1) An attempt was made to investigate the highland avifauna of Mt. Halcon (2, 580 m), the highest mountain on Mindoro Island and the third highest mountain in the Philippines. Two camps, one at 1, 950 m on Mt. Halcon and the other at 1, 500 m on Mt. Baco, were set up and collecting was done chiefly in the vicinities of the camps between September 6 and 18, 1985.
2) A total of 18 species were collected and 3 more species were noted at and above 1, 500 m. These species were given in the species accounts with taxonomic comments.
3) The avifauna on the Mindoro highlands is rather poor in species. Twenty-five resident species have been known, but such important groups as trogons, malkohas, kingfishers, woodpeckers, pittas, and cardueline finches seem to be lacking. This is at least partly attributed to the cold weather and rain and to the paucity of insect life.
4) The zoogeographic position of Mindoro Island is one of the marginal districts, with relationships both to Luzon and the Palawan group. However, the highland avifauna has a special relationship to that of northern Luzon. There is no close relationship between the highland avifaunas of Palawan and Mindoro.
5) Five endemic species on Mindoro are midmountainn forest birds (4 species) and a lowland forest bird (1 species). No endemic species are confined to the highlands; the highland birds have been differentiated at most at subspecific rank. This is due to the relatively poor degree of isolation of the highlands as habitat, but the presence of endemic species at lower elevations and the absence in the highlands is probably caused by different rate in extinction.

View full abstract

House Sparrows were collected in and around Jodhpur (26°10′N-73°08′E) from January to December, 1985. The contents of crop and gizzard were dissected, sorted out, identified and measured by dry weight method.
This revealed that during the winter period, cereals composed 80.9% of the food items (by dry weight). They fed chiefly on wheat, followed by barley, vegetables and insects during summer. During monsoon, the main diet was composed of insects and cereals. Bajra was the highest proportion, followed by the legumes during the post monsoon season.
A comparison of seasonal variations in the feeding habits of two populations of House Sparrow inhabiting Ludhiana, Punjab and Jodhpur, Rajasthan desert was made and discussed.

View full abstract

We made skeletal specimens of 430 birds (all adults) belonging to 162 species and subspecies in 19 orders and 44 families, and their quadrate bones were examined with special emphasis on shape, mode of articulation with adjacent bones, and position and number of the foramen pneumatica.
1) Within orders and families the characteristic shape of the quadrate bone showed little variation on the whole, although within-order variation was found in some cases and marked within-family variation was noted in the Alcedinidae.
2) The mode of articulation of the quadrate with the adjacent bones, when compared within orders, showed almost no variation.
3) A relationship was observed among conditions of the four articulations joining the quadrate bone with the adjacent bones, i.e. when one articulation showed a strong condition of articulation, the other three articulations also showed a strong condition of articulation. When one articulation was weak, there was a tendency for the other articulations also to be weak.
4) When the morphological features of the quadrate bone were examined, the least variation was found in the position and number of the foramen pneumaticum.
5) The shape of the quadrate bone was closely related to the adaptive function of the beak as classified on the basis of life-form of birds, e.g. similarities in quadrate sape were noted between Sula leucogaster and Alcedo atthis and between Strigiformes and Falconiformes.

View full abstract

1) The winter habitat and behavior of the Hazel Grouse Tetrastes bonasia were studied at the Kyoto University Experimental Forest at Shibecha, Kushiro District, eastern Hokkaido, and in captivity between a period from February until May 1984.
2) The study area (ca. 27 ha) consisted chiefly of larch plantations. The Hazel Grouse preferred areas with birches, in winter.
3) A pursuit of a pair revealed that they ate mainly the buds of Betula platyphylla and Alnus japonica in trees in the morning and evening, but foraged on vegetable matter (e.g. the buds of Acer mono and Salix integra) on the ground or on the snow during the daytime. At night they went to roost in snow holes.
4) Observations of the winter behavior of males and females in captivity suggest that pairs are formed during February and March.
5) Three home ranges were found in the study area in late February and early March. Home range A was occupied by a pair and had a size of ca. 11.5 ha. Home range B (ca. 1.3 ha) and C (ca. 2.5 ha) were occupied by a male and a female, respectively. These home ranges decreased the size to ca. 7.8 ha (home range A) or increased to ca. 5.3 ha (home range B) on late March due probably to the establishment of territories, while the female of home range C disappeared from the study area.
6) The circadian rhythm of birds in captivity was similar to that observed in the wild state.

View full abstract

1) Two nestling Dryocopus martius assumed to be 1 or 2 week old were found in a broken nest at Monomanai, Otoineppu, Hokkaido on 13 June 1984. The growth and behavior of the nestlings was observed in captivity for 40 days.
2) During the course of study larvae, chrysalises and imagos of the ant Formica truncorum and beef were given as food.
3) Body weight increased from 140 and 150 g on the 1st day to 260 and 280 g by the 40th day, although there were no increase and some periods of decrease between the 13th and the 22nd day.
4) Wing length increased from 110 and 116 mm on the 1st day to 225 and 235 mm by the 40th day. There was no measureable increase in wing length after the 32nd day.
5) On the 1st day feathers covered only the head, neck and dorsal area, but wing and tail feathers began to appear on the 10th day. On the 10th day feathers covered the area beneath the wing. The hind head protuded and the red-spotted part formed as an isosceles triangle between the 10th and the 13th day.
6) The two nestlings clung to the wall of their box on the 10th and 11th days, flapped their wings on the 12th day, rushed from the rearing box on the 18th day, and drank water and bathed themselves on the 35th and 37th days. They begged for food when the light was put out. Their call changed on the 10th, 11th, 14th and 21st days.

View full abstract

A specimen of Lanius excubitor mollis in first winter plumage (sex unknown) was obtained at Yamamoto, Yao City, Osaka Pref., on 15 March 1961. It was captured in the rice field and preserved as mounted specimen. This subspecies has hitherto been known from only two rather dubious specimen records (Nikko in Tochigi Pref.and Kyushu)in Japan and considered to be a rare straggler.

View full abstract

Since the middle of 1970's the Indian Pratincole Glareola maldivarum has been observed breeding at several places in western Japan. Recently the bird seems to be expanding its breeding area farther north in Japan. We obtained the following breeding data at Utsunomiya (30°32′N, 139°59′E, alt. 100 m), Tochigi Pref., central Honshu. The area is 60 km away from the seacoast. An incubating pair was observed on a gravelly area of the Kinu River in June 1984. A pair and three chicks were observed in the same area on 12 June 1986.

View full abstract