| regurgitated pellets of merops apiaster as fomites of infective nosema ceranae (microsporidia) spores. | the importance of transmission factor identification is of great epidemiological significance. the bee-eater (merops apiaster) is a widely distributed insectivorous bird, locally abundant mainly in arid and semi-arid areas of southern europe, northern africa and western asia but recently has been seen breeding in central europe and great britain. bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets. on the other hand, nosema ceranae is a microsporidia recently described as a ... | 2008 | 18218034 |
| the bird species of kumasir lake (kahramanmaras-turkey) and a view of environmental ethics on sustainable wetland management. | kumasir lake is located next to towns of donuklu and fatih, nine km west of kahramanmaras city center the region of east mediterranean, turkey this lake is of crucial importance from the point of native and immigrant birds. we located 17 birdspecies in this area during our observations carried out in the spring and autumn of 2005-2006. these were ciconia ciconia l., anas platyrhynchos l., accipiter nisus l., accipiter brevipes l., fulica atra l., columba palumbus l., merops apiaster l., upupa ep ... | 2008 | 18972701 |
| evaluation of large-scale dissemination of nosema ceranae spores by european bee-eaters merops apiaster. | identification of transmission routes and of factors affecting the spatial positions of pathogens, hosts and vectors is basic to an adequate disease management. nosema ceranae is a microsporidian recently described as a parasite of apis mellifera honeybees and is currently considered the aetiological agent of an emergent illness named nosemosis type c. in this article we evaluate the role of a bird species, the european bee-eater, merops apiaster, as a large-scale dispersive agent of n. ceranae. ... | 2011 | 23761230 |
| first records of the chewing lice (phthiraptera) associated with european bee eater (merops apiaster) in saudi. | the european bee-eater (merops apiaster) migrates through saudi arabia annually. a total of 25 individuals of this species were captured from three localities in riyadh and ta'if. three species of chewing lice were identified from these birds and newly added to list of saudi arabia parasitic lice fauna from 160 lice individuals, meromenopon meropis of suborder amblycera, brueelia apiastri and meropoecus meropis of suborder ischnocera. the characteristic feature, identification keys, data on the ... | 2012 | 23469628 |
| new data on the species metacheyletia degenerata fain and bochkov (acariformes: cheyletidae) | metacheyletia degenerata fain and bochkov, 2003 (acariformes: cheyletidae) is recorded for the first time from the quills of the european bee-eater merops apiaster l., 1758 (coraciformes: meropidae). it is also the first record of metacheyletia found on coraciiform birds. moreover, the following localities: macedonia, italy, azerbaijan, russia and tanzania, are new for m. degenerata. | 2016 | 28170209 |
| management-related traffic as a stressor eliciting parental care in a roadside-nesting bird: the european bee-eater merops apiaster. | traffic is often acknowledged as a threat to biodiversity, but its effects have been mostly studied on roads subjected to high traffic intensity. the impact of lower traffic intensity such as those affecting protected areas is generally neglected, but conservation-oriented activities entailing motorized traffic could paradoxically transform suitable habitats into ecological traps. here we questioned whether roadside-nesting bee-eaters merops apiaster perceived low traffic intensity as a stressor ... | 2016 | 27706229 |
| molecular characterisation of three avian haemoproteids (haemosporida, haemoproteidae), with the description of haemoproteus (parahaemoproteus) palloris n. sp. | dna barcoding (molecular characterisation) is a useful tool for describing the taxonomy and systematics of organisms. over 250 species of avian haemosporidian parasites have been described using morphological characters, yet molecular techniques based on polymerase chain reaction (pcr) suggest this diversity is underestimated. moreover, molecular techniques are particularly useful for the detection of chronic infections and tissue stages of these parasites. species delimitation is problematic am ... | 2016 | 27220998 |
| population genetic structure and long-distance dispersal of a recently expanding migratory bird. | long-distance dispersal events and their derivable increases of genetic diversity have been highlighted as important ecological and evolutionary determinants that improve performances of range-expanding species. in the context of global environmental change, specific dispersal strategies have to be understood and foreseen if we like to prevent general biodiversity impoverishment or the spread of allochthonous diseases. we explored the genetic structure and potential population mixing on the rece ... | 2016 | 26994943 |
| determinants of between-year burrow re-occupation in a colony of the european bee-eater merops apiaster. | re-occupation of existing nesting burrows in the european bee-eater merops apiaster has only rarely - and if so mostly anecdotically - been documented in the literature record, although such behavior would substantially save time and energy. in this study, we quantify burrow re-occupation in a german colony over a period of eleven years and identify ecological variables determining reuse probability. of 179 recorded broods, 54% took place in a reused burrow and the overall probability that one o ... | 2015 | 26355473 |
| all you can eat: is food supply unlimited in a colonially breeding bird? | food availability is generally considered to determine breeding site selection and therefore plays an important role in hypotheses explaining the evolution of colony formation. hypotheses trying to explain why birds join a colony usually assume that food is not limited, whereas those explaining variation in colony size suggest that food is under constraint. in this study, we investigate the composition and amount of food items not eaten by the nestlings and found in nest burrows of colonially ne ... | 2015 | 25691970 |
| sex dependent risk management in face of perceived danger of socially foraging bee-eaters (merops apiaster) during migration. | the proximal reasons and ultimal consequences of decisions made during foraging by breeding individuals are widely studied in numerous avian systems. however, the effects of these decisions are more pronounced in migratory birds because they spend more time and energy foraging than on the actual journey itself. the peak flowering and pollination period of crops in southern israel, when large numbers of hives are transported to the region, coincide with the peak migration of bee-eaters. we hypoth ... | 2013 | 24120356 |
| cytochrome c oxidase subunit i barcoding of the green bee-eater (merops orientalis). | dna barcoding using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i (coi) is regarded as a standard method for species identification. recent reports have also shown extended applications of coi gene analysis in phylogeny and molecular diversity studies. the bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family meropidae. there are 26 species worldwide; five of them are found in saudi arabia. until now, genbank included a coi barcode for only one species of bee-eater, the european bee-eater ... | 2011 | 22033901 |
| experimental evidence for costs due to chewing lice in the european bee-eater (merops apiaster). | animals frequently host organisms on their surface which can be beneficial, have no effect or a negative effect on their host. ectoparasites, by definition, are those which incur costs to their host, but these costs may vary. examples of avian ectoparasites are chewing lice which feed exclusively on dead feather or skin material; therefore, costs to their bird hosts are generally considered small. theoretically, many possible proximate effects exist, like loss of tissue or food, infected bites, ... | 2012 | 22008242 |
| migration by soaring or flapping: numerical atmospheric simulations reveal that turbulence kinetic energy dictates bee-eater flight mode. | aerial migrants commonly face atmospheric dynamics that may affect their movement and behaviour. specifically, bird flight mode has been suggested to depend on convective updraught availability and tailwind assistance. however, this has not been tested thus far since both bird tracks and meteorological conditions are difficult to measure in detail throughout extended migratory flyways. here, we applied, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive numerical atmospheric simulations by mean of the re ... | 2011 | 21471116 |
| flight modes in migrating european bee-eaters: heart rate may indicate low metabolic rate during soaring and gliding. | many avian species soar and glide over land. evidence from large birds (m(b)>0.9 kg) suggests that soaring-gliding is considerably cheaper in terms of energy than flapping flight, and costs about two to three times the basal metabolic rate (bmr). yet, soaring-gliding is considered unfavorable for small birds because migration speed in small birds during soaring-gliding is believed to be lower than that of flapping flight. nevertheless, several small bird species routinely soar and glide. | 2010 | 21085655 |
| european bee-eater (merops apiaster) populations under arsenic and metal stress: evaluation of exposure at a mining site. | two populations of the european bee-eater were studied, one living at a reference site and the other at a metal mining site. the concentration of arsenic and 11 metals (al, cd, co, cr, cu, fe, hg, mn, ni, pb, and zn) was measured in feathers and regurgitated pellets collected at both sites. cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, and lead were at least twofold higher in feathers of birds from the contaminated site than in the reference site, suggesting that this population was exposed to higher meta ... | 2010 | 19184479 |
| synchronization of host-parasite cycles by means of diapause: host influence and parasite response to involuntary host shifting. | many parasites require synchronization of their infective phases with the appearance of susceptible host individuals and, for many species, diapause is one of the mechanisms contributing to such coincidence. a variety of ecological factors, like changes in host temperature produced by involuntary host shifting (substitution of the usual host by an infrequent one), can modify host-parasite synchronization of diapausing ectoparasites of endothermic species. to understand the influence of host shif ... | 2008 | 18752706 |
| determinants of population biology of the chewing louse brueelia apiastri (mallophaga, philopteridae) on the european bee-eater (merops apiaster). | in this study we examine the population biology of brueelia apiastri, a chewing louse living on the european bee-eater (merops apiaster). we investigate the relationships between parasite intensity of infestation, sex ratio, reproductive output, parasite size and their environment i.e. the morphology, condition, age and sex of the host. chewing lice were collected, their sex and age (developmental stage) identified and parasite body size determined as a measure of parasite condition (larger indi ... | 2007 | 17078905 |
| size versus health as a cue for host choice: a test of the tasty chick hypothesis. | knowledge about how parasites choose their hosts is scarce and incomplete. recent work has primarily focused on host health (i.e. immunocompetence) whereas ecological factors have been largely neglected. here we investigate whether the immunocompetence, the nutritional condition or body size of nestling european bee-eaters merops apiaster are used as parameters for habitat choice of the haematophagous fly carnus hemapterus. we found that (i) flies consistently and nonrandomly preferred larger ne ... | 2004 | 15267112 |
| interspecific parasite exchange in a mixed colony of birds. | studies of avian host-parasite interactions rarely include consequences of relationships among hosts for either the host or parasite species. in this study, we examine the ectoparasitic burden of adult and nestling european bee-eaters (merops apiaster) and rock sparrows (petronia petronia) in a mixed colony. we found that (1) each bird species had its own species of lice; (2) hematophagous mites parasitized both adults and nestlings of both bird species; (3) carnus hemapterus, a common parasite ... | 2003 | 12760636 |
| laryngeal edema due to european bee-eater (merops apiaster) in a patient allergic to honeybee. | | 2003 | 12752337 |
| horizontal and vertical ectoparasite transmission of three species of malophaga, and individual variation in european bee-eaters (merops apiaster). | dispersal of avian ectoparasites can occur through either vertical transmission from adult birds to their offspring in the nest or through horizontal transmission between adult birds or through phoresy. in this study, we investigated the importance of the 2 main transmission modes in the colonial european bee-eater and examined whether individual differences in ectoparasite intensity exist in relation to age, sex, and morphological features of the birds. the intensity of 3 chewing lice species w ... | 2001 | 11318553 |
| nest ventilation explains gas composition in the nest-chamber of the european bee-eater. | the european bee-eater merops apiaster builds a nest in soil banks comprising a horizontal corridor (159 cm) leading to a 3.4 l nest chamber. an adult and six eggs and/or nestlings occupy this nest for 60 d. incubation and development are asynchronous. in order to evaluate the gas exchange pattern of the occupied nest, we measured the o2 diffusive conductance of the nest with the ambient environment (gno2), its internal o2 and co2 pressures (pno2 and pnco2), temperature (tn) and observed the seq ... | 1992 | 1604062 |
| chick growth and prey quality in the european bee-eater (merops apiaster). | 1. in each of four replicate experiments we fed three groups of bee-eater chicks for 24 h on different diets: bees, dragonflies, and a mixture of the two. 2. dry weight assimilation efficiency did not differ between treatments and was in the region of 40-50%. caloric assimilation efficiency was about 60% and did not differ significantly between diets. 3. mean growth efficiency (wt. gain/intake) was highest in all four replicates in chicks fed on the mixed diet. 4. when metabolic requirements are ... | 1984 | 28311452 |
| castosyringophilus meropis sp. n. (acariformes: syringophilidae) - a new quill mite species parasitising the world population of merops apiaster linnaeus (coraciiformes: meropidae). | a new species, castosyringophilus meropis sp. n., found in quills of feathers of the european bee-eater merops apiaster linnaeus (coraciiformes: meropidae) is described. this new species is close to c. claravis skoracki et glowska, 2008 and differs, in females, by the presence apunctate coxal fields (vs sparsely punctate in c. claravis) and by the lengths of setae d1 145-180 µm, f2 170-185 µm and ag3 190-215 µm (vs d1 200-220 µm, f2 230-250 µm and ag3 150-170 µm). we present a vast mite material ... | 2017 | 28783028 |
| isolated populations of ixodes lividus ticks in the czech republic and belgium host genetically homogeneous rickettsia vini. | in the last two decades, the advent of molecular methods has revealed a remarkable diversity of rickettsiae (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae) in invertebrates. several species of these obligate intracellular bacteria are known to cause human infections, hence more attention has been directed towards human-biting ectoparasites. a spotted fever group rickettsia sp. was previously detected in ixodes lividus ticks (ixodidae) associated with sand martins (hirundinidae: riparia riparia). in order to ide ... | 2018 | 29373306 |
| population- and age-specific patterns of haemosporidian assemblages and infection levels in european bee-eaters (merops apiaster). | amongst other factors, host behaviour critically determines the patterns with which blood parasites occur in wild host populations. in particular, migratory hosts that sequentially occupy distant sites within and across years are expected to show distinct patterns of blood parasitism depending on their population-specific schedules and whereabouts. here, we monitored haemosporidian parasitism in two populations of european bee-eaters (merops apiaster), breeding in portugal and germany, with fund ... | 2020 | 32866492 |
| spatiotemporal group dynamics in a long-distance migratory bird. | thousands of species migrate [1]. though we have some understanding of where and when they travel, we still have very little insight into who migrates with whom and for how long. group formation is pivotal in allowing individuals to interact, transfer information, and adapt to changing conditions [2]. yet it is remarkably difficult to infer group membership in migrating animals without being able to directly observe them. here, we use novel lightweight atmospheric pressure loggers to monitor gro ... | 2018 | 30146151 |