scholarly journals Dietary habits of urban pigeons (Columba livia) and implications of excreta pH – a review

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk H. R. Spennemann ◽  
Maggie J. Watson

AbstractPigeons are considered to be urban pests, causing untold damage to buildings and potentially impacting the health of humans who come into contact with them or their faeces. Pigeon faecal matter has been implicated in both health impacts and building damage, with the acidity of the excreta playing an important role. Purpose of the Review. This paper is a wide-ranging review of the chemical processes of excreta in the pigeon to aid our understanding of the potential problems of pigeons to buildings and human amenity in the urban space. The natural pH of pigeons is shown to vary based on the bird’s and age as well as reproductive stage. Key findings of the review. The influences of the altered diet between the rock dove (the wild progenitor of the feral pigeon) and the feral pigeon are detailed, indicating that the human-based diet of urban pigeons most likely causes the feral pigeon excreta to be more acidic than the rock dove excreta. This higher acidity is due in part to diet, but also to potential increases in faecal and/or uric acid volumes due to the low quality of human-based diets. Again, this area of interest is highly data deficient due to the few number of studies and unspecified dietary intake before pH measurement. Implications of the review. Humans are increasingly concerned about pigeon populations (and presumably their accumulated faeces) in the urban space, and control comprises a large part of the interaction between humans and feral pigeons. This review provides a greater understanding of feral pigeons and the true effects of their excreta.

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 606-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianjiao Zhao ◽  
Kin Wai Michael Siu

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine how to achieve a balance between freedom and control in public space. It analyses the relationship between freedom and control to identify phenomena and offer users and policymakers instructions for achieving that balance. Public space, including privately owned public space, is important to urban living. People have both the right to use public space and the responsibility to protect it. Both freedom and control should exist in public space in an appropriate combination. It is impossible and inappropriate for us to ask for absolute freedom or endure unreasonable control. Design/methodology/approach – A case study of Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) reveals typical freedom/control relationships. Quantitative descriptions are given based on field observations. Findings – Freedom and control are primary factors affecting the quality of urban life and management of city space. They depend on and conflict with each other. The balance between freedom and control is a balance between diverse spaces. The “freedom space” belonging to both citizens and authorities determines whether freedom and control are balanced. Ethics and strategies constitute control. Only when each authority and user obtains a proper freedom space can freedom and control achieve balance in public space. Research limitations/implications – Freedom and control differ across cities because they are both affected by culture, history and tradition. As each city has its own characteristics, the freedom and control in each open space are distinctive. Balancing freedom and control requires an understanding of a city’s background and the era. While this paper does not attempt to achieve this understanding, further studies could devote more attention to dimensions of time and location. Practical implications – The findings provide recommendations for users, policymakers and construction and management companies that will allow the management of harmonious and high-quality open spaces. Social implications – Freedom and control are two main factors affecting quality of life. The balance between freedom and control may bring a harmony and stable society environment. It would benefit both the authority and the people a lot. Originality/value – This study provides a systematic analysis of freedom and control in public space and makes a valuable contribution to quality urban space policy, design and management.


Acrocephalus ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (176-177) ◽  
pp. 39-43
Author(s):  
Franc Janžekovič ◽  
Franc Bračko ◽  
Aleš Tomažič ◽  
Tina Klenovšek ◽  
Nastja Mencinger

Abstract The article presents dietary habits of the Peregrine Falcon in the urban environment of Maribor. The diet was studied with an analysis of prey remnants at the nesting site. In October 2015, prey remnants were collected after the nesting in and around the nest built on top of the grain storage silo. Prey remnants, mostly bones and feathers, were sorted into body parts: skull with the beak, wings, and legs. Wings were the most numerous remnants with 41.7%, followed by legs and skulls with 28.1% each. In total, 96 units of prey were found, belonging to five different species of birds. The number of specimens and biomass was dominated by Feral Pigeons Columba livia domestica with 64.6% in number and 89.5% in prey biomass. The second most frequent prey of falcons were Starlings Sturnus vulgaris.


2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natale Emilio Baldaccini

Wild rock doves still breed in suitable habitats along southern and insular Italy, even if their colonies are threatened by the genetic intrusion of feral pigeons. One of their prominent behaviours is the daily foraging flights from colonial to feeding grounds which involves coming into contact with man-made buildings. These are exploited firstly as roosting places near crop resources and later for nesting. This incipient synanthropy is not extended to direct food dependence on humans, by which they tend to remain independent. In the same way that ferals genetically intruded the wild colonies, in urban habitats, rock doves mix with ferals because of the large interbreeding possibilities. In the natural range of the wild species, this has occurred since the appearance of the feral form of pigeons and still continues with the residual populations of rock doves, representing their endless contribution to the feral populations, at least until the dissolution of the gene pool of the primordial form of wild rock dove.


Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 241-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Lefebvre ◽  
Boris Palameta ◽  
Karen K. Hatch

AbstractGroup-living is often thought to be associated with social learning. Comparative tests are useful in evaluating the link between ecological variables and learning specializations, but controls are required to guard against possible confounding variables. In this paper, we test the association between group-living and social learning by comparing two opportunistic, urbanized, Columbids in a set of experiments involving shaping and individual learning controls. In part 1, we provide quantitative field data on foraging group size for the two species, the feral pigeon (Columba livia) studied in central Montréal and the Zenaida dove (Zenaida aurita) studied in coastal Barbados. The data confirm anecdotal reports that contrast the gregarious social organization of C. livia with the territorial organization of coastal Z. aurita. In part 2, we test pigeons and Zenaida doves on two food-finding tasks and show (1) that feral pigeons are better than Zenaida doves at solving all variants of the tasks presented, whether individually or socially learned, and (2) that once general species differences are taken into account, territorial Zenaida doves are not less efficient than gregarious feral pigeons at using food-finding information provided by a conspecific tutor. The results do not support the association between group-living and social learning and show that procedures like shaping and control variants of the task may help interpret interspecific differences in learning.


Author(s):  
Russell L. Steere ◽  
Eric F. Erbe ◽  
J. Michael Moseley

We have designed and built an electronic device which compares the resistance of a defined area of vacuum evaporated material with a variable resistor. When the two resistances are matched, the device automatically disconnects the primary side of the substrate transformer and stops further evaporation.This approach to controlled evaporation in conjunction with the modified guns and evaporation source permits reliably reproducible multiple Pt shadow films from a single Pt wrapped carbon point source. The reproducibility from consecutive C point sources is also reliable. Furthermore, the device we have developed permits us to select a predetermined resistance so that low contrast high-resolution shadows, heavy high contrast shadows, or any grade in between can be selected at will. The reproducibility and quality of results are demonstrated in Figures 1-4 which represent evaporations at various settings of the variable resistor.


Author(s):  
Margaret Jane Radin

Boilerplate—the fine-print terms and conditions that we become subject to when we click “I agree” online, rent an apartment, or enter an employment contract, for example—pervades all aspects of our modern lives. On a daily basis, most of us accept boilerplate provisions without realizing that should a dispute arise about a purchased good or service, the nonnegotiable boilerplate terms can deprive us of our right to jury trial and relieve providers of responsibility for harm. Boilerplate is the first comprehensive treatment of the problems posed by the increasing use of these terms, demonstrating how their use has degraded traditional notions of consent, agreement, and contract, and sacrificed core rights whose loss threatens the democratic order. This book examines attempts to justify the use of boilerplate provisions by claiming either that recipients freely consent to them or that economic efficiency demands them, and it finds these justifications wanting. It argues that our courts, legislatures, and regulatory agencies have fallen short in their evaluation and oversight of the use of boilerplate clauses. To improve legal evaluation of boilerplate, the book offers a new analytical framework, one that takes into account the nature of the rights affected, the quality of the recipient's consent, and the extent of the use of these terms. It goes on to offer possibilities for new methods of boilerplate evaluation and control, and concludes by discussing positive steps that NGOs, legislators, regulators, courts, and scholars could take to bring about better practices.


Author(s):  
V. V. Agafonov ◽  
V. Yu. Zalyadinov ◽  
M. E. Yusupov ◽  
N. S. Bikteeva

Sustainability of mining companies is of of high concern. The problem is specifically acute at companies that are monotownor monosettlement-forming. Sustainability of a mine depends in many ways on product quality and production resource-intensity. This article discusses formation of mineral quality indexes in terms of an open pit chrysotile mine. The studies took into account specific features of operation procedures implemented by each structural division of the mine. The analysis has found managerial and technological inconsistencies which affect quality and marketable product output, as well as efficiency of the mine in whole. The background for efficiency enhancement at a company is, by the authors’ opinion, consolidation of personnel subject to the single development strategy, namely: improvement of production and control efficiency, as well as use of available reserves and resources by means of better setup for production. The proposed approaches to planning mining operations and forming mineral quality allow higher quality of processing stock. In addition, a new model proposed for interaction between structural divisions of a mining company ensures improvement of general production indexes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vũ Xuân Hùng

In the process of teaching, technical teaching facilities are both a content and a means of conveying information, they help the lecturer organize and control the students' cognitive activities, in addition, they also help students be interested in learning, practice practical skills from which to form active and creative learning methods. Teaching technology is one of the necessary conditions to help teachers carry out their related work of educating, teaching and bringing up, and intellectual development, arouse the inherent intelligence qualities of students. Currently, the management of technical teaching facilities at the Central Kindergartens College has been carried out on a regular basis and achieved certain results, but in fact, there are still many inadequacies. Finding a number of limitations in the management of teaching technical facilities, thereby proposing solutions to overcome those limitations, improve the efficiency of investment, preservation and use of teaching technical facilities in the trend of Industry Revolution 4.0, improving the quality of teaching at Central Kindergarten Pedagogy colleges in the current period is a very important and urgent task.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Tsalits Fahman Mughni

Teaching materials by integrating local culture makes easier for students to understand the subject matter in the learning process. The aims of the study is to measure the effectiveness of teaching materials based on local wisdom of agriculture in Binjai in improving the students problem solving abilities. The research method was a quasi experimental which use non equivalent control group in the pretest posttest design. The sample of study were students of Senior High School grade X in Binjai that consisted of experiment group which used teaching materials based on local wisdom of agriculture in Binjai and control group that used student handbooks. Teaching materials are tested by material experts and technology experts to ensure the quality of teaching materials. Data collection was conducted through test. The results showed that the teaching materials based on local wisdom of agriculture in Binjai effective in improving students problem solving abilities in the experimental group students based on the results of N gain value was 0.67 which has medium criteria. It means teaching materials based on agricultural local wisdom of agriculture in Binjai can be used as one of the teaching materials in learning activities.


Author(s):  
Dheeraj Kumar Tyagi ◽  
Shivakumar .

Lifestyle disorders are one of the biggest threats for the population living unhealthy lifestyle. Sthoulya (Obesity) is one such disorder which creates lot of physical as well as mental disorder to the sufferer. Due to changing lifestyle, comforts and dietary habit lots of individuals changed their life totally. Obesity is a growing disease in developed and developing countries. Prevalence is drastically hike in past few years. Ayurveda, the science of life with which we can manage and control lots of lifestyle disorders. Focusing on dietary and lifestyle management along with treatment, we can overcome the hazards of obesity which is growing in a uncontrolled manner. The available data is based on the clinical findings only. Aim and objective: To assess the effect of “Guru Cha Atarpanam Chikitsa” in the management of Sthoulya. Setting: Swastharakshana evam Yoga, OPD and IPD, SDMCAH, Hassan. Method: Udwarthana, Parisheka, Shamana Aushadhis, Ahara, and Vihara was followed within the treatment duration and effect of treatment was assessed before and after treatment, advised for follow up. Results: The treatment adopted is effective in the management of Sthoulya and to improve the quality of life.


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