Members of the genus Lanius, known as shrikes, are economically important song birds distributed widely in several Asian countries. DNA sequencing, based on a partial segment of the cytochrome ...oxidase b (Cyt b) gene, was used to determine genetic variations and population genetic structure in four populations of shrike samples from north, east, and west Pakistan. We observed nucleotide diversities in L. isabellinus(= 0.02), L. schach(= 0.005), L. vittatus(= 0.004) and L. lahtora(= 0.008) . FST values were significant (P < 0.05) in all species populations apart from L. isabellinus, which were non-significant. The negative values of Fu’s Fs and Tajima’s D showed significant population expansion in three species, L. schach, L. vittatusand L. Lahtora, whereas they were insignificant in populations of L. isabellinus. Fu’s Fs and Tajima’s D values explain that a strong genetic structure is present among members of L. isabellinus. On this basis, it is inferred that strong genetic structuring in L. isabellinuspopulations within this region was largely shaped by a common origin, with secondary influences from geographical factors and isolation.
In this study, we infer genus-level relationships within shrikes (Laniidae), crows (Corvidae), and their allies using ultraconserved elements (UCEs). We confirm previous results of the Crested ...Shrikejay (Platylophus galericulatus) as comprising its own taxonomic family and find strong support for its sister relationship to laniid shrikes. We also find strong support that the African-endemic genus Eurocephalus, which comprises two allopatric species (E. ruppelli and E. anguitimens), are not “true-shrikes.” We propose elevating the white-crowned shrikes to their own family, Eurocephalidae. Understanding how species are related (systematics) and classified (taxonomy) is important to the study of the world's biodiversity. Recent work has raised doubt about the phylogenetic placement of the Crested Shrikejay (Platylophus galericulatus) and Eurocephalus, the white-crowned shrike genus, traditionally considered within the crow and jay family, Corvidae, and the shrike family, Laniidae, respectively. We collected a genome-wide dataset for all genera of shrikes, crows, and jays to determine their evolutionary histories with phylogenetic methods. We confirm that the Crested Shrikejay constitutes a family-level lineage most closely related to Laniidae, not Corvidae. We show for the first time that Eurocephalus also represents a family-level lineage separate from shrikes and more closely related to crows and jays. We propose a new avian family, Eurocephalidae, the white-crowned shrikes, for these two African-endemic birds. Dans cette étude, nous inférons les relations à l'échelle du genre chez les Laniidae, les Corvidae et leurs alliés à l'aide d'éléments ultraconservés (EUC). Nous confirmons les résultats antérieurs concernant Platylophus galericulatus comme constituant sa propre famille taxonomique et nous trouvons un fort soutien de sa relation de sœur des Laniidae. Nous trouvons également un soutien solide que le genre endémique africain Eurocephalus, qui comprend deux espèces allopatriques (E. ruppelli et E. anguitimens), n'est pas composé de « vraies pies-grièches». Nous proposons d'élever ces espèces au rang de leur propre famille, les Eurocephalidae.
Abstract
Individuals which have invaded urbanized environments are reported to engage in riskier behaviors, possibly influenced by the scarcity of predators in urbanized areas. Here, we studied the ...risk-taking behavior of birds which had invaded a new natural environment, rather than an artificial urban environment, using recently established populations of the bull-headed shrike Lanius bucephalus, which naturally colonized three subtropical islands in Japan. We compared flight initiation distance (FID), the distance at which an individual approached by a human initiates flight, between the islands and the temperate mainland. FID was longer for the insular shrikes compared with the mainland shrikes after controlling for other factors, indicating that the individuals which had invaded a new natural environment had a lower propensity for risk-taking. A possible explanation for these results is that low risk-taking behavior might be adaptive on the islands due to predation by the black rat Rattus rattus, an unfamiliar predator not found in shrike habitats on the temperate mainland. Further studies are needed to examine the nest predation rate, predator species, and nest site selection of these insular shrike populations.
Cuckoo-shrikes and allies (Campephagidae) form a radiation of birds widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific and Africa. Recent studies on the group have been hampered by poor taxon sampling, causing ...inferences about systematics and biogeography to be rather speculative. With improved taxon sampling and analyses within an explicit spatiotemporal framework, we elucidate biogeographical patterns of dispersal and diversification within this diverse clade of passerine birds. Africa, Asia, Australo-Papua, the Pacific, the Philippines and Wallacea. We use model-based phylogenetic methods (M rB ayes and garli) to construct a phylogenetic hypothesis of the core Campephagidae (Campephagidae with the exclusion of Pericrocotus). The phylogeny is used to assess the biogeographical history of the group with a newly developed Bayesian approach to dispersal-vicariance analysis (Bayes- diva). We also made use of a partitioned beast analysis, with several calibration points taken from island ages, passerine mitochondrial substitution rates and secondary calibration points for passerine birds, to assess the timing of diversification and dispersal. We present a robust molecular phylogeny that includes all genera and 84% of the species within the core Campephagidae. Furthermore, we estimate divergence dates and ancestral area relationships. We demonstrate that Campephagidae originated in Australo-Papua with a single lineage (Pericrocotus) dispersing to Asia early. Later, there was further extensive transoceanic dispersal from Australo-Papua to Africa involving lineages within the core Campephagidae radiation. The phylogenetic relationships, along with the results of the ancestral area analysis and the timing of dispersal events, support a transoceanic dispersal scenario from Australo-Papua to Africa by the core Campephagidae. The sister group to core Campephagidae, Pericrocotus, dispersed to mainland Asia in the late Oligocene. Asia remained uncolonized by the core Campephagidae until the Pliocene. Transoceanic dispersal is by no means an unknown phenomenon, but our results represent a convincing case of colonization over a significant water gap of thousands of kilometres from Australo-Papua to Africa.
The behavioral video recordings of the gray-backed shrike
revealed that parent birds eat the feces produced by their nestlings. "Parental nutrition hypothesis" attributes the origin of this behavior ...to nutrition-recovery and cost-saving, respectively. However, the presence of usable nutrients in the nestlings' feces is unknown because of traditional technology. In this study, we analyzed all the metabolites and the variations in the diversity and content of microbes in the feces of gray-backed shrike nestlings. We aimed to report the changes in microbes and metabolites with the age of nestlings and point out that the parent birds that eat the feces may gain potential nutrition benefits. The results showed that the relative abundances of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidota, changed significantly when the nestlings were 6 days old. The relative abundances of 6 probiotics, which are involved in digestion, metabolism, and immunity-related physiological functions, decreased in the nestlings' feces gradually with age; therefore, these probiotics may be obtained by parent birds upon ingestion of the feces of young nestlings. Among the metabolites that were detected, 20 were lipids and some had a role in anti-parasitic functions and wound healing; however, their relative contents decreased with age. These beneficial substances in the nestlings' feces may stimulate the parents to swallow the feces. Moreover, there were many aromatic metabolites in the newly hatched nestlings' feces, but the content of bitter metabolites increased as they grew up. Therefore, our results are in accordance with the nutritional hypothesis.
Provider: - Institution: - Data provided by Europeana Collections- Abstracts in Russian, English. Taxa in Latin- Bibliogr. p. 18-19- ISBN tomu: 83-01-05102-7- Liczbowanie stron również: 1-22- Z 3 ...tabelami i 2 fotografiami w tekście- Bibliogr. s. 18-19- ISBN tomu: 83-01-05102-7- Liczbowanie stron również: 1-22- Streszcz. ros. i ang. Nazwy taksonów także w jęz. łac.- Z 3 tabelami i 2 fotografiami w tekście- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
Diversification of avifaunas associated with savannah and steppes appears to correlate with open habitats becoming available, starting in the Miocene. Few comparative analyses exist for families for ...which all species are predominantly adapted to these habitats. One such group is Laniidae (Passeriformes), which are small‐ to medium‐sized predatory passerines known for their distinctive behaviour of impaling prey. We used multispecies coalescent‐based and concatenation methods to provide the first complete species‐level phylogeny for this group, as well as an estimate of the timing of diversification. Our analyses indicate that Laniidae as currently delimited is not monophyletic, as the genus Eurocephalus is not closely related to the remaining species. The two species currently assigned to the monotypic genera Urolestes and Corvinella are part of the same clade as the Lanius species, and we propose that they are included in the genus Lanius, making Laniidae monogeneric. The initial diversification of the clade is inferred to have occurred very rapidly, starting about 7.2–9.1 million years ago, timing depending on calibration method, but in either case coinciding with the expansion of C4 grasses. An African origin is inferred in the biogeographic analysis. In the redefined Laniidae, cooperative breeding is inferred to be restricted to a single clade, characterized by gregarious behaviour and rallying. Migratory behaviour evolved multiple times within the family.
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