| an epizootic of avian pox in endemic short-toed larks (calandrella rufescens) and berthelot's pipits (anthus berthelotti) in the canary islands, spain. | between january 2002 and november 2003, 50% (n = 395) of short-toed larks (calandrella rufescens) and 28% (n = 139) of berthelot's pipits (anthus berthelotti) examined on the islands of fuerteventura and lanzarote, canary islands, had gross lesions compatible with avian pox. however, spanish sparrows (passer hispaniolensis, n = 128) and trumpeter finches (bucanetes githagineus, n = 228), which inhabit the same steppe habitats associated with goat husbandry, did not have poxlike lesions. histopat ... | 2005 | 15657273 |
| goats, birds, and emergent diseases: apparent and hidden effects of exotic species in an island environment. | exotic species can have devastating effects on recipient environments and even lead to the outbreak of emergent diseases. we present here several hidden effects that the introduction of goats has had on the lesser short-toed lark, calandrella rufescens, the commonest native bird inhabiting the island of fuerteventura (canary islands). vegetation structure varied with grazing pressure, and indeed, vegetation was all but eradicated from the locality with greatest goat densities, which was also whe ... | 2009 | 19544728 |
| distress calls may honestly signal bird quality to predators. | in predator-prey interactions, both interactors may benefit from sharing information about prey vulnerability. we examined the relationship between calls used to discourage close predators (distress calls) and the health condition of the caller to test whether these signals are reliable indicators of prey quality. the structure of calls from captured lesser short-toed larks calandrella rufescens was related to their body condition and t-cell-mediated immunocompetence. birds in better nutritional ... | 2004 | 15801619 |