Testosterone (T) is hypothesized to be an important honesty reinforcer of animal sexual signals. Owing to its immunosuppressive effects, only those individuals that can immunologically withstand high T levels can develop the most exaggerated traits. To date, few studies have isolated phenotypic or genotypic buffers that provide 'high-quality' animals with such an advantage. Dietary carotenoid p...

Ancient Egyptian art features many carefully observed depictions of wild animals and birds. A famous example is the late Eighteenth Dynasty (fourteenth-century BC) wall paintings Green Room in North Palace at Amarna, where naturalistic birds feature prominently. Their taxonomic identity, however, not resolved all cases. Here, authors revisit facsimiles produced 1920s by Nina de Garis Davies. Mi...

Swimming and diving capabilities of Jackass Penguin Spheniscus demersus were examined. Mean maximum speed over a 10 m course in a rock pool was 12.4 km h-' for breeders, 9.5 km h-' for juveniles and 4.6 km h-' for fledglings. Theoretically fledglings could not swim fast enough to catch adult Cape Anchovies Engraulis capensis, the normal prey of adults. Fledglings probably feed on fish larvae. M...

We report a survey of the number of persons handling laboratory animals in the UK in 1999-2000. This estimate has allowed us to calculate annual incidence rates of allergic asthma and rhinitis attributable to laboratory animals, insects, and birds using numerators derived from cases reported to a national surveillance scheme (SWORD). The number of exposed employees has almost halved since the e...

It’s a depressingly familiar sight when an oil well blows or a tanker runs aground: thousands of stranded, helpless animals wallowing in cloying crude oil. ‘Birds are often used as the poster children for the deadly effects of oil’, says Ivan Maggini from Western University, Canada, recalling the shocking images of struggling animals that accompanied the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill...

We have been exploring the use of telomere length as a technique to age animals. If telomere restriction fragments (TRFs) shorten predictably with age in a particular tissue, then measurement of TRFs will allow estimation of ages of animals when age cannot be measured directly. This would be particularly useful in population studies where tissue samples can be collected, but age of individuals ...

It’s a depressingly familiar sight when an oil well blows or a tanker runs aground: thousands of stranded, helpless animals wallowing in cloying crude oil. ‘Birds are often used as the poster children for the deadly effects of oil’, says Ivan Maggini from Western University, Canada, recalling the shocking images of struggling animals that accompanied the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill...

Anthropogenic noise may disrupt signals used to mediate aggressive interactions, leading more physical aggression between opponents. One solution this problem is switch signaling effort a less noisy modality (e.g., the visual modality). In present study, we investigate behaviors and in urban rural male European robins (Erithacus rubecula) response simulated intrusions with or without experiment...

The development of avitourism in villages around the conservation area still needs optimal support to increase welfare and reduce illegal practices like bird hunting. Birds are wild animals that play an essential role ecosystem. One efforts have been developed buffer village improve community birds is avitourism. This study aimed analyze potential as objects attractions species recorded were 82...