Publications

cytotaxonomy of the ciconiiformes (aves), with karyotypes of eight species new to cytology.	somatic karyotypes of 13 species of ciconiiform birds, phoenicopterus ruber chilensis, phoeniconaias minor, cochlearius cochlearius, geronticus eremita, threskiornis molucca, t. spinicollis, balaeniceps rex, ciconia ciconia, c. nigra, euxenura maguari, xenorhynchus asiaticus, ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, and leptoptilos crumeniferus are presented. the chromosomes of eight of these species are described in detail for the first time. of special interest are a case of structural heterozygosity in ...	1982	7151490
[mycobacteriosis in the hermit ibis (geronticus eremita)].	the present paper reports on a case of mycobacteriosis in a colony of hermit-ibises, in which a so far unknown serovar of mycobacterium avium-intracellulare has been isolated. the serologic findings in the birds disagree with those of the isolate, a fact that has been mentioned in the literature several times. the hematological and clinical-chemical parameters can hardly be interpreted without knowledge of normal values. however, the high numbers of eosinophiles in the differential smears are st ...	1991	2025217
application of human minisatellite probes to the development of informative dna fingerprints and the isolation of locus-specific markers in animals.	in this study, the alpha-globin 3' hvr (jarman et al., 1986), the rna transcripts of 33.15 and 33.6 (carter et al., 1989), and the human locus-specific minisatellites ms1, ms8, ms31, ms32 (wong et al., 1987), ms51, ms228a (armour et al., 1989) and g3 (wong et al., 1986) were applied to domestic pigs, common marmoset monkeys (callithrix jacchus jacchus) and waldrapp ibises (geronticus eremita) and evaluated for their suitability firstly for isolating polymorphic vntr markers from genomic librarie ...	1993	8400710
dna variability and parentage testing in captive waldrapp ibises.	the waldrapp ibis (geronticus eremita) is one of the most endangered birds in the wild. the only real hope for its survival seems to rest with captive propagation, which has fortunately proved straightforward. preservation of genetic diversity for maintaining viable populations is a major goal in any species conservation programme. therefore sensitive tools have to be developed for the detection and regular monitoring of population variability. individual identity has to be verified and each ind ...	1994	7921356
comparison of hematologic and biochemical reference ranges between captive populations of northern bald ibises (geronticus eremita).	hematologic and biochemical reference ranges for two captive populations of northern bald ibises (geronticus eremita) were compared. the first consisted of 11 birds at an in-situ breeding colony in bireçik, southern turkey. the second consisted of 27 birds housed at the durrell wildlife conservation trust in jersey, british channel isles (uk). blood samples were collected in february 1992 by basilic venipuncture under manual restraint. bireçik birds had higher packed cell volumes and red blood c ...	2002	12238376
response of the haematocrit to body condition changes in northern bald ibis geronticus eremita.	we study the usefulness of the haematocrit as a predictor of body condition in birds, using a captive population of the endangered species northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita). this population is 14% of the worldwide captive population, which is far greater than the known free-living population. the haematocrit, body mass and body condition index responded in the same sense to two different nutritional periods, and there was a statistically significant relationship between changes in conditio ...	2004	15471679
hormonal and behavioural symmetries between the sexes in the northern bald ibis.	seasonal patterns of fecal androgen and corticosteroid levels were measured in a semi-tame colony of northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita) and put in perspective with socio-sexual patterns. northern bald ibis are monomorphic, monogamous, year-round social colonial breeders. steroids levels were assessed from the pre-mating until the end of the mating season in the sexes, age groups, and social categories. male immunoreactive androgen concentrations, determined by enzyme immuno-assay from feces ...	2006	16457825
northern bald ibises follow others' gaze into distant space but not behind barriers.	gaze following is the ability to use the visual orientation of others as a trigger to look in the same direction. thereby, animals may either align their head and eye orientation with others (gaze following into distant space) or may even reposition themselves to look behind barriers impairing their perception (geometrical gaze following). it has been proposed that these two different modes are functionally and cognitively distinct, but experimental evidence for this claim is lacking. we here, t ...	2010	19656858
biodiversity and land degradation in the lower euphrates subregion of turkey.	atotal of 107 plant taxa were determined in this study, 24 being new records for the area. out of 813 plant taxa reported from the study area 100 species couldn't be verified. the number of endemics in the study area is around 46. the majorfamilies and genera are asteraceae, fabaceae, and poaceae and astragalus, euphorbia, allium and trigonella. the area shows a relatively rich and highly diverse fauna. for terrestrial vertebrate species peculiarly showing marginal distribution, this area forms ...	2012	23424834
increasing breeding behaviors in a captive colony of northern bald ibis through conspecific acoustic enrichment.	the goal of this study was to increase reproductive behaviors in a captive colony of northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita) at the bronx zoo. the northern bald ibis is classified as critically endangered by the iucn, with only about 100 known breeding pairs in the wild. our analysis of zoo breeding and colony size data confirmed earlier observations that small captive colonies of this species do not breed as well as larger colonies, possibly because of insufficient social cues. using principles ...	2013	21812021
salmonella, campylobacter, and chlamydophila in bald ibis (geronticus eremita) feces in turkey.	the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of campylobacter spp., salmonella spp., and chlamydophila psittaci in fecal samples of bald ibises (geronticus eremita) housed in a conservation facility in turkey. a total of 82 fecal samples were collected from cages and evaluated by bacteriologic methods and a polymerase chain reaction (pcr) technique for campylobacter spp. and salmonella spp. and by pcr for c. psittaci. campylobacter spp. were isolated from 24 of 82 fecal samples (29.2%). ...	2013	23505699
fatal hepatic tetratrichomoniasis in a juvenile waldrapp ibis (geronticus eremita).	waldrapp ibis (geronticus eremita) are a critically endangered species, and there are currently more birds in captivity than in the wild. a juvenile, male waldrapp ibis housed in a mixed-species exhibit was found dead with no premonitory signs. necropsy revealed extensive necrotizing hepatitis associated with numerous pleomorphic protozoa that were immunohistochemically reactive with antibodies raised against tritrichomonas foetus, a parasite of cattle. electron microscopy confirmed the organism ...	2013	23404476
upwash exploitation and downwash avoidance by flap phasing in ibis formation flight.	many species travel in highly organized groups. the most quoted function of these configurations is to reduce energy expenditure and enhance locomotor performance of individuals in the assemblage. the distinctive v formation of bird flocks has long intrigued researchers and continues to attract both scientific and popular attention. the well-held belief is that such aggregations give an energetic benefit for those birds that are flying behind and to one side of another bird through using the reg ...	2014	24429637
mate recognition and expression of affective state in croop calls of northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita).	northern bald ibis are socially monogamous and year-round colonial birds with a moderate repertoire of calls. their 'croop', for example, is used during greeting of mates, but also during agonistic encounters, and provides an ideal case to study whether calls are revealing with respect to motivational states. we recorded croop calls in a semi-tame and free-roaming flock of northern bald ibis in austria, and analysed the vocal structure to identify parameters (e.g. call duration, fundamental freq ...	2014	24505455
ambient temperature and air pressure modulate hormones and behaviour in greylag geese (anser anser) and northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita).	ambient temperature and air pressure are relevant stimuli that can elicit hormonal responses in alignment with adjusting individuals' physiology and behaviour. this study investigated possible changes in corticosterone (c) and testosterone (t) and contingencies with behaviour in response to ambient temperature and air pressure, and it evaluated the temporal response dynamics of these hormones in 12 individual greylag geese (anser anser) over 26 and 12 individual northern bald ibis (geronticus er ...	2014	25196540
energy expenditure and metabolic changes of free-flying migrating northern bald ibis.	many migrating birds undertake extraordinary long flights. how birds are able to perform such endurance flights of over 100-hour durations is still poorly understood. we examined energy expenditure and physiological changes in northern bald ibis geronticus eremite during natural flights using birds trained to follow an ultra-light aircraft. because these birds were tame, with foster parents, we were able to bleed them immediately prior to and after each flight. flight duration was experimentally ...	2015	26376193
matching times of leading and following suggest cooperation through direct reciprocity during v-formation flight in ibis.	one conspicuous feature of several larger bird species is their annual migration in v-shaped or echelon formation. when birds are flying in these formations, energy savings can be achieved by using the aerodynamic up-wash produced by the preceding bird. as the leading bird in a formation cannot profit from this up-wash, a social dilemma arises around the question of who is going to fly in front? to investigate how this dilemma is solved, we studied the flight behavior of a flock of juvenile nort ...	2015	25646487
isolation of microsatellite loci by next-generation sequencing of the critically endangered northern bald ibis, geronticus eremita.	the northern bald ibis is one of the rarest bird species, extinct in europe for 400 years and critically endangered worldwide. the european union-co-financed life+ project "reason for hope - reintroduction of the northern bald ibis in europe" aims to reintroduce the species in europe (germany, austria, italy). in order to obtain information on the genetic diversity within zoo colonies and the reintroduced population, 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers, specific for the northern bald ibis, ger ...	2016	26946287
migratory ability of gonadal germ cells (ggcs) isolated from ciconia boyciana and geronticus eremita embryos into the gonad of developing chicken embryos.	we conducted experiments to evaluate the ability of gonadal germ cells (ggcs), isolated from the embryonic gonads of ciconia boyciana or geronticus eremita, to migrate into the gonads of developing chicken embryos. fluorescently labeled ggcs, isolated by the pbs (-) method, were transferred into the dorsal aorta of 2-day-old chicken embryos. five days after transfer, fluorescent ggcs were detected in the gonads of recipient embryos. our results indicate that ggcs from ciconia boyciana and geront ...	2016	26922915
the effects of migratory flight on hematologic parameters in northern bald ibises ( geronticus eremita).	under the project of "human-led migration," the authors had the unique opportunity to accompany hand-raised northern bald iibises (nbis; geronticus eremita) during migration, which occurred in stages from bavaria, germany, to southern tuscany, italy. the aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of flight, with respect to flight duration, and the more delayed recovery effects on hematologic variables. a total of 31 birds were sampled. blood samples were taken immediately before ...	2017	29297805
relation between travel strategy and social organization of migrating birds with special consideration of formation flight in the northern bald ibis.	a considerable proportion of the world's bird species undertake seasonal long-distance migrations. these journeys are energetically demanding. two major behavioural means to reduce energy expenditure have been suggested: the use of thermal uplifts for a soaring-gliding migration style and travelling in echelon or v-shaped formation. both strategies have immediate consequences for the social organization of the birds as they either cause large aggregations or require travelling in small and stabl ...	2017	28673913
excretion patterns of coccidian oocysts and nematode eggs during the reproductive season in northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita).	individual reproductive success largely depends on the ability to optimize behaviour, immune function and the physiological stress response. we have investigated correlations between behaviour, faecal steroid metabolites, immune parameters, parasite excretion patterns and reproductive output in a critically endangered avian species, the northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita). in particular, we related haematocrit, heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, excreted immune-reactive corticosterone metabolites ...	2017	27570727
the bare head of the northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita) fulfills a thermoregulatory function.	dark pigments provide animals with several adaptive benefits such as protection against ultraviolet (uv) radiation and mechanical abrasion, but may also impose several constraints like a high absorbance of solar radiation. endotherms, with relatively constant and high body temperatures, may be especially prone to thermoregulatory limitations if dark coloured and inhabiting hot environments. it is therefore expected that adaptations have specifically evolved because of these limitations. bare, hi ...	2017	28265294
investigating individual and social behaviour of the northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita): behavioural variety and welfare.	the northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita) (nbi) is one of the most threatened birds in the world. intense conservation efforts have been undertaken and several research projects on the species are being done in morocco and in europe. observing animal behaviour has been proved to be an efficient and non-invasive technique to assess the animal welfare, with the performance of a wide array of natural behaviours being one of the mostly used indicators of good mental and physical well-being. the ai ...	2018	30202642
the cultivable autochthonous microbiota of the critically endangered northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita).	the critically endangered northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita) is a migratory bird that became extinct in europe centuries ago. since 2014, the northern bald ibis is subject to an intensive rehabilitation and conservation regime aiming to reintroduce the bird in its original distribution range in central europe and concurrently to maintain bird health and increase population size. hitherto, virtually nothing is known about the microbial communities associated with the ibis species; an informa ...	2018	29617453
correction: the cultivable autochthonous microbiota of the critically endangered northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita).	[this corrects the article doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195255.].	2018	29738546
seasonal differences of corticosterone metabolite concentrations and parasite burden in northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita): the role of affiliative interactions.	the reproductive season is energetically costly as revealed by elevated glucocorticoid concentrations, constrained immune functions and an increased risk of infections. social allies and affiliative interactions may buffer physiological stress responses and thereby alleviate associated effects. in the present study, we investigated the seasonal differences of immune reactive corticosterone metabolite concentrations, endoparasite burden (nematode eggs and coccidian oocysts) and affiliative intera ...	2018	29364951
classification of three corynebacterial strains isolated from the northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita): proposal of corynebacterium choanae sp. nov., corynebacterium pseudopelargi sp. nov., and corynebacterium gerontici sp. nov.	three gram-stain-positive, rod-to-coccoid-shaped, catalase-positive and non-motile bacterial strains isolated from the choanae of a northern bald ibis, designated strains 200cht, w8t and 812cht, respectively, were subjected to comprehensive taxonomic characterization. the three strains were oxidase-negative. the 16s rrna gene sequence of 200cht showed highest similarities to corynebacterium epidermidicanis 410t (96.7 %) followed by corynebacterium argentoratense dsm 44202t, corynebacterium ulcer ...	2019	31310200
primary pupils, science and a model bird species: evidence for the efficacy of extracurricular science education.	beyond subject matter learning, primary science teaching aims at encouraging positive attitudes toward, and lasting interest in, science. this study tested whether the learning and science commitment of 8- to 10-year old pupils was affected by extracurricular learning opportunities involving repeated interactions with free-living northern bald ibis (geronticus eremita; an endangered bird species) and professional researchers. to examine the project's efficacy, pupils' learning progress was monit ...	2019	31365595
monitoring public awareness about the endangered northern bald ibis: a case study involving primary school children as citizen scientists.	citizen science has evolved over the past decades by motivating members of the public to interact with scientists and actively participate in scientific research and monitoring. for this purpose, a proficient communication is mandatory in order to efficiently convey messages and reduce the gap of knowledge between scientists and lay people. in the present study, we aimed at evaluating the multiplying effect of children, who were trained to communicate their knowledge on an endangered bird specie ...	2019	31565559
increased genetic diversity of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) isolated from companion animals.	the aim of the present study was to investigate the diversity of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) that originated from austrian companion animals during the last five-year period. a total of 90 non-repetitive mrsa isolates were obtained during diagnostic activities from autumn 2013 to autumn 2018. they originated from horses (n = 62), cats (n = 13), dogs (n = 10), rabbits (n = 2), a domestic canary, a zoo-kept hammer-headed bat (hypsignathus monstrosus) and a semi-captive north ...	2019	31282369
diagnosis and treatment of heavy metal toxicosis in six waldrapp ibis (geronticus eremita).	six adult waldrapp ibis (geronticus eremita) were presented with heavy metal toxicosis secondary to paint chip ingestion after being placed in an indoor confinement enclosure because of a regional highly pathogenic avian influenza epornitic and government restrictions. four of the ibis developed clinical disease signs between 45 and 64 days of confinement, including weakness, lethargy, inability to fly, low body condition, and bilateral wing droop while 2 birds appeared to remain normal during t ...	2020	33355415