The locomotory morphology of 32 species of rain forest birds in Madagascar was examined by using body mass, tarsus and wing lengths. Relative tarsus length was found to be longer when relative wing length became shorter and there was a significant correlation between them. Among 14 arboreal passerines, aerial feeding species shows longer wing, whereas longer tarsi is found in near-perch feeding species. This ecomorphological variation might allow ecological segregation in the Madagascar forest bird community.

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Feeding preference of the Velvet Asity Philepitta castanea was examined in relation to fruiting phenology and a variety of fruit characteristics(nutritive and energy contents, colour, size, weight, seed load, handling time and seed passage time) in Ranomafana rain forest, southeastern Madagascar, during the dry season (August-October). In the period when total fruit supply exceeded birds' energy requirement, fruit preference was obvious and stable, that is, fruits of Oncostemon leprosum were preferred, those of all Psychotria spp. were taken at random without preference, andthose of Saldinia sp. were avoided. But we did not find a preference among fruits, as predicted in optimal foraging theory, when total fruit supply was in short. There was no direct correspondence between the asity preference and any fruit characteristics. Assuming that frugivorous birds have a fixed criterion of fruit characteristics for selection, the fruits of Saldinia sp. might be avoided because the criteria on nutrition and/or energy were not filled (suggested by lowest values in percent of the nutri-tion assimilated, energy/handling time, and energy/pulp weight). Forag-ing the large-sized fruits of Psychotria sp.8 with some favourable proper-ties was perhaps limited by gape size. The fruits of O. leprosum may have been preferred due to the higher pulp-to-seed ratio and the shorter seed passage time resulting in higher food processing rate than Psychotria spp.

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A single Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella was observed in Nukabira, Kamishihoro, central Hokkaido from January 26 to February 24, 1997. In addition to this record, there have been 10 records from Hokkaido. Of them 6 records obtained in November are considered to be migrating birds southward. Other records obtained between December and early March indicate that some birds winter in Hokkaido. Most birds were observed in western Hokkaido, especially in coastal areas of the Sea of Japan. In Nemuro, eastern Hokkaido, and Hamatonbetsu, northern Hokkaido, there has been no capture or observation records of the species in spite of intensive ringing and observations in these areas. These facts indicate that they migrate from their breeding ground in Russian Far East and Mongolia to Hokkaido and southward, and do not migrate through Sakhalin or Kuril Islands.

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The Long-billed Ringed Plover Charadrius placidus has considered to be a summer visitor in Hokkaido. However, one to ten Long-billed Ringed Plovers were observed in January and December in the middle reaches of Tokachi River. In addition to these records, some wintering records were obtained in Tokachi and Kushiro districts, eastern Hokkaido. These facts indicate that the Long-billed Ringed Plover is occur in small numbers during winter in eastern Hokkaido.

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[in Japanese]

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