Effects of Supplemental Food on the Behaviour and Paternity Status of Male Indigo Buntings (Passerina CyaNea)

Breeding is energetically costly and, if energy-limited, birds may alter their time budgets, spending less time engaged in some activities and more time in others. Investigators who have provided breeding birds with supplemental food have noted changes in time budgets, but the extent and types of changes have been found to vary among species. Our objective was to determine how food supplementation might influence the time budgets and paternity status of male Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea). We studied Indigo Buntings from 8 May to 15 August 2009 in Madison County, Kentucky. Territories of male Indigo Buntings (n=30) were randomly assigned as either food supplemented (n=8) or controls (n=22). During time-budget observations, all behaviours were noted. To determine paternity status, blood samples were collected from adults and nestlings at 16 nests. Males with feeders in their territories spent significantly less time foraging and more time vocalising (chip notes) than males without feeders. Time spent singing and mate guarding by treatment and control males did not differ. Differences in the proportion of extra-pair young did not differ between nests in territories with and without supplemental food. Our results suggest that, when provided with supplemental food, male Indigo Buntings spend less time foraging and more time engaged in other activities. However, neither the presence of supplemental food nor differences in the behaviour of males in food-supplemented versus non-supplemented territories affected rates of extra-pair paternity.

Condition Dependence of Structural Plumage Coverage in Indigo Buntings Passerina Cyanea

Nuptial plumage colouration is seemingly favoured by females of avian species with regards to sexual selection. This particular secondary sexual characteristic has been previously shown to be a condition-dependent signal of individual quality among passerines with pigment-based colouration (i.e. yellows and reds). In contrast, relationships between structural plumage colouration (i.e. blues) and aspects of both physical quality and physiological function have been understudied. Using free-living Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) as a study species, we compared the percentage of blue feather coverage to body condition, innate immune responses, antioxidant capacity, stress physiology, reproductive physiology, and parasitism. We found the overall percentage of blue feathers on individual birds to be positively correlated with testosterone levels and body condition, while negatively correlated with heterophil to lymphocyte ratio. Birds with more blue coverage were also less likely to harbour blood parasites. Our results indicate male Indigo Buntings with greater moult investment have better overall body condition, lower stress, increased testosterone levels, and decreased parasitic susceptibility.

Aves silvestres como mascotas en la región central de Cuba: Elementos para una estrategia de mitigación

The island of Cuba has the greatest diversity of birds in the Caribbean, and at the same time, a large number of endangered species. Illegal trade is one of major threats in Neotropical islands, because birds are captured for domestic and international illegal market. This study was undertaken with the aim to characterize the domestic market, in which captive wild birds are used as pets in the central region of Cuba. For this, a census and random survey to identify, and describe wild bird richness and abundance in 10 localities of urban and rural environments, was undertaken from August to November 2014, and from June to October 2015. Our results detected that at least 24 species and 973 individuals from six orders and 11 families were captive. The best represented order was Passeriformes (13 species), followed by Accipitriformes (four species). The best-represented families were Thraupidae (3.3 ± 0.33) and Cardinalidae (2.6 ± 0.45). Besides, the localities of Patria (17), Morón (13) and Bolivia (13) in the urban area had the highest richness. The richness of residents (5.80 ± 0.68) was higher than the endemics (1.70 ± 0.30) and migrants (2.70 ± 0.52), while the richness of endemics (2.5 ± 0.29) and residents (7.75 ± 0.63) was higher in urban areas. There were more captive species with Least Concern category (6.20 ± 1.02), but the Endangered category predominated in rural areas (12.5 %). The most common species were Passerina cyanea, Melopyrrha nigra, Tiaris olivaceus and Passerina ciris. A total of 46 % of the species were classified with a tendency to decrease, 33.3 % to increase and 20.8 % to stability. The abundance of species with a tendency to decrease (63.4 ± 22.13) was higher than those that tend to stability (14.8 ± 9.9). The actual traffic will lead to species extinction, mainly parrots and raptors, threatening several ecological services. Illegal trade should be addressed as an environmental, economic and social problem. Strategy for controlling this unsustainable trade was proposed.

Systematics of the genus Syringophilopsis Kethley, 1970 (Acari: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) with description of three new species from North American passerines

Three new species of the genus Syringophilopsis collected from the United States are described and figured: S. certhiae sp. nov. ex Certhia americana Bonaparte (Certhiidae) from California, S. sittae sp. nov. ex Sitta carolinensis Latham (Sittidae) also from California, and S. sturnellus sp. nov. ex Sturnella neglecta Audubon (Icteridae) from Arizona. Additionally, S. passerinae (Clark, 1964) is redescribed based on the material from the type host species, Passerina cyanea (Linnaeus) (Cardinalidae). New host species for S. icteri Bochkov & Mironov, 2001 and S. passerinae are added. The world fauna of Syringophilopsis is summarized and keyed.