Publications

re-calibration of the magnetic compass in hand-raised european robins (erithacus rubecula).	migratory birds can use a variety of environmental cues for orientation. a primary calibration between the celestial and magnetic compasses seems to be fundamental prior to a bird's first autumn migration. releasing hand-raised or rescued young birds back into the wild might therefore be a problem because they might not have established a functional orientation system during their first calendar year. here, we test whether hand-raised european robins that did not develop any functional compass b ...	2015	26388258
ticks on passerines from the archipelago of the azores as hosts of borreliae and rickettsiae.	we examined the presence of borreliae and rickettsiae bacteria in ticks from wild passerine birds on three islands of the archipelago of the azores, the westernmost region of palearctic. a total of 266 birds belonging to eight species from seven families were examined on são miguel, santa maria and graciosa islands in 2013. ticks collected from these birds consisted of 55 ixodes frontalis (22 larvae, 32 nymphs, 1 adult female) and 16 haemaphysalis punctata nymphs. turdus merula and erithacus rub ...	2015	26013915
a preliminary investigation on ticks (acari: ixodidae) infesting birds in kızılırmak delta, turkey.	ticks are mandatory blood-feeding ectoparasites of mammals, birds, reptiles, and even amphibians. turkey has a rich bird fauna and is located on the main migration route for many birds. however, information on ticks infesting birds is very limited. in the present study, we aimed to determine ticks infesting birds in kızılırmak delta, turkey. in 2014 autumn bird migration season, a total of 7,452 birds belonging to 79 species, 52 genera, 35 families, and 14 orders were examined for tick infestati ...	2016	26487249
description, molecular characterisation, diagnostics and life cycle of plasmodium elongatum (lineage perirub01), the virulent avian malaria parasite.	plasmodium elongatum causes severe avian malaria and is distributed worldwide. this parasite is of particular importance due to its ability to develop and cause lethal malaria not only in natural hosts, but also in non-adapted endemic birds such as the brown kiwi and different species of penguins. information on vectors of this infection is available but is contradictory. pcr-based analysis indicated the possible existence of a cluster of closely related p. elongatum lineages which might differ ...	2016	27349510
taxonomic status of syngamus nematodes parasitizing passeriform hosts from central europe: morphological, morphometric and molecular identification.	the systematic position and validity of species within genus syngamus have always been controversial. in this present work, we evaluated the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships between three species of syngamus nematodes (syngamus trachea, syngamus taiga and syngamus merulae) and one taxa, determined only to the generic level, collected from respiratory tracts of passeriform hosts from central europe using newly obtained sequences of 2 nuclear markers (internal transcribed spacers 1 ...	2016	27353021
localisation of the putative magnetoreceptive protein cryptochrome 1b in the retinae of migratory birds and homing pigeons.	cryptochromes are ubiquitously expressed in various animal tissues including the retina. some cryptochromes are involved in regulating circadian activity. cryptochrome proteins have also been suggested to mediate the primary mechanism in light-dependent magnetic compass orientation in birds. cryptochrome 1b (cry1b) exhibits a unique carboxy terminus exclusively found in birds so far, which might be indicative for a specialised function. cryptochrome 1a (cry1a) is so far the only cryptochrome pro ...	2016	26953791
chewing lice of genus ricinus (phthiraptera, ricinidae) deposited at the zoological institute of the russian academy of sciences, saint petersburg, russia, with description of a new species.	we revised a collection of chewing lice deposited at the zoological institute of the russian academy of sciences, saint petersburg, russia. we studied 60 slides with 107 specimens of 10 species of the genus ricinus (de geer, 1778). the collection includes lectotype specimens of ricinus ivanovi blagoveshtchensky, 1951 and of ricinus tugarinovi blagoveshtchensky, 1951. we registered ricinus elongatus olfers, 1816 ex turdus ruficollis, r. ivanovi ex leucosticte tephrocotis and ricinus serratus (dur ...	2016	26902646
provenance does matter: links between winter trophic segregation and the migratory origins of european robins.	amongst migratory species, it is common to find individuals from different populations or geographical origins sharing staging or wintering areas. given their differing life histories, ecological theory would predict that the different groups of individuals should exhibit some level of niche segregation. this has rarely been investigated because of the difficulty in assigning migrating individuals to breeding areas. here, we start by documenting a broad geographical gradient of hydrogen isotopes ...	2016	27638183
weak broadband electromagnetic fields are more disruptive to magnetic compass orientation in a night-migratory songbird (erithacus rubecula) than strong narrow-band fields.	magnetic compass orientation in night-migratory songbirds is embedded in the visual system and seems to be based on a light-dependent radical pair mechanism. recent findings suggest that both broadband electromagnetic fields ranging from ~2 khz to ~9 mhz and narrow-band fields at the so-called larmor frequency for a free electron in the earth's magnetic field can disrupt this mechanism. however, due to local magnetic fields generated by nuclear spins, effects specific to the larmor frequency are ...	2016	27047356
seasonally changing cryptochrome 1b expression in the retinal ganglion cells of a migrating passerine bird.	cryptochromes, blue-light absorbing proteins involved in the circadian clock, have been proposed to be the receptor molecules of the avian magnetic compass. in birds, several cryptochromes occur: cryptochrome 2, cryptochrome 4 and two splice products of cryptochrome 1, cry1a and cry1b. with an antibody not distinguishing between the two splice products, cryptochrome 1 had been detected in the retinal ganglion cells of garden warblers during migration. a recent study located cry1a in the outer se ...	2016	26953690
'candidatus rickettsia mendelii', a novel basal group rickettsia detected in ixodes ricinus ticks in the czech republic.	a novel rickettsial sequence in the citrate synthase glta gene indicating a novel rickettsia species has been detected in 7 out of 4524 ixodes ricinus ticks examined within several surveys performed in the czech republic from 2005 to 2009. this new candidatus rickettsia sp. sequence has been found in 2 nymphs feeding on wild birds (luscinia megarhynchos and erithacus rubecula), in a male tick from vegetation, and 4 ticks feeding on a dog (3 males, 1 female tick). portions of the ompa, ompb, sca4 ...	2016	26873811
migratory connectivity and effects of winter temperatures on migratory behaviour of the european robin erithacus rubecula: a continent-wide analysis.	many partially migratory species show phenotypically divergent populations in terms of migratory behaviour, with climate hypothesized to be a major driver of such variability through its differential effects on sedentary and migratory individuals. based on long-term (1947-2011) bird ringing data, we analysed phenotypic differentiation of migratory behaviour among populations of the european robin erithacus rubecula across europe. we showed that clusters of populations sharing breeding and winter ...	2016	26820488
emlen funnel experiments revisited: methods update for studying compass orientation in songbirds.	migratory songbirds carry an inherited capacity to migrate several thousand kilometers each year crossing continental landmasses and barriers between distant breeding sites and wintering areas. how individual songbirds manage with extreme precision to find their way is still largely unknown. the functional characteristics of biological compasses used by songbird migrants has mainly been investigated by recording the birds directed migratory activity in circular cages, so-called emlen funnels. th ...	2016	28725370
plasma corticosterone concentrations in european robins during spring and autumn migration.	to estimate differences in hormonal mechanisms of regulation of spring and autumn migration in european robins erithacus rubecula, the plasma corticosterone (cort) concentrations were compared in birds caught during both migratory seasons. a total of 414 blood samples were analyzed. it was found that the baseline and stress-induced cort concentrations in free-living robins during spring migration were practically twice as high as during autumn passage. our results demonstrate that autumn and spr ...	2017	28508203
magnetic activation in the brain of the migratory northern wheatear (oenanthe oenanthe).	behavioural and neurobiological evidence suggests the involvement of the visual and trigeminal sensory systems in avian magnetoreception. the constantly growing array of new genetic approaches becoming available to scientists would bear great potential to contribute to a generally accepted understanding of the mechanisms underlying this ability, but would require to breed migratory birds in captivity. here we show that the transcontinental night-migratory northern wheatear (oenanthe oenanthe), w ...	2017	28361169
singing from north to south: latitudinal variation in timing of dawn singing under natural and artificial light conditions.	1. animals breeding at northern latitudes experience drastic changes in daily light conditions during the breeding season with decreasing periods of darkness, whereas those living at lower latitudes are exposed to naturally dark nights throughout the year. nowadays, many animals are also exposed to artificial night lighting (often referred to as light pollution). 2. animals strongly rely on variation in light levels to time their daily and seasonal behaviour. previous work on passerine birds sho ...	2017	28796893
very weak oscillating magnetic field disrupts the magnetic compass of songbird migrants.	previously, it has been shown that long-distance migrants, garden warblers (sylvia borin), were disoriented in the presence of narrow-band oscillating magnetic field (1.403 mhz omf, 190 nt) during autumn migration. this agrees with the data of previous experiments with european robins (erithacus rubecula). in this study, we report the results of experiments with garden warblers tested under a 1.403 mhz omf with various amplitudes (∼0.4, 1, ∼2.4, 7 and 20 nt). we found that the ability of garden ...	2017	28794163
ascorbic acid may not be involved in cryptochrome-based magnetoreception.	seventeen years after it was originally suggested, the photoreceptor protein cryptochrome remains the most probable host for the radical pair intermediates that are thought to be the sensors in the avian magnetic compass. although evidence in favour of this hypothesis is accumulating, the intracellular interaction partners of the sensory protein are still unknown. it has been suggested that ascorbate ions could interact with surface-exposed tryptophan radicals in photoactivated cryptochromes, an ...	2017	29263128
double-cone localization and seasonal expression pattern suggest a role in magnetoreception for european robin cryptochrome 4.	birds seem to use a light-dependent, radical-pair-based magnetic compass. in vertebrates, cryptochromes are the only class of proteins that form radical pairs upon photo-excitation. therefore, they are currently the only candidate proteins for light-dependent magnetoreception. cryptochrome 4 (cry4) is particularly interesting because it has only been found in vertebrates that use a magnetic compass. however, its structure and localization within the retina has remained unknown. here, we sequence ...	2018	29307554
dogs can be trained to find a bar magnet.	magnetoreception, the ability to sense the earth's magnetic field (mf), is a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom. in 1966, the first report on a magnetosensitive vertebrate, the european robin (erithacus rubecula), was published. after that, numerous further species of different taxa have been identified to be magnetosensitive as well. recently, it has been demonstrated that domestic dogs (canis lupus familiaris) prefer to align their body axis along the north-south axis during territori ...	2018	30588405
baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels are higher during spring than autumn migration in european robins.	during spring and autumn migrations, birds undergo a suite of physiological and behavioral adaptations known as migratory disposition. the position of migratory seasons within the annual cycle and specifics of environmental conditions in each season could lead to formation of specific regulatory mechanisms of spring and autumn migratory disposition. however, this topic remains largely unstudied. here we compared corticosterone (cort) concentration (baseline and stress-induced) in european robins ...	2018	29288637
atomistic insights into cryptochrome interprotein interactions.	it is striking that the mechanism by which birds sense geomagnetic fields during the biannual migration seasons is not entirely understood. a protein believed to be responsible for avian magnetoreception is the flavoprotein cryptochrome (cry), which fulfills many of the criteria for a magnetic field sensor. some experiments, however, indicate that magnetoreception in birds may be disturbed by extremely weak radio frequency fields, an effect that likely cannot be described by an isolated cry prot ...	2018	30078611
lidocaine is a nocebo treatment for trigeminally mediated magnetic orientation in birds.	even though previously described iron-containing structures in the upper beak of pigeons were almost certainly macrophages, not magnetosensitive neurons, behavioural and neurobiological evidence still supports the involvement of the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve (v1) in magnetoreception. in previous behavioural studies, inactivation of putative v1-associated magnetoreceptors involved either application of the surface anaesthetic lidocaine to the upper beak or sectioning of v1. here, ...	2018	30089685
first evidence for the joint dispersal of mycorrhizal fungi and plant diaspores by birds.	seed dispersal allows plants to colonise new sites and escape from pathogens and intraspecific competition, maintaining plant genetic diversity and regulating plant distribution. conversely, most plant species form mutualistic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (am) fungi in a symbiosis established immediately after seed germination. because am fungi are obligate symbionts, using the same dispersal vector as their host should be highly advantageous for their survival, but the co-dispersal ...	2019	30372538
coxiella burnetii in ticks and wild birds.	the study objective was to get more information on c. burnetii prevalence in wild birds and ticks feeding on them, and the potentialities of the pathogen dissemination over europe by both.	2019	30509727
malaria infection status of european robins seems to associate with timing of autumn migration but not with actual condition.	avian malaria parasites can negatively affect many aspects of the life of the passerines. though these parasites may strongly affect the health and thus migration patterns of the birds also during autumn, previous studies on avian malaria focused mainly on the spring migration and the breeding periods of the birds. we investigated whether the prevalence of blood parasites varies in relation to biometrical traits, body condition and arrival time in the european robin (erithacus rubecula) during a ...	2019	30638174
ticks (acari: ixodida) on birds (aves) migrating through the polish baltic coast.	seasonal bird (aves) migration between breeding and wintering areas, often located on different continents, can facilitate the spreading of tick species (acari: ixodida) and of tick-borne pathogens. the aim of the study was to analyse the occurrence of ticks dispersed by birds migrating along the polish baltic coast during spring and autumn migration. field research was conducted at the bird ringing station in wicie, located on the middle of the polish baltic coast, in 2011 and 2012 during sprin ...	2019	30771037
magnetic storms disrupt nocturnal migratory activity in songbirds.	birds possess a magnetic sense and rely on the earth's magnetic field for orientation during migration. however, the geomagnetic field can be altered by solar activity at relative unpredictable intervals. how birds cope with the temporal geomagnetic variations caused by solar storms during migration is still unclear. we addressed this question by reproducing the effect of a solar storm on the geomagnetic field and monitoring the activity of three songbird species during autumn migration. we foun ...	2019	30862307
signal complexity communicates aggressive intent during contests, but the process is disrupted by noise.	contestants use displays to signal their aggressive intent and settle disputes before they escalate. for birds, this is often in the form of song, which can vary in structural complexity. the role of song complexity in signalling aggressive intent has not been fully established, and its efficacy could be influenced by background noise levels. using playback experiments, we found that in european robins, erithacus rubecula, song complexity signalled sender aggression and affected receiver respons ...	2019	30991914
temporary caging results in reduced levels of circulating melatonin in migratory robins.	the hormone melatonin, a main component of the avian circadian system, plays an important role in the physiological transitions that accompany activation of the migratory phenotype in passerine birds. most small passerines migrate at night when circulating concentrations of melatonin are elevated. previous work measured nocturnal melatonin levels of migratory birds only in captive animals, because free-living individuals are usually caught in the daytime. in this study, we compared nocturnal mel ...	2019	31767734
parasites in space and time: a case study of haemosporidian spatiotemporal prevalence in urban birds.	prevalence responses to anthropic factors differ across hosts and parasite species. we here analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of avian haemosporidian prevalence in bird assemblages of the mooswald forest (i.e., urban greenspace; freiburg, germany), in response to local environmental features (e.g., water sources, human presence (visited)/absence (unvisited)) and bird-level traits (e.g., body condition, age, sex) in 2 years. we used a nested pcr protocol (mitochondrial (mt)dna cytochrome b (c ...	2019	30673588
screening for multiple tick-borne pathogens in ixodes ricinus ticks from birds in denmark during spring and autumn migration seasons.	presently, it is uncertain to what extent seasonal migrating birds contribute to the introduction of ticks and tick-associated pathogens in denmark. to quantify this phenomenon, we captured birds during the spring and autumn migration at three field sites in denmark and screened them for ticks. bird-derived ticks were identified to tick species and screened for 37 tick-borne pathogens using real-time pcr. overall, 807 birds, representing 44 bird species, were captured and examined for ticks duri ...	2019	30709658
high brdu sensitivity of passeriformes chromosomes: conservation of brdu-sensitive fragile sites on their z chromosomes during evolution.	amongst 15 bird species, representative of 7 orders, recurrent breakages evocating the presence of fragile sites were detected in the chromosomes of the 5 species belonging to passeriformes. these breaks appeared when 5-bromodeoxyuridine (brdu) was added to the cell culture medium at a dose inefficient for inducing chromosome structure alterations in other birds and mammals. they involved, similarly in male and female, 3 loci on the z chromosome of 3 turdus species (turdidae). labeling by brdu a ...	2019	30974432
mitochondrial dna in ixodus ricinus (acari: ixodidae) on birds reflects ticks' transportation routes to lista, norway.	ticks are important pathogen vectors, and large mammals and birds have the greatest potential for dispersing them. to study tick dispersal by migrating birds, we have analysed genetic variations in mitochondrial dna control region from ixodes ricinus from northward migrating blackbird, turdus merula, and (european) robin, erithacus rubecula, at the lista bird observatory in southwestern norway. we compared their genetic structure with that of resident tick populations from areas covering their e ...	2020	33130437
stopover departure decisions in songbirds: do long-distance migrants depart earlier and more independently of weather conditions than medium-distance migrants?	songbirds following distinct migration strategies (e.g. long- vs. short- to medium-distance migrants) often differ in their speed of migration during autumn and, thus, are assumed to face different time constraints. during migration, most songbird species alternate migratory flights with stopover periods. many of them restrict these migratory flights to the night, i.e., they are nocturnal migrants. at stopover, nocturnal migrants need to select a specific night (night-to-night decision) and time ...	2020	32047634
migratory birds as disseminators of ticks and the tick-borne pathogens borrelia bacteria and tick-borne encephalitis (tbe) virus: a seasonal study at ottenby bird observatory in south-eastern sweden.	birds can act as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens and can also disperse pathogen-containing ticks to both nearby and remote localities. the aims of this study were to estimate tick infestation patterns on migratory birds and the prevalence of different borrelia species and tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev) in ticks removed from birds in south-eastern sweden.	2020	33272317
free-ranging avifauna as a source of generalist parasites for captive birds in zoological settings: an overview of parasite records and potential for cross-transmission.	captive birds in zoological settings often harbor parasites, but little information is available about the potential for free-ranging avifauna to act as a source of infection. this review summarizes the gastrointestinal parasites found in zoo birds globally and in seven common free-ranging avian species [mallard (anas platyrhynchos), eurasian blackbird (turdus merula), common starling (sturnus vulgaris), eurasian jackdaw (corvus monedula), house sparrow (passer domesticus), european robin (erith ...	2020	33005675
isospora oliveirai n. sp. (chromista: miozoa: eimeriidae) from the greenish schiffornis schiffornis virescens (lafresnaye, 1838) (passeriformes: tyranni: tityridae) in south america.	coccidia are obligatory intracellular parasites with at least one intestinal phase in their life cycles, being isospora schneider, 1881 the main coccidian genus related to the order passeriformes. however, there is no record of isosporans from the passerine family tityridae, which is the family of the greenish schiffornis schiffornis virescens (lafresnaye, 1838).	2020	32494953
effects of forest structure on the interaction between avian hosts, dipteran vectors and haemosporidian parasites.	forest habitats are important biodiversity refuges for a wide variety of bird species. parasitism may modulate host species presence and abundance, and parasite effects can change according to forest management practices. such processes are not well studied in vector-borne avian haemosporidians. we analyzed the effects of forest management on bird-dipteran-haemosporidian interactions, using seven common bird species in managed and unmanaged beech forest habitats in northeastern germany. we assum ...	2020	32814584
host dispersal shapes the population structure of a tick-borne bacterial pathogen.	birds are hosts for several zoonotic pathogens. because of their high mobility, especially of longdistance migrants, birds can disperse these pathogens, affecting their distribution and phylogeography. we focused on borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which includes the causative agents of lyme borreliosis, as an example for tick-borne pathogens, to address the role of birds as propagation hosts of zoonotic agents at a large geographical scale. we collected ticks from passerine birds in 11 european ...	2020	31846173
mechanical and structural adaptations to migration in the flight feathers of a palaearctic passerine.	current avian migration patterns in temperate regions have been developed during the glacial retreat and subsequent colonization of the ice-free areas during the holocene. this process resulted in a geographic gradient of greater seasonality as latitude increased that favoured migration-related morphological and physiological (co)adaptations. most evidence of avian morphological adaptations to migration comes from the analysis of variation in the length and shape of the wings, but the existence ...	2020	32282960
no evidence for the use of magnetic declination for migratory navigation in two songbird species.	determining the east-west position was a classical problem in human sea navigation until accurate clocks were manufactured and sailors were able to measure the difference between local time and a fixed reference to determine longitude. experienced night-migratory songbirds can correct for east-west physical and virtual magnetic displacements to unknown locations. migratory birds do not appear to possess a time-different clock sense; therefore, they must solve the longitude problem in a different ...	2020	32330188
protein-protein interaction of the putative magnetoreceptor cryptochrome 4 expressed in the avian retina.	migratory birds can sense the earth's magnetic field and use it for orientation over thousands of kilometres. a light-dependent radical-pair mechanism associated with the visual system is currently discussed as the underlying mechanism of the magnetic compass sense. the blue light receptor cryptochrome 4 (cry4) is considered as the most likely primary sensory protein that detects the geomagnetic field. since the protein interaction partners of cry4 are completely unknown at present, here, we aim ...	2020	32355203
a quasi-experimental approach using telemetry to assess migration-strategy-specific differences in the decision-making processes at stopover.	migrant birds travel between their breeding areas and wintering grounds by alternating energetically and physiologically demanding flights with periods of rest and fuelling, so-called stopovers. an important intrinsic factor influencing the decision to resume migration is the amount of energy stores available for the next flight. correlative studies with free-flying birds and experimental studies with caged birds have shown that the amount of energy stores affects the day-to-day, within-day and ...	2020	32641125
a novel isoform of cryptochrome 4 (cry4b) is expressed in the retina of a night-migratory songbird.	the primary sensory molecule underlying light-dependent magnetic compass orientation in migratory birds has still not been identified. the cryptochromes are the only known class of vertebrate proteins which could mediate this mechanism in the avian retina. cryptochrome 4 of the night-migratory songbird the european robin (erithacus rubecula; ercry4) has several of the properties needed to be the primary magnetoreceptor in the avian eye. here, we report on the identification of a novel isoform of ...	2020	32978454
temperature change is an important departure cue in nocturnal migrants: controlled experiments with wild-caught birds in a proof-of-concept study.	the decision-making process of migrating birds at stopover sites is a complex interplay of the innate migration program and both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. while it is well studied how variation in precipitation, wind and air pressure influence this process, there is less evidence of the effects of temperature changes on the departure decision. thus, we lack knowledge on how the predicted changes due to global climate change in temperature alone may affect the decision-making process durin ...	2020	33023413
meteorological factors affecting refueling of european robin (erithacus rubecula) during migrations.	weather ultimately affects avian migration. the significance of meteorological variables is relatively well known for flights of migrants and for departure/landing decisions at stopover sites. success of migration greatly depends on storage of fat and body mass gain at stopovers; however, the influence of weather on refueling at stopovers is surprisingly poorly studied. we tested the hypothesis that body mass change of european robins during their migratory stopovers is affected by meteorologica ...	2020	33068144
three babesia species in ixodes ricinus ticks from migratory birds in sweden.	migratory birds can cross geographical and environmental barriers and are thereby able to facilitate transmission of tick-borne pathogens both as carriers of infected ticks and as reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms. ixodes ricinus is one of the most abundant tick species in the northern hemisphere and a main vector of several babesia species, some which pose a potential threat to human and animal health. at present only two cases of overt babesiosis in humans have so far been reported in sw ...	2021	33794970