Inability of recognizing offspring underlies parental errors in the selection of offspring
March 2025
Inclusive fitness theory posits that altruistic behaviors, which are directed more likely towards relatives, should be favored by natural selection. However, the prevalence of alternative parenting...
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Nestlings of two parrotbill species can independently evaluate the presence of predators based on acoustic cues
March 2025
Nest predation is the leading cause of reproductive failure in birds and a major driving force in the evolution of anti-predation strategies. Current studies on the anti-predation strategies of birds...
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Are urbanization, biotic and social factors associated with the song frequency and song entropy attributes of three urban syntopic passerines?
March 2025
Urban environments have challenging characteristics for bird acoustic communication. High levels of anthropogenic noise, as well as vegetation structure (e.g., in urban parks), can potentially affect...
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Decreased basal thermogenesis is associated with the downregulation of cellular metabolic activity of organs and serum thyroid hormones in fasting Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus)
March 2025
Food is a critical environmental factor that influences animal survival, especially for small passerines due to their high mass-specific metabolic rates. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) reflects the energy...
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Assessing the vulnerability of wintering habitats for the red-listed Asian Houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii) using climate models and human impact assessments
March 2025
The Asian Houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii), a vulnerable species, is under significant threat from habitat degradation and anthropogenic pressures in Pakistan's arid landscapes. This study addresses...
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Distribution pattern and niche overlap of sympatric breeding birds along human-modified habitat gradients in Inner Mongolia, China
March 2025
The transformation of natural habitats into human-modified landscapes has far-reaching consequences for species distribution and abundance. As species adapt to these changing environments, shifts in...
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Inter- and intraspecific variation in flight muscle fibers is associated with migratory timing
March 2025
The life-history strategies of organisms are shaped by trade-offs among traits that influence survival, development, reproduction, and ultimately fitness. However, the specific physiological and environmental...
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How does asymmetric sibling rivalry respond under environmental metal pollution? A case study of the Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
March 2025
The imbalanced allocation of maternal resources to eggs and nestlings may significantly impact the phenotype and fitness of offspring. Moreover, anthropogenic metal pollution has been reported to exert...
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Local song evolution after three decades in a complex songster, the Thrush Nightingale
March 2025
Birdsong is an important secondary sexual trait which may vary between but also within species. Intraspecific variation is generally studied either on the geographical or on the temporal scale; most...
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Three subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit share non-breeding sites in the world's largest river delta
March 2025
During the non-breeding season (September–April), Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) are commonly seen in coastal and inland wetlands of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta in Bangladesh. We hypothesize...
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Disentangling the relative effects of semi-natural habitats within different landscape agricultural intensities on bird communities
March 2025
The process of agricultural intensification has led to significant reductions in biodiversity globally. Previous studies examined the role of semi-natural habitats within agroecosystems in supporting...
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Beyond amplitude: Phase integration in bird vocalization recognition with MHAResNet
March 2025
Bird vocalizations are pivotal for ecological monitoring, providing insights into biodiversity and ecosystem health. Traditional recognition methods often neglect phase information, resulting in incomplete...
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Chinese Blackbirds (Turdus mandarinus) mimic electric moped sounds with lower consistency and frequencies
Available online 21 February 2025
Passerine mimics often imitate various vocalizations from other bird species and incorporate these sounds into their song repertoires. While a few anecdotes reported that wild songbirds imitated human-associated...
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Testing for assortative mating based on migratory phenotypes in the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Available online 18 February 2025
Tracking and mating data of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) breeding in a single colony in north-eastern Germany were used to test for assortative mating in regards to migratory phenotypes. These birds...
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Does wetland degradation impact bird diversity differently across seasons? A case study of Zoige Alpine Wetland Ecosystem
Available online 13 February 2025
Wetland degradation is an escalating global challenge with profound impacts on animal diversity, particularly during successional processes. Birds, as highly mobile and environmentally sensitive organisms,...
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Habitat preferences and nest site selection by sympatric populations of Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius) and Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) in natural mountain forests of Southwest Iran
2024
We examined habitat preferences and nesting requirements of sympatric populations of Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius) and Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus). We carried out our...
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Deterministic processes drive turnover-dominated beta diversity of breeding birds along the central Himalayan elevation gradient
2024
Beta diversity, the variation of community composition among sites, bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or...
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Comparative analysis of the microbiome of sympatric wintering Bean Geese, Domestic Ducks, humans, and soil at Shengjin Lake of China reveals potential public risk to human health
2024
The gut microbiota of migratory waterbirds is affected by various complex factors, including cross-species transmission, which increases the risk of pathogen spreading among sympatric animals and poses...
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Structural effects of reedbed grazing and its cessation on reed-nesting songbird densities
2024
Reedbeds are crucial breeding habitats for vulnerable songbird species. Irrespective of their protection status, these habitats may be threatened by organic matter accumulation, progressively leading...
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Shallow sub-lakes are essential for sustaining the successful wintering of waterbirds in Poyang Lake, China
2024
For migratory waterbirds, the quality of wintering habitat is related to spring migration and successful breeding in the next year. The availability of food resources in the habitat is critical and...
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Development and parentage analysis of SNP markers for Chestnut-vented Nuthatch (Sitta nagaensis) based on ddRAD-seq data
2024
Extra-pair paternity (EPP) is commonly found in socially monogamous birds, especially in small passerine birds, and there are interspecific and intraspecific variations in the extent of EPP. The Chestnut-vented...
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The effect of Common Cuckoo parasitism on the annual productivity of a host population
2024
Avian interspecific brood parasitism is an excellent system for studying coevolutionary processes in nature because brood parasites directly affect host reproductive success. Most research on avian...
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Detour for the inexperienced? Migration count data suggest mostly juvenile Greater Spotted Eagles appear in coastal peninsulas in China
2024
Soaring bird migration often relies on suitable terrain and airflow; therefore, route selection is vital for successful migration. While age and experience have been identified as key factor influencing...
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Changes in the adult sex ratio of six duck species breeding populations over two decades
2024
Despite all efforts, long-term changes in the adult sex ratios of breeding duck populations are still unclear; this uncertainty is especially true for male-bias populations, which are often under the...
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Correlation of personality with individual reproductive success in shrub-nesting birds depends on their life history style
2024
Two questions in the research of animal personality—whether there is a correlation between a personality trait and individual reproductive success, and what is the genetic basis underlying a personality...
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