The Sex Difference and Breeding Ecology of Grey-checked Fulvetta (Alicippe morrisonia) at Fushan Experiment Forest

• Main Authors: Wei-Wang Kuo, 郭偉望
• Other Authors: Lien-Siang Chou
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2000
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/59227867853547479610

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 動物學研究所 === 88 === In order to understand the sexual morphological difference, the sex allocation of parental care, the growth rate, and the sex ratio of Grey-checked Fulvetta (Alicippe morrisonia), birds were captured and morphologically measured from January 1994 to December 1999 at Fushan Experimental Forest station. The germ feather and blood samples of 328 birds were collected from August 1997 to December 1999 and these birds were sexed by PCR method. I also observed the breeding behavior of 4 nests of Grey-checked Fulvetta from April 1999 to May 1999 during the breeding season. The morphological measurements were not significantly different between sexes except wing length and body mass. The wing length of adult and juvenile males was significantly longer than females’. The body mass of adult males was significantly lighter than adult females’ and juvenile males’. The weight of the Grey-checked Fulvetta was the heaviest in September and the lightest in December. The seasonal change of body mass during non-breeding season was not significantly different between two sexes. During the early breeding season (March), the weight of females increased much more than males. The daily changes of weight were similar between two sexes, the lightest in the morning while the heaviest in the late afternoon. Both sexes shared the duties of incubation, brooding and feeding young, but with different weights. Females incubated fledging more often than males in daytime, and were totally responsible for night incubating. Parents fed young one worm each time. The size of the worm carried by males and females showed no significant difference. The feeding frequency of males was higher than females, and increased with the growing age of nestling for both sexes. The body mass and tarsus length of 8-days-old fledging and their growing patterns showed no significant difference between two sexes. No significant bias of sex ratio was detected at fledging, neither at juvenile and adult stages.