Parental recycling of nestling faeces in the common swift
Article Abstract:
Faecal sacs produced by nestlings are removed by many species of birds, and ingestion of faecal sacs may be an alternative strategy to removal. Or, the facers may provide alternative food to parent birds. The hypotheses were tested on the common swift Apus apus. Both sexes ingested sacs at similar rates following hatching, in direct relation to the number of feeding visits. The results showed consistency with the hypothesis that parent birds ingest the faeces to recycle water and nutrients.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1998
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Phytohaemagglutinin injection assay and physiological stress in nestling house martins
Article Abstract:
The phytohaemagglutinin injection assay (PHA) test has little impact on the activity of HSP60 and HSP70 in blood cells in nestling house martins, Delichon urbica. It was also found that haematological parameters that could be influenced by the injection remained unchanged by the experimental treatment. The PHA test appears to be an easy in vivo test of immunocompetence for individual birds, with little effect on the normal development of nestlings.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1999
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Fledging in the common swift, Apus apus: weight-watching with a difference
Article Abstract:
Common swifts (Apus apus) do not experience post-fledging care. Nestlings shift immediately from a sedentary lifestyle to continuous flight. A study is conducted to test the hypothesis that the fledging decision among species with no post-fledging care should be highly fixed. The fledging of swifts at a certain age, at a certain wing length, at a certain body mass or at a certain size/mass ratio is examined. The findings are discussed.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1997
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