Nesting Ecology of Tibetan Sand Martins Riparia riparia, with Special Reference to Cooperative Breeding
Nesting Ecology of Tibetan Sand Martins Riparia riparia, with Special Reference to Cooperative Breeding
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DOI：
10.2326/osj.15.227
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发表时间：
2016-08
影响因子：
0.6
通讯作者：
Shaobin Li;Cheng Guo;Guoyue Zhang
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Shaobin Li;Cheng Guo;Guoyue Zhang
摘要沙田河流域是一个分布广泛的物种，但对其在高海拔地区的自然历史却知之甚少。本文描述了它们在青藏高原东北部海拔3400m处的筑巢生态和合作繁殖行为。在5月初到达它们的繁殖地后，它们独自筑巢，挖掘巢穴进入垂直的溪岸。洞穴平均长113厘米。这只平均4.9枚纯白卵产自5月下旬至6月。由双亲共同孵化，历时14.7天，幼鸟平均年龄为23.3天。它们是单窝的，总体筑巢成功率为89.5%。在19个鸟巢中有两个观察到了合作繁殖；在每个案例中，都有一名男性服务员帮助父母。这种特殊的社会系统以前从未在该物种中被描述过。对合作巢的取食次数多于对非合作巢的取食次数，且合作巢的雏鸟数量较大。与在北美研究的低地种群相比，藏沙貂开始筑巢较晚，挖更长的巢穴，产生相似的窝卵大小但更大的卵，筑巢周期更长，筑巢成功率更高，这表明了一种适应模式来补偿高海拔地区的应激条件。
Abstract The Sand Martin Riparia riparia is a widely distributed species, but its natural history at high elevation is poorly understood. In this paper, we describe their nesting ecology and their cooperative breeding behavior at an altitude of 3,400 m on the northeast Tibetan plateau. After arriving on their breeding grounds in early May, pairs nested solitarily, excavating nests burrows themselves into vertical stream banks. Burrows averaged 113 cm long. The clutch, averaging 4.9 pure white eggs, was laid during late May and June. Incubation, shared by both parents, lasted 14.7 days, and the young fledged at an average of 23.3 days of age. They were single-brooded and had an overall nest success of 89.5%. Cooperative breeding was observed in two out of 19 nests; in each case a single male attendant assisted the parents. This special social system has not previously been described in this species. More feeding visits were made to the cooperative nests than to non-cooperative nests and the brood size at fledging was larger in cooperative nests. In comparison with lowland populations studied in North America, Tibetan Sand Martins began nesting later, dug longer nest tunnels, produced similar clutch sizes but larger eggs, had a longer nestling period, and achieved higher nest success, suggesting an adaptive pattern to compensate for the stressful conditions at high-elevation.