375 results
Showing 1–20 · 0.21 seconds · RSS
Journal of Avian Biology
Scopus
ISSN 0908-8857 · Wiley · 375 articles in the index
-
Journal Article
Reproductive success of three parid species in managed boreal forests
Anthropogenic impacts, such as forestry and land use practices, can deteriorate habitat quality, affecting reproductive success and leading to population decline. The boreal willow tit Poecile montanus population has dramatically declined in Finland. In contrast, great tits Parus major and blue…
-
Journal Article
Supplemental feeding as experimental tool to understand why birds do not lay earlier in the season
The timing of avian reproduction might be affected by the costs of egg production in early spring. To study these costs, supplemental feeding experiments have been conducted where birds are provided with food prior to egg laying. We discuss the opportunities and pitfalls of such experiments. We…
-
Journal Article
Diet‐manipulated body condition affects onset and speed of moult in common bulbuls in a tropical environment
Resource acquisition and allocation are central to life history theory, explaining the diversity of strategies among species as well as the distribution of events over the annual cycle. Moult is a major phase in the annual cycle of birds, but explanations for moult scheduling are heavily biased…
-
Journal Article
Breeding ecology of the common myna Acridotheres tristis: rural nestlings exhibit enhanced growth compared to urban conspecifics
Urbanization alters ecological conditions, yet its impacts on avian reproduction are not fully understood. In many bird species, nestlings growing up in cities tend to have slower growth rates and poorer body conditions than those in rural areas. Using nest boxes, we compared the breeding ecology…
-
Journal Article
Frailty: measurement and utility in avian studies
Here, I discuss the utility of the concept of frailty, which is widely used in human gerontology, for studies of ageing in wild animals and birds in particular. Frailty indices generally aim to capture the age‐specific health status of individuals via relatively simple measures of whole‐organism…
-
Journal Article
Stable immune function during moult regardless of age‐specific moulting strategy in a European passerine
Moult, the regular replacement of feathers, is a resource‐intense avian annual‐cycle stage. Resource allocation to support feather regrowth may require downregulation of other physiological processes, such as immune function, which is critical for preventing disease‐related mortality. At the same…
-
Journal Article
Host–parasite oxidative arms race: who will win?
Avian haemosporidian parasites are globally widespread with a broad repertoire of hosts. When infected, the host can either reduce (resistance) and/or limit the severity of parasitaemia (tolerance). Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the host's resistance and tolerance, as well as its…
-
Journal Article
Migratory Eurasian blackbirds have longer telomere length but similar mitochondrial density than resident conspecifics
Telomeres are regarded as key markers of cellular ageing and physiological state. Oxidative stress, which can accelerate telomere shortening, is thought to increase during energetically demanding processes such as bird migration. However, their study in the context of migratory behaviour is…
-
Journal Article
Reproductive flexibility in a single‐brooded migrant: can the European roller Coracias garrulus adapt to extreme weather events?
Global climate change has intensified extreme weather events, including short‐duration but intense rainfall, which can significantly impact avian reproduction. This study examines the effects of extreme rainfall on the reproductive phenology and performance of the European roller Coracias garrulus…
-
Journal Article
Decoding parrot duets: complex communication in yellow‐naped amazons
Parrots represent an excellent model in which to study complex vocal communication because they meet the prerequisites of the social complexity hypothesis and, like humans, have lifelong vocal learning. Despite that, the difficulty in acquiring good field data on wild parrot vocalizations has…
-
Journal Article
Singing the night away: diel and seasonal patterns of LeConte's sparrow primary and flight songs
Bird songs are typically associated with mate attraction and territorial defense behaviours. Some passerine birds sing two categories of songs, primary and flight songs, that vary in song rate and complexity and may vary in function. LeConte's sparrow Ammospiza leconteii is one of the least studied…
-
Journal Article
Larger native woods with less conifer plantation support greater populations of the marsh tit Poecile palustris, a declining forest specialist
Many forest specialist birds are in widespread decline across Europe. In Britain, marsh tits are an indicator species of mature native woodlands, but have suffered an 81% population decline since the 1960s. We assessed whether habitat degradation during the mid 20th century, through the widespread…
-
Journal Article
Seasonal activity and behavioural responses to artificial light at night in migratory and non‐migratory sparrows
Urban and rural nocturnal environments are increasingly brighter due to artificial light at night (ALAN), causing wide‐ranging biological responses, from reproductive impairment to behavioural changes in diverse taxa. Songbirds may be particularly vulnerable, as their reproductive and migratory…
-
Journal Article
Age dependent reproductive effort in great tits
Senescence, the decline in reproductive value with age, is well documented in natural systems, but the underlying mechanisms remain an enigma. A decline in parental effort with age potentially explains reproductive senescence, but age effects on parental effort have been little investigated. I…
-
Journal Article
Drought‐driven foraging adjustments in breeding white storks Ciconia ciconia: GPS tracking insights from two French marshes
In the context of climate change, the increasing frequency of severe meteorological events, such as floods or droughts, is expected to impact various life history traits in organisms, primarily by altering the availability and quality of their trophic resources. Our study aimed to quantify the…
-
Journal Article
Warm and cool temperatures decrease early‐life telomere length in wild pied flycatchers
Climate change represents a major challenge for avian species. It is characterized by an increase in average ambient temperatures, but also by an increase of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and cold snaps. These abrupt temperature changes can modify the immediate and long‐term survival…
-
Journal Article
Seasonal variation in coprophagic foraging in alpine choughs Pyrrhocorax graculus
Coprophagy, defined as the ingestion of faeces sourced from either self (autocoprophagy), conspecific animals (allocoprophagy), or heterospecific animals (heterocoprophagy), is recognized as a physiological adaptation that enhances nutritional intake and may contribute to gut microbiome stability…
-
Journal Article
Spring migration strategies differ among three waterfowl species that winter in southern New England, USA
Migratory birds face considerable temporal and energetic constraints during spring migration. To balance these demands and maximize breeding success, migratory birds may optimize spring migration by adopting a strategy that primarily favors either minimizing time or energy spent on migration. We…
-
Journal Article
Exploring Andean foothill connectivity: insights from population divergence in the white‐tipped sicklebill, Eutoxeres aquila
The Northern Andes, acting both as barrier and corridor, exert strong influence in Neotropical biodiversity. Still, the diversification of foothill taxa inhabiting ecotonal zones between lowland rainforest and montane environments in this region remains poorly understood. We investigated the…