The aims of this research were (1) to provide a description of spurfowl Pternistis spp. calls and their social context;(2) to describe the divergence of advertisement calls;and (3) to appropri-ate 23 spurfowl species ...The aims of this research were (1) to provide a description of spurfowl Pternistis spp. calls and their social context;(2) to describe the divergence of advertisement calls;and (3) to appropri-ate 23 spurfowl species to homologous sound groups which have been synthesized with recognized monophyletic groups within Pternistis spurfowls. Sound group partitioning was primarily based on male advertisement calls. A total of 218 recordings (rendering^300 identifiable calls) were analyzed covering 22 out of 23 spurfowl species in Africa. One species was assessed from written accounts. The repertoire size per spurfowl varies between 7 and 11 calls. Spurfowl calls were arranged into three broad categories including (1) advertisement calls;(2) maintenance calls including distress calls, juve-nile whining (“mews”), cheeps and comfort calls;and (3) male-female and female-offspring bonding calls. Spurfowl species were set out in eight sound groups of which five were more or less congruent with the monophyletic groups of Hall (1963), but sound groups produced more partitioning as Hall described only five groups relevant to Pternistis spp. The divergence of advertisement calls appar-ently minimizes hybridization between sympatric species but the“genetic distance”between spurfowl species is relatively small causing hybridization among spurfowl species. Despite the vocalizations of Hartlaub’s Spurfowl (P. hartlaubi) differing significantly from the rest of the spurfowls, sound analy-ses suggest that it remains within Pternistis.展开更多
The role of bare body parts in sexual signalling in birds has received relatively little attention.I describe how the bare-throated spurfowl males saturate the colours of their throats to attract females.Of the 23 Afr...The role of bare body parts in sexual signalling in birds has received relatively little attention.I describe how the bare-throated spurfowl males saturate the colours of their throats to attract females.Of the 23 Afrotropical spurfowl species,the bare-throated subgroup includes Yellow-necked Spurfowl(Pternistis leucosceptus),Rednecked Spurfowl(P.afer),Grey-breasted Spurfowl(P.rufopictus) and Swainson’s Spurfowl(P.swainsonii).The rest of the species include fully feathered throated spurfowls.Throat colour intensity of bare throats was scored using an extensive online digital photographic archive encompassing the four species across the year’s seasons.Each throat(n=836) was assigned to one of four colour-intensity categories to explore the relationship between colour intensities,breeding cycles,and environmental variation.Except for Swainson’s Spurfowl male saturation of throat colours correlated with monthly rainfall,which peaks one or two months before egg laying.Swainson’s Spurfowl peaks during egg laying.Yellow-necked Spurfowl has the largest bare throat.Bare-throated spurfowl males perform an elevated courtship display posture above the female to feature their throat colour.No such displays occur in feather-throated spurfowl.Males with low throat colour saturation harbour more ectoparasites on their bare throats than birds with saturated throats.Male Red-necked Spurfowls have significantly larger bare throats than females.The primary function of bare throats probably assists in thermoregulation,particularly in arid regions.The bare throat may have evolved a secondary role in mating.Yellow-necked,Red-necked,and Greybreasted Spurfowls use their saturated throat colours as ornaments to court females during the breeding season.Unobtrusive female throat colours(unsaturated) may discourage male interlopers and predation during egg laying.Saturation appears to be carotenoid-food based.The different colours among the bare-throated species may serve as prezygotic mechanisms that inhibit cross-breeding and explain why females also have coloured throats.展开更多
Field work was conducted in the southern half of the Molopo Nature Reserve(MNR) near Vostershoop in the North West Province of South Africa to(1) describe the past and present distribution of Red-billed Spurfowl(Ptern...Field work was conducted in the southern half of the Molopo Nature Reserve(MNR) near Vostershoop in the North West Province of South Africa to(1) describe the past and present distribution of Red-billed Spurfowl(Pternistis adspersus) in South Africa and(2) to describe the dispersion of Red-billed Spurfowl at waterholes in the MNR.The Red-billed Spurfowl did not colonize this area from Bo-tswana in the 1990s as reported in Hockey et al.(2005) and their distribution status and population sizes are not determined by long distance(30-100 km) and/or seasonal movements between the two countries.Red-billed Spurfowl are sparsely distributed and mainly occur in clusters near man-made waterholes.Waterholes provide water and food found in and around antelope droppings.The movement of the Red-billed Spurfowl between waterholes over short distances of 2-5 km was probably encouraged by the sinking of more boreholes since the 1980s(and the creation of 'veeposte'(game/livestock camps) around them).Low rainfall that results in limited insects is probably the single most important factor limiting populations of the Red-billed Spurfowl in South Africa.展开更多
文摘The aims of this research were (1) to provide a description of spurfowl Pternistis spp. calls and their social context;(2) to describe the divergence of advertisement calls;and (3) to appropri-ate 23 spurfowl species to homologous sound groups which have been synthesized with recognized monophyletic groups within Pternistis spurfowls. Sound group partitioning was primarily based on male advertisement calls. A total of 218 recordings (rendering^300 identifiable calls) were analyzed covering 22 out of 23 spurfowl species in Africa. One species was assessed from written accounts. The repertoire size per spurfowl varies between 7 and 11 calls. Spurfowl calls were arranged into three broad categories including (1) advertisement calls;(2) maintenance calls including distress calls, juve-nile whining (“mews”), cheeps and comfort calls;and (3) male-female and female-offspring bonding calls. Spurfowl species were set out in eight sound groups of which five were more or less congruent with the monophyletic groups of Hall (1963), but sound groups produced more partitioning as Hall described only five groups relevant to Pternistis spp. The divergence of advertisement calls appar-ently minimizes hybridization between sympatric species but the“genetic distance”between spurfowl species is relatively small causing hybridization among spurfowl species. Despite the vocalizations of Hartlaub’s Spurfowl (P. hartlaubi) differing significantly from the rest of the spurfowls, sound analy-ses suggest that it remains within Pternistis.
文摘The role of bare body parts in sexual signalling in birds has received relatively little attention.I describe how the bare-throated spurfowl males saturate the colours of their throats to attract females.Of the 23 Afrotropical spurfowl species,the bare-throated subgroup includes Yellow-necked Spurfowl(Pternistis leucosceptus),Rednecked Spurfowl(P.afer),Grey-breasted Spurfowl(P.rufopictus) and Swainson’s Spurfowl(P.swainsonii).The rest of the species include fully feathered throated spurfowls.Throat colour intensity of bare throats was scored using an extensive online digital photographic archive encompassing the four species across the year’s seasons.Each throat(n=836) was assigned to one of four colour-intensity categories to explore the relationship between colour intensities,breeding cycles,and environmental variation.Except for Swainson’s Spurfowl male saturation of throat colours correlated with monthly rainfall,which peaks one or two months before egg laying.Swainson’s Spurfowl peaks during egg laying.Yellow-necked Spurfowl has the largest bare throat.Bare-throated spurfowl males perform an elevated courtship display posture above the female to feature their throat colour.No such displays occur in feather-throated spurfowl.Males with low throat colour saturation harbour more ectoparasites on their bare throats than birds with saturated throats.Male Red-necked Spurfowls have significantly larger bare throats than females.The primary function of bare throats probably assists in thermoregulation,particularly in arid regions.The bare throat may have evolved a secondary role in mating.Yellow-necked,Red-necked,and Greybreasted Spurfowls use their saturated throat colours as ornaments to court females during the breeding season.Unobtrusive female throat colours(unsaturated) may discourage male interlopers and predation during egg laying.Saturation appears to be carotenoid-food based.The different colours among the bare-throated species may serve as prezygotic mechanisms that inhibit cross-breeding and explain why females also have coloured throats.
文摘Field work was conducted in the southern half of the Molopo Nature Reserve(MNR) near Vostershoop in the North West Province of South Africa to(1) describe the past and present distribution of Red-billed Spurfowl(Pternistis adspersus) in South Africa and(2) to describe the dispersion of Red-billed Spurfowl at waterholes in the MNR.The Red-billed Spurfowl did not colonize this area from Bo-tswana in the 1990s as reported in Hockey et al.(2005) and their distribution status and population sizes are not determined by long distance(30-100 km) and/or seasonal movements between the two countries.Red-billed Spurfowl are sparsely distributed and mainly occur in clusters near man-made waterholes.Waterholes provide water and food found in and around antelope droppings.The movement of the Red-billed Spurfowl between waterholes over short distances of 2-5 km was probably encouraged by the sinking of more boreholes since the 1980s(and the creation of 'veeposte'(game/livestock camps) around them).Low rainfall that results in limited insects is probably the single most important factor limiting populations of the Red-billed Spurfowl in South Africa.
