Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
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| responses of pigeon (columba livia) wulst neurons during acquisition and reversal of a visual discrimination task. | the avian visual "wulst" is a target of the ascending thalamofugal visual pathway. in pigeons (columba livia), lesion damage to the wulst has little effect on simple visual discriminations, but impairs performance on tasks such as reversal learning. we recorded the responses of single wulst neurons as pigeons were trained on the acquisition and subsequent reversal of a visual discrimination. of the 64 units recorded, 54 (84%) displayed a significant difference in firing rate between some compone ... | 2008 | 18823169 |
| [pseudolynchia canariensis (diptera:hippoboscidae) on buteogallus aequinoctialis (ciconiiformes: accipitridae) in the state of rio de janeiro, brazil]. | the record of pseudolynchia canariensis on two rufous crab-hawk in situ taken care of the hospital veterinarian of the riozoo foundation. the nineteen collected specimens had been identified in the laboratory of diptera, fundação instituto oswaldo cruz. the findings of p. canariensis out natural host (columba livia) it represents a contribution to the studies of the family hippoboscidae considering that it does not have records about native birds of the american continent parasitized by p. canar ... | 2008 | 18823580 |
| salmonella indiana as a cause of abortion in ewes: genetic diversity and resistance patterns. | salmonella enterica subspecies enterica indiana, a food-borne serovar uncommon in most countries, was responsible for an outbreak of abortion in a flock of lacaune dairy ewes in southern spain. drinking water and feedstuff samples were analysed in an attempt to determine the source of the infection. pigeons (columba livia) and turtledoves (streptopelia turtur) in close contact with the ewes were captured and examined for the bacterium. seventeen s. indiana strains were isolated from the ewes and ... | 2009 | 18823722 |
| organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in lanner falco biarmicus feldeggli schlegel chicks and lanner prey in sicily, italy. | this paper reports on research conducted to elucidate the risk posed to the sicilian population of the endangered lanner falcon falco biarmicus feldeggii schlegel by organochlorine (oc) pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), as part of a wider study on contaminant risk to the lanner. seventeen lanner nest sites were studied in northern and central sicily. sampling (in 2005) and analysis were carried out for selected oc pesticides and pcb congeners in lanner chick blood (15 chicks from ... | 2008 | 18833798 |
| diversity of birds at panipat refinery, haryana (india). | avifaunal study was carried out in panipat refinery area before and after commissioning. a total of 63 birds were observed during the study, of which 39 and 49 birds were present during 1992 and 2001 respectively. of these, 25 birds were common during both the study period. blue rock pigeon was most dominant during 1992 whereas house sparrow was dominant during 2001. species diversity index was found to be 5.26 and 6.64 in respective years. jaccard's and sorenson similarity indices were 0.40 and ... | 2009 | 18850287 |
| distribution of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 and glutamate receptor 1 mrna in the central nervous system of the pigeon (columba livia). | glutamate acts as the excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (cns) and is mediated largely by the vesicular glutamate transporters (vglut1-3) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (ampa) types of glutamate receptors (glur1-4) in mammals. in the present study, we determined the cdna sequences of pigeon vglut2 and glur1 and mapped the distribution of their mrna in the pigeon cns. the predicted amino acids of pigeon vglut2 and glur1 showed a 93% identity t ... | 2008 | 18855881 |
| [correlation analysis between mc3r and mc4r gene polymorphism and growth traits in pigeon.]. | the snps in partial coding sequence of mc3r and mc4r genes were identified by polymerase chain reaction followed by single strand conformation polymorphism (pcr-sscp) analysis and dna sequencing in shack-kee and columba domestica from harbin area. correlation analysis between mc3r and mc4r polymorphism and growth and body composition traits was carried by the least square analysis. the genotypes of t91g mutation in mc3r gene and a903g mutation in mc4r gene proved to have significant association ... | 2008 | 18930895 |
| experimental infection of domestic pigeons with pigeon circovirus. | pigeon circovirus (picv) infection and young pigeon disease syndrome (ypds), associated with high morbidity and mortality, have been recognized in young racing pigeons from large portions of central europe. there exist a number of data indicating that ypds is a consequence of picv infection and subsequent immunosuppression. in order to prove picv to be one of the crucial factors of ypds, an experimental infection with picv was performed under controlled conditions. twenty-four domestic pigeons ( ... | 2008 | 18939623 |
| lesions associated with the plexus venosus subcutaneus collaris of pigeons with chlorophacinone toxicosis. | we describe lesions in 29 adult domestic pigeons (columba livia) poisoned with chlorophacinone, an indandione anticoagulant rodenticide. birds were found dead in the field and in dovecotes after a wide-area treatment against common voles (microtus arvalis) based on the dispersion in the open field of wheat grain treated with 0.005% chlorophacinone. at necropsy, most pigeons showed crops full of red-colored wheat grain, extensive subcutaneous hematoma in neck and breast zones, and hemorrhages in ... | 2008 | 18939650 |
| navigational experience affects hippocampus size in homing pigeons. | homing (racing) pigeons (columba livia f.d.) are well-known for their homing abilities, which are thought to be based on a genetic predisposition, multimodal learning and spatial cognition. on average, the hippocampus, a forebrain structure that processes spatial information, is larger in homing pigeons compared to other non-homing pigeon breeds or their wild ancestor, the rock dove. here we show that this characteristic hippocampus volume is dependent on flying and navigational experience. twen ... | 2008 | 18946210 |
| chlamydial infections in feral pigeons in europe: review of data and focus on public health implications. | feral pigeons (columba livia domestica), which thrive in most european towns and cities, are commonly infected with the zoonotic bacterium chlamydophila psittaci, the agent of psittacosis (also known as ornithosis) in humans. a number of surveys carried out over the last thirty years across europe have detected high seropositivity values and high percentages of infection in feral pigeon populations. overall, when considering data from 11 european countries, seropositivity values to c. psittaci i ... | 2009 | 18977610 |
| pigeons' (columba livia) hierarchical organization of local and global cues in touch screen tasks. | redundant encoding of local and global spatial cues is a common occurrence in many species. however, preferential use of the each type of cue seems to vary across species and tasks. in the current study, pigeons (columba livia) were trained in three experiments on a touch screen task which included redundant local positional cues and global spatial cues. specifically, pigeons were required to choose the middle out of three choice squares, such that the position within the array provided local in ... | 2009 | 19022355 |
| pigeons (columba livia) are a suitable experimental model for neospora caninum infection in birds. | neospora caninum infections in chickens have been recently described by epidemiological and experimental approaches, and these birds may be considered natural intermediate hosts of the parasite. it has been postulated that other bird species might perform this role in wildlife as well. to better understand the sylvatic life cycle of n. caninum, further studies are required. in that sense, this work aimed to observe infection kinetics in pigeons experimentally infected with n. caninum. experiment ... | 2009 | 19027237 |
| a hitchhiker's guide to parasite transmission: the phoretic behaviour of feather lice. | transmission to new hosts is a fundamental challenge for parasites. some species meet this challenge by hitchhiking on other, more mobile parasite species, a behaviour known as phoresis. for example, feather-feeding lice that parasitise birds disperse to new hosts by hitchhiking on parasitic louse flies, which fly between individual birds. oddly, however, some species of feather lice do not engage in phoresis. for example, although rock pigeon (columba livia) "wing" lice (columbicola columbae) f ... | 2009 | 19038259 |
| phylogenetic analysis of west nile virus isolated in italy in 2008. | in italy the first occurrence of west nile virus (wnv) infection was reported in tuscany region during the late summer of 1998. in august 2008, the wnv infection re-emerged in italy, in areas surrounding the po river delta, and involving three regions lombardy, emilia romagna and veneto. wnv was isolated from blood and organs samples of one horse, one donkey, one pigeon (columba livia) and three magpies (pica pica). the phylogenetic analysis of the isolates, conducted on 255 bp in the region cod ... | 2008 | 19040827 |
| categorical scaling of duration bisection in pigeons (columba livia), mice (mus musculus), and humans (homo sapiens). | a fundamental assumption underlying research in translational neuroscience is that animal models represent many of the same neurocognitive mechanisms and decision processes used by humans. clear demonstrations of such correspondences will be crucial to the discovery of the neurobiological underpinnings of higher-level cognition. one domain likely to support fruitful comparisons is interval timing, because humans and other animals appear to share basic similarities in their ability to discriminat ... | 2008 | 19076481 |
| dispersal of viable row-crop seeds of commercial agriculture by farmland birds: implication for genetically modified crops. | to address some concerns about the expansion of genetically engineered pharmaceutical and industrial crops to outdoor plantings and potential impacts on the human food supply, we determined whether commercial agriculture seeds of maize or corn zea mays l., barley hordeum vulgare l., safflower carthamus tinctorius l. and rice oryza sativa l. are digested or pass viably through the digestive tract, or are transported externally, by captive mallard ducks anas platyrhynchos l., ring-necked pheasants ... | 2008 | 19081011 |
| the influence of experience in orientation: gps tracking of homing pigeons released over the sea after directional training. | flight experience is one of the factors that influences initial orientation of displaced homing pigeons (columba livia). prior studies showed a systematic dependence of initial orientation on previously flown direction. using gps data loggers, this study sought to examine the effect of previous directional training of 40 homing pigeons when they were released over the sea, in the absence of proximal landmarks, in a direction almost perpendicular to that of previous training flights. our results ... | 2009 | 19112136 |
| influence of calcitonin administration on ultimobranchial and parathyroid glands of pigeon, columba livia. | pigeons were divided into two numerically equal groups (a and b) containing 30 specimens each. birds from group a were intraperitoneally injected daily with 0.1 ml/100 g body wt of vehicle (0.1 m acetate buffer, ph 4.3 containing 0.1% gelatin). specimens from group b were intraperitoneally injected daily with 1 microg/100 g body wt of salmon calcitonin. six birds were sacrificed from each group 2 h after the last injection on 1st, 3rd, 5th, 10th, and 15th day of the experiment. after collection ... | 2009 | 19115331 |
| long-term astroglial reaction and neuronal plasticity in the subcortical visual pathways after a complete ablation of telencephalon in pigeons (columba livia). | this paper analyzes the astroglial and neuronal responses in subtelencephalic structures, following a bilateral ablation of the telencephalon in the columba livia pigeons. control birds received a sham operation. four months later the birds were sacrificed and their brains processed for glial fibrillary acid protein (gfap) and neurofilament immunohistochemistry, markers for astrocytes and neurons, respectively. computer-assisted image analysis was employed for quantification of the immunoreactiv ... | 2009 | 19116845 |
| short restraint time does not influence markers of serum oxidative stress in homing pigeons (columba livia). | restraint in a confined space, such as a cage or a box, may be perceived by birds as a stressful condition. some concern has been expressed about restraining homing pigeons (columba livia) in transport crates for sport or for scientific research. therefore, this study sought to test whether short restraint time in a transport crate for 1, 2 or 18 (overnight) h causes oxidative stress in homing pigeons and whether it is more stressful than flying. to isolate the effect of crowding from that of tr ... | 2010 | 19138344 |
| the peeping response of pigeons (columba livia) to isolation from conspecifics and exposure to a novel environment. | the present study examined the acute behavioral responses of pigeons to separation from conspecifics and exposure to an unfamiliar environment (ue). the effects of (1) repeated exposure to the ue; (2) visual isolation from surroundings, or saline injections; and (3) diazepam treatment (i.p., 0.25, 0.75, 2.5 or 7.5mg/kg) before the trial were also examined. ue exposure evoked intense ballistic head movements (peeping), gradually replaced with angular head movements (ahm), both associated with imm ... | 2009 | 19150396 |
| isolation of epithelial cells, villi and crypts from small intestine of pigeons (columba livia). | the isolation of viable enterocytes, villi and crypts from the small intestine of a feral bird (columba livia) is important for performing physiological experiments in ecologically relevant processes of membrane transport. the effectiveness of mechanical disruption, enzymatic digestion and chelating agents were compared. the objectives were to isolate enterocytes, villi and crypts from the small intestine of young pigeons; to evaluate the viability of the isolated intestinal epithelial cells iso ... | 2008 | 19181184 |
| local rather than global processing of visual arrays in numerosity discrimination by pigeons (columba livia). | a series of experiments investigated which stimulus properties pigeons use when they discriminate pairs of visual arrays that differ in numerosity. transfer tests with novel stimuli confirmed that the birds' choices were based on relative differences in numerosity. however, pigeons differed from other species in the non-numerical cues that affected their choices. in human and non-human primates, numerical discrimination is often influenced by continuous variables such as surface area or overall ... | 2009 | 19184137 |
| purification, crystallization and preliminary x-ray diffraction studies on avian haemoglobin from pigeon (columba livia). | haemoglobin is a physiologically significant metalloprotein that is involved in the exchange of gases for sustaining life. the respiratory system of birds is unique and complex compared with that of mammals. many investigations of avian haemoglobins have revealed the presence of inositol pentaphosphate (ip5), a principal allosteric effector that is involved in regulation of their function. structural investigations of avian haemoglobins are presently not adequate to explain their function. effor ... | 2009 | 19194000 |
| geometry and landmark representation by pigeons: evidence for species-differences in the hemispheric organization of spatial information processing? | in this study, we investigated how pigeons (columba livia) represent environmental geometry and landmark information. birds learned to locate the centre of a square arena by means of geometric cues alone, or by means of both geometric and landmark cues. by manipulating the type of information available at training and testing, we assessed which cues the birds had encoded, and through the use of monocular occlusion we examined how the information was represented by the two brain hemispheres. our ... | 2009 | 19200073 |
| abstract-concept learning carryover effects from the initial training set in pigeons (columba livia). | three groups of pigeons were trained in a same/different task with 32, 64, or 1,024 color-picture stimuli. they were tested with novel transfer pictures. the training-testing cycle was repeated with training-set doublings. the 32-item group learned the same/different task as rapidly as a previous 8-item group and transferred better than the 8-item group at the 32-item training set. the 64- and 1,024-item groups learned the task only somewhat slower than other groups, but their transfer was bette ... | 2009 | 19236147 |
| learning of absolute and relative distance and direction from discrete visual landmarks by pigeons (columba livia). | in an open-field search task, pigeons (columba livia) were trained to search for a goal located at the midpoint of the hypothetical line connecting two discrete visual landmarks positioned 60 cm apart. in experiment 1, global orienting cues were absent. after reaching training criteria, pigeons were tested with novel interlandmark distances. search location and error on test trials suggested pigeons learned relative distance. in experiment 2, a global orienting cue was present. after reaching tr ... | 2009 | 19236148 |
| protection levels of vaccinated pigeons (columba livia) against a highly pathogenic newcastle disease virus strain. | the purposes of this study were to model a vaccination regimen for newcastle disease virus (ndv) in pigeons, and to evaluate the susceptibility and behavior of vaccinated birds against a highly pathogenic ndv brazilian strain. antibody response was assessed by means of hemagglutination inhibition test (hi), and viral genome excretion by means of rt-pcr. vaccinal strains (la sota and ulster) induced high antibody titers without any adverse effects, both in inoculated and in sentinel birds. a vira ... | 2009 | 19253000 |
| a novel sarcocystis-associated encephalitis and myositis in racing pigeons. | sarcosporidian cysts in the skeletal muscle of domestic pigeons (columba livia f. domestica) have previously been attributed to infection with sarcocystis falcatula, which is shed in the faeces of the opossum (didelphis virginiana). here, we describe fatal spontaneous encephalitis and myositis associated with sarcocystis infections in three flocks of racing pigeons with 47 of 244 animals affected. the clinical course was characterized by depression, mild diarrhoea, torticollis, opisthotonus, par ... | 2009 | 19322710 |
| cloning and expression of a truncated pigeon circovirus capsid protein suitable for antibody detection in infected pigeons. | infections with pigeon circovirus (picv) (also termed columbid circovirus) occur in meat and racing pigeons (columba livia) of all ages and have been reported worldwide. a picv infection is associated with immunosuppression and the development of young pigeon disease syndrome. an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) for the detection of virus-specific serum antibody was developed for research purposes. in the absence of a method to propagate picv in cell culture, the assay was base ... | 2009 | 19322712 |
| testosterone has a long-term effect on primary sex ratio of first eggs in pigeons--in search of a mechanism. | despite accumulating evidence that birds, in which females are the heterogametic sex, are able to manipulate primary offspring sex ratio, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. steroid hormones, which govern female reproduction and are also accumulated by the developing follicle could potentially affect primary sex ratio by differential follicle development in relation to future sex and meiotic drive, or by sex specific influence on oocyte abortion or fertilization. so far, experimental resul ... | 2009 | 19344666 |
| identification of apolipoprotein a-i in the alpha-globulin fraction of avian plasma. | plasma protein electrophoresis is frequently used in birds as a tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease. identification of proteins in individual peaks can help improve our understanding of changes in protein concentration in physiologic and pathologic conditions. | 2009 | 19351330 |
| do pigeons (columba livia) study for a test? | in 4 experiments, the authors asked whether pigeons (columba livia) would show metamemory by choosing to study a sample stimulus before taking a memory test. in experiments 1a-1c, pigeons chose between cues that led either to exposure to a sample stimulus or directly to the comparison test stimuli without seeing the sample in a delayed matching-to-sample task. the same choice was used in experiment 2 to see whether pigeons would take a reminder when memory of the sample was weak. in experiments ... | 2009 | 19364222 |
| [effect of sleep deprivation on characteristics of febrile reaction and process of restoration of the somato-visceral functions during endotoxaemia]. | using electrophysiological methods, the effects of total sleep deprivation on thermoregulatory characteristics of the febrile reaction (brain temperature, peripheral vasomotor reaction, contractile activity of the pectoral muscle), the process of rehabilitation of somatic functions, and temporal characteristics of wakefulness and sleep during the endotoxaemia caused by the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (lps) in pigeons (columba livia) were studied. it was shown that sleep deprivation du ... | 2009 | 19368314 |
| porphyrin pattern and methemoglobin levels in columba livia applied to assess toxicological risk by air pollution in urban areas. | the study has explored two conservative biomarkers, porphyrin pattern in guano and methemoglobin levels in blood of columba livia, in order to assay their potential use for monitoring toxic effects induced by exposure to urban air pollution. fieldwork was conducted between october 2003 and june 2005 in the city of milan, italy, by sampling the pigeons in different areas almost twice a week. six air contaminants, co, pm10, no(2), o(3), so(2), and c(6)h(6), plus polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (p ... | 2009 | 19377841 |
| when one hemisphere takes control: metacontrol in pigeons (columba livia). | vertebrate brains are composed of two hemispheres that receive input, compute, and interact to form a unified response. how the partially different processes of both hemispheres are integrated to create a single output is largely unknown. in some cases one hemisphere takes charge of the response selection--a process known as metacontrol. thus far, this phenomenon has only been shown in a handful of studies with primates, mostly conducted in humans. metacontrol, however, is even more relevant for ... | 2009 | 19390578 |
| further analysis of perception of reversed müller-lyer figures for pigeons (columba livia). | nakamura, et al. recently showed that pigeons experience the standard müller-lyer illusion but not the reversed illusion induced by detaching the arrowheads from the target line. this study re-examined pigeons' perception of this reversed figure by using the stimuli known to induce the maximal contrast effect in humans (fellows, 1967). pigeons were retrained to classify six lengths of target lines into "long" and "short" categories by pecking two keys on the monitor, ignoring the two brackets so ... | 2009 | 19425465 |
| behavioural and electroencephalographic effects of systemic injections of 8-oh-dpat in the pigeon (columba livia). | the effects of systemic injections of the 5ht(1a) receptor agonist 8-oh-dpat on the spontaneous ingestive, maintenance, locomotor and sleep-like behaviours, and the sleep/waking-related hippocampal electrographic activity were investigated in pigeons. 8-oh-dpat (0.06, 0.2, 0.6 or 2.0mg/kg) was found to dose-dependently reduce food and water intake, acutely (in the first 3h) and 24h after treatment, during both low-activity morning hours (starting at 10:00 h) and high-activity evening hours (star ... | 2009 | 19428641 |
| pigeon (columba livia) encoding of a goal location: the relative importance of shape geometry and slope information. | the ability to use the geometric shape of an environment as an orienting cue for goal location has been shown in many vertebrate groups. experimentally, however, geometric spatial tasks are typically carried out on horizontal surfaces. the present study explored how learning a geometry task is affected by training on a surface extending in the vertical dimension-a slope. in a reference memory task, pigeons (columba livia) were trained to locate a goal in an isosceles trapezoid arena. learning on ... | 2009 | 19450027 |
| prevalence and genotyping of trichomonas gallinae in pigeons and birds of prey. | avian trichomonosis is a world-wide parasitic disease caused by the protozoan trichomonas gallinae. although several degrees of pathogenicity have been described on the basis of the clinical signs in birds, there are few reports concerning the genetic characterization of the parasite and its relationship with pathogenicity. the parasite usually appears apathogenic but is occasionally responsible for outbreaks of the disease in avian populations, particularly affecting nestlings of ornithophagous ... | 2009 | 19468936 |
| application of indicator kriging to the complementary use of bioindicators at three trophic levels. | the use of biological indicators is widespread in environmental monitoring, although it has long been recognised that each bioindicator is generally associated with a range of potential limitations and shortcomings. to circumvent this problem, this study adopted the complementary use of bioindicators representing different trophic levels and providing different type of information, in an innovative approach to integrate knowledge and to estimate the overall health state of ecosystems. the approa ... | 2009 | 19477568 |
| distribution of glutamate transporter 1 mrna in the central nervous system of the pigeon (columba livia). | glutamate transporter 1 (glt1) in glial cells removes glutamate that diffuses from the synaptic cleft into the extracellular space. previously, we have shown the distribution of glutamatergic neurons in the central nervous system (cns) of the pigeon. in the present study, we identified cdna sequence of the pigeon glt1, and mapped the distribution of the mrna-expressing cells in cns to examine whether glt1 is associated with glutamatergic terminal areas. the cdna sequence of the pigeon glt1 consi ... | 2009 | 19481008 |
| diarrheagenic escherichia coli strains recovered from urban pigeons (columba livia) in brazil and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. | urban pigeons (columba livia) come into close contact with humans and animals, and may contribute to the spread of infectious agents. these may include human pathogens such as diarrheagenic escherichia coli strains, which are able to survive in pigeon feces, thus creating potential for human exposure and infection. our objectives were to determine the occurrence of diarrheagenic e. coli strains in fresh feces from urban pigeons and their drug susceptibility patterns. e. coli strains were isolate ... | 2009 | 19504156 |
| tetrameriosis in feral pigeons from murcia, southeastern spain. | a total of 165 adult feral pigeons (columba livia) were captured in 7 different parks of the municipality of murcia, southeastern spain. birds were evaluated clinically and subsequently necropsied. all birds appeared to be in good physical condition and no apparent signs of disease were observed. however, 17.6% of the pigeons were parasitized by tetrameres (petrowimeres) fissispina. the nematode burden in the proventriculus ranges from 5 to 64 specimens (median: 19); the median of female and mal ... | 2009 | 19505736 |
| trace element concentrations in raillietina micracantha in comparison to its definitive host, the feral pigeon columba livia in santa cruz de tenerife (canary archipelago, spain). | the use of systems involving bird parasites as bioindicators of environmental pollution has been scarcely studied in comparison to other models involving fish and rodent parasites, which have been demonstrated as particularly adequate due to their bioaccumulation capacities. the present study evaluated the accumulation of nine trace elements in the cestode raillietina micracantha and in its host columba livia collected from the densely populated city of santa cruz de tenerife (canary islands, sp ... | 2010 | 19526264 |
| relevance and treatment of coccidiosis in domestic pigeons (columba livia forma domestica) with particular emphasis on toltrazuril. | coccidia are common pathogenic parasites in pigeons (columba livia). coccidiosis is most commonly seen in young pigeons and only rarely in adult birds. infections in domestic pigeons are typically mixed and commonly include eimeria columbarum and eimeria labbeana. the reported prevalence of infection is 5.1%-71.9%, and worldwide mortality in juvenile pigeons varies from 5% to 70%, with most deaths occurring in the third and fourth month of life. this article summarizes the life cycle of e. colum ... | 2009 | 19530399 |
| do release-site biases reflect response to the earth's magnetic field during position determination by homing pigeons? | how homing pigeons (columba livia) return to their loft from distant, unfamiliar sites has long been a mystery. at many release sites, untreated birds consistently vanish from view in a direction different from the home direction, a phenomenon called the release-site bias. these deviations in flight direction have been implicated in the position determination (or map) step of navigation because they may reflect local distortions in information about location that the birds obtain from the geophy ... | 2009 | 19556255 |
| distribution of tryptophan hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons in the brainstem and diencephalon of the pigeon (columba livia). | the distribution of tryptophan hydroxylase (tph)-containing perikarya and processes in the brainstem and diencephalon of the pigeon (columba livia) were investigated using single-labeling chromogenic and double-labeling fluorescence immunohistochemical methods for tph and 5-ht. tph-immunoreactive (tph-ir) perikarya were seen extending from the caudal medulla to mid-hypothalamic levels, located in brainstem regions previously described as containing 5-ht-ir somata. brainstem tph-ir cell clusters ... | 2009 | 19559984 |
| infectious and lethal doses of h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus for house sparrows (passer domesticus) and rock pigeons (columbia livia). | terrestrial wild birds commonly associated with poultry farms have the potential to contribute to the spread of h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) virus within or between poultry facilities or between domesticated and wild bird populations. this potential, however, varies between species and is dependent on several virus and host factors, including habitat utilization, susceptibility, and viral shedding patterns. to provide data on susceptibility and shedding patterns of house sparrow ... | 2009 | 19564491 |
| designing a treatment protocol with voriconazole to eliminate aspergillus fumigatus from experimentally inoculated pigeons. | to investigate the efficacy of voriconazole for the treatment of aspergillosis, three groups of six racing pigeons (columba livia domestica) were inoculated in the apical part of the right lung with 2x10(7) conidia of an avian derived aspergillus fumigatus strain. the minimal inhibitory concentration of voriconazole for this strain was 0.25 microg/ml. in two groups, voriconazole treatment was started upon appearance of the first clinical signs and continued for fourteen days. the third group was ... | 2009 | 19574001 |
| a cross-sectional survey of toxoplasma gondii antibodies in israeli pigeons. | a cross-sectional prevalence study was performed for anti-toxoplasma gondii antibodies using the modified agglutination test (mat) in 495 wild pigeons (columba livia) captured from various locations in israel. seropositivity was found in 20/495 (4%) of the birds. pigeon samples in regions of semi-arid climate had higher t. gondii seropositivity (p=0.033), amount of precipitation was inversely proportional to seropositivity (p=0.005), seropositivity was inversely related to the size of the neares ... | 2009 | 19619946 |
| protective antibody response following oral vaccination of feral pigeons (columba livia) with newcastle disease vaccine (strain i-2) coated on oiled rice. | the novel vaccination technique for feral pigeons was developed in the present study. multi-age feral pigeons were vaccinated orally with newcastle disease (nd) strain i-2 vaccine coated on oiled rice. the results showed that 14 days after vaccination 40% of pigeons seroconverted with hi gmt of ≥3 log₂ whereas 28 days after vaccination the seroconversion rate of these birds reached 100%. moreover, all vaccinated pigeons survived the challenge of virulent newcastle disease virus (ndv). the findin ... | 2009 | 19626453 |
| tonic serotonergic control of ingestive behaviours in the pigeon (columba livia): the role of the arcopallium. | this study examined the acute changes in feeding and drinking behaviours of free-feeding and free-drinking pigeons, in response to local injections of metergoline (met, 5-ht(1/2) receptor antagonist; 7 and 20 nmol), gr46611 (gr, 5-ht(1b/1d) agonist; 2 and 6 nmol) or vehicle, into two components of the arcopallium: the nucleus taeniae of the amygdala (tna) and the arcopallium intermedium (ai). in the tna, the highest met dose elicited a short-lived hyperphagy, without affecting drinking or non-in ... | 2009 | 19632276 |
| dietary incorporation of feedstuffs naturally high in organic selenium for racing pigeons (columba livia): effects on plasma antioxidant markers after a standardised simulation of a flying effort. | selenium is a trace element of importance for animal health. it is essential for adequate functioning of many enzymes such as, the antioxidant enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, which protects the cell against free radicals. a muscular effort induces a rise in reactive oxygen species production which, in turn, can generate an oxidative stress. two groups of eight racing pigeons were fed respectively with a diet containing 30.3 (control group) and 195.3 (selenium group) microg selenium/kg diet. the ... | 2009 | 19646107 |
| high resistance to lipid peroxidation of bird heart mitochondria and microsomes: effects of mass and maximum lifespan. | the aim of this investigation was to study the connection between body size, fatty acid composition and sensitivity to lipid peroxidation of heart mitochondria and microsomes isolated from different size bird species: manon (lonchura striata), quail (coturnix coturnix var japonica), pigeon (columba livia), duck (cairina moschata) and goose (anser anser), representing a 372-fold range of body mass. fatty acids of total lipids were determined using gas chromatography and lipid peroxidation was eva ... | 2009 | 19651227 |
| effects of dietary milk thistle on blood parameters, liver pathology, and hepatobiliary scintigraphy in white carneaux pigeons (columba livia) challenged with b1 aflatoxin. | milk thistle (silybum marianum) has been used in humans for the treatment of liver disease because of its antioxidant properties and its ability to stabilize cell membranes and regulate cell permeability. to investigate possible hepatoprotective effects in birds, standardized extracts (80%) of silymarin from milk thistle were tested in white carneaux pigeons (columba livia). pigeons were separated into 3 groups and fed diets formulated to provide milk thistle at a level of 0, 10, or 100 mg/kg bo ... | 2009 | 19673458 |
| physiological and biochemical aspects of the avian uropygial gland. | this review discusses different aspects of the uropygial gland of birds. the gland exhibits a striking morphological diversity in size, shape and presence/absence of tufts of feathers. it was shown that acidic mucins, neutral lipids, glycolipids and phospholipids are normal components of secretion. several morphological and physiological aspects of the gland were studied on rock pigeon columba livia gmelin, 1879. the amount of the uropygial gland secretion, its lipid content and fatty acids prof ... | 2009 | 19675950 |
| establishing the mitochondrial dna d-loop structure of columba livia. | the complete mitochondrial dna d-loop structure of pigeon (columba livia) was established in this study. a strategy of amplifying three partial fragments of the d-loop and then combing the three fragments to cover the full length of the d-loop was adopted. ten samples from pigeons were collected and were successfully amplified and sequenced. repetitive sequences of a vntr and an str were both observed at the 3'-end of d-loop region. dna sequence data revealed polymorphic sequences including inde ... | 2009 | 19676092 |
| further analysis of perception of the standard müller-lyer figures in pigeons (columba livia) and humans (homo sapiens): effects of length of brackets. | nakamura, fujita, ushitani, & miyata (2006) have shown that pigeons perceive the standard müller-lyer illusion. in this report, the authors examined effects of bracket sizes on perception of this illusion in pigeons (columba livia) and humans (homo sapiens). in experiment 1, three pigeons were retrained to classify six lengths of target lines into "long" and "short" by pecking two keys on the monitor, ignoring the two brackets oriented toward the same direction. in the tests that followed, the s ... | 2009 | 19685970 |
| slope-based encoding of a goal location is unaffected by hippocampal lesions in homing pigeons (columba livia). | using the same procedures as nardi and bingman (2009) [22], bilateral hippocampal lesions were found to have no detectable effect on the capacity of homing pigeons to use the slope of an inclined surface to encode a goal location. hippocampal lesioned pigeons, like controls, also preferentially relied on slope over geometry when the two sources of information were set in conflict. as such, slope resembles visual features as a source of goal recognition information that is hippocampal independent ... | 2009 | 19703498 |
| assessment of novel avian renal disease markers for the detection of experimental nephrotoxicosis in pigeons (columba livia). | renal disease is a major cause of illness in captive and wild avian species. current renal disease markers (e.g., uric acid, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine) are insensitive. two endogenous markers, creatine and n-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase (nag), were selected for study in the pigeon (columba livia). representative organs from four pigeons were surveyed to determine those exhibiting the highest level of each marker. in a separate study, nag and creatine from plasma and urine were assayed ... | 2009 | 19746864 |
| afferent and efferent projections of the central caudal nidopallium in the pigeon (columba livia). | the central caudal nidopallium (ncc) is a large subdivision of the nidopallium in the pigeon brain, but its connectional anatomy is unknown. here, we examined the connections of ncc by using tract-tracing methods. injections of cholera toxin b-chain (ctb) in ncc labeled many neurons within ncc. outside ncc, many labeled neurons were found in the dorsal intermediate mesopallium and medialmost part of the medial intermediate nidopallium, with a few in the intermediate (ai) and medial (am) arcopall ... | 2009 | 19760740 |
| pigeons (columba livia) approach nash equilibrium in experimental matching pennies competitions. | the game of matching pennies (mp), a simplified version of the more popular rock, papers, scissors, schematically represents competitions between organisms with incentives to predict each other's behavior. optimal performance in iterated mp competitions involves the production of random choice patterns and the detection of nonrandomness in the opponent's choices. the purpose of this study was to replicate systematic deviations from optimal choice observed in humans when playing mp, and to establ ... | 2009 | 19794832 |
| eimeria livialis sp.n. (apicomplexa: eimeriidae) from the domestic pigeon, columba livia domestica in saudi arabia. | eimeria livialis sp.n. is described from the intestine of the domestic pigeon, columba livia domestica (columbiformes: columbidae) from riyadh, central region, saudi arabia. sporulated oocysts are elongate ellipsoid, 21 x 15 (19.5-23.2 x 14.3 - 16.5) microm, with a smooth, greenish-yellow bilayered wall, 1.2 (1.0-1.3) microm. micropyle and polar granule are absent. an oocyst residuum is present, consisting of 4-7 globules that are irregular in shape and size. the sporocysts are ellipsoid, 10.6 x ... | 2009 | 19795745 |
| crows break off live camphor twigs: an avian disturbance effect on plants. | birds are usually considered beneficial partners for plants, acting as predators on herbivorous insects, pollinators and seed dispersal agents. however, in an urban area of central japan, birds break off large quantities of live camphor tree (cinnamomum camphora) twigs in winter. this loss of vegetative parts was examined quantitatively to estimate the impact on the trees. i also observed bird foraging behaviour to determine the species involved and the possible reasons underlying this destructi ... | 2009 | 19796368 |
| waiting time before release increases the motivation to home in homing pigeons (columba livia). | when performing homing experiments with individual releases, pigeons have to wait in a transport box for a certain amount of time before being released and hence perceive the departure of companions. quite often, the last pigeons disappear straightforward from the release site. the question is whether this reflects improved orientation because of prolonged exposure to the release place or whether it reflects increased homing motivation. by releasing pigeons from a familiar site, we investigated ... | 2009 | 19801440 |
| localization of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 mrna in the dorsal root ganglion of the pigeon (columba livia). | our previous study showed localization of glutamate receptor 1 (glur1) mrna in neurons of the pigeon spinal cord, suggesting glutamatergic input from intrinsic and extrinsic origins. the present study examined localization of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (vglut2) mrna to confirm an extrinsic origin of glutamatergic neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (drg). glur1 and glur2 mrnas were examined in drg and spinal cord to seek projection regions from vglut2 mrna-expressing neurons. vglut2 mrna ... | 2009 | 19821818 |
| photoreceptor and ganglion cell topographies correlate with information convergence and high acuity regions in the adult pigeon (columba livia) retina. | the fovea and area dorsalis are high acuity vision regions in the pigeon retina. however, the degree of neural convergence (an important determinant of acuity) has not been quantified consistently in this bird. the purpose of the study was to determine the topographic density changes and degree of photoreceptor to ganglion cell convergence in the fovea and the area dorsalis. total photoreceptor and ganglion cell densities were calculated on the horizontal and vertical meridia. in four eyes, reti ... | 2009 | 19827162 |
| urban pigeons (columba livia) as a potential source of pathogenic yeasts: a focus on antifungal susceptibility of cryptococcus strains in northeast brazil. | to investigate pigeons as a potential source of pathogenic yeast species, 47 samples of pigeon droppings and 322 samples from pigeon cloacae were evaluated. the samples were also collected from trees located near the pigeon habitats, in the city of fortaleza, ceará, northeast brazil. in addition, we evaluated the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of these environmental cryptococcus strains to amphotericin b, azoles and caspofungin. c. neoformans var. neoformans (n = 10), c. laurentii (n = 3), c ... | 2010 | 19847668 |
| collection and analysis of breath and breath condensate exhaled by feral pigeons (columba livia) and chickens (gallus domesticus). | samples of exhaled breath and breath condensate were collected from 20 feral pigeons (columba livia) while they were anaesthetised and intubated, and when they were kept unanaesthetised in an acrylic box. samples were also collected from six chickens (gallus domesticus) while they were kept in an acrylic box. the samples were analysed for ph, nitric oxide (no), hydrogen peroxide and leukotriene b4. the volume of condensate collected from the pigeons was independent of bodyweight and significantl ... | 2009 | 19850854 |
| three-dimensional reconstruction of the pigeon inner ear. | three-dimensional reconstructions of the inner ear of the pigeon (columba livia domestica), from two-dimensional images, obtained with (conventional) light microscopy or orthogonal-plane fluorescence optical sectioning (opfos), are presented. the results are compared with available information on the dimensions and orientation of the semicircular canals. | 2009 | 19893193 |
| avian hippocampal role in space and content memory. | the present study examined whether the hippocampal formation of homing pigeons (columba livia) was necessary for learning the contents of different goal locations in an open-field, laboratory environment. results showed that, although control animals were able to distinguish between two goal locations that contained food items of different quality, pigeons with bilateral hippocampal lesions were impaired in goal-quality discrimination, even though non-spatial cues could have been used to disting ... | 2009 | 19895563 |
| a comparative analysis of the categorization of multidimensional stimuli: i. unidimensional classification does not necessarily imply analytic processing; evidence from pigeons (columba livia), squirrels (sciurus carolinensis), and humans (homo sapiens). | pigeons (columba livia), gray squirrels (sciurus carolinensis), and undergraduates (homo sapiens) learned discrimination tasks involving multiple mutually redundant dimensions. first, pigeons and undergraduates learned conditional discriminations between stimuli composed of three spatially separated dimensions, after first learning to discriminate the individual elements of the stimuli. when subsequently tested with stimuli in which one of the dimensions took an anomalous value, the majority of ... | 2009 | 19929108 |
| a comparative analysis of the categorization of multidimensional stimuli: ii. strategic information search in humans (homo sapiens) but not in pigeons (columba livia). | pigeons and undergraduates learned conditional discriminations involving multiple spatially separated stimulus dimensions. under some conditions, the dimensions were made available sequentially. in 3 experiments, the dimensions were all perfectly valid predictors of the response that would be reinforced and mutually redundant; in 2 others, they varied in validity. in tests with stimuli in which 1 of the 3 dimensions took an anomalous value, most but not all individuals of both species categorize ... | 2009 | 19929109 |
| do spotless starlings place feathers at their nests by ultraviolet color? | a considerable number of bird species carry feathers to their nests. feathers' presence in the nests has traditionally been explained by their insulating properties. recently, however, it has been suggested that feathers carried to the nests by females of the spotted starling (sturnus unicolor l.) could have an ornamental function based on their ultraviolet (300-400 nm) and human-visible longer wavelength (400-700 nm) coloration. in our population, 95.7% of feathers found inside next-boxes occup ... | 2010 | 19941130 |
| [phoretic association of the mites myialges spp. (astigmata: epidermoptidae) and ornitocheyletia hallae volgin (prostigmata: cheyletidae) with the fly pseudolynchia canariensis (macquart) (diptera: hippoboscidae)]. | this study evaluated aspects of population ecology and community component of mites in pseudolynchia canariensis (macquart) of domestic pigeons columba livia in juiz de fora, minas gerais, brazil. a total of 236 forest mites were found in 74 out of 156 fl ies (47.4% infestation). the prevalence for myialges anchora sergent & trouessart was 23.7%, with average intensity 1.5 +/- 0.90 and average abundance 0.4 +/- 0.76, mostly (94.4%) located on the abdomen; 75.9% of the mites (n = 41) surrounded b ... | 2009 | 19943003 |
| low complex i content explains the low hydrogen peroxide production rate of heart mitochondria from the long-lived pigeon, columba livia. | across a range of vertebrate species, it is known that there is a negative association between maximum lifespan and mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide production. in this report, we investigate the underlying biochemical basis of the low hydrogen peroxide production rate of heart mitochondria from a long-lived species (pigeon) compared with a short-lived species with similar body mass (rat). the difference in hydrogen peroxide efflux rate was not explained by differences in either superoxide dismut ... | 2010 | 19968628 |
| the formation and execution of sequential plans in pigeons (columba livia). | the ability to formulate and execute plans is a hallmark of human behaviour. here we present evidence of planning in pigeons. subjects were trained to respond to three geometric shapes in a prescribed order. probe trials were then introduced in which, following a response to the first item, the on screen positions of the second and third item were exchanged. if subjects were planning a sequence of responses at the outset of a trial, we would expect reaction time to the second item to increase, r ... | 2010 | 19969049 |
| presence of c. albidus, c. laurentii and c. uniguttulatus in crop and droppings of pigeon lofts (columba livia). | columba livia is an important reservoir and carrier of cryptococcus neoformans, cryptococcus uniguttulatus, cryptococcus laurentii and cryptococcus albidus. upper digestive tract of this species is also known as a habitat for cryptococcus neoformans. given the increasing clinical interest of this microorganism, 331 swabs from crop and 174 dropping samples from pigeon lofts in grand canary island have been studied. the obtained results show an extensive presence samples 81 positive (24.47%) of cr ... | 2010 | 20012367 |
| sarcocystis calchasi sp. nov. of the domestic pigeon (columba livia f. domestica) and the northern goshawk (accipiter gentilis): light and electron microscopical characteristics. | a novel highly pathogenic sarcocystis species has been shown to cycle between the northern goshawk (accipiter gentilis) as definitive host and the domestic pigeon (columba livia f. domestica) as intermediate host. however, genetically based characteristics are only available from very few bird-infecting sarcocystis species. we therefore further characterised morphological properties of this protozoan in both hosts. using light and electron microscopy, oocysts and sporocysts as well as schizonts ... | 2010 | 20033211 |
| west nile virus transmission in 2008 in north-eastern italy. | after 10 years, west nile virus (wnv) re-emerged in italy in august 2008. as on 31 december 2008, the infection affected eight provinces in three regions (emilia romagna, veneto, lombardy), where a total of 794 cases of wnv infection in 251 equine stables were detected on the basis of the clinical signs and as a result of a serological screening in horses living in the area. only 4.0% (32/794) of the serologically positive animals showed clinical signs, and the 32 clinical cases were reported in ... | 2010 | 20042066 |
| cross-species chromosome painting corroborates microchromosome fusion during karyotype evolution of birds. | the stone curlew, also known as thick-knee (burhinus oedicnemus, boe), represents a phylogenetically young species of the shorebirds (charadriiformes) that exhibits one of the most atypical genome organizations known within the class of aves, due to an extremely low diploid number (2n = 42) and only 6 pairs of microchromosomes in its complement. this distinct deviation from the 'typical' avian karyotype is attributed to repeated fusions of ancestral microchromosomes. in order to compare differen ... | 2010 | 20068299 |
| [determination of the helminths of wild pigeons (columba livia gmelin, 1789 columbiformes) in the bursa region]. | the helminth fauna of 113 wild pigeons, (columba livia gmelin, 1789), in the bursa province was investigated. as a result of the investigation 3 helminth species were detected. these were capillaria columbae (gmelin, 1789), ascaridia columbae (gmelin, 1790) (nemathelminthes) and raillietina echinobothrida (megnin, 1881) (cestoda). | 2009 | 20101586 |
| no evidence for selective follicle abortion underlying primary sex ratio adjustment in pigeons. | primary sex ratio adjustment in birds has been extensively studied, yet the underlying physiological mechanisms are far from understood. avian females are the heterogametic sex (zw), and the future sex of the offspring is determined at chromosome segregation during meiosis i, shortly before the oocyte is ovulated. assuming that the mother can detect the sex of the developing oocyte before ovulation, it has been suggested that a follicle of the un-preferred sex could selectively be induced to bec ... | 2010 | 20174439 |
| are birds smarter than mathematicians? pigeons (columba livia) perform optimally on a version of the monty hall dilemma. | the "monty hall dilemma" (mhd) is a well known probability puzzle in which a player tries to guess which of three doors conceals a desirable prize. after an initial choice is made, one of the remaining doors is opened, revealing no prize. the player is then given the option of staying with their initial guess or switching to the other unopened door. most people opt to stay with their initial guess, despite the fact that switching doubles the probability of winning. a series of experiments invest ... | 2010 | 20175592 |
| age-correlation of blood values in the rock pigeon (columba livia). | hematological adaptations to age (1-17 years) and about variability per se for free-living rock pigeons columba livia are presented. increasing age is correlated with decreasing values of hematocrit and hemoglobin. a marked reduction of lactate dehydrogenase (ec 1.1.1.27) activity in the first 2-3 years may be caused by a training-based increase of the relative portion of the aerobically working red breast muscles (responsible for endurance) at the expense of the proportion of anaerobically work ... | 2010 | 20184962 |
| sarcocystis species lethal for domestic pigeons. | a large number of sarcocystis spp. infect birds as intermediate hosts, but pigeons are rarely affected. we identified a novel sarcocystis sp. that causes lethal neurologic disease in domestic pigeons in germany. experimental infections indicated transmission by northern goshawks, and sequence analyses indicated transnational distribution. worldwide spread is possible. | 2010 | 20202429 |
| effects of diet quality on serum oxidative status and body mass in male and female pigeons during reproduction. | the quality of diet can affect the oxidative status of an animal and its susceptibility to oxidative damage. however, such effects can be expected to differ among phases of life cycle (e.g., reproduction, migration, moult), because they face the animals with different nutrient requirements and levels of stress. in this study, i investigated the effects of diet quality (standard vs. decreased quality diet) on the patterns of variation in serum oxidative status (oxidative damage, serum antioxidant ... | 2010 | 20206709 |
| complex trade-offs in the pigeon (columba livia): egg antioxidant capacity and female serum oxidative status in relation to diet quality. | despite the great deal of ecological research interest in modulators of offspring quality and consequences of reproduction on female status, we still know little about the relationships among diet quality, antioxidant capacity of egg components (yolk and albumen) and oxidative status of female birds. in this study, i compared the egg quality (egg size, albumen and yolk antioxidant capacity) and serum oxidative status (oxidative damage, total serum antioxidant capacity, and serum thiols) of femal ... | 2010 | 20213178 |
| plasma and brain cholinesterase in methomyl-intoxicated free-ranging pigeons (columba livia f. domestica). | a mortality event caused by exposure to the carbamate insecticide methomyl was diagnosed in several hundred pigeons fed treated corn kernels in a city park. a cholinesterase inhibitor insecticide was initially suspected based on clinical signs and a significant inhibition (p < 0.05) of brain cholinesterase (che) activity compared with normal values for the species. however, brain che activity was within the normal range in birds subsequently submitted in an advanced stage of autolysis. two group ... | 2010 | 20224101 |
| columba livia as a sentinel species for the assessment of urban air genotoxicity. | this study explored the comet assay as a possible tool to assess genotoxicity in erythrocytes of columba livia to detect genotoxic effects induced by exposure to urban air pollution. fieldwork was conducted between june 2004 and june 2005 in the city of milan, italy, by sampling pigeons in different areas almost twice a week. six air contaminants-co, pm10, no(2), o(3) (ozone), so(2), and c6h6-plus polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) in fine particles, temperature, and ultraviolet index, were ... | 2010 | 20229058 |
| effects of sleep deprivation on measures of the febrile reaction and the recovery of somatovisceral functions and sleep in endotoxemia. | electroencephalographic methods were used to study the effects of total sleep deprivation on thermoregulatory measures of the fever response in pigeons (columba livia): brain temperature, peripheral vasomotor reactions, thoracic muscle contractile activity, and the recovery of somatic functions and the time characteristics of waking and sleep in lipopolysaccharide (lps)-induced endotoxemia. sleep deprivation during the period in which the quantity of slow-wave sleep increased on administration o ... | 2010 | 20339942 |
| [chewing-lice species (phthiraptera) found on domestic and wild birds in turkey.] | this study was carried out 48 domestic and wild bird samples belonging to 15 different species. birds that were killed by traffic on the roads as well as birds that were ill or injured were brought for investigation to the veterinary faculty or animal keeping house of konya municipal. firstly, all of them were inspected macroscopically for ectoparasites. then, they were treated with an insecticidal drug, propoxur in a cartoon box. one long-eared owl, one eurasian buzzard, four long-legged buzzar ... | 2010 | 20340090 |
| change in body mass can overrule the effects of maternal testosterone on primary offspring sex ratio of first eggs in homing pigeons. | the phenomenon of primary offspring sex ratio adjustment is being extensively studied, yet knowledge of the underlying proximate mechanism is still mainly hypothetical. female birds are the heterogametic sex, thus potentially controlling the sex of the gamete to be fertilized. in several bird species, independent studies showed effects of maternal plasma testosterone, corticosterone, or condition on primary offspring sex ratio. our objective was to investigate the causal relation between these t ... | 2010 | 20345244 |
| sarcocystis calchasi is distinct to sarcocystis columbae sp. nov. from the wood pigeon (columba palumbus) and sarcocystis sp. from the sparrowhawk (accipiter nisus). | sarcocystis calchasi has been identified as causative agent of a newly discovered central nervous disease in domestic pigeons (columba livia f. domestica) observed for the first time in germany in 2006. initial studies have indicated that this parasite is highly pathogenic for domestic pigeons after ingestion of low doses of sporocysts shed by the northern goshawk (accipiter gentilis). here we tested whether phylogenetically related birds might regularly harbor sarcocystis species. five wood pig ... | 2010 | 20381254 |
| a low false negative filter for detecting rare bird species from short video segments using a probable observation data set-based ekf method. | we report a new filter to assist the search for rare bird species. since a rare bird only appears in front of a camera with very low occurrence (e.g., less than ten times per year) for very short duration (e.g., less than a fraction of a second), our algorithm must have a very low false negative rate. we verify the bird body axis information with the known bird flying dynamics from the short video segment. since a regular extended kalman filter (ekf) cannot converge due to high measurement error ... | 2010 | 20388596 |
| wing and body kinematics of takeoff and landing flight in the pigeon (columba livia). | takeoff and landing are critical phases in a flight. to better understand the functional importance of the kinematic adjustments birds use to execute these flight modes, we studied the wing and body movements of pigeons (columba livia) during short-distance free-flights between two perches. the greatest accelerations were observed during the second wingbeat of takeoff. the wings were responsible for the majority of acceleration during takeoff and landing, with the legs contributing only one-quar ... | 2010 | 20435815 |
| effects of chlorpyrifos and aldicarb on flight activity and related cholinesterase inhibition in homing pigeons, columba livia: potential for migration effects. | homing pigeons (columba livia) were used as a model to assess the effects of chlorpyrifos and aldicarb on flight times at sub-lethal, environmentally relevant concentrations. a significant increase in flight times of birds dosed with aldicarb and with chlorpyrifos was observed. plasma cholinesterase activity was measured over time following exposure to either compound. the results suggest that the time of peak inhibition would correlate with migratory flight activity after exposure. in total, th ... | 2010 | 20449724 |
| evaluation of gastrointestinal tract transit times using barium-impregnated polyethylene spheres and barium sulfate suspension in a domestic pigeon (columba livia) model. | barium impregnated polyethylene spheres (bips) are used in small animal medicine as an alternative to barium sulfate for radiographic studies of the gastrointestinal tract. to determine the usefulness of bips as an alternative to barium suspension in measuring gastrointestinal (gi) transit time for avian species, ventrodorsal radiographs were used to follow the passage of bips and 30% barium sulfate suspension through the gi tracts of domestic pigeons (columba livia). gastrointestinal transit ti ... | 2010 | 20496601 |