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Birds: General Articles
SUMMARIES OF ARTICLES ABOUT BIRDS
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Drunk birds on a collision course
Cedar waxwings got drunk on fermented berries
source: New Scientist vol 214 no 2867, June 2nd 2012 p17
Cedar waxwings flew into Los Angeles buildings a number of times from 2005 to 2007. Haim Kinde and team from San Bernardino's California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab have discovered that the birds had eaten large amounts of Brazilian pepper tree berries. The waxwings use a distendible oesophagus to store food, rather than a crop. The berries had fermented, and the waxwings' livers were unable to process the alcohol, so the birds flew when they were dangerously drunk.
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Bird brains rooted in baby dinosaur skulls
Bird skulls resemble those of juvenile dinosaurs
source: Michael Marshall
New Scientist vol 214 no 2867, June 2nd 2012 p12
The skulls of adult birds resemble those of juvenile dinosaurs, and birds evolved from feathered relatives of velociraptor-type dinosaurs. Bhart-Anjan Bhullar and team from Harvard University, studied bird, dinosaur and crocodile skulls, and discovered that adult birds have brain cases accounting for more of the total volume of the skull, like juvenile dinosaurs. Birds that retained a juvenile skull shape could have bigger brains. Large brains allow them to see better when they fly. Evolutionary changes often result from changes in development, for example, Adult humans resemble juvenile chimps.
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Biological GPS located in pigeons
GPS neurons found in brains of homing pigeons
source: New Scientist vol 214 no 2863, May 5th 2012 p15
Two researchers from Baylor College, Houston, Texas, have recorded a biological GPS in the brainstem of seven homing pigeons. Le-Qing Wu and David Dickman used electrodes to record brain activity in the pigeons. They found that neurons in a part of the brainstem were especially active when the pigeons were in part of a magnetic field. The neurons are likely to be linked to an internal map in the brain, so operate as a sort of biological GPS.
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Male bowerbirds grow a garden to attract a mate
Australian bowerbirds influence berry plant distribution
source: New Scientist vol 214 no 2862, April 28th 2012 p15
Australian bowerbirds use Solanum ellipticum berries to decorate their bowers, and the more berries they use, the better their chances of mating. Joan Madden and team from Exeter University, UK, have discovered that the number of S. ellipticum plants near the bowers increases in the year after a bower is built. The bowerbirds are not intentionally cultivating the plant, but they are unintentionally creating 'gardens' round their bowers.
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Budgies find yawns irresistible too
Contagious yawning affects budgies
source: New Scientist vol 213 no 2847, January 14 2012 p14
Budgies are affected by contagious yawning, according to Andrew Gallup from Binghampton University, New York. He observed 21 budgies for 15 days, recording their yawns. Previously, contagious yawning had only been observed in primates. Budgies are more likely to copy neighbours yawning following a sudden loud noise, so yawning may help a group deal with a threat by enhancing coordination and group awareness.
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Ravens use sticks to attract attention
Ravens initiate relationships with referential gestures
source: Linda Geddes
New Scientist vol 212 no 2841, December 3 2011 p16
Ravens initiate relationships with referential gestures, a trait also found in humans. Children, for example, may point to show another human where to look. This may be the foundation of language, and involves attributing mental states to another animal. Apes also communicate with humans through referential gestures. Simone Piha from Seewiesen's Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany, with Thomas Bugnyar from Vienna University, Austria, observed seven wild raven pairs offering objects like twigs to one another, using their beaks. This involved non-food items, offered to opposite-sex ravens that were looking at them. Ravens are monogamous and raise offspring together, and couples can develop their own vocalisations. They are highly co-operative, and co-operation may have helped with language evolution. Further research is needed into the significance of this raven behaviour.
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Of course I was listening, darling
Male birds listen to female partners
source: New Scientist vol 212, no 2838, November 12 2011 p20
Male plain-tailed wrens from Ecuador appear to listen to female partners in a duet more than the females listen to them. The wrens were studied by Eric Fortune from John Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. He studied six captured birds, three of each sex, previously recorded in duets. He anaesthetised the birds, and placed a wire in their high vocal centres (HVCs), involved in birdsong and learning. The males' HVCs were more active while listening to female partners singing, while the females' HVCs were more active while listening to their own songs.
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Finches' tweets knock humans off their perch
Bengal finch songs may use grammatical rules
source: New Scientist vol 211 no 2819, July 2 2011 p16
Bengal finch songs may have grammatical rules, according to Kentaro Abe from Kyoto University, japan. Wild finches respond to unfamiliar songs by singing themselves. Abe collaborated with Dai Watanabe to develop jumbled finch song remixes, and play them to captive finches. They first played unfamiliar songs until the captive finches were used to them. They then developed four jumbled versions. The birds only responded to one jumbled version. This may mean that it failed to respect the syntax of finch song.
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Crow mob rules
Crows can learn from one another
source: New Scientist vol 211 no 2819, July 2 2011 p5
Crows may copy the behaviour of parents and neighbours. They have been observed harassing a human because that human was harassed by other crows.
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Parrots join apes and Aristotle in the club of reason
African grey parrots are capable of logical reasoning
source: New Scientist vol 210 no 2818, June 25 2011 p16
African grey parrots are capable of logical reasoning to calculate where they might find food. Sandra Mikolasch and team from the Konrad Lorenz Research Station, Vienna University, Austria, studied seven African greys. They liked both walnuts and seeds. The researchers hid a walnut under one cup, and seeds under another, while the parrots were watching. They then hid the cups and removed a treat, and showed the treat to the parrots. One parrot achieved a 75% success rate in guessing which treat must remain, and where it was, inferring through excluding. The other parrots fared better when they could always see the treats.
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Genes explain why some female zebra finches cheat
Promiscuous male zebra finches tend to sire promiscuous females
source: New Scientist vol 210 no 2817, June 18 2011 p21
Zebra finches are monogamous, and may have extra-marital affairs. Males with this tendency tend to sire promiscuous females, according to research by Wolfgang Forstmeier from Seewiesen's Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany. He studied over 1,500 females over five generations. Promiscuous males were found to have more offspring. Their daughters inherited their promiscuous traits, despite this bringing no discernible advantages for females.
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Angry birds kiss and make up after a brawl
Captive ravens use touch for reconciliation after squabbles
source: New Scientist vol 210 no 2807, April 9 2011 p18 Captive ravens often squabble, chasing and kicking one another. Afterwards they use touch for reconciliation, when they have fought with an ally. Orliath Fraser from Vienna University, Austria, studied seven captive ravens, and found they were more likely to touch one another with their beaks, or preen one another if they had just fought. Reconciliation is found in mammals, but this is the first recorded observation in birds.
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Great tits choose food over sex
Great tits delay morning song when given bird feeders
source: New Scientist vol 209 no 2794, January 8 2011 p15
Great tits delay morning song when provided with feeders. Valentin Amrhein from Basel University, Switzerland, studied great tits in a forest near Oslo, Norway. He taped birds singing the dawn chorus after two weeks with a feeder, comparing this with the singing of birds not provided with feeders. Birds with feeders started singing on average twenty minutes later. Male birdsong is believed to attract and defend a mate. Males with feeders may be too busy defending food to sing for females. Amrhein favours removing bird feeders during the spring. Females choose males on the basis of their songs, so changes in singing behaviour triggered by feeders could adversely affect great tits.
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Urge to migrate found in bird genes
Genetic basis for black cap migration
source: Janelle Weaver
New Scientist vol 209 no 2800, February 19 2011 p9
Bird migration appears to have a genetic basis, according to Jakob Mueller from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology at Starnberg, Germany. He and his team studied European black caps (Sylvia atricapilla) recording restlessness at night in captive birds. They are generally only nocturnal when migrating. One gene was linked to this restlessness, and to melatonin secretion, feeding and energy metabolism.
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Warm climates boost bird beak size
Birds have smaller beaks in colder climates
source: New Scientist vol 206 no 2767, 3 July 2010 p17
Beak size can be affected by diet, and size may help a bird attract a mate. It is also affected by climate, according to researchers from Ontario, Canada, and Melbourne, Australia. Glen Tattershall and Matthew Symonds have investigated 214 species of birds, relating female beak size to minimum annual temperatures. They calculate that 16% of variations in beak size can be accounted for by temperature, with colder climates associated with smaller bills that reduce heat loss.
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Klepto keas crack locks, no problem
Kea parrots plan problem solving
source: New Scientist vol 207 no 2773, 14 August 2010 p18
Hiromitsu Miyata, from Japan's Kyoto University, has found that Kea parrots can solve problems better if they study beforehand. He offered the Keas three boxes containing food. The parrots had to unlock bolts to obtain the food, and managed this even when the bolt systems were very complex. However, they opened the containers faster if they could look at the problem and assess it beforehand. This means that they can probably plan problem solving, rather then attempting haphazard solutions.
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Babble to tweet
Babbling helps zebra finches learn to sing
New Scientist vol 198 no 2655,
May 10 2008 p17
Babbling helps zebra finches learn to sing, and helps young finches to try out acoustic ranges. The part of the brain involved in babbling is different from the part that controls mouth muscles used by birds when they sing. Massachussets Institute of Technology's Michale Fee led a team which has discovered that birds lacking the part in their brains controlling mouth muscles do not sing, but babble.
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A rousing chorus gets zebra finches in the mood
Hearing songs encourages zebra finches to breed
source: New Scientist vol 185 no 2488
February 26 2005 p20
A team led by Joseph Waas, now at Waikato University, New Zealand, has discovered
that male zebra finches are encouraged to sing by hearing recorded songs of
other zebra finches, and females' clutches of eggs were larger than if they
were not played songs. Females also laid clutches earlier if they heard recordings
of unfamiliar males. This may be because the females are seeking to catch
up with breeding as they would in a zebra finch colony. Breeding in a large
group can give protection against predators. This finding could help with
encouraging breeding of some rarer species of birds, which may also be encouraged
by recorded songs.
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Survival of the fattest
Feeding garden birds
source: Mike Clark
Country Smallholding January 2004 p39
Garden birds can be helped to survive by feeding them during winter months,
starting in November, as food elsewhere becomes scarce. The birds can come
to depend on food you put out, so they need feeding until April, and can benefit
from food put out all year.
Birds' needs increase during very harsh weather, so it helps to put food
out twice a day, in the morning and early in the afternoon. The quantity needed
depends on what the birds eat, and they are being fed too much if excess food
accumulates. Some foods, like bread, fat, and peanuts, can harm baby birds,
so it's best to avoid them in spring and summer. It is better to feed good
quality bird food than scraps, though some home-prepared food is well-received,
like unsalted, cooked rice, pastry, cut up fresh and dried fruits, and also
fat outside the breeding season.
Some birds like to feed on the ground, while others cling to feeders, and
both types of bird will use bird tables, which offer some safety from cats.
The table is best placed on open ground, since birds prefer an open site,
but near cover for them to escape in case of danger.
Mesh nut feeders are essential containers for peanuts, since many bird species
can be killed if they eat whole peanuts. Mesh bags can be dangerous since
birds' feet and legs can get caught in them. The feeders should be cleaned
regularly, and the food kept fresh, to reduce risks of spreading disease.
Birds also benefit from a dish of water that is changed regularly, or access
to an unfrozen pond.
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Feather-plucking in psittacine birds: part1, Presentation
and medical investigation
Investigating cases of feather plucking in the parrot family
source: John Chitty
In Practice vol 25 no 8, September 2003
starts p484, 10 pages long
Feather plucking is a common syndrome common among many birds from the parrot
family, especially grey parrots and Hahn's macaws, though very rare among
budgerigars. There may be more than one cause, so it is important to identify
as many causes as possible. Investigation can be time-consuming, and should
include time spent viewing the bird, and examining droppings. History forms
asking for information on the bird's diet, environment, daily regime, and
other factors, are useful. A physical examination follows a thorough history,
and includes assessing whether the bird is extroverted, how it interacts with
the owner, as well as a dermatological examination. The article discusses
diagnosis in further detail.
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Feather-plucking in psittacine birds: part 2, Social, environmental
and behavioural considerations
Social and behavioural factors linked to feather plucking
in the parrot family
source: John Chitty
In Practice vol 25 no 9, October 2003
starts p550, 6 pages long
Most cases of feather plucking in birds from the parrot family have more
than one cause, so using one therapy alone may not bring about a cure. It
is usually important to assess the whole of the bird's lifestyle to work out
whether there are non-medical factors involved. It helps to look at how parrots
live in the wild to understand the needs of pet birds. Wild parrots live in
flocks, and bond in pairs and family groups within those flocks. They may
defend specific locations, such as nest sites, though they are not generally
territorial. They are prey species that forage during the day, then roost.
They seem to have to learn how to preen, though the need for preening seems
to be innate.
Feather plucking may have social causes, such as poor socialisation in hand-reared
birds, which may leave them anxious and lacking curiosity, and lacking the
skills to preen. Birds that pluck because they have not learnt to preen can
learn from other birds. Pet birds may also be overtired, especially if kept
in a family living room, and may benefit from peace and quiet in a spare room
in the evening. Birds also need to be bathed or sprayed, using warm water
with nothing added, and they can be taught to enjoy it if they initially appear
to dislike it. The cage should not be exposed or near irritants like cooking
fumes. Poor wing clipping can also trigger plucking, and it is better not
to clip birds' wings except when absolutely necessary.
Behavioural causes include attention seeking, so owners should walk away,
and pay attention to the bird when the plucking stops. Separation anxiety
has also been linked to plucking, if it happens when birds are left alone.
Birds benefit from exercise before being left, and from being able to listen
to a radio while the owner is out. They may feel anxious with an owner in
the house, but not in the same room, so moving the bird to be in the same
room as the owner can help. A parrot sitter may also help, if the bird is
left alone for a long time. Encouraging independent play also has beneficial
effects. Rehoming may be necessary if no other solution can be found, since
flock birds may not be happy if kept alone, and buying a companion bird as
a solution is not usually successful.
Drug therapy may help, but finding the right drug at the correct dosage is
not easy, and drug therapy alone is unlikely to effect a cure. The article
examines causes of feather plucking related to lifestyle in further detail.
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Birds that sing complex songs give clue to origins of human
syntax
Brain and language studied in song birds
source: Independent February 17 2003 p9
Researchers from Duke University, North Carolina, have discovered key locations
in the brains of songbirds, humming birds and parrots, which allow them to
develop and remember songs and other complex sound sequences. Only a few types
of birds and mammals are able to learn sounds in this way. Cetaceans, bats
and humans are the mammals with these skills, and understanding the link between
brain and behaviour in birds may help in understanding how syntax, or rules
of human language, came about. Glutamate receptors in the cerebrum of birds
help transmit nerve impulses, and help to develop new neural connections in
birds learning new songs. Hummingbirds can remember very complex songs, though
their brains are very small. They defend territory and use songs in courtship,
with more complex songs proving more attractive. Surgeons operating on humans
could usefully improve their knowledge if similar areas can be located in
humans.
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Bird brains offer clues to origins of speech
Research on songbirds could help in understanding origins
of human speech
source: Tim Radford
Guardian February 17 2003 p16
Erich Jarvis, a neurobiologist from Duke University, North Carolina, has studied
the brain structure of songbirds. Songbirds, hummingbirds, and some parrots
can continue to learn new sounds, and arrange them using syntax. These birds
share brain patterns with receptors for glutamate, a neurotransmitter, in
seven locations. This research could help in understanding why human victims
of stroke may suffer language deficiencies, and it may help in discovering
human brain systems for learning language. Birds attract mates and defend
territories through song. Complex songs prove more attractive to the opposite
sex, yet predators may also be attracted, so captive birds may be able to
develop more complex songs than wild birds.
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Any colour you like
Pigmentation in wild and captive birds
source: Tim Birkhead
Independent Review February 10 2003 p12
Humans have long sought to change the colour of birds, from when they were
initially domesticated. Pigeons and geese were the first to be domesticated,
some 5,000 years ago, followed by chickens. Birds might appear that lacked
pigments. Colours might be changed through mutations, or through long-term
gradual change. Yellow canaries were gradually developed, and full yellows
were recorded by 1700. There are some 30 colours variations for budgies, which
are green in the wild. Zebra finches have also been bred with different colour
variations.
Dyeing birds was once common, whether by dyeing feathers externally, or by
feeding birds such as canaries red peppers when the birds were moulting. Carotenoids
can affect the plumage of wild birds, and are found in shrimps and other foods.
Captive birds deprived of carotenoids they would eat in the wild can lose
their bright colour. A bright red colour may signal good health in some species,
especially in a male bird, and females of these species prefer redder males.
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In the genes
Study finds that boldness in great tits is inherited
source: New Scientist no 2372, December 7 2002 p27
Dutch researchers have found that boldness in great tits is inherited. The
researchers, from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Heteren, Holland,
rated birds according to how bold they were in investigating novel objects.
They used a scale of 1 to 20 in rating the birds. They then matched the boldest
birds together, and the shyest birds, and used foster parents to raise the
offspring. The bolder birds' descendents were rated nine points higher than
the descendents of thes shyer birds, after four generations had been bred.
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Join the hen party
Can chickens be pets?
source: Justine Hankins
Guardian Weekend November 9 2002 p77
Urban chickens have become popular in the UK, and their owners may see them
as part pets, part farm animals. One definition of a pet is that it is kept
for amusement or companionship, yet working dogs may be pampered when they
are not working. Urban chickens produce expensive eggs, so their usefulness
is limited, and they usually have names, a characteristic of pets. Pets are
also animals that people do not eat, and this definition puts some urban chickens
as pets, since their owners would not eat their own chickens. The range of
animals that are eaten in Britain is small. Horses may be eaten in France,
but not in the UK. Chickens are eaten, and are not usually seen as pets.
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Look, no hands
New Caledonian crows can use and make tools
source: Stephanie Pain
New Scientist August 17 2002
starts p44, 4 pages long
A species of crow, called Corvus moneduloides, from New Caledonia in the
South Pacific, is able to use and make tools to obtain food in ways that show
greater understanding of function and form than chimps. This speciesof crow
needs to use tools to obtain food. They use sticks to flush out prey, and
may make probes themselves from large leaves, bamboo stems, and other materials.
They may also use sticks to fish for grubs - the grubs grab the end of the
stick. Crows also make and use hooks, from different materials. The hooks
are made with the same design. The birds may learn from each other how to
make these hooks. One crow, called Betty, was able to fasjion hooks from novel
materials.
One characteristic of these crows is laterality, thought to help the brain
work more efficiently. Humans are strongly right-handed, and New Caledonian
crows also have this characteristic. Humans and crows are also both social
animals, and opportunists as well as generalists when it comes to food. Crows
and humans may also have had to make behavioural changes to offset physical
shortcomings.
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They can run but they can't hide, and that's bad news for
growing chicks
Chicks raised in featureless cages may fail to develop key
skills
source: Betsy Mason
New Scientist no 2354, August 3 2002 p18
Wire cages for battery hens are to be banned in the European Union (EU),
but replacing them with featureless pens could hamper the development of chicks.
The new EU directive sets out a maximum per square metre of nine birds. Ralph
Freire, a researcher from Purdue University, Indiana, has found that chicks
raised in featureless pens tend to crowd, and can even suffocate, as well
as become aggressive and suffer malnutrition. Chicks normally starts to leave
their mothers at the age of 11-days-old, and being separated from their mothers,
with mother and chicks unable to see each other, seems to help chicks to understand
space. Freire imprinted chicks using a tennis ball, and tested whether they
could find the ball when it was hidden behind a screen. Birds that had grown
up in pens with barriers tried searching behind a screen. Chicks raised in
featureless pens did not attempt to locate the ball. Meanwhile, ethologist,
Linda Keeling, working in Sweden, has also found that chicks need to learn
to perch while they are young, or it is very difficult for them to learn later.
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Flight of the ring-necked parakeets
Ring-necked parakeets colonise suburban parks
source: Sharon Amos
Independent on Sunday Review February 23 2003 p27
The London Bird Project is run by the British Trust for Ornithology, and
monitors birds in London's public spaces. Howard Vaughan, from the project,
has counted 1,750 ring-necked parakeets in a cemetery in South London. The
birds roost in poplars at the cemetery, but appear to nest in another location.
They use holes to nest in, and prefer old holes that woodpeckers have left.
They can be seen in Windsor Great Park, and Virginia Water during the daytime,
and at feeders in gardens. There are many parrots in Richmond, as well as
colonies in Surrey and Kent. Ring-necked parakeets can be bought as pets for
some 100 pounds sterling. The feral parakeets have been seen since the 1960s,
and there are an estimated 4,300 in the UK, according to the RSPB. Other feral
parrots have been noted in the UK, but ring-necked parakeets are the most
common.
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Good food boosts finches' sex appeal
Male zebra finches prefer well-nourished females
source: Michael Brooke
New Scientist no 2049 September 28 1996 p21
Researchers from Glasgow University have discovered that male zebra finches
prefer females that have been fed a protein supplement, to those that have
not. The researchers took a captive group of female zebra finches, and split
them into two groups, feeding one group on just millet, while the other group
received hen's egg supplement as well as millet. The males tended to choose
the females which had eaten the supplement. Previous work at the university
showed that females given the protein supplement tend to lay larger egg clutches,
which are also more viable. It is not known how the males could distinguish
between the two groups of females.
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Aggressive birds
Tackling aggressive feather pecking in chickens
source: Katie Thear
Country Smallholding December 2003 p11
One poultry keeper has had problems of aggressive pecking in a small mixed
flock, with Silkies, Leghorns, and Rhode Island Reds. The victims are Silkies
and a Leghorn. Aggressive pecking can cause death, and lead to cannibalism,
so should be controlled. Hens can also copy each other, so early intervention
is important. Keepers should watch their birds to work out which are aggressors,
and isolate them in a location where the other birds can still see them. If
the aggressors are kept out of sight, the others may attack them when they
are put back in the flock. Temporary isolation may work on its own, but other
factors may also have to be assessed.
Smaller birds in mixed flocks are more likely to be targets, especially if
they are of different ages and colours, with different sorts of feathers.
Keeping birds together from when they are very young can help, if keepers
really want a mixed flock. Birds also need space to wander around, eat and
drink, since overcrowding at drinkers, feeders, nest boxes, and in their free
space, is linked to aggression. Birds that suffer dietary deficiencies may
also be more prone to pecking, as can birds exposed to excess light. Making
a chicken house a little darker may help, though if it is too dark, this could
hit egg production. Ventilation and access to clean, cold water are important,
since birds that suffer from too much heat may peck. Birds may also peck themselves
if they have parasites, such as lice, and this could encourage other birds
to peck them. Birds in moult may also become targets. There are also some
breeds that are a little wilder than others, though this is less true for
many modern breeds, bred especially for docility.
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Pecking order
Contribution of early bird breeders to ornithology
source: Tim Radford Guardian
August 23 2002 p9
Tim Birkhead, an animal behaviour professor from Sheffield University, England,
has been awarded a three-year grant by the Leverhulme Trust to study the contribution
of early European bird breeders to ornithology. This topic has tended to be
neglected in the UK, since attitudes to keeping birds tend to be negative,
yet contributions from amateur breeders have been very important for conservation
and breeding programmes to help endangered species such as many parrots. Goldfinches
were especially valued during the Middle Ages, and chaffinches were popular
cage birds. Birds were caught in the Middle Ages because they looked good,
sang well, or were good to eat, Birkhead notes.
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Dances with hens
Keeping chickens
source: Stan Bloxham
Country Smallholding August 2002 p21
Personal experience of keeping chickens has shown that bantams like to escape,
raid vegetable gardens, and are vulnerable to dogs and foxes. Larger hens
are more manageable and tamer. Ex-battery hens can be bought very cheaply,
and they initially cannot walk well, look pale, and have often lost feathers.
They may need help with learning to roost, and may also need to be fed individually
at first. They take a few days to recover, and can then undergo a remarkable
change, but they do need protection with good fencing, because they are especially
vulnerable to foxes, due to being so tame.
Getting a cockerel can change a flock, and make it less tame. They become
less broody, keener on laying eggs, and may even produce more eggs.
There are a number of benefits from having chickens, apart from the eggs,
for example, the manure functions well as an activator for compost heaps.
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How much water for ducks?
Different types of ducks have different needs for water
source: Katie Thear
Country Smallholding July 2002 p15
Ducks vary in terms of how they use water, and this affects how much water
they need. All ducks need some access to water. Some are perchers, others
are divers, and then there are dabblers.
Perchers include those from the Cairini family, which like to perch in trees,
and they include Muscovy ducks, Mandarins, and Carolinas. They need water
depths of between 2.5 ft and 3 ft, or 75cm to 90 cm, and like to nest some
way above ground, for example in nest boxes which use long ramps.
The Aythyini family of ducks are the divers, and they seek their food on
the bottom. They usually have shorter bodies, and legs further back, a body
design that helps them dive. Tufted ducks and Pochards come from this family.
They like a minimum of 3ft of water (90 cm).
Dabblers include Mallards and others from the Anas family, and they dabble
to find their food on the water surface. They should have at least a foot
of water, so as to be able to immerse themselves and tip themselves up-ended.
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Argentinian parrots invade Madrid
Freed parrots become a public hazard in Madrid
source: Elizabeth Nash
Independent June 18 2002 p10
Pet parrots freed by owners in Madrid, Spain are becoming a public hazard.
The parrots are from the species Myiopsitta monachus, and have strong bills,
long tail feathers, and are grey and green. They come from Argentina, where
they are seen as pests. There are colonies of the parrots in Canillejas, close
to the airport, and in a park west of Madrid called the Casa del Campo. There
is concern that native wild birds are being displaced.
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No dodo
New Zealand programme to save endangered kakapo parrots
source: Stephanie Pain
New Scientist June 1 2002
starts p 32, 6 pages long
New Zealand's National Kakapo Team is encouraged by the hatching of 26 kakapo
chicks in 2002. Kakapos are large parrots, and there were fears that they
could become extinct when their numbers dropped to 50 in 1995. These parrots
are nocturnal and cannot fly, though they excel at climbing. The sounds they
make are varied and include booms and growls. They are the largest parrots
known, with some males weighing over 2.5 kg, and they may live to over 100-years-old.
Humans, and animals such as cats and dogs introduced by humans, led to a
sharp drop in the population of Kakapos, which were thought to be extinct
by the end of the 1960s. Then the birds were discovered in some remote locations,
and moved to Maud and Codfish islands where they would be safer, with watches
ket over their nests. Extra food was provided, but the birds on Codfish island
waited until rimu trees had masted before breeding. This signal to breed led
to matings, with 20 females laying eggs in 2002, including some very old females.
Eggs were swapped from fertile birds and put into the nests of birds with
infertile eggs, to encourage birds with fertile eggs to produce more.
The trigger from the rimu tree is not well understood, and it is possible
that a chemical is involved which could be isolated to encourage more breeding.
There are also plans to extend the programme to a third island.
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When the fat bird sings
Heaviest nightingales sing the most
source: New Scientist July 6 2002 p25
Bristol University biologist, Robert Thomas, has found that the heaviest
nightingales are those that sing the most. Eight male nightingales were weighed
at dusk, when they began singing, and the ones that weighed more then both
sang more than the others, and lost more weight during the night, through
their efforts singing. Birds that sing more are likely to be fitter, with
greater strength and intelligence to find more food during the day. This research
was reported in Animal behaviour, vol 63, p959.
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Sing out sister
Oestrogen can affect reproduction in zebra finches and
other birds
source: Anil Ananthaswarmy
New Scientist March 30 2002 p8
Researchers from the University of California in Davis have found that female
hatchling zebra finches given oestradiol, an oestrogen, at doses found in
the wild sang more than control female birds, and the region in their brains
that specializes in singing was larger. They also laid fewer eggs, and the
eggs they laid had more brittle shells. Oestradiol is used in some HRT preparations.
US waterways are contaminated with oestrogen pollutants from HRT, birth control
tablets, and some pesticides can form oestrogens, when they break down. These
findings have led to concerns about the impact of oestrogen pollutants on
wild birds, especially song birds.
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Your cheating heart
Female faithfulness linked to male singing ability in
chickadees
source: New Scientist May 11 2002 p27
A researcher from Queen’s University, Ontario, has found that female
chickadees, which are usually monogamous, appear more likely to be promiscuous
if their mates lose song contests. The researcher played song recordings to
chickadees, so it appeared that another male was competing with the resident
male. If the recording was played in an aggressive way, with the timing and
pitch matching those of the resident male, the resident was less likely to
be the father of chicks born to his partner.
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The hole story
How to turn gravel pits into havens for birds
source: Adrian Thomas
Bird watching April 2002
starts p6, 6 pages long
There are some 1,000 gravel pits in production in the UK, and some provide
attractive locations for birds, while others are empty. A number of features
can help turn pits into attractive habitats. Wavy shorelines with shallow
water at the edge help attract birds, and islands can provide nesting sites.
Wildfowl like cover, so topsoil on the islands helps to provide this. Plovers
and terns like bare ground for nesting, and gravel placed on plastic sheeting
helps to attract them. Trees can also be planted to provide shelter-belts.
Gravel pits also need care over the long term to continue to attract all types
of birds, and this involves cutting reeds, controlling willows, and managing
fish stocks.
Gravel pits are increasingly important as bird habitats, and some birds,
like Smew, have developed strong links with pits. They have helped sustain
numbers of Great Crested Grebes, Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Yellow Wagtails and
Lapwings, and many other species. There is great potential for this habitat,
as is shown by developments at the Cotswold Water Park, where there are over
110 pits.
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Now birds brag by mimicking mobiles
Birds imitate mobile phone sounds
source: Chris Gray
Independent May 18 2001 p5
Some wild birds in Britain have started to imitate the sound of mobile phones
ringing. This has been most often observed in starlings, which are related
to mynah birds, and song thrushes, with some observations of marsh warblers
and blackbirds mimicking ring tones.
The penchant of some birds for imitating whistles, car brakes, and other
man-made sounds has been noted by Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’
Mike Everett. He notes that mimickry accounts for some 10% of the song of
a starling. Male birds can defend territory better, and more easily find mates
if their songs are varied, according to Everett. He sees this development
as possibly beneficial for birds, since it could help to encourage breeding.
Starlings have suffered a population drop of some 50%.
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Talk the squawk
History of human fascination with the parrot family’s
ability to talk
source: David Alderton
Guardian, Weekend April 6 2002 p107
Humans have long been fascinated by the parrot family’s ability to talk.
There were mentions of this ability by ancient Persians, over 2,500 years
ago, and parrots were later taken to Greece from India by the armies of Alexander
the Great, in 4th C BC. Romans used precious materials like tortoiseshell
and silver in making parrots’ cages, and instructed slaves to teach the
parrots to talk. Henry VIII and Queen Victoria both kept African Greys, while
George V was the Budgerigar Society’s first patron, and Elizabeth II
has a budgie aviary.
African Greys and budgies are especially popular due to their ability to
talk, though teachers’ abilities are important as well as those of the
birds. Sparkie Williams was a famous budgie who learnt 583 words, and won
a BBC talking bird competition in 1958. Prudie was an African Grey who won
the National Exhibition of Cage and Aviary Birds award for Top Talking Bird,
for 13 consecutive years until 1977.
It is unclear how far talking birds understand what they say, though research
on an African Grey called Alex, in the US, carried out by Professor Pepperberg,
suggests that he can take decisions and rationalize, using language. Alex
can request objects, and will turn down those objects presented to him that
he has not requested.
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India’s pigeon post finally gets its wings clipped
Indian police may abandon usage of pigeon post
source: James Palmer
Independent March 21 2002 p19
Some 800 pigeons used by the Police Pigeon Service in Orissa, north-eastern
India, may no longer be needed, following a government proposal. Pigeons are
seen as obsolete by those who favour emails and telephones.
Supporters of the pigeons see them as representing an important tradition.
They were also useful in the 1999 cyclone, which hit more modern communication
systems, and they are more secure than modern systems.
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Fly by the stars
Songbirds use the stars to navigate
source: Hazel Muir
New Scientist February 9 2002 p16
Researchers from Odense University in Denmark have found that songbirds use
the stars to navigate. They used 20 blackcaps and 34 pied flycatchers, and
took them to a planetarium in Aarhus. Migratory songbirds which travel during
the night have a habit of jumping in their cages towards the direction that
they usually migrate in. The birds were first placed under a simulation of
the sky they would see in Aarhus, using the Pole star’s true direction
as a pivot for the rotation of the stars, and the birds jumped in the direction
of their normal route, which was south-south westerly. The stars were then
turned around towards the south, and the birds responded by changing their
jumping direction to north east, so they do find north from the stars. The
birds jumped south if no rotation was shown, however, so they may locate the
Pole star from patterns that are formed by the stars, not by the rotation
of the stars. The birds did not appear to be able to use the stars to judge
longitude.
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Ruffled feathers
Harris hawks brought in to protect schoolchildren from
seagulls
source: Independent on Sunday April 21 2002 p12
Two Harris hawks have been brought in by a school in Ayreshire, Scotland,
to protect children who were being attacked by seagulls taking the children’s
food away from them in the playground.
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What really makes the caged bird sing?
History of the study of songbirds’ abilities, and
their origins
source: Tim Birkhead
Independent, Review November 30 2001 p8
Bird keeping reached a peak of popularity in the 19th century, and has since
declined, though it is interesting to a zoologist. Birds were initially caught
for food, or for their song. Nightingales were the most popular songbirds,
but then canaries appeared during the late 1400s in continental Europe. Canaries
came to be more popular than nightingales, because canaries are easier to
keep, and sing throughout the year, while nightingales only sing a few weeks
annually.
German breeders pioneered new breeds, such as rolling canaries, with superb
singing abilities and rolling songs. There are now some 70 canary breeds.
Baron von Pernau was a German scientist who lived from 1660 to 1731, and he
realised that canary song was learnt, rather than hard-wired. An eighteenth
century English scientist, Daines Barrington, ranked songbirds for their song
quality, placing nightingales first, and linnets second. Canaries were not
classified in this study but were later placed second. Barrington also had
a surgeon dissect birds, and found that well-developed larynxes tended to
be associated with the best songs. He found that nightingales had strong larynxes,
and males had some muscles that were stronger than those of hens.
Birds’ larynxes are now called srinxes, and modern research has found
that males have a larger area in the brain which is linked to song. This area
is called the higher vocal centre (HVC). Birds with more complex songs also
tend to have larger HVCs. Research on the brains of songbirds carried out
in New York, by Rockefeller University’s Fernando Nottebohm has changed
ideas about how the brain works. Female canaries given testosterone grow new
neurones, and sing as though they were males. He also discovered that the
HVC grows and degenerates following seasonal patterns which are linked to
seasonal changes in birdsong. This finding runs counter to accepted wisdom
that the brain cannot regenerate neurones, and is significant for medical
research for humans with brain diseases.
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Domestication effects on foraging strategy, social behaviour
and different fear responses: a comparison between the red junglefowl (Gallus
gallus) and a modern layer strain
Leghorns conserve their energy for feeding
source: Karin E. Schutz, Bjorn Forkman and Per Jensen
Applied Animal Behaviour Science vol 74 no 1, 2001
starts p 1, 14 pages long
Animals can change in appearance and behaviour as a result of domestication,
because their lives are easier, and humans may select for certain traits.
Selecting for a particular trait may also affect other traits. Resource allocation
theory argues that animals geared for high production (putting on weight,
or producing offspring) will spend less time on non-feeding activities. Red
junglefowl are found in the wild, and domestic fowl appear to have descended
from them, so they can be used as an example of ‘wild’ fowl in research
on domestication. Junglefowl from a Swedish zoo were compared with White Leghorn
layers in this study. The Leghorns have been bred as layers and to convert
food efficiently. The birds were reared under the same conditions, and tested
as pairs, since they were calmer than when tested alone.
The White Leghorns were found to conserve energy in different tests. They
preferred familiar food, while the junglefowl preferred novel food, though
that meant taking longer to eat the same amount. The Leghorns were generally
less active, and responded less to frightening stimuli. Some animals, including
domestic fowls, have been found to prefer looking for food rather than eating
food that is easily available. This may be because looking for food can give
animals information about where food can be found. Broilers tend to forage
less and be generally less active than layers, according to some studies,
and it has also been found that high efficiency of food conversion is linked
to lower levels of aggression and activity.
Aggressive behaviour and social activity may be less necessary for domestic
animals, since they do not need to compete for food as much as wild animals.
However, high ranking domestic chickens can still gain advantages like better
roosts. Male Leghorns in this study crowed more when seeking food, displayed
more to females, and were more aggressive with humans, when being handled,
compared with junglefowl. This male Leghorn aggression could be linked to
layers being selected in terms of reproductive success. Junglefowl, however,
were generally more vocal in the study, which could mean that their social
motivation was higher than that of the Leghorns.
The Leghorns reacted less to a model of a hawk above them, than did the junglefowls.
This lower level of reactivity to predators has been found in other domestic
species compared with wild counterparts, such as ducks and trout.
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Parrot with a well ordered approach
Parrot learns to order objects
source: Tim Radford
Guardian February 15 2002 p12
An African Grey parrot called Griffin has learnt to order objects, according
to Massachussetts Institute of Technology researcher, Irene Pepperberg. He
understands that some tasks have to be carried out in a particular order,
and his behaviour can thus be called ‘rule governed’. Griffin has
learnt to combine objects using particular orders. Only monkeys and apes were
thought to be able to exhibit physical and vocal combinatorial behaviour,
before this discovery, and Pepperberg argues that similar abilities many have
gone unnoticed in other vertebrates. Social animals are seen as more likely
to be able to reason, researchers argue, in order to deal with one another.
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Darling, you look positively fluorescent today
Budgies fluoresce to appear more sexually attractive
source: New Scientist January 12 2002 p22
A team from the University of Queensland, Australia, has carried out research
on budgies which shows that fluorescent pigments can be used as a way of signalling
sexual attractiveness. The budgies’ yellow cheek and crown feathers were
smeared with UV-block to dampen fluorescence, without altering colour. Control
birds just had petroleum jelly smeared on them, and this is not a UV light
blocker. Female and male budgies were found to prefer mates with a fluorescent
glow. This research was reported in Science, vol 295, p92.
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Go for the glow
Birds prefer fruit that reflects UV light
source: Anil Anathaswamy
New Scientist October 20 2001 p20
Researchers from Purdue University, Indiana, US, have found that birds prefer
fruit that reflects UV light. The team studied 57 types of fruit found on
an island in Panama. Unripe fruit doesn’t reflect UV light. The researchers
used UV-absorbing filters above a plant, and found that birds tended to avoid
fruit that did not have UV light reaching it, focusing on fruit receiving
UV light. Birds may perceive colours with more dimensions than humans do.
This research was reported in Evolutionary Ecology Research, vol 3 p767.
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Sick as a parrot
Illegal poaching threatens some parrot species with extinction
source: Scott Norris
New Scientist June 9 2001 p7
Around a third of parrot species from neotropical regions are in danger of
extinction, and poaching could be as serious as habitat loss in causing bird
populations to decline. Biologists from the Universities of Maryland and California
have analysed data from 23 parrot nesting studies carried out over two decades.
Poachers destroyed 30% of nests overall, rising to over 70% for four species,
such as the Yellow-crowned Amazon. Larger and more valuable parrot species
are more at risk from poachers.
A report is also due to come out in 2002 on legal international trade in
parrots, which Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species regulates.
There were 1.2 million parrots legally exported between 1991 and 1996, mostly
coming from South and Central America. The US Wild Bird Conservation Act prohibits
imports of birds which are listed by CITES, but Asia and Europe do no have
such laws, and have grown to be the largest markets for these birds. The legal
trade may foster illegal imports.
World Parrot Trust director, Mike Reynolds, from the UK, sees the new research
as useful in a campaign to tighten European restrictions on endangered parrot
imports. American Federation of Aviculture president, Benny Gallaway, however,
sees sustainable harvests as preferable, and he argues that the threat from
poaching has been exaggerated. This research has been reported in Conservation
Biology, vol 15, p1.
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Asian parakeets find asylum in South London
Feral Rose-Ringed parakeets in London, England
source: Julia Stewart
Independent April 25 2000 p9
As many as 3,000 Rose-Ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) can be found in south London, England. The parakeets may have descended from captive birds released during the 1950s and 1960s. They live at high altitudes on mountains in India, so can tolerate British winters. The Central Science Laboratory is monitoring the birds because they are a pest in India, and pose problems for orchard farmers. The London colony has yet to show a desire to migrate to the countryside.
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Flutter stutter
Research on zebra finches reveals that they can stutter
source: Matt Walker
New Scientist October 23 1999 p23
Zebra finches may repeat syllables of song a number of times before continuing with their songs, in a bird equivalent of stuttering. David Rosenfield, neurologist from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and his colleagues have recorded zebra finch songs and analyzed them digitally. Zebra finches may change their songs by altering syllables, deleting them, or inserting new syllables. There were some 7 per cent of the birds which stuttered regularly, and none had stuttering parents. This finding could help in understanding and treating stuttering in humans.
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The call of the wild
Research on ability of zebra finches to detect pitch
source: New Scientist December 4 1999 p41
Zebra finches were studied by Ron Weisman from Canada's Queen's University, Ontario, and their ability to detect pitch was tested against that of human musicians. The birds were rewarded with food, and the humans were rewarded with prize money, when they got the answer right. The birds' score was 85% correct answers, compared to the human musicians' score of around a half. Zebra finches can recognise each other by song pitch range, and are able to identify their mates' songs at 100 yards. Humans with absolute pitch, and birds are both often able to change to relative pitch. Birds are trained in pitch while they are youngsters, listening to neighbours and family.
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Listening to Alex
Vocalisation abilities of parrots
source: Gail Vines
based on interview with Irene Pepperberg, researcher from University of Arizona
New Scientist January 15 2000
starts p40, 4 pages long
Parrots are able to vocalise and recognise objects by shape and colour. They are unable to learn from videos. They can imitate inanimate objects, like microwaves, in captivity, though they do not do this in the wild. Microwaves may seem significant for captive birds, since they are related to food.
Alex, a grey parrot, tells his owner he wants to be on her shoulder if he is put elsewhere, so he is aware of the meaning of the language he uses. Alex does not appear to use words creatively, though he has said 'banerry' for apple, which may mean a fruit like a banana and a cherry. He may expect trainers to provide new words for new objects he is provided with. Parrots can live to be 60-years-old, and Alex is 23-years-old.
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Give that bird a mouse
Biologist tries to develop web browser for parrots
source: Graham Lawton
New Scientist July 8 2000
starts p28, 2 pages long
Irene Pepperberg is a biologist from the University of Arizona who owns an African Grey parrot called Arthur. She is a visiting professor at MIT, where she is seeking to develop a Web browser that Arthur can use, with the help of Ben Resner, who supervises Arthur. Pepperberg also owns Alex, an African Grey which can recognise some 50 objects, five shapes, seven colours, count as far as six, and use concepts like 'smaller', and 'different'. She sees African Greys as having as much intelligence as dolphins or chimps. Parrots need stimulation due to their intelligence, or they become lonely and bored, with behavioural problems like feather plucking. Arthur has to stay in the lab at night, and needs a diversion. His browser is a box with two levers, and he uses a liquid crystal screen, because parrots' eyes see cathode ray tubes as though they were strobe lights. Arthur is not especially impressed by his new toy, but there is hope that the software and hardware can be improved enough to change this. Parrots could eventually contact each other through the internet, and have their own pages.
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Healthy serenades
Female songbirds like males with wide range of songs
source: New Scientist February 6 2000 p25
Female songbirds tend to prefer males which have wide repertoires. The mortality rate for reed warbler chicks is lower for those with fathers with extensive repertoires. Anders Moller heads a team from the Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, France, which has examined 38 songbird species. They have found that songbirds' spleen sizes are linked to the sizes of their repertoires. Spleen sizes are also an indication of the condition of immune systems.
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Mother's darlings
Testosterone in zebra finch eggs related to the attractiveness of the male
source: Matt Walker
New Scientist October 9 1999 p18
Researchers at the University of Paris, France, and St Andrews University, Britain, have found that female zebra finches deposit more testosterone in eggs from liasons with males they favour. This extra testosterone makes chicks more likely to hatch earlier, grow faster, and beg for food in a more insistent way. The favoured males had red bands attached to their legs, and female zebra finches find these bands attractive. The females may have been more aroused by the red-banded males, which may have boosted their hormone levels, so the levels in their eggs. This finding means that it is difficult to separate the impact of paternal genes from the mother's contribution.
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Wise finches opt for the unisex look
Male finches may try to appear unisex to avoid conflict
source: New Scientist April 3 1999 p27
Long-tailed finches have been studied in an aviary, by University of Bristol's Andy Bennett, and Cambridge University's Naomi Langmore. Both sexes of these birds look similar, and they only reveal their sex through the way they behave. Male finches were found to hide their sex if they were in the presence of dominant males, or a group of birds that they did not know. This could be one way for flocks of birds to reduce their levels of conflict.
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The Silkie
Characteristics of Silkies
source: Victoria Roberts
Country Smallholding July 1999
starts p18, 2 pages long
Silkies are a type of fowl which were first mentioned as far back as the 13th century, when Marco Polo described them as having wool instead of feathers. They first came to Britain in around 1850. They have fluffy plumage which can be black, blue, gold or speckled brown, and feel silky when you stroke them. They are good mothers and can begin to lay at Christmas, easily going broody. Slats can be used to discourage broodiness. Some mothers will take to fostering chicks, while others can be highly strung. Hens can foster multi-coloured broods, with more added, and are unable to count, so accept newcomers. This is not true if the initial brood is one colour and the newcomer is a different colour - the newcomer may then be attacked. Silkies tend not to be eaten outside China, since their skin and bones are black, which puts some people off. Silkies can be crossed with other poultry to retain the mothering ability and have offspring with normal feathers. Hairdriers are used to prepare Silkies for showing.
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Rosecombs, Nankins and Sebrights
Characteristics of bantam types
source: David Scrivener
Country Smallholding December 2000
starts p6, 3 pages long
Bantams come in two types, those that have larger versions, and those that only exist in bantam form, or true bantams. Three types of true bantams are Rosecombs, Nankins, and Sebrights. Rosecombs can come in black and white, and other colours are being developed. They have big white lobes, and prominent red combs. Nankins are buff and red, and were common in the countryside in the 18th century. Sebrights and other breeds have been developed from Nankins, which declined due to being seen as too ordinary. Sebrights have clear lacing and appear to be painted. They should have dark purple combs, lobes and wattles.
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Brakels and Campines
Characteristics of Brakel and Campine poultry
source: David Scrivener
Country Smallholding March 2000
starts p26, 2 pages long
Brakels and Campines are two poultry breeds mentioned as far back as 1206. They were once one breed, but had become two breeds by the 19th century. They are found in silver and gold, with clear silver or gold necks, and barring on their bodies. Brakel males have backs that are clear, while Brakel and Campine females, and Campine males have barred backs. Both breeds were developed in Belgium, with Brakels developed in richer farming country than Campines. Campines have become more popular in shows in the US and Britain, whereas Brakels have been mainly farmed in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, and have been less well known outside these countries.
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The Hook Bill
Characteristics of Hook Bill ducks
source: Chris Ashton
Country Smallholding October 1999
starts p14, 3 pages long
The Hook Bill duck may be the oldest duck breed that has been recorded for Europe. It is distinguished by its downward-bending bill, and may have been bred with this characteristic so that it was not killed by hunters shooting mallards. Hookbills were mentioned in the 17th century, and were once very common in Holland, where they left to find food in waterways in the day, returning home at night, and laying their eggs at home. Hook Bills tend to be kept as curiosities, though they have been valued in the past for their meat and eggs.
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See also:
Birds:
Health, disease and physiology
Birdwatching in Your Garden, and Making your Garden Bird-Friendly
Books on birdwatching and bird biology
Books on the parrot family
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watching holidays
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