DNA Barcodes of Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii)

Populations of Houbara Bustards have dramatically declined in recent years. Captive breeding and reintroduction programs have had limited success in reviving population numbers and thus new technological solutions involving molecular methods are essential for the long term survival of this species. In this study, we sequenced the 694 bp segment of COI gene of the four specimens of Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii). We also compared these sequences with earlier published barcodes of 11 individuals comprising different families of the orders Gruiformes, Ciconiiformes, Podicipediformes and Crocodylia (out group). The pair-wise sequence comparison showed a total of 254 variable sites across all the 15 sequences from different taxa. Three of the four specimens of Houbara Bustard had an identical sequence of COI gene and one individual showed a single nucleotide difference (G > A transition at position 83). Within the bustard family (Otididae), comparison among the three species (Asian Houbara Bustard, Great Bustard (Otis tarda) and the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax)), representing three different genera, showed 116 variable sites. For another family (Rallidae), the intra-family variable sites among the individuals of four different genera were found to be 146. The COI genetic distances among the 15 individuals varied from 0.000 to 0.431. Phylogenetic analysis using 619 bp nucleotide segment of COI clearly discriminated all the species representing different genera, families and orders. All the four specimens of Houbara Bustard formed a single clade and are clearly separated from other two individuals of the same family (Otis tarda and Tetrax tetrax). The nucleotide sequence of partial segment of COI gene effectively discriminated the closely related species. This is the first study reporting the barcodes of Houbara Bustard and would be helpful in future molecular studies, particularly for the conservation of this threatened bird in Saudi Arabia

Movements and Conflicts in a Flock of Foraging Black-Tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa): The Influence of Feeding Rates on Behavioural Decisions

International audienceWe studied movements and conflicts within a small flock of free-living black-tailed godwits foraging on benthic invertebrates in a brackish lagoon. To interpret our results in the framework of foraging theory, we studied the influence of individual feeding rate on the decisions to move and to attack flock companions. Birds changed their position within the flock more often when their intake rate was low and sometimes attacked conspecifics to supplant them from their feeding place. Aggressors significantly avoided front attacks and were almost always successful. They attacked individuals having higher feeding rates than themselves and their own feeding rate significantly increased after the attack, although victims were not chased off to particularly poor sites. Our results suggest that aggressors could obtain reliable information about the quality of the foraging site they coveted by observing their victim's feeding activity before attacking. Although aggression seemed to be caused by a low intake rate, we show that displacing another bird was more time-consuming than independent foraging. We conclude that it was not the most profitable behaviour in terms of energy intake. Foraging site displacement probably also had social functions, such as reinforcement of social status in a flock of birds preparing for pre-breeding migration

Islet Creation Increases Nesting Opportunities of the Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) in a Managed Salt Pan Area

International audienceThe effectiveness of islet creation and restoration on Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) nesting was assessed in 14 ponds (six managed islets of 140 m(2) on average per managed pond) from a salt pan complex located on the coast of the Loire-Atlantique department in northwest France. A Before-After-Control-Impact design using the two years before and the two years following management was used. No nesting occurred in the control ponds that lacked suitable islets. In the managed ponds, the mean number of nests built per year in the two years following management was seven, whereas no nesting occurred in the two years before management (P = 0.002). On the basis of the number of nests built in the study site, the mean proportion of nests built each year in the managed ponds was 27%. The mean age of banded birds nesting for the first time in the managed ponds in the two years following management was 4 years, and 58% of these birds were born in the study site. These results support the hypothesis that such management actions can increase nesting opportunities in artificial habitats. These actions may provide important alternatives to birds when conditions change in previously suitable breeding grounds

Dérangement de l'avifaune: croiser étude de fréquentation et suivi naturaliste dans le cadre d'un outil d'aide à la gestion.

Manuel d'étude et de gestion des oiseaux et de leurs habitats en zones côtières.National audienc

Partial migration in inexperienced pied avocets Recurvirostra avosetta : distribution pattern and correlates

International audienceBirds exhibit a range of wintering behaviour from strictly migrant to strictly resident species. In partially migrating ones, some birds overwinter within their breeding region (resident birds) while others, although breeding in the same area, winter far away (migrant birds). Accordingly, choosing a wintering region is a key stage in the annual life cycle of birds, notably for inexperienced first-year individuals. The present study aimed to investigate this issue, and more specifically to study the distribution pattern during winter and factors influencing the wintering behaviour of first-year pied avocets Recurvirostra avosetta. Based on a 10-yr ringing study carried out on five of the major French breeding colonies distributed along the Atlantic coast, we showed the coexistence of different wintering tactics. The resident tactic was predominant (approximately 86% of the 575 birds re-sighted), while the other birds adopted migration. Among resident individuals, two different tactics occurred: 43% of birds overwintered within their natal colony, whereas the others wintered in another site located at relatively close proximity along the French Atlantic coast. Hatching date was a consistent predictor of all wintering tactics. More specifically, the probability of migrating was the highest for early-hatched birds, and for resident ones, the probability of wintering within their natal colony rather than in another French site was the highest for both median- and late-hatched individuals. In addition, a colony effect was demonstrated for resident birds. Several biological interpretations, including social system, variations in both individual body condition and habitat quality, were put forward to explain these correlates