Surveys of Large Waterfowl and Their Habitats Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: A Case Study on the Siberian Crane

Waterfowl surveys, especially for endangered waterfowl living in wetlands, are essential to protect endangered waterfowl and to create a management scenario of their habitats. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are powerful new tools for waterfowl surveys. In this paper, we propose one method for a habitat survey and another for a waterfowl species distribution survey. The habitat survey method obtained the waterfowl’s habitat and spatial distribution with a UAV automatic flight plan in the aggregation area. The waterfowl species distribution survey was used to detect and identify waterfowl species with high-spatial-resolution images from a free UAV flight plan in the aggregation area or areas where individuals were suspected to be present. The UAV-based data showed not only the area where waterfowl were found, but also additional ground surveys. The results showed that the species and locations of the waterfowl were recorded more accurately and efficiently using the distribution method based on the images from the UAV. The waterfowl habitat type and the number of waterfowl were obtained in detail using the habitat survey method. UAV-derived counts of waterfowl were greater (+37%) than ground counts. The results indicated the feasibility and advantages of using a low-cost UAV survey of large waterfowl in wetland regions with complex vegetation. This study provides one case study of large waterfowl numbers and habitat surveys. The UAV-based methods also provide a feasible and scientific way to obtain basic data for the protection and management of waterfowl.

Adjunctive Use of Intravenous Antibiotic Regional Limb Perfusion in Three Cranes with Distal Limb Infections

Pododermatitis and wing lesions are commonly reported issues in captive crane species. Regional limb perfusion has been used as a treatment for distal limb infections in several avian species, as systemic antibiotic therapy is often prolonged and unrewarding. A black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis), Siberian crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus), and wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) were treated with amikacin (5–10 mg/kg IV infusion) regional limb perfusion for cellulitis and osteomyelitis of hind limb digits and alular osteomyelitis and septic arthritis of the carpus, respectively, with a range of 1–3 treatments per case. Clinical signs of infection resolved within 10–40 days following regional limb perfusion combined with oral or parental antibiotic therapy. No side effects were observed following regional limb perfusion. This is the first report of regional limb perfusion in cranes and the first report of intravenous regional limb perfusion in a wing of an avian species.

Semantics of the image of an eagle in the traditional culture of Sakha

The article is focuses on the analysis of various meanings of the image of the eagle in the Sakha culture. It addresses of the presence of the “zoomorphic code” in traditional Yakut culture. The significance of the ornithological pantheon, including the Siberian Crane, swan, and other zoomorphic characters of the Yakut world picture, is determines. The main focus in the article is on the spectrum of meanings of the image of the eagle, including the perception of this bird as: one of the supreme deities, the king-bird; the warrior spirit of the Upper World, named Hunchbacked Hotoy (Eagle) Aiyy; principles legitimizing power; like a bird giving a stone of happiness; a fairy bird Bar Jagyl; a solar symbol associated not only with the sun but also with the cyclical change of seasons; as the ancestor and patron of the Yakut shamans; as the two-headed mythical bird Yoksyu; as a messenger of the spirit of war; patrimonial, sexual and individual totem; a heraldic image; as a personification of victory; amulets; the bird that gave people fi re; an oracular bird; as a form of embodiment of the soul of the deceased, going to heaven, etc. Fixed connotations of the eagle’s image are coupled with numerous examples from epic texts, legends, tales and songs. Modern interpretations of the image of the eagle, genetically related to the traditional sphere of the Yakut culture are dealt separately

A skull of a very large crane from the late Miocene of Southern Germany, with notes on the phylogenetic interrelationships of extant Gruinae

We describe a partial skull of a very large crane from the early late Miocene (Tortonian) hominid locality Hammerschmiede in southern Germany, which is the oldest fossil record of the Gruinae (true cranes). The fossil exhibits an unusual preservation in that only the dorsal portions of the neurocranium and beak are preserved. Even though it is, therefore, very fragmentary, two morphological characteristics are striking and of paleobiological significance: its large size and the very long beak. The fossil is from a species the size of the largest extant cranes and represents the earliest record of a large-sized crane in Europe. Overall, the specimen resembles the skull of the extant, very long-beaked Siberian Crane, Leucogeranus leucogeranus, but its affinities within Gruinae cannot be determined owing to the incomplete preservation. Judging from its size, the fossil may possibly belong to the very large “Grus” pentelici, which stems from temporally and geographically proximate sites. The long beak of the Hammerschmiede crane conforms to an open freshwater paleohabitat, which prevailed at the locality.