background: toxoplasmosis, a worldwide zoonotic disease, is caused by toxo­plasma gondii . the distribution of genetic diversity of t. gondii in wild animals is of great importance to understand the transmission of the parasite in the environ­ment. however, little is known about t. gondii prevalence in wild animals and birds in china. methods: we conducted the genetic characterization of t. gon...

The reduction of game and fish populations has increased investment in management practices. Hunting and fishing managers use several tools to maximize harvest. Managers need to know the impact their management has on wild populations. This issue is especially important to improve management efficacy and biodiversity conservation. We used questionnaires and field bird surveys in 48 hunting esta...

Among bird species, the most studied major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is the chicken MHC. Although the number of studies on MHC in free-ranging species is increasing, the knowledge on MHC variation in species closely related to chicken is required to understand the peculiarities of bird MHC evolution. Here we describe the variation of MHC class IIB (MHCIIB) exon 2 in a population of the G...

A recently discovered locomotor behavior, wing-assisted incline running (WAIR), allows fully volant animals to 'run' up vertical obstacles. Such a task would appear to be especially formidable for bipeds, yet WAIR is used preferentially by ground-dwelling birds, specifically chukar partridge Alectoris chukar, to reach refugia. The basic locomotor mechanics that enable this behavior are not full...

BACKGROUND The grey partridge is an important game bird in Europe that has declined considerably over the last decades. The production and release of farm-bred birds can be threatened by infectious agents. The objective of this study was to describe the outbreak, pathology, and blood and tissue biochemical responses in a flock of grey partridges naturally infected with Mycoplasma gallisepticum....

The most startling examples of collective animal behaviour are provided by very large and cohesive groups moving in three dimensions. Paradigmatic examples are bird flocks, fish schools and insect swarms. However, because of the sheer technical difficulty of obtaining 3D data, empirical studies conducted to date have only considered loose groups of a few tens of animals. Moreover, these studies...

In a flock of 12,000 bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) and 7200 chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar), the owner had 100% morbidity and 40%-50% mortality in birds between the ages of 2 and 4 wk. Affected birds were stunted and anorexic and had yellow/green diarrhea. Two- and 4-wk-old birds submitted for necropsy all had slight nasal discharge. Histopathologic examination revealed mild (bobwhit...

the present study aimed at detection and species-level identification of the malassezia yeasts in domestic animals and aquatic birds by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (pcr-rflp). samples were collected using tape strips and swabs from 471 animals including 97 horses, 102 cattle, 105 sheep, 20 camels, 60 dogs, 30 cats, 1 hamster, 1 squirrel, 50 aquatic birds a...

Behavioral adjustments are of critical importance for the survival animals when exposed to risk and resource variations in their environment. Moving safer habitats allows prey reduce mortality triggered by predation. This response has been well studied at population level assist identifying key habitat components wildlife conservation. However, while individuals may differ thus expectancy, dete...

Current methods of intensive breeding of the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) are based on "industrial" laying practices, including removal and artificial incubation of eggs. These procedures can alter the reproductive behavior and physiology of the birds and, therefore, may not be suitable for use in breeding programs designed to increase wild populations. This study aimed to determine th...