Publications

historical diversification of migration patterns in a passerine bird.	migratory strategies of birds require complex orientation mechanisms, morphological adaptations, and life-history adjustments. from an evolutionary perspective, it is important to know how fast this complex combination of traits can evolve. we analyzed mitochondrial control-region dna sequences in 241 blackcaps (sylvia atricapilla) from 12 populations with different migratory behaviors. the sample included sedentary populations in europe and atlantic archipelagos and migratory populations with d ...	2004	15446433
cutaneous trematode collyriclum faba in wild birds in the central european carpathians.	the occurrence of cutaneous trematode collyriclum faba in wild birds was monitored in the central european carpathians from 1996 to 2001. a total of 5,414 birds, representing 86 species, was examined. collyriclum faba was found at 7 sites (5 in slovakia, 1 in poland, and 1 in the czech republic), and prevalences at the sites varied from 1 to 16%. ten species of passerine birds were infected: blackcap (sylvia atricapilla) (16 positive/622 tested, 2% prevalence), black redstart (phoenicurus ochrur ...	2003	12760670
heritability of the timing of autumn migration in a natural bird population.	in recent decades, global temperature has increased at an unprecedented rate. this has been causing rapid environmental shifts that have altered the selective regimes determining the annual organization of birds. in order to assess the potential for adaptive evolution in the timing of autumn migration, we estimated heritabilities of the onset of migratory activity in a southern german blackcap (sylvia atricapilla) population. heritabilities (h2=0.34-0.45) and coefficients of additive genetic var ...	2001	11370969
postexercise ketosis in night-migrating passerine birds.	this study investigated the postexercise metabolism of six species of free-living, night-migrating passerine birds (european robin, pied flycatcher, wheatear, redstart, blackcap, and garden warbler). the birds were caught during autumn migration out of their nocturnal flight, and their metabolism changed from a fasting, highly active state to a fasting, resting state. concentrations of six plasma metabolites of the fat, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism were measured during up to 10 h of reco ...	2001	11226017
migrating songbirds tested in computer-controlled emlen funnels use stellar cues for a time-independent compass.	this paper investigates how young pied flycatchers, ficedula hypoleuca, and blackcaps, sylvia atricapilla, interpret and use celestial cues. in order to record these data, we developed a computer-controlled version of the emlen funnel, which enabled us to make detailed temporal analyses. first, we showed that the birds use a star compass. then, we tested the birds under a stationary planetarium sky, which simulated the star pattern of the local sky at 02:35 h for 11 consecutive hours of the nigh ...	2001	11807103
photoperiodic response to early hatching in a migratory bird species.	a considerable number of bird species of the northern hemisphere have been breeding earlier over the last few decades, most probably in response to global warming. in migratory birds, there is also a trend towards later departure from the breeding grounds in autumn. yet it is not known whether this trend in the timing of migration reflects an evolutionary process or is just an immediate phenotypic response to global environmental change. we conducted an experiment with migratory blackcaps (sylvi ...	2001	28547466
frequency of migrants and migratory activity are genetically correlated in a bird population: evolutionary implications.	most migratory bird populations are composed of individuals that migrate and individuals that remain resident. while the role of ecological factors in maintaining this behavioral dimorphism has received much attention, the importance of genetic constraints on the evolution of avian migration has not yet been considered. drawing on the recorded migratory activities of 775 blackcaps (sylvia atricapilla) from a partially migratory population in southern france, we tested two alternative genetic mod ...	1996	8962107
genetic basis, mode of inheritance and evolutionary changes of migratory directions in palaearctic warblers (aves: sylviidae)	the genetic basis, mode of inheritance and recent evolutionary changes of migratory directions in birds are discussed on the basis of published and new experimental evidence. displacement experiments with wild-caught migrants and orientation tests with hand-reared passerines illustrate that inexperienced young birds possess genetic information about the direction and approximate distance of migration, but not about the geographic location of the winter quarters. hand-raised blackcaps sylvia atri ...	1996	9317319
borreliae in immature ixodes ricinus (acari:ixodidae) ticks parasitizing birds in the czech republic.	of 411 forest birds of 33 species examined near valtice, czech republic, 29% were infested with ixodes ricinus (l.); 2.2% were parasitized by haemaphysalis concinna koch. borreliae were detected in 5.1 and 11.7% of larval and nymphal i. ricinus, respectively. none of the 13 h. concinna tested was infected. in total, 3.2% of the birds examined were parasitized by i. ricinus immatures infected by borreliae. borreliae-containing ticks parasitized european robin, erithacus rubecula (l.); eurasian bl ...	1996	8840682
isospora ashmoonensis sp. nov. from blackcap warbler, sylvia atricapilla in egypt.	microscopic examination of faecal samples collected from naturally infected blackcap warbler, sylvia atricapilla revealed the presence of a new isospora species; i. ashmoonensis. oocysts were subspherical to oval, measuring 24.0 (21.0-25.0) microns in length and 20.0 (19.0-20.5) microns in width. a micropyle and an oocyst residuum were absent whereas one polar granule was seen. ellipsoidal sporocysts contained a stieda body and measured 17.0 (16.0-18.5) x 9.2 (9.0-10.0) microns. sporulation took ...	1995	8586869
population differentiation of migratory directions in birds: comparison between ringing results and orientation behaviour of hand-raised migrants.	blackcaps (sylvia atricapilla) from five areas in central europe were hand-raised. their autumn migratory orientation was tested in funnel-shaped cages. their directional choices were compared to recoveries of conspecifics ringed during the breeding season in the same areas, which are situated on a transect across a migratory divide between southeastward and southwestward migrating populations. results from ringing and orientation tests were in good agreement with respect to mean direction and d ...	1992	28313567
ecophysiological aspects of rapid population growth in a novel migratory blackcap (sylvia atricapilla) population: an experimental approach.	blackcaps (sylvia atricapilla) that breed in central europe have usually migrated to mediterranean or african wintering grounds. in the past several decades, a portion of this breeding population has started migrating to the british isles to overwinter and this population has increased dramatically. several factors, including higher annual survivorship (due to supplemental feeding and reduced migratiry distance), assortative mating, and enhanced reproductive success may be involved in this rapid ...	1990	28312566
genetic basis of migratory behavior in european warblers.	the seasonal course and magnitude of migratory restlessness recorded in four populations of the blackcap sylvia atricapilla differ in a population-specific fashion that is related to the distance of travel. experimentally produced hybrids of an exclusively migratory european population and a partially migratory african population showed intermediate migratory restlessness and an intermediate percentage of birds displaying restlessness compared to the two parental stocks. these results demonstrat ...	1981	17747634
[a comparative study of diurnal patterns of activity and diurnal changes of body weight in caged and free-living warblers (sylvia)].	1. in sylvia atricapilla und s. borin the pattern of locomotor activity in caged birds and the temporal distribution of capture of free-living birds are concurrent, as are also the body-weight curves of the two groups. 2. this agreement leads to the conclusion that the diurnal distribution of captures accurately reflects the diurnal pattern of activity of the typical individual bird, and that the averaged curve of body weight represents the diel cycle of body weight of a typical individual. 3. o ...	1971	28313282