While there are numerous behavioral and physiological studies of hearing in small birds, there are no studies of hearing in woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are particularly interesting because they exhibit a variety of cranial adaptations that may influence auditory sensitivity. The present study examined auditory sensitivity in small woodpeckers using the cochlear microphonic (measured subdermally an...

As the largest terrestrial biomes, crop and pasturelands can have very large positive or negative impacts on biodiversity and human well-being. Understanding how animals use and impact agroecosystems is important for making informed decisions that achieve conservation and production outcomes. Yet, few studies examine the tradeoffs associated with wildlife in agricultural systems. We examined bi...

BACKGROUND Island faunas have played central roles in the development of evolutionary biology and ecology. Birds are among the most studied organisms on islands, in part because of their dispersal powers linked to migration. Even so, we lack of information about differences in the movement ecology of island versus mainland populations of birds. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here we present a...

Circadian (locomotor activity/perching) behaviour of the weaverbird (Ploceus philippinus) under different light intensities was studied. Six groups of birds were subjected to 12L:12D (L = 1000 and 10 lux and D = 0.3 lux) for two weeks, and thereafter released into constant dim illumination (LL(dim) = 0.3 lux). After two weeks of LL(dim), birds were given a 2 h light pulse of 1000 lux at circadi...

Egg turning is unique to birds and critical for embryonic development in most avian species. Technology that can measure changes in egg orientation and temperature at fine temporal scales (1 Hz) was neither readily available nor small enough to fit into artificial eggs until recently. Here we show the utility of novel miniature data loggers equipped with 3-axis (i.e., triaxial) accelerometers, ...

~UMMARY: The feeding ecology of the starling, Sturn us vulgaris, was studied in Canterbury from 1968-71. StarHngs fed in f10cks which varied seasonally in composition and behaviour. During breeding, parent birds fed in smaIl isolated multi specific flocks which after breeding, coalesced into much larger more regimented monospecific flocks. Starlings dietary patterns varied seasonally both in di...

Previously, we have measured daily changes (developmental patterns) in embryonic heart rate (fh) in altricial and semi-altricial (ASA) birds (range of mean fresh egg mass approximately 1-20 g), semi-precocial seabirds (egg mass approximately 38-288 g) and precocial birds (egg mass approximately 6-1400 g). An allometric relationship between embryonic fh at 80 % of incubation duration (ID) and fr...

A number of authors have suggested that hyperthermia, the elevation of body temperature (Tb) 2 degrees-4 degrees C above normal, contributes to a reduction in total evaporative water loss (TEWL) in birds. Information about the role of hyperthermia in the water economy of birds is scattered throughout the literature. We purposed to collate the available information on this subject, to reevaluate...