The clutch size,incubation behavior of Reeves’s Pheasant(Syrmaticus reevesii) and their responses to ambient temperature and precipitation  

作　　者：Ting Jin Shuai Lu Yunqi Wang Junqin Hua Zhengxiao Liu Qian Hu Yating Liu Yuze Zhao Jianqiang Li Jiliang Xu 

机构地区：[1]School of Ecology and Nature Conservation,Beijing Forestry University,Beijing,100083,China [2]State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources,Beijing Forestry University,Beijing,100083,China

出　　处：《Avian Research》2024年第1期72-80,共9页鸟类学研究（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 31872240)。

摘　　要：Weather conditions play a pivotal role in embryo development and parental incubation costs,potentially impacting the clutch size and incubation behavior of birds.Understanding these effects is crucial for bird conservation.Reeves’ s Pheasant(Syrmaticus reevesii) is a threatened species endemic to China,which is characterized by female-only incubation.However,there is a lack of information regarding the impact of weather conditions on clutch size and incubation behavior in this species.Using satellite tracking,we tracked 27 wild female Reeves’ s Pheasants from 2020 to 2023 in Hubei Province,China.We explored their clutch size and incubation behavior,as well as their responses to ambient temperature and precipitation.Clutch size averaged 7.75 ±1.36,had an association with average ambient temperature and average daily precipitation during the egglaying period,and was potentially linked to female breeding attempts.Throughout the incubation period,females took an average of 0.73 ±0.46 recesses every 24 h,with an average recess duration of 100.80 ±73.37 min and an average nest attendance of 92.98 ±5.27%.They showed a unimodal recess pattern in which nest departures peaked primarily between 13:00 and 16:00.Furthermore,females rarely left nests when daily precipitation was high.Recess duration and nest attendance were influenced by the interaction between daily mean ambient temperature and daily precipitation,as well as day of incubation.Additionally,there was a positive correlation between clutch size and recess duration.These results contribute valuable insights into the lifehistory features of this endangered species.

关 键 词：Ambient temperature Clutch size Incubation behavior PRECIPITATION Reeves’s Pheasant 

分 类 号：Q958[生物学—动物学]