Japanese Journal of Ornithology
Online ISSN : 1881-9710
Print ISSN : 0913-400X
ISSN-L : 0913-400X
Volume 62, Issue 2
Displaying 1-11 of 11 articles from this issue
ARTICLES
  • Keise TAKEDA
    2013 Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 135-142
    Published: 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: November 21, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The impact of wind turbines on natural environments is a current and developing issue. Effects (some small, some large) on birds have been reported world wide, yet no detailed reports have been published in Japan. I studied the effects of wind turbines on breeding birds at Aoyamakogen, Mie Prefecture, Japan, where Japan's largest wind farms is located. In this highland area 51 wind turbines have been installed. Using the territory mapping method on fine mornings during late-May and June 2007, I compared densities of territories and numbers of species of breeding birds between research plots within 200 m of wind turbines and control plots more than 850 m away from wind turbines. Both research and control plots were at the same altitude and supported the same vegetation. In research plots within broad-leaved forest, the density of territories was considerably lower (1.3 ± 0.69 territories/ha) than in control plots (5.4 ± 0.95 /ha). The density of species in research plots was also much lower (1.2 ± 0.45 /ha) than in control plots (3.1 ± 0.73 /ha). In research plots within Japanese Cypress Chamaecyparis obtusa forest, the densities of species and territories were also lower 75% than in control plots. When the number of species present before and after the construction of wind turbines was compared, species diversity was found to have fallen by 57% (from 21 species to nine species), in the Nunobikinomori reserve, indicating that wind turbines seriously disturb breeding birds.
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  • Naoki TOMITA, Noboru NAKAMURA, Yasuko IWAMI, Kiyoaki OZAKI
    2013 Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 143-152
    Published: 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: November 21, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A large number of Common Reed Buntings Emberiza schoeniclus with abnormal tail feathers were during autumn and winter 2011/2012 in Japan (767 of 5,541 individuals, 13.8%), these were largely juveniles (97.3%). The morphology of the abnormal tail feathers was classified into three categories: A) Holes (45.9%; some small holes were found in feathers, and barbs were lost); B) Maldevelopment (elongation or under-development, 14.5%; elongated feathers averaged 5.0±3.0 mm (±standard deviation) longer than conjugate normal feathers and underdeveloped feathers averaged 5.8±3.1 mm shorter); and C) Mixed (intermediate between the former two categories) (39.6%). Type A feathers were often found among the three pairs of tail feathers from the center outwards and type B feathers were very often found in the two pairs. Such abnormal tail feathers were also found in three other species of Emberiza: Meadow Bunting E. cioides (4 of 91 individuals, 4.4%), Rustic Bunting E. rustica (3 of 229 individuals, 1.3%), and Black-faced Bunting E. spodocephala (16 of 1,066 individuals, 1.5%).
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  • Koya NAKAMURA, Kotomi WATANABE, Kanako ISHIKAWA, Michio KUMAGAI, Yuich ...
    2013 Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 153-165
    Published: 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: November 21, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In Iso harbor, which is located in the north basin of Lake Biwa, 22 of 30 domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos var. domestica; a crossbreed between Mallard A. platyrhynchos and domestic duck) died during August and September 2007. The deaths were not the result of botulism because there were no signs of acute toxicity. Microcystin (MC)-RR and Microcystin-LR were detected in water samples from the harbor. Liver tissues from the dead duck contained 560 ng g-1 DW (178 ng g-1 FW) of MC-LR. MC-LR is a high toxic cyanotoxin produced by cyanobateria, and the duck liver tissue contents were high compared with previous studies. Therefore, we suggest the duck died from MC-LR levels having been exposed to toxic cyanobacteria. This is the first case in which cyanotoxin has been identified in dead waterfowl in Japan.
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SHORT NOTES
  • Katsui HIRAI, Hisashi YANAGAWA
    2013 Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 166-170
    Published: 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: November 21, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We investigated nest use patterns and nest site characteristics of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo on the Tokachi Plain, Hokkaido, Japan. Thirty-three nest sites were located during the study period (2007-2011). Buzzards commonly used old nests built by other raptor species. Japanese Larch Larix kaempferi was frequently used by buzzards as a nesting tree. Nest trees were located farther from the forest edge compared with non-nesting sites, but other aspects of forest structure did not differ between nesting and non-nesting sites. Our results suggest their weak nest site preferences enable buzzards to reuse other species’nests, and to shift their main nesting habitat from Emperor Oak Quercus dentata to Japanese Larch forests.
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