes: Pan-Musophagidae), a clade that is presently endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Our analyses offer the first well-supported evidence for a stem musophagid (and therefore a useful fossil calibration for avian molecular divergence analyses), and reveal surprising new information on the early morphology and biogeography of this clade. Total-clade Musophagidae is identified as a potential participant in dispersal via the recently proposed ‘North American Gateway’ during the Palaeogene, and new biogeographic analyses illustrate the importance of the fossil record in revealing the complex historical biogeography of crown birds across geological timescales. Conclusions: In the Palaeogene, total-clade Musophagidae was distributed well outside the range of crown Musophagidae in the present day. This observation is consistent with similar biogeographic observations for numerous other modern bird clades, illustrating shortcomings of historical biogeographic analyses that do not incorporate information from the avian fossil record.
    [Show full text]
  • EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for Turacos (Musophagidae)
    EAZA BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES EAZA Toucan & Turaco TAG TURACOS Musophagidae 1st Edition Compiled by Louise Peat 2017 1 | P a g e Front cover; Lady Ross’s chick. Photograph copyright of Eric Isselée-Life on White, taken at Mulhouse zoo. http://www.lifeonwhite.com/ http://www.zoo-mulhouse.com/ Author: Louise Peat. Cotswold Wildlife Park Email: [email protected] Name of TAG: Toucan & Turaco TAG TAG Chair: Laura Gardner E-mail: [email protected] 2 | P a g e EAZA Best Practice Guidelines disclaimer Copyright 2017 by EAZA Executive Office, Amsterdam. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in hard copy, machine-readable or other forms without advance written permission from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) may copy this information for their own use as needed. The information contained in these EAZA Best Practice Guidelines has been obtained from numerous sources believed to be reliable. EAZA and the EAZA Toucan & Turaco TAG make a diligent effort to provide a complete and accurate representation of the data in its reports, publications, and services. However, EAZA does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information. EAZA disclaims all liability for errors or omissions that may exist and shall not be liable for any incidental, consequential, or other damages (whether resulting from negligence or otherwise) including, without limitation, exemplary damages or lost profits arising out of or in connection with the use of this publication. Because the technical information provided in the EAZA Best Practice Guidelines can easily be misread or misinterpreted unless properly analysed, EAZA strongly recommends that users of this information consult with the editors in all matters related to data analysis and interpretation.
    [Show full text]