scholarly journals The Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) – a new invasive bird species breeding in Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 947-952
Author(s):  
Jacek Nowakowski ◽  
Beata Dulisz
2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
SABRINA KUMSCHICK ◽  
TIM M. BLACKBURN ◽  
DAVID M. RICHARDSON

SummaryAlien species can cause severe impacts in their introduced ranges and management is challenging due to the large number of such species and the diverse nature and context of their impacts. Lists of the most harmful species, like the “100 of the World’s Worst” list collated by the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) or the “100 of the Worst” invaders in Europe collated by the Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories in Europe (DAISIE) project, raise awareness about these impacts among the public, and can guide management decisions. Such lists are mainly based on expert opinion, but in recent years a more objective comparison of impacts has become possible, even between highly diverse taxa. In this study, we use a semi-quantitative generic impact scoring system to assess impacts of the three birds listed among the “100 of the World’s Worst” IUCN list (IUCN100) and the four birds on the list of “100 of the Worst” European invaders by DAISIE (DAISIE100) and to compare their impacts with those of other alien birds not present on the respective lists. We found that generally, both lists include some of the species with the highest impacts in the respective regions (global or Europe), and these species therefore deserve the dubious honour of being listed among the “worst”. However, there are broad overlaps between some species with regards to the impact mechanisms and the related issues of invasions, especially those of the Common Myna Acridotheres tristis and Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer on the IUCN100, are very similar which might not warrant listing both species. To make the selection of species on such lists more transparent we suggest moving beyond lists based on expert opinion to a more transparent and defendable system for listing alien species based on published records of their impacts and related mechanisms.


Dendrobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 85 ◽  
pp. 117-126
Author(s):  
Vinod Prasad Khanduri ◽  
Kewat Sanjay Kumar ◽  
Chandra Mohan Sharma ◽  
Manoj Kumar Riyal ◽  
Kalpataru Kar ◽  
...  

Erythina stricta is an ecologically important tree species in the rainforests of India and its nectar within the flowers contributes to birds’ diet and survival. Reports on the pollination of this species have not been published so far. We therefore explore the reproductive system of this tree species which has great significance to its ecosystem. Birds have an important role in the reproduction of trees through pollination particularly in tropical areas where reproductive success mostly depends on animal pollinator interactions. Study of visitation and nectar feeding behaviour of birds along with breeding system assessment of Erythina stricta. Birds visiting and foraging behaviour was observed during Erythrina stricta flowering season in an indian tropical rainforest. Reproductive system was assessed through controlled pollination experiments. Thirteen bird species were recorded visiting and foraging nectar from the flowers of Erythrina stricta. The maximum numbers of visits recorded were from the Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer, Pycnonotidae). The nectar feeding birds were, either (i) potential pollinator with long bills (e.g. Pycnonotus spp., Chloropsis aurifrons, and Dicrurus spp.) or (ii) nectar robbers with comparatively shorter bills (e.g. Zosterops palpebrosa, Stachyris ruficeps, Macronous gularis, Heterophasia glaciris). Controlled pollination experiments revealed high degree of cross pollination (xenogamy) and self-incompatibility in E. stricta. Birds were more frequent in early mornings and their foraging activity was also observed during evening hours; the frequency however, declined with respect to nectar availability. Long corolla tubes of E. stricta could restrict access to nectar collecting bees.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-274
Author(s):  
Ashikur Rahman Shome ◽  
M Firoj Jaman ◽  
Md Fazle Rabbe ◽  
Md Mahabub Alam

The world has been encountering a COVID-19 pandemic since late 2019. The world’s people have also witnessed the free movement of wildlife, even in many urban areas in some countries during the imposed lockdown. We conducted research on the birds in the urban landscape of Jamalpur Sadar upazila from March 2020 to October 2020 during this pandemic situation. A total of 134 species of birds with 4338 individuals were recorded during the study period. The number of resident bird species was the maximum (115 species, 85.82%) compared to migrants. The highest number of birds was observed (120 species, 89.55%) and counted 2278 individual birds 52.51%) in the summer season. It was observed that the highest diversity of birds (89 species, 65.92%) was in March. The tree was the most (94 species, n = 2502) used microhabitat by birds in the study area. Among all birds, Pycnonotus cafer was the most abundant bird species with the highest relative abundance (6.11%). Some bird species (e.g. Metopidius indicus, Anastomus oscitans, Amaurornis phoenicurus, Streptopelia tranquebarica, Lonchura malacca) were frequently observed in the urban landscape of the study area during the pandemic. Proper management and awareness creation are essential for the conservation of the bird species in this area. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(2): 261-274, 2021 (July)


2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Miljkovic ◽  
Z. Pavlovski ◽  
D. Jovicic ◽  
O. Radanovic ◽  
B. Kureljusic

In the quarantines of the epyzootiological territory of Belgrade, feathers deriving from live and dead dehydrated exotic birds were samples. Birds were housed in closed disinfected bird shelter facilities with cages. Study was carried out in 4 quarantines of total 22, during 2010, and it included only 5 bird species, 3 birds of each species (Coracias cyanogaste, Acridothere tristis, S. canaria, Pycnonotus cafer and Tockus fasciatus). A total of 15 samples of feathers were analyzed. Samples were placed in the antibiotics solution, for 24 hours at room temperature, and subsequently cultivated on Sabouraud dextrose agar and Potato dextrose agar, in aerobic conditions in the darkness at the temperature of in 37?C duration of 5 days, and 3-4 weeks at 20?2?C (Scopulariopsis spp.), and in aerobic conditions at room temperature of 20?2?C for 5 days (Aspergillus spp., Penicillum spp. and Fusarium spp.) The presence of Scopulariopsis spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillum spp. and Fusarium spp. was identified. The study showed that commonly healthy birds, as well as dead birds, which died mainly due to exhaustion and dehydration during transportation, can carry various fungi/moulds which contaminate the air, soil and water surrounding their habitats. Most of these birds are sold as closed domesticated pets which are clinically healthy birds, however, they can be important source of potentially pathogen causers which they carry on their body. This finding of fungal species on the body/feathers of birds are naturally suitable place for their transmission, and this also contributes to better understanding of the nature and occurrence of many wide spread diseases in transmiting mycoses.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Yanina

ContextThe negative association between elevation and species richness is a well-recognized pattern in macro-ecology. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate changes in functional evenness of breeding bird communities along an elevation gradient in Europe. MethodsUsing the bird data from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds we estimated an index of functional evenness which can be assumed as a measure of the potential resilience of communities.ResultsOur findings confirm the existence of a negative association between elevation and bird species richness in all European eco regions. However, we also explored a novel aspect of this relationship, important for conservation: Our findings provide evidence at large spatial scale of a negative association between the functional evenness (potential community resilience) and elevation, independent of the eco region. We also found that the Natura2000 protected areas covers the territory most in need of protection, those characterized by bird communities with low potential resilience, in hilly and mountainous areas.ConclusionsThese results draw attention to European areas occupied by bird communities characterized by a potential lower capacity to respond to strong ecological changes, and, therefore, potentially more exposed to risks for conservation.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen F. Wagner ◽  
Emeline Mourocq ◽  
Michael Griesser

Biparental care systems are a valuable model to examine conflict, cooperation, and coordination between unrelated individuals, as the product of the interactions between the parents influences the fitness of both individuals. A common experimental technique for testing coordinated responses to changes in the costs of parental care is to temporarily handicap one parent, inducing a higher cost of providing care. However, dissimilarity in experimental designs of these studies has hindered interspecific comparisons of the patterns of cost distribution between parents and offspring. Here we apply a comparative experimental approach by handicapping a parent at nests of five bird species using the same experimental treatment. In some species, a decrease in care by a handicapped parent was compensated by its partner, while in others the increased costs of care were shunted to the offspring. Parental responses to an increased cost of care primarily depended on the total duration of care that offspring require. However, life history pace (i.e., adult survival and fecundity) did not influence parental decisions when faced with a higher cost of caring. Our study highlights that a greater attention to intergenerational trade-offs is warranted, particularly in species with a large burden of parental care. Moreover, we demonstrate that parental care decisions may be weighed more against physiological workload constraints than against future prospects of reproduction, supporting evidence that avian species may devote comparable amounts of energy into survival, regardless of life history strategy.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen F. Wagner ◽  
Emeline Mourocq ◽  
Michael Griesser

Predation of offspring is the main cause of reproductive failure in many species, and the mere fear of offspring predation shapes reproductive strategies. Yet, natural predation risk is ubiquitously variable and can be unpredictable. Consequently, the perceived prospect of predation early in a reproductive cycle may not reflect the actual risk to ensuing offspring. An increased variance in investment across offspring has been linked to breeding in unpredictable environments in several taxa, but has so far been overlooked as a maternal response to temporal variation in predation risk. Here, we experimentally increased the perceived risk of nest predation prior to egg-laying in seven bird species. Species with prolonged parent-offspring associations increased their intra-brood variation in egg, and subsequently offspring, size. High risk to offspring early in a reproductive cycle can favour a risk-spreading strategy particularly in species with the greatest opportunity to even out offspring quality after fledging.


2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. SEITZ

Modernization of agriculture, economic development and population increase after the end of the Thirty Years' War caused authorities in many parts of Germany to decree the eradication of so-called pest animals, including the House Sparrow. Farmers were given targets, and had to deliver the heads of sparrows in proportion to the size of their farms or pay fines. At the end of the eighteenth century German ornithologists argued against the eradication of the sparrows. During the mid-nineteenth century, C. L. Gloger, the pioneer of bird protection in Germany, emphasized the value of the House Sparrow in controlling insect plagues. Many decrees were abolished because either they had not been obeyed, or had resulted in people protecting sparrows so that they always had enough for their “deliveries”. Surprisingly, various ornithologists, including Ernst Hartert and the most famous German bird conservationist Freiherr Berlepsch, joined in the war against sparrows at the beginning of the twentieth century, because sparrows were regarded as competitors of more useful bird species. After the Second World War, sparrows were poisoned in large numbers. Persecution of sparrows ended in Germany in the 1970s. The long period of persecution had a significant but not long-lasting impact on House Sparrow populations, and therefore cannot be regarded as a factor in the recent decline of this species in urban and rural areas of western and central Europe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sutarto Kusuma Indra ◽  
Kustiati Kustiati ◽  
Rafdinal Rafdinal

Quality degradation, modification, and habitat loss are significant threats to bird species. The natural habitat of birds has been modified into residential land and facilities to meet the needs of human life as happened at Tanjungpura University. This study aims to determine of birds species at Tanjungpura University. Observations were carried out from January to March 2019. The method used in collecting the data from bird was “Encounter rates” which was conducted in the morning starting at 6 – 9 am and at 3 - 6 pm. The data obtained were analyzed with the formula of simple abundance scale and frequency of attendance. The birds found at Universitas Tanjungpura are 28 species classified into 23 genera, 17 families, and seven orders. Birds found to have an abundance order scale are classified into abundant, general, frequent and, unusual categories. Birds included in the abundant category are Collocalia fuciphaga and Passer montanus. The types of bird foods at Tanjungpura University consist of frugivore, insectivore, granivore, herbivore, carnivore, piscivore, omnivore, molluscivore, and nectarivore. The value of attendance frequency have range between 10-100%. The bird species with highest frequency of attendance’s value is Passer montanus, Pycnonotus aurigaster, Pycnonotus goiavier, Collocalia fuciphaga, and Anthreptes malacensis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document