DOCSLIB.ORG

Analysis and Reconfirmation of a Bee-Eater Specimen from Japan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Analysis and Reconfirmation of a Bee-Eater Specimen from Japan Ornithol Sci 8: 169–171 (2009) SHORT COMMUNICATION Analysis and reconfirmation of a Bee-eater specimen from Japan Hiroshi IKENAGA1,#, Paul SWEET2 and Margaret HART2,* 1 National Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Kannondai 3–1–1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–8666, Japan 2 Department of Ornithology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street New York, NY 10024, USA Abstract The sole record of a bee-eater from Japan, a specimen in the collections ORNITHOLOGICAL of the AMNH, has been reexamined. The bird is confirmed as a female Rainbow Bee- SCIENCE eater Merops ornatus, the collection data written on the label in Japanese is translated © The Ornithological Society and the measurements, plumage and molt of the bird are also described. of Japan 2009 Key words Merops ornatus, Owston Collection, Rainbow Bee-eater, Rothschild Collection Ogawa (1905) described a record of Rainbow Bee- Bee-eater Merops philippinus, the range of which ap- eater Merops ornatus from Japan, as “A single speci- proaches Japan. men, probably an adult male, was shot July 9 on the Because of this questioning of the record, it sea coast at Nishihara in Miyakojima. This is the first seemed necessary to re-confirm the identity of the specimen of the species in the Japanese Empire”, specimen. however he gave no further description or measure- ments. METHODS The specimen was collected for Alan Owston, an English naturalist and collector who was a resident of The AMNH has recently databased the majority of Yokohama. Owston’s collections were widely sold to its specimen holdings, including all the skins ob- museums throughout Europe and the United States. tained by the purchase of the Rothschild Collection, The bee-eater specimen in question was apparently and has made these data available via the internet sent originally to the Ogawa Collection (fide Roth- (Tom Trombone personal communication). The first schild label), then to Lord Walter Rothschild at his author searched the bee-eaters in the database and lo- Tring museum and subsequently to the American cated the specimen collected on Miyako Island in Museum of Natural History in New York in 1932, 1904, skin number 641887. The second author meas- when the Rothschild Collection was purchased (Mur- ured the specimen, confirmed the identification and phy 1932; Kuroda 1934; Hachisuka & Udagawa described the molt. The third author photographed 1953; Lanyon 1995). the skin and labels. No further attention was paid to this sole record of a bee-eater record from Japan. The Ornithological RESULT AND DISCUSSION Society of Japan (2000) accepted the record as Merops ornatus without reconfirming the specimen, 1) Description however others (Yamashina 1986; Japanese Associa- The crown is generally olive green with a few new tion for Preservation of Birds 1988) considered the turquoise green feathers molting in, the nape is rus- possibility that the specimen could be a Blue-tailed set, the auriculars are black with a light blue line below, the throat is lemon yellow with an indistinct band of russet with black below, the mantle feathers (Received 9 June 2009; Accepted 15 September 2009) # Corresponding author, E-mail: [email protected] are bronzy green tipped turquoise blue, the rump is * Present address: PO 430 Bellport, NY 11713, USA pale blue, the uppertail coverts are turquoise, the tail 169 H. IKENAGA et al feathers are generally blackish with the outer webs of we confirm the identity of the specimen as M. orna- the outer feathers being shining green and the central tus (see Fry 1984, 2001). feathers having a greenish wash, the breast is light green and the undertail coverts pale blue (Fig. 1). 2) Specimen Labels Measurements and molt are shown in Tables 1 and 2. There are three labels attached to the specimen. Based on the plumage characters mentioned above, Two are original Owston Collection labels and the third is a Rothschild Museum label, which was added to the specimen on its arrival at Tring. One of the Owston labels is written in Japanese, probably by the collector, and despite poor handwriting revealed some new information about the bird (Fig. 2, Table 3.). The second Owston label gives the Owston Col- lection number (O. C. No) of 727. Collecting Location As mentioned by Ogawa (1905), the bird was col- lected near the sea- coast at Nishihara on Miyako- jima, Okinawa Prefecture (around 24°50ЈN, 125°19ЈE). Fig. 1. The skin of the Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus collected in Japan. AMNH SKIN 641887. (Photograph Mar- garet Hart) Table 1. Measurements of the Japanese specimen. mm Bill to skull 34.5 Tail to tip of longest streamer 99.5 Flattened wing 106.0 Tarus 12.6 Total Length of skin* 222.0 * not really useful as it depends on the preparation style Fig. 2. Labels of the Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus specimen from Japan. AMNH SKIN 641887. (Photograph Margaret Hart) Table 2. Plumage & Molt. Wing Table 3. Information on the Japanese label. p 10 & 9 old and very worn Collecting location Miyako p 8 ca 60% grown Nishihara-seacoast. p 7-1 fresh Collecting date 9, July 1904. “On a Screw Pine Pandanus spp. tree” Secondaries Sex “It may be male, but uncertain because of decay.” Mostly old and worn; hard to score because of preparation and Colour of Bill Black fragility of specimen Clour of Iris Golden Brown Clour of Legs & toes Gun Brown?? Tail Claws colour Black Length of the bird 8 1/2 Central streamers new, one old worn retrix, the remainder par- Ryukyu Miyako tially grown 170 Bee-eater specimen from Japan Length reading the Japanese Labels, Miyako Tsurumi and Takashi Hi- The size of the bird is given as “8 1/2”. This length raoka for the information relating to Alan Owston and Minori is neither metric nor imperial, but in “sun”, a Japan- Ogawa who collected and described the specimen, Kenji Take- ese traditional measurement, similar in length to an hara for local information concerning Miyako Island, Woei- horng Fang for the Bee-eater record in Taiwan, and Tom inch; 1 sunϭ3.0303 cm. So the bird’s size was ca Trombone for AMNH Database information. 25.76 cm, which is almost same as the current total length of the skin. REFERENCES Sex The bird was treated as a male because of the Ow- Boland CRJ (2004) Breeding biology of rainbow bee- ston label in English. But the Japanese label reads: “It eaters (Merops ornatus): a migratory, colonial, coop- may be male, but uncertain because of decay”. erative bird. Auk 121: 811–823. Ogawa (1905) also described it as “probably an adult Fang Woei-horng (2008) Guide to all Birds of Taiwan. male”. However the bird is apparently a female based Owl Publishing House, Taipei (in Chinese). on the following plumage characters. The most obvi- Fry CH (1984) The Bee-eaters. T & A D Poyser Ltd. ous characters of sex in this species are the length and Calton. morphology of the tail streamers. The female has Fry CH (2001) Family Meropidae (Bee-eaters) In: del shorter, but more importantly, wider, tail streamers. Hoyo J, Elliot A & Sargatal J (eds) Handbook of the Male streamers have almost no barbs and are close to Bird of the World. Vol. 6. Mousebirds to Hornbills. pp 286–341. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. being wire-like with a small spatulate end. Female Hachisuka M & Udagawa T (1953) Contribution to the streamers are wider and shorter with the basal part of Ornithology of the Ryukyu Islands. Quarterly J Tai- the streamer less well defined from the main part of wan Museum 6: 141–279. the feather (Fry 1984). The streamers on the speci- Japanese Association for Preservation of Birds (1988) A men are approximately 2 mm wide and 20 mm (right) Guide for Bird Lovers. Japanese Association for 25 mm (left) long. These traits and measurements Preservation of Birds, Tokyo (in Japanese). correspond to the typical female plumage of M. orna- Kuroda NM (1934) Birds in Life Colours Vol. 2. tus. Shyukyou-sha Shoin, Tokyo (in Japanese). Lanyon WE (1995) Ornithology at the American Mu- 3) Distribution of Rainbow Bee-eater seum of Natural History. In: Davis WE Jr. & Jackson The Rainbow Bee-eater breeds in open country JA (eds) Contributions to the History of North Ameri- throughout Australia, except in most of the central can Ornithology. pp 113–144. Memoirs of the Nuttall arid region, and locally in Papua New Guinea. The Ornithological Club, No. 12, Cambridge. bird winters in northern Australia, New Guinea, as Murphy RC (1932) Sale of the Rothschild bird collec- well as the Lesser Sunda Islands and north to Su- tion. Auk 49: 395–397. lawesi (Fry 1984; Boland 2004). It has also been Ogawa M (1905) Notes on Mr. Alan Owston’s collec- recorded as a vagrant on Saipan, Caroline Island (Fry tion of Birds from the Islands lying between Kiushu 1984), and Palau (Pratt and Etpison 2008). Recently, and Formosa. Annot Zool Jap 5: 175–232. one bird was recorded from Luidao (Green Island) off Ornithological Society of Japan (2000) Check-list of south-east Taiwan on October 2005 (Fang 2008). The Japanese Birds, 6th edition. Ornithological Society of Bee-eater recorded from Miyakojima is the northern- Japan, Obihiro. most record for the species. Pratt HD & Etpison MT (2008) The Birds and Bats of Palau. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu. Yamashina Y (1986) A World List of Birds with Japan- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ese Name. Daigakusyorin Co. Ltd., Tokyo (in Japan- We are grateful to Yoshiaki Watanabe, Takeshi Yamasaki, ese). Sayaka Kobayashi, Manabu Kajita and Ozora Ikenaga for 171.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pliocene Origin, Ice Ages and Postglacial Population Expansion Have Influenced a Panmictic Phylogeography of the European Bee-Eater Merops Apiaster
    diversity Article Pliocene Origin, Ice Ages and Postglacial Population Expansion Have Influenced a Panmictic Phylogeography of the European Bee-Eater Merops apiaster Carina Carneiro de Melo Moura 1,*, Hans-Valentin Bastian 2 , Anita Bastian 2, Erjia Wang 1, Xiaojuan Wang 1 and Michael Wink 1,* 1 Department of Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; [email protected] (E.W.); [email protected] (X.W.) 2 Bee-Eater Study Group of the DO-G, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 15, 67304 Kerzenheim, Germany; [email protected] (H.V.B.); [email protected] (A.B.) * Correspondence: [email protected] (C.C.d.M.M.); [email protected] (M.W.) Received: 20 August 2018; Accepted: 26 December 2018; Published: 15 January 2019 Abstract: Oscillations of periods with low and high temperatures during the Quaternary in the northern hemisphere have influenced the genetic composition of birds of the Palearctic. During the last glaciation, ending about 12,000 years ago, a wide area of the northern Palearctic was under lasting ice and, consequently, breeding sites for most bird species were not available. At the same time, a high diversity of habitats was accessible in the subtropical and tropical zones providing breeding grounds and refugia for birds. As a result of long-term climatic oscillations, the migration systems of birds developed. When populations of birds concentrated in refugia during ice ages, genetic differentiation and gene flow between populations from distinct areas was favored. In the present study, we explored the current genetic status of populations of the migratory European bee-eater.
    [Show full text]
  • Effect of European Bee-Eater (Merops Apiaster) on Honeybee Colonies in Toshka Region, Egypt
    International Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry Volume 5, Issue 1, 2018, PP 23-26 ISSN 2394-5907 (Print) & ISSN 2394-5915 (Online) Effect of European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) on honeybee colonies in Toshka region, Egypt Nageh Sayed Omran1, Abdel rahman Gamaleldin Abdel rahman2, Abd El-Aleem1, S.S. Desoky1, Mahmoud Mohamed Kelany2 1Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt. 2Plant Protection Department, Desert Research Centre, Al Matrya, Cario, Egypt. *Corresponding Author: Abd El-Aleem, S.S. Desoky, Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt. ABSTRACT The experiment was carried out in the apiary at Toshka region (Southwest of Egypt) during the period from the end of March to the first of October, 2015. To study the effect of European bee-eater on the areas of brood and stored pollen (inch2/colony) for two-hybrid of Carniolan honeybee and a hybrid of Italian honeybee races in Toshka region. Bee-eater was appeared in two periods the first time at the first of April to June and the second at the first of September to Mid-September. Positive correlations were found between the increase of bee-eaters number and the decrease of brood area and pollen stored in the two honeybee races. The highest average numbers of bee-eater was recorded in May (37.2) bird that caused less brood area for both worker brood in Italian honeybee race was (146.2 sq. inch,/colony), and Carniolan honeybee race was (147.2 (sq. inch,/colony), and the lowest average area of stored pollen was recorded in the period of bee-eater increasing that was (22.0 sq.
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity Observations
    Biodiversity Observations http://bo.adu.org.za An electronic journal published by the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town The scope of Biodiversity Observations consists of papers describing observations about biodiversity in general, including animals, plants, algae and fungi. This includes observations of behaviour, breeding and flowering patterns, distributions and range extensions, foraging, food, movement, measurements, habitat and colouration/plumage variations. Biotic interactions such as pollination, fruit dispersal, herbivory and predation fall within the scope, as well as the use of indigenous and exotic species by humans. Observations of naturalised plants and animals will also be considered. Biodiversity Observations will also publish a variety of other interesting or relevant biodiversity material: reports of projects and conferences, annotated checklists for a site or region, specialist bibliographies, book reviews and any other appropriate material. Further details and guidelines to authors are on this website. Lead Editor: Arnold van der Westhuizen – Paper Editor: Amour McCarthy and Les G Underhill INTERNET SEARCHING OF BIRD–BIRD ASSOCIATIONS: A CASE OF BEE-EATERS HITCHHIKING LARGE AFRICAN BIRDS Peter Mikula & Piotr Tryjanowski Recommended citation format: Mikula P, Tryjanowski P. 2016. Internet searching of bird–bird associations: A case of bee-eaters hitchhiking large African birds. Biodiversity Observations 7.80: 1–6. URL: http://bo.adu.org.za/content.php?id=273 Published online: 17 November 2016 –
    [Show full text]
  • 525 First Records of the Chewing Lice (Phthiraptera) Associ- Ated with European Bee Eater (Merops Apiaster) in Saudi Arabia Azza
    Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology, Vol.42, No.3, December 2012 J. Egypt. Soc. Parasitol., 42(3), 2012: 525 – 533 FIRST RECORDS OF THE CHEWING LICE (PHTHIRAPTERA) ASSOCI- ATED WITH EUROPEAN BEE EATER (MEROPS APIASTER) IN SAUDI ARABIA By AZZAM EL-AHMED1, MOHAMED GAMAL EL-DEN NASSER1,4, MOHAMMED SHOBRAK2 AND BILAL DIK3 Department of Plant Protection1, College of Food and Agriculture Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Department of Biology2, Science College, Ta'if University, Ta'if, Saudi Arabia, and Department of Parasitology3, Col- lege of Veterinary Medicine, University of Selçuk, Alaaddin Keykubat Kampüsü, TR-42075 Konya, Turkey. 4Corresponding author: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) migrates through Saudi Arabia annu- ally. A total of 25 individuals of this species were captured from three localities in Riyadh and Ta'if. Three species of chewing lice were identified from these birds and newly added to list of Saudi Arabia parasitic lice fauna from 160 lice individu- als, Meromenopon meropis of suborder Amblycera, Brueelia apiastri and Mero- poecus meropis of suborder Ischnocera. The characteristic feature, identification keys, data on the material examined, synonyms, photo, type and type locality are provide to each species. Key words: Chewing lice, Amblycera, Ischnocera, European bee-eater, Merops apiaster, Saudi Arabia. Introduction As the chewing lice species diversity is Few studies are available on the bird correlated with the bird diversity, the lice of migratory and resident birds of Phthiraptera fauna of Saudi Arabia ex- the Middle East. Hafez and Madbouly pected to be high as at least 444 wild (1965, 1968 a, b) listed some of the species of birds both resident and mi- chewing lice of wild and domestic gratory have been recorded from Saudi birds of Egypt.
    [Show full text]
  • Blue-Throated Bee-Eater Merops Viridis in Kerala: an Escapee, Or a Wild Vagrant? Sasidharan Manekkara
    76 Indian BIRDS VOL. 12 NO. 2 & 3 (PUBL. 12 OCTOBER 2016) Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis in Kerala: An escapee, or a wild vagrant? Sasidharan Manekkara Manekara, S., 2012. Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis in Kerala: An escapee, or a wild vagrant? Indian BIRDS 12 (2&3): 76–78. Sasidharan Manekkara, Panniayannore, Kannur 670671, Kerala, India. E–mail: [email protected]. Manuscript received on 19 June 2016. Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis that I photographed In Kangol village, near Payyannur (12.10°N, 75.19°E), Kannur in Kannur District (Kerala), in May 2013, created waves District, Kerala, a nesting colony of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters M. A amongst bird-watchers, with several photographers from philippinus has been known to local bird-watchers for several Kerala zeroing on to the place to capture its photograph too. years. This is the only known breeding site of this species in Many encouraged me to report this sighting in Indian BIRDS, Kerala, a species that is otherwise known to be a winter visitor which I finally did in March 2014. However, I realised recently to the state (Sashikumar et. al. 2011). The local people say that that such a note never reached the editor (Praveen J., verbally this breeding site has been in existence for over thirty years, even 11 June 2016), and hence I resubmitted it with some additional though it is quite obvious to any passer-by, as it is right next to discussion, though this observation itself is dated and well known. the main road. During the breeding season, from March to July, the colony gets at least a few hundred Blue-tailed Bee-eaters that nest in the sand bunds; the breeding peaks in April–May.
    [Show full text]
  • Nests and Eggs of the Black-Headed Bee-Eater (Merops Breweri) in Gabon, with Notes on Other Bee-Eaters
    Ostrich 2005, 76(1&2): 80–81 Copyright © Birdlife South Africa Printed in South Africa — All rights reserved OSTRICH EISSN 1727–947X Short Note Nests and eggs of the Black-headed Bee-eater (Merops breweri) in Gabon, with notes on other bee-eaters Brian K Schmidt1* and William R Branch2 1 Division of Birds, Smithsonian Institution, PO BOX 37012, Washington DC 20013-7012, United States of America 2 Bayworld (formerly Port Elizabeth Museum), PO Box 13147, Humewood 6013, South Africa * Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] The Black-headed Bee-eater (Merops breweri) is one of the left testis 5.5 x 3mm). The burrow, 15m from the forest edge, largest African bee-eaters. It is restricted to forest-edge was excavated and measured. (see Table 1, nest 2). Four habitats of the northern parts of the Congo Basin, with dull white round eggs (one broken) were found in the nesting isolated populations in SE Nigeria and the Central African chamber with the following measurements: 24.9 x 21.4mm, Republic and scattered records as far west as the Ivory 24.5 x 20.3mm, and 26.0 x 21.5mm. The eggs contained Coast (Borrow and Demey, 2001). Despite its large size and well-developed embryos with a small amount of external relative conspicuousness, however, little is known about its yolk still present. nest, eggs, and nesting behavior. Moreover, the little that is We captured another Black-headed Bee-eater on 9 known is based mainly on observations of isolated October at a nearby burrow (Table 1, nest 3), 10m from the populations in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of forest edge (USNM 630891, &, 50.5 g, ovary 9 x 5mm, Congo.
    [Show full text]
  • Common Birds of Namibia and Botswana 1 Josh Engel
    Common Birds of Namibia and Botswana 1 Josh Engel Photos: Josh Engel, [[email protected]] Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History and Tropical Birding Tours [www.tropicalbirding.com] Produced by: Tyana Wachter, R. Foster and J. Philipp, with the support of Connie Keller and the Mellon Foundation. © Science and Education, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605 USA. [[email protected]] [fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides] Rapid Color Guide #584 version 1 01/2015 1 Struthio camelus 2 Pelecanus onocrotalus 3 Phalacocorax capensis 4 Microcarbo coronatus STRUTHIONIDAE PELECANIDAE PHALACROCORACIDAE PHALACROCORACIDAE Ostrich Great white pelican Cape cormorant Crowned cormorant 5 Anhinga rufa 6 Ardea cinerea 7 Ardea goliath 8 Ardea pupurea ANIHINGIDAE ARDEIDAE ARDEIDAE ARDEIDAE African darter Grey heron Goliath heron Purple heron 9 Butorides striata 10 Scopus umbretta 11 Mycteria ibis 12 Leptoptilos crumentiferus ARDEIDAE SCOPIDAE CICONIIDAE CICONIIDAE Striated heron Hamerkop (nest) Yellow-billed stork Marabou stork 13 Bostrychia hagedash 14 Phoenicopterus roseus & P. minor 15 Phoenicopterus minor 16 Aviceda cuculoides THRESKIORNITHIDAE PHOENICOPTERIDAE PHOENICOPTERIDAE ACCIPITRIDAE Hadada ibis Greater and Lesser Flamingos Lesser Flamingo African cuckoo hawk Common Birds of Namibia and Botswana 2 Josh Engel Photos: Josh Engel, [[email protected]] Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History and Tropical Birding Tours [www.tropicalbirding.com] Produced by: Tyana Wachter, R. Foster and J. Philipp,
    [Show full text]
  • Preliminarily Survey on Intraspecific Interaction of Northern Carmine Bee-Eaters (Merops Nubicus P.O
    The Journal of Zoology Studies 2016; 3(4): 52 The Journal of Zoology Studies ISSN 2348-5914 Preliminarily survey on intraspecific interaction of Northern JOZS 2016; 3(4): 52 Carmine Bee-eaters (Merops nubicus nubicus) in Yardi vicinity JOZS © 2016 Received: 08-07-2016 of Afar region, Ethiopia Accepted: 12-08-2016 Author: Weldemariam Tesfahunegny Short communication Weldemariam Tesfahunegny Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Northern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus nubicus are highly gregarious and aerial birds, Animal Biodiversity Directorate, P.O. Box 30726, Addis Ababa, mostly a bright pink in color with long streamers which are widely distributed and many Ethiopia beekeepers regard them as serious pests. Most of them are migratory species that spend part of the year in apiaries preying on honeybees before moving to another area. However, during their presence in the vicinity they produce specific sounds that honey bees can recognize easily causing them to stay in their hives. Northern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus nubicus species are insectivorous, consuming diverse species of flying insects, especially bees and predators on bees. They are specialized in eating locusts, grasshoppers and exploit any plentiful flying insect. Their major hunting strategy involves hawking flying insects from perch. Perches may include branches of vegetation or even riding on their backs of large ground animals both wild and domestic, such as the Kori Bustard, goats and sheep to watch for flushed insects. Northern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus nubicus also perch on storks, herons, egrets, ibises, cranes, secretary birds, cattle, camels, donkeys, zebra, wart hogs and antelopes. They are attracted to wildfires because of the flushed insects, and are often seen circling high in the air.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Place Foraging in the European Bee-Eater, Merops Apiaster Author(S): J
    Central Place Foraging in the European Bee-Eater, Merops apiaster Author(s): J. R. Krebs and M. I. Avery Source: Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Jun., 1985), pp. 459-472 Published by: British Ecological Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4491 Accessed: 06-09-2016 11:09 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms Wiley, British Ecological Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Animal Ecology This content downloaded from 129.67.26.153 on Tue, 06 Sep 2016 11:09:51 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Journal of Animal Ecology (1985), 54, 459-472 CENTRAL PLACE FORAGING IN THE EUROPEAN BEE-EATER, MEROPS APIASTER BY J. R. KREBS AND M. I. AVERY* Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, South Parks Road, Oxford OXI 3PS SUMMARY (1) The purpose of this investigation was to discover if variation in the size of prey fed by parent bee-eaters to nestlings could be explained by a model of central-place foraging. The model predicted that selectivity for large prey should increase with distance travelled by the parents from the nest to the feeding site.
    [Show full text]
  • Bee-Eating Birds (Coraciiformes: Meropidae) Reduce Virgin Honey Bee Queen Survival During Mating Flights and Foraging Activity of Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera L.)
    International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 3, Issue 6, June-2012 1 ISSN 2229-5518 Bee-Eating Birds (Coraciiformes: Meropidae) Reduce Virgin Honey Bee Queen Survival during Mating Flights and Foraging Activity of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) *Mahmoud Abdu AL-Samie Mohamed Ali and **EL-Kazafy Abdou Taha Abstract- This study investigated bee-eating bird (Coraciiformes: Meropidae) predation on virgin honeybee queens in Saudi Arabia. The study also subsequently documented the effect of bird predation on colony strength, and foraging activity. Data were collected during 2011. The results indicated that bee-eating birds reduced flight survival. Eighty percent of 30 queens successfully mated when bee-eaters were not present in the apiary, when bee-eaters were present, only 46.67% of 30 queens successfully mated. Data also indicated no significant difference in the number of frames covered with adult bees in honey bee colonies during presence and absence of bee-eaters (6.3 and 6.8 frames of bees/colony, respectively) and frames of brood (3.0 and 2.8 frames of brood/colony, respectively. No significant difference was detected in the number of foraging honey bee workers gathering pollen from plant flowers when bee-eating birds were present or absent. This study also found that, bee-eating birds can affect the number of foragers gathering ground pollen and sugar syrup from dishes placed on distance (10, 75 and 150 meter) from the hives entrances. Keywords- Apis mellifera, bee-eaters, Meropidae, queen mating, queen losses, colony strength, foraging activity, pollen gathering. —————————— —————————— 1 INTRODUCTION E-mail: [email protected]) The Green Bee-eater (M.
    [Show full text]
  • Loess and Bee-Eaters III: Birds and Ground in the Punjab and the Indus Region
    Quaternary International 399 (2016) 234e239 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint Loess and bee-eaters III: Birds and ground in the Punjab and the Indus region * Ian Smalley a, , Sue McLaren a, Ken O'Hara-Dhand a, Stephen P. Bentley b a Giotto Loess Research Group, Geography Department, Leicester University, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK b School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF2 3AA, Wales, UK article info abstract Article history: Part 3 of the study of loess ground and bee-eater birds concerns birds and ground in the north-western Available online 13 January 2015 part of the Indian Sub-continent. Three species of bee-eaters are considered, relative to the Indus region: the Green bee-eater, the Blue-cheeked bee-eater and the European bee-eater. Loess in the Indus region is Keywords: considered via the deterministic approach to loess deposit formation; the P events occur in the moun- Loess tains of the western part of High Asia, particles are formed by the action of mountain glaciers. Major T Indus region actions involve the five rivers of the region which carry loess material into the Punjab plains. Subsequent Bee-eater birds T actions deliver loess material to local deposits, which provide nesting grounds for bee-eaters. To some Loess material production by mountain fi e glaciers extent the bee-eaters de ne the loess. The Green bee-eater is small (16 18 cm long) and lives over all of Loess distribution and bee-eater India and Pakistan-nesting ground is available everywhere.
    [Show full text]
  • Status of Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eater Merops Persicus in South-Western India
    GOSAVI ET AL.: Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 117 Status of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus in south-western India Paresh Gosavi, Harikumar Mannar, Sumesh P. B., Vinay K. L. & Mohammed Saleem Gosavi, P, Mannar, H., Sumesh, P. B., Vinay, K. L., & Saleem, M., 2019. Status of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus in south-western India. Indian BIRDS 15 (4): 117–119. Paresh Gosavi, Blooming lily, Bella Vista Corlim, Goa, India. E-mail: [email protected] [PG] Harikumar Mannar, Chittammethu House, Kuttenperoor P.O., Mannar, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. E-mail: [email protected] [HM] Sumesh P.B., Puthiyaparambil House, Ezhupunna South P.O., Cherthala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. E-mail: [email protected] [SPB] Vinay K. L., #3149, Roayalkeri, Honnavara 581334, Karnataka, India. E-mail: [email protected] [VKL] Mohammed Saleem, Environment Conservation Group, 103, N. H. Road, Opp. Naaz Theatre, Coimbatore 641001, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail: [email protected] [MS] Manuscript received on 23 April 2019. he Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus is a well-known almost every month till date in that general area (Mannar & passage migrant / winter visitor to the northern and north- Sumesh 2016; eBird 2019). HM & SPB have documented it Twestern Indian Subcontinent (Ali & Ripley 1987; Grimmett attempting to breed [158] at that site (Mannar & Sumesh 2015), et al. 2011; Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). However, post-2015 though in subsequent years, they were not able to provide any there are an increasing number of sightings from southern India more breeding evidence. Retrospectively, the first report from as well, which have been reported by eBirders from the states Kerala was also from Changaram on 10 March 2012 [159] by of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Goa (eBird 2019).
    [Show full text]