| Oriental white stork was formerly a relatively widespread bird in North-East Asia. However, the number of wild population was now about 3000. The main breeding grounds were currently in the Amur and Ussuri river basins, near to the border between eastern Russia and north-east China, and there were smaller breeding populations along the Zeya river in Russia, around Khanka Lake/Xingkai Hu on the border between Russia and China, and on the Sanjiang Plain in north-east China. Most of its population moved through north-east China on migration and wintering in the lower Yangtze basin. In recent years, some breeding individuals of oriental white stork were observed in the wintering areas in the middle and lower Yangtze River.In order to know about the status of oriental white stork population and their breeding strategy, breeding biology was studied from 2004 to 2006 in Wangjiang County, Anqing City, Anhui Province(116°51.15'-116°49.47'E, 30°19.53'-30°19.79'N), to known the status of oriental white stork in captivity and the effect of environment factors and human disturbance, breeding biology was also studied from 2005 to 2006 in Hefei Wild Animal Garden.To know the regeneration status of oriental white stork both in captivity and in field, we analyzed the relationship between the factors both from environment and inner individual and the behavior of the oriental white stork, and we also analyzed the adaptability of the resident population in Yangtze River and the threatening factors, which also paved the way for the population evaluation and the implementing of the species conservation. Behavior data were collected by the means of scanning sampling and Instantaneous and scan sampling. The main ruslts were as follows:(1) The nest building period began at different times, the earliest was on Feb,5, however the disturbed breeding individual delayed to May, 6. All the nests were on the electricity pylons, at height of 34.6±0.8m(n=11). The distance between the neighbor nests was 908.8±1039.4m(n=6). However, the distance between the nearest neighbor nests in captivity was 9m. Egg-lay occurred between Feb,11 to Jun,21. The clutch size varied from 4 to 5, averaged 4.2±0.4(n=6). Nestling stage was 71.0±16.1d days(n=3), parent birds provided food for the nestlings at a rate of 5.1±2.6 trips per day(n=38). Nestlings flied away from their nests from Jun, 14 to Sep, 20. During our observation, the population of oriental white storks had 8 broods and laid 25 eggs, of which 9 eggs were hatched, and 7 nestlings survived to fly away from their nests. The captive oriental white storks had 2 broods and laid 8 eggs, of which 6 eggs were hatched, and 5 nestlings survived to fly away from their nests in 2006.(2) Activity budgets for foraging, resting, alerting, fletching material, egg turning-over, feeding, mating, on-nest, out of eyeshot show significant difference, however, flying, walking, preening, bill clattering, fixing nest and others show no significant difference among different breeding stages. Activity budgets of nestling for feeding, flying, fixing nest, on-nest, walking, out of eyeshot show significant difference, however preening, alerting, bill clattering and others show no significant difference among nestling stages. Activity budgets of wild and captive oriental white storks for foraging, resting, walking, flying, bill clattering, fixing nest, mating and preening show significant difference. However, alerting, fletching material, egg turning-over, feeding, on-nest, and others show no significant difference in breeding stages.(3) Correlate analysis between environment factors and behavior show that the behavior of preening, foraging, resting, territory and temperature were positively relative, however, the behavior of moving, breeding and temperature were negatively relative. The behavior of breeding, foraging, resting, preening and human disturbance were positively relative, however, the behavior of moving and human disturbance were negatively relative.The behavior of resting, moving, territory, preening and minutes of sunlight were positively relative, however, the behavior of breeding, foraging and minutes of sunlight were negatively relative. All the behaviors and wind level were negatively relative.
|
PDF Full Text Request