Study On Activity Rhythm In Breeding Process Before And After Of Yellow-bellied Prinia(Prinia Flaviventris)

Yellow-bellied prinia(Prinia flaviventris)belongs to Cisticolidae of Passeriformes. It is monomorphic and monogamous specie, and it is the resident bird in South China, with the reverse change of feathers in the breeding of tail characteristics:the tail feathers in the breeding season are shorter than its tail feathers in non-breeding season. This change of shape may be associated with its own unique way of breeding. Activities adapt with their physiological characteristics of animals behavior. Activity rhythm is an important indicator to study animal behavior, and activity rhythms of birds generally include flight, rest, feeding, vigilance and other behaviors, while other activities rhythms can be reflected the animal's metabolism and energy demand allocated from the animal's behavior. So the research to the activity rhythm of Yellow-bellied prinia is good for explaining the unique change of body-measured. It also can contribute to resolving such important issues as parental generation devoting and sexuality degenerating.With scan sampling and target sampling method, in order to explain whether the changing of activity rhythm is adjust to tails back-up, Yellow-bellied prinia has been studied at Wanzuitou Wetland Park in Guangzhou college town for seven months.The five different kinds of behaviors of Yellow-bellied prinia varied significantly before and after reproduction, including inhabiting, courtship, moving, foraging and others. We counted the frequency of the behavior of inhabiting more than the other kinds of behavior during per-reproduction, relating with the length of tail feather, at the same time, the behavior of courtship began between non-reproduction period and reproduction period, it mean that tail feather was the most important character in sexual selection. And the frequency of the behavior of moving and foraging was much higher during reproduction period.The result showed that the activity rhythm of Yellow-bellied prinia changed greatly during three different periods of reproduction:per-reproduction period, reproduction period and post-reproduction period. While the variation of activity rhythm wasn't significant between per-reproduction period and breeding period, reproduction period and post-reproduction period was significant, it also proved synchronization between tail feather' entropy-changing and the behavior of reproduction.The bird community was complicated in the distribution area of Yellow-bellied prinia. Totally,55different kinds of species of birds were recorded, belonged to25families,10orders, including2second-class protection species of birds and the experiment area is important overwintering habitat for the birds from the south subtropical region.