Pathogenicity of Two Nematodes Tetramerese sp. and Microtetramerese Spiralis in Proventriculus of Some Aquatic Birds from Al-Sanaf Marshes in Thi-Qar Province, South of Iraq

The present study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and mean of intensity of two nematodes Tetramerese sp. and Microtetrameresespiralis isolated from some of aquatic birds collected from Al-Sanaf marshes, Thi-Qar province.The pathological effects of these parasites on the tissues of the infected aquatic birds were recorded.TheTetramerese sp. females were embedded in glands of proventriculus of the some aquatic birds including: Ardea ralloides, Egretta garazeta, Nycticorax nycticorax, Himantopus himantopus, Larus genei, Bubulicus ibis, Aredea purpurea and Anas clypeata with prevalence 12.57% and mean of intensity 3.00, while the Microtetrameresespiralis embedded in gastric glands of proventriculus of Bubulicusibis with prevalence 10% and mean of intensity 25.00.Histopathological examination of infected tissues showed dilation of the proventericular gland lumen, atrophy, necrosis and degeneration of the glandular cells of proventriculus

Seasonal nutrition variability and trophic differentiation of ducks on Baikal

The analysis of the food ration of 7 species of ducks from Lake Baikal helped to reveal the features of the seasonal dynamics of ducks feeding. The degree of trophic differentiation was determined for all species and for systematically related forms. All species of ducks in general are polyphages of different ranges, there are no highly specialized species. According to the ratio of plant and animal feed, three trophic groups were identified among ducks: phytophages, mainly phytophages and zoo-phytophages. Ducks plant feed is represented by seeds, vegetative parts and tubers. At the same time, a significant proportion are seeds, especially sedge, which in some species of ducks (Anas platyrhynchos, Anas penelopе, Anas acuta) in some seasons exceed 1520% by volume in the stomach and esophagus. Anas querquedula and Anas clypeata ignore vegetative parts of plants, while mallard consumes them only in summer. Anas penelope selects vegetatic parts of plants and seeds, in spring they are selected by Anas acuta. Animal feed is actively consumed by Anas crecca, Anas querquedula, Anas clypeata, Aythya ferina. It is noted that Anas clypeata consumes mollusks in large numbers, while Aythya fuligula consumes them to a slightly lesser extent. Anas querquedula and Anas clypeata prefer insect larvae. Gammarids are quite common for most species of ducks and in volume they occupy a worthy place. Seasonal nutrition dynamics are well traced for all types of ducks. Ducks prefer to use accessible objects, while showing species selectivity in the choice of feed components and feed biotopes. As a result, we see a low overlap of trophic niches of various types of ducks, including systematically close forms.

Distribution and numbers of waterbird species breeding in the city of Wrocław

During the years 2003-2010, the numbers of pairs of waterbird species breeding in the city of Wrocław (293 km2) were assessed. The city is situated in Odra valley, where four smaller rivers join it. The city abandons in oxbows, gravel and sand, and clay pits and other water bodies. In total, 20 waterbird species were recorded as breeding in Wrocław. The most common were Anas platyrhynchos (145-212 pairs), and Fulica atra (70-104 pairs). Relatively common were also the Gallinula chloropus (28-37 pairs), Rallus aquaticus (9-25 pairs) and Cygnus olor (9-11 pairs). For each remaining species less than 10 pairs were recorded. Among rare species, the following were recorded as breeding in Wrocław: Grus grus, Mergus merganser, and Porzana porzana. In the few recent decades, the increase in the number of breeding pairs was recorded for Anas platyrhynchos and Cygnus olor; while a parallel decrease was recorded for Fulica atra, Gallunula chloropus, Chroicocephalus ridibudnus, and Tachybaptus ruficollis. Species such as the Aythya fuligula, Aythya ferrina, grebes, gulls and terns avoid the city. Some of them even ceased to breed (Anas quarquedula, Anas clypeata and Botaurus stellaris). The city plays an important role in protecting water bird species such as Grus grus, Cygnus olor, Porzana porzana and Alcedo atthis.

Bird Bone Remains from Two Medieval Settlements in Debrecen (Eastern Hungary)

This paper presents results on three medieval avian bone assemblages found at Debrecen-Monostor-erdő and Debrecen-Tócó-part, respectively. Domestic chicken yielded most of the bird remains to evidence the exploitation of adult birds for egg production and flock maintenance in particular. In addition, feather harvesting and fat production could have been the target of goose (and possibly duck) husbandry. Although the goose bone sizes resemble the greylag goose, the keeping of an unimproved form of domestic goose rather than the hunting of the wild ancestor is suggested by the structure of the assemblage and the presence of healed bones. Wild birds seem to have been rarely consumed by the settlers of the two villages, but the feathers or wings or carcasses of diurnal birds of prey and crows may have been used for special purposes. Either killed for their symbolic meaning or only persecuted for protecting the backyard animals, the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) represent new species for the medieval avifauna of Hungary, similarly to the Northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) and the Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) that could have been hunted in the marshy environment provided by the Tócó creek. Moreover, the use of trained saker falcon (Falco cherrug) for hawking cannot be excluded either. In addition to the exploitation of birds for the abovementioned goods and values, two needle cases made from goose bones evidence the utilization of their skeletal parts as raw material for producing artefacts as well.

A 137-Year History of the Summer Avian Community at the Winous Point Marsh, Port Clinton, Ohio, USA

The Winous Point Marsh Conservancy and the Winous Point Shooting Club, with landholdings in both Sandusky and Ottawa Counties, Ohio, has completed a survey of the summer resident bird population on the property 4 times spanning 137 years. Although achieving a true census is unrealistic, these surveys have provided a unique, long-term history of changes in the avian community in northwest Ohio since the 1880s. Surveys were completed in 1880, 1930, 1960, and 2017. Draining and deforestation of the wetlands in northwest Ohio, by the late 1870s, resulted in the loss of many forested-wetland dependent species such as Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea), Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria), and Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) after the 1880 survey. Intensification of agricultural practices after the 1930 survey likely resulted in the loss of the early successional habitat that was associated with smaller, less intensive, agricultural practices and consequently the loss of many grassland nesting species such as Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors), Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), and Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata). Several new species were documented during the 2017 survey including Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis), Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator), and American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). This long-term dataset provides a unique opportunity to investigate the avian immigration, extirpation, and recolonization of a specific site over the past 137 years, providing insight into how landscape-level habitat changes affected the avian community.

New avian breeding records for Kugluktuk, Nunavut

New breeding records for 10 species of tundra and boreal nesting birds were documented near the community of Kugluktuk (Nunavut, Canada) over the course of the 2015 and 2016 breeding seasons and incidentally in 2017 and 2018. These species include American Wigeon (Mareca americana), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis), Greater Scaup (Aythya marila), Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya), Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis), Greycheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata), and Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). Previously unpublished breeding evidence for Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is also discussed along with suspected breeding of Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus), White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), and Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator). These records represent the first described breeding occurrences for these species in the Kitikmeot region, or new records for the mainland of Nunavut. A lack of historical ornithological survey effort in this area has likely led to the diversity of these previously unrecorded breeding observations. These results highlight the need to increase geographic coverage of bird surveys in northern Canada to more accurately delineate the northern limit of breeding ranges and suggest that further formal survey effort will undoubtedly lead to additional new breeding records.

Chromosomal evolution and molecular genetic analysis of four species of genus Anas (Aves: Anatidae)

Birds are considered one of the least karyotypically examined animal groups due to their karyotype specificity, i.e. small chromosomes, a large diploid chromosome number and the separation of chromosomes into macro- and microchromosomes. The present work was aimed to investigate the number of chromosomes and their karyological and molecular genetic relationships of four species of genus Anas (Anas crecca, Anas penelope, Anas acuta and Anas clypeata (Family: Anatidae). All four species have the same diploid chromosome number of 2n=80. The four investigated species have shown five pairs of macrochromosomes and the remaining 35 pairs were of microchromosomes. Ten RAPD primers were used for molecular discrimination by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The (PCR) showed polymorphic bands, which were used for the construction of the dendrogram and a similarity matrix. A total of 133 bands were obtained; 37 of them were polymorphic and 27 unique bands. Similarity values among the species under study ranged from 79% to 85%. The highest similarity was between A. Penelope and A. acuta (85%) while the lowest similarity was between A. acuta and A. clypeata (79 %). RAPD analysis confirmed that the four Anas species under study are genetically different from each other and a genetic variation was found between and within the three species tested in this study. The karyotypic features are also suitable as cytotaxonomic markers of Anatidae.

Cambios temporales de la avifauna acuática en el sitio Ramsar “Presa de Valsequillo”, Puebla, México

La Convención de Ramsar busca promover la conservación y el uso sostenible de los humedales de importancia internacional y sus recursos biológicos. En 2012, la Presa de Valsequillo (Puebla, México) fue aceptada como sitio Ramsar, pero se desconocen aún aspectos de la ecología de su avifauna. Con este estudio se incrementó el conocimiento sobre la importancia ornitológica de este sitio Ramsar en el que evaluamos la variación temporal de la estructura de la comunidad de aves acuáticas. Primero, desde febrero de 2014 a enero de 2015, estimamos mensualmente la riqueza y abundancia de aves acuáticas de la Presa desde una embarcación con motor fuera borda, y se usó esta información para analizar los cambios en la riqueza y la diversidad. Después, mediante técnicas de análisis multivariante, obtuvimos grupos de meses con base en su similitud y comprobamos su significación estadística. Finalmente, identificamos las especies responsables de tales cambios. En total, observamos 30 especies de aves acuáticas, pero la riqueza mensual (estandarizada a 768 individuos) varió entre 12 y 20. En ‘primavera-verano’, la comunidad de aves acuáticas fue más sencilla (i.e., con menores valores de abundancia, riqueza y diversidad) que en ‘otoño-invierno’. Los principales cambios en la estructura de la comunidad se debieron a variaciones en la abundancia de unas pocas especies: la gallareta americana (Fulica americana), el pato cucharón (Anas clypeata) y el pato tepalcate (Oxyura jamaicensis). Sin excluir otras posibilidades para estos cambios, nuestro estudio sugiere que los patos (Anatidae) utilizan principalmente la Presa de Valsequillo como un sitio de invernada, mientras que las garzas (Ardeidae) la utilizan como una escala en sus movimientos migratorios otoñales. Nuestros datos pueden aplicarse en programas de ecoturismo (observación de aves), buscando las fechas que permitan maximizar el número de especies observadas, su diversidad o su abundancia.

Nuevos registros y notas adicionales comentadas sobre la avifauna de la ciudad de Xalapa, Veracruz, México

El conocimiento detallado de la avifauna en una región constituye una valiosa base de datos que permite examinar cambios temporales de la riqueza y tamaños poblacionales de las especies, para actualizar su estado de conservación y desarrollar planes de manejo. El objetivo de este artículo es actualizar la lista de aves de la ciudad de Xalapa, Veracruz, México y aportar datos específicos y puntuales sobre los registros considerados como nuevos a lo previamente publicado por González-García et al. (2014). Añadimos 12 nuevos registros para la avifauna de la ciudad de Xalapa e incluimos a 48 especies con información que consideramos relevante para la zona urbana de la ciudad. Los nuevos registros añadidos son de dos especies residentes y de diez especies migratorias neotropicales (i.e., Anas clypeata, Aythya americana, Aythya collaris, Podiceps nigricollis, Botaurus lentiginosus, Elanoides forficatus, Laterallus ruber, Porzana carolina, Tringa solitaria, Chlidonias niger, Ridgwayia pinicola y Setophaga nigrescens). Tomando en cuenta estas aportaciones, el número total de especies de aves registradas en la zona urbana de Xalapa durante las últimas tres décadas asciende de 329 a 341.