Blue Magpie Research Articles

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie (10)

1. Behavior of Blue Magpie Cyanopica cyana against other bird species was studied during April 1962 and December 1973 in Nagano City area.2. The Kitatobe population of Blue Magpie was kept under observation of reactions against other birds of 53 species (27 families) which intruded or trespassed the home range. Of these birds, the Blue Magpie's reaction was observed against the following species: Calonectris leucomelas (a strayed individual), Nycticorax, nycticorax, Egretta garzetta, Anser albifrons, Milvus migrans, Buteo buteo, Falco tinnunculus, Sterna albifrons, Streptopelia orientalis, Cuculus canorus, Hypsipetes amaurotis, Lanius cristatus, Passer montanus, Sturnus cineraceus, Sturnus sturnina, Garrulus glandarius and Corvus corone.3. The behavior against these intruders was described in each case and the reaction patterns could be classified into: 1) harmful (or predatory) relation, 2) food relation, 3) roost relation.4. The harmful relation was seen against 13 species and consisted of: A. Emission of alarm notes B. Attacking, C. Mobbing, D. Chasing flight, E. Fleeing, and A. was most usual.5. Sensitive reaction was observed against some large water birds. such as Night Heron or egrets, etc., the meaning of which however was not clear.6. Against buzzard and kestrel, the Blue Magpie reacted when they were flying and not reacted or mobbed when they were perched. Against kite, it behaved differently, only reacting when the kite was flying low and straight.7. The frequency of reaction against cuckoo was low and the effect of its plumage of raptor pattern was not evident.8. Against Carrion Crow, alarm note reaction was usual throughout the year and in breeding season strong attacking and chasing behaviors were added. No reaction was shown against young crows or flocks in roosting flight.9. The dominance relation for food of Grey Starling>Blue Magpie>Brown-eared Bulbul was confirmed. Such specific ranks in food competition are correlated not only with amount or distribution pattern of the food but also with specific food preference.10. The roost relation was seen between the Grey Starlings. The Blue Magpie moved off from its settled roosting position by social pressure of increasing number of arriving starlings.

A study of life history of Blue Magpie (9)

1. During February, 1964 and July, 1972, roosts and roosting hehavior of Blue Magpie Cyanopica cyana were investigated at four different places: Kawanakajima and Karuizawa in Nagano, and Shibuya and Kurume city in Tokyo.2. In autumn to winter, roost trees were chiefly evergreen plants, such as red pine, bamboo and auk, although 'konara' and reed were used early in autumn.3. The heights of roosting trees differed from 2 to 20m, but as already reported, the height did not influence the roosting behavior.4. Dense group of trees was usually selected as roost but in some cases, a single tree near a house was also used, showing a wide roost selection.5. Thus, a roost may be taken in a tree close to house, or along a road with busy traffic, and therefore, the relation with a ditch (for safety) reported in earlier paper may have been a local case.6. Roosts of non-breeding period are continuously used (as reported).7. Earlier and present observations show that the roosting behavior advances as follows: 1) Feeding around 2) Gathering in a tree 3) Flight to roost site 4) Some preroosting celemonial behavior 5) Entering into roost and perch site selection 6) Fall in sleep.8. Behavior in the roost tree advances from selection of sleeping branch, preroosting rest and then to actual sleeping, thus some resting time precedes the sleeping.9. These rather celemonial behaviors were similar between free living birds and those kept in a flying-cage.10. Some factors, such as light intensity, distance from roost, weather and food intake, that may influence roosting behavior were discussed. The lowering light intensity was influential to flock movements directed to the roost and then to actual sleep, but the effect of light intensity rather differed by flocks observed. Within three km from the roost, the distance did not influence the starting time for roosting flight, the strong wind, snow fall, both through coldness, caused earlier roosting time, while the effect of the rate of food intake for the day before roosting was not clear.

Growth of a candidate arbovirus (Tsuruse) in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes following intrathoracic inoculation.

SummaryTsuruse virus, a candidate arbovirus, isolated in mice from bird (Blue Magpie) blood in Japan, grew unequivocally in A. acgypti after intrathoracic inoculation, though in only a rare mosquito after oral feeding. The estimated size of the virus was 50-100 mμ by filtration, and it was inactivated by lipid solvents, grew in the presence of iododeoxyuridine, produced plaques in cultures of primary chicken embryonic cells under agar and was lethal to suckling and weanling mice and weanling hamsters inoculated intracranially and to chicken embryos after yolk sac inoculation. No antigenic relationships were found between Tsuruse virus and 112 arboviruses.

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie 7

1. Breeding ecology of Cyanopica cyana studied during 1966-1969 in Nagano City area is reported.2. Seventy nests were found in 23 species of trees. The percimon was most often used (19 nests) and other trees used were cryptomeria (8), red pine (7), Ichii-tree (6), apple tree (6), maple (4), etc. A Ichii-tree standing at favorable spot was used four times.3. The nest site differed from 2-10m above the ground, most often 4-8m, and the nest was placed more often on a horizontal branch or a leader. The fledging success was best (44.8%) from the nest of horizontal branch.4. The nests were found grouped at the western portion of the flock home range, probably subject to the distribution of prefered nesting trees, and orchards were not so used though extensive.5. The nest is cup-shaped, constructed with external small twigs, some soil at the bottom, and lined inside with moss. The nest material were either picked up from the ground or taken from branches, not far from the nest site.6. Nest-building pairs did not departed from the flock and worked only some time of the day while acting as members of the flock.7. The male carried nest material but not worked for nest-building, while the female did the both.8. Breeding procedure consisted of (confirming previous report), 2 weeks of nesting period 6.5 days of egg-laying period, 15 days of incubation period, 17-18 days of feeding period, 27 days or more of family life (feeding fledglings), some 80 days in total.9. The clutch size ranged 5-8, average 6.6 eggs. Large clutch size of 8 eggs were found during early season in May and delayed clutches were smaller.10. The hatching rate was 71%, the average fledging success being 22.5% from egg, and 31.6% from chick (66.5% in pervious study). The best fledging success was 49% from the clutch of 7 eggs. The factors concerned are discussed.11. Time and behavior of female's egg laying, courtship feeding and incubation behavior are described. The attendance rate of incubation was 66-95% varying by weather, temperature etc.12. Only nest-site territoriality was noticed during nest-building period. In other time there was no territorial behavior except an incubating pair chased the other pair which intended nest-building close to them.

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie 8

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie 8

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie 6

1. This sixth report on Cyanopica cyana is based on field observations of December 1963 to April 1968 and on a wide anquête on flock distribution in Nagano Prefecture. Movements of young birds were also studied.2. Local flock distribution was plotted on a 1/50.000 map of the prefecture, with an area of 19.600km2, sectioned into 49 of 1km2 squares. This plotting was based on data collected from 82 persons and one museum. The distributional pattern was centered in central Nagano-Ueda (particularly Nagano area) plain surrounded by mountain ranges, with scattered flocks to the peripheral foot zones. The interesting fact was that the distribution was restricted to the east (Nagano) side of the geologically important fossa magna. Local changes in distribution have also been noticed.3. Vertically, the distributional limit was found at 1, 600m on Kirigamine plateau from bottomland of 310m of altitude.4. No correlation of distribution with annual rainfall nor temperatures was found and it was distributed even in the districts with snowfall of 3m.5. Habitat environments included human habitation area, orchards and both broad and needleleaved woods, but with special preference to the combinations of human habitation with orchards or woods surrounding houses.6. The movement area of fledged young birds was limited in the diurnal activity range of the flock they belonged to. They were recorded within 20-570m from the nest.7. Birds ringed as nestlings were recovered after 0.5-20.5 months and there was no correlation of their dispersal distances and periods elapsed.

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie 5

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie 5

A study of the life history or Blue Magpie

1. Roosting behavior of the Blue Magpie Cyanopica cyana was studied during March 1962 and April 1964 in Nagano district, Honshiu.2. Apple orchards and garden trees were used as roosts and factors such as, kind and height of trees, foliage cover, nearby traffic and snow, were analysed.3. The roosts were seasonally changed according to the annual flocking cycle and roost conditions.4. Five categories of flock roosting could be classified into: male roost (during incubation period), family roost, compound family roost, small area roost (autumn to winter) and large area roost (winter).5. These consisted of three types: breeding season roosts, roosts within a home range and roosts outside home range (winter).6. Factors influencing the roosting behavior: light intensity and food condition, were considered.7. The evening (entering) and morning (leaving) behavior at roosts in different roost types and seasons were described.

Life history of the Brown-eared Bulbul

1. Two-season observations (1965, '66) on the breeding biology of Hypsipetes amaurotis in Samizu Village, Nagano Prefecture, are reported.2. Most of the nests were found in a somewhat isolated tree 4-5m high and were placed at average 2.8m from the ground below the dense canopy mixed with tendrils (thus protected from bird predators) and at about 1m above the low bushes (thus hard to reach for ground predators).3. Eggs of a clutch were laid daily in the early mornings, and the clutch-size was 4 in 8 nests and 3 in one.4. Female only incubated and her true incubation started from the night when the third egg of the clutch of four had been laid. Incubation period was 13-14 days and on and off sessions were average 29.9min and 12.81min. respectively. Feeding of female by the male was not observed either on or near the nest, although the latter type might exist.5. Hatching of a clutch required about 12 hours, but in one exception 24 hours.6. Female fed the chicks 60% of the total feedings. Chick foods were mainly insects mixed with some fruits of trees. 96.8% of the faeces of chicks were swallowed by the parents at the nest.7. Female only brooded, and under low temperatures it was continued even until the night before the chicks left the nest. The nestling period was only 10-11 days, and the family group remained about two months in the territory.8. Territories were average 1, 400m2 and were A-type of Mayr's classification. The male's, 'calling patrol' over the territory, characteristic in this species, was observed in the early morning through the nesting to the fledging periods.9. Most territorial fightings were intraspecific, but were also directed to shrike, blue magpie, jay or carrion crow. 80% of the territorial defense were made by the male, and the intensity increased markedly toward the fledging period of the chicks.

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie 4

1. During August 1962 and December 1965, field observations of the Blue Magpie Cyanopica cyana were made in three localities in Nagano and one place in Tokyo. The daily routine of flock movements, seasonal change of activity and the time spent at various environments along the daily routes, were chiefly studied.2. The length of daily activity time was average 60% of the day (24 hours) in family flocks and 45% in local area flocks. It also changed with the seasonal day length.3. The family flock took a simple fixed route of movement, while the local area flocks traced a very complicated course, taking different directions in an irregular way and finally returned to or near the fixed roost.4. Each family flock never mixed its young birds with each other. The leader of a flock was not recognized, and the flock's route changed when there was predator including men.5. It was postulated that flock makes an evaluation of environment, changing the staying time and moving speed according to different local conditions.6. A local flock may move 3.5-5.0km a day, with the speed of 340-520m/h and the difference by morning and afternoon was irregular.7. A local flock moved 10-17 ha per day, which was 34-60% of the total daily activity range. This range covered 0.65-0.85km east to west and 0.7-0.8km north to south.8. The dispersion density within a total daily activity range was 0.6-1.9 bird/ha.

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie (3). Chick foods

1. Foods were collected from Blue Magpie nestlings Cyanopica cyana by collar method at two places in Shinonoi City, Nagano, Honshiu, during July 1965. Chicks were collared 60 minutes with vinyl cord.2. 29 species of chick foods were collected, which included only one vegetable item, fruits of Morus bombycis. Among animal matters, Platypleura kaempferi, Eristalis cerealis, Armadillidium unglare, along with Morus bombycis as a plant matter, were common items at the two places, and local faunal difference and food preference of parent birds were discussed.3. In frequency, insects occupied 72% of chick foods, comprising 22% Diptera, 9.2% Coleoptera, and 6.4% Orthoptera etc. Their frequencies as adult, young or pupae stages were shown by a graph.4. Chick foods little differed by age and Morus fruits and some insects were given at all ages.5. The raw weights of foods per chick were measured and twice as much were given during the middle or later nestling period compared with early stage of the chicks.

A study of the life history of Blue Magpie (I)

1. The breeding biology of the Blue Magpie Cyanopica cyana was studied in Nagano Prefectuae during 1962-1965.2. The nesting succcss was analysed in regard to the kind of tree, nest-site, height from the ground and nesting distance (There was a tendency of group nesting).3. Egg dates, incubation and nestling periods were analysed. The breeding season lasts from middle of May to late July, the average egg date was June 6, and no second brood was confirmed.4. Clutch size ranged from 5 to 8 and the frequent sizes were 6-7. Brood size ranged from 1 to 7, most frequently 6. The flying success was highest from larger broods of 6-7 chicks.5. Factors affecting the breeding rates during incubation and nestling periods were considered. The hatching rate was 68% and fledging rates were 30.5% from clutch and 66.5% after hatching.6. Female only incubates and incubation and brooding constancies were calculated by Skutch's method. Male's feeding behavior to the female was described and feeding frequencies are given.7. Size, shape and volume indexes of eggs were calculated.8. The growth of chicks was described and growth rates of body weight, wing and tail lengths, tarsus and culmen were measured.

"Fire-bathing"by a Blue Magpie

A Blue-Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, kept free in the author's garden often enjoys smoke-bathing when oven is burnt. Its fire-bathing is a peculiar behaviour which it performs first flying into the remains of burning sticks thrown out of the oven and tumbles about back-side down on it about 4 seconds, after which the preening is done on a perch. Thus, the tips of the wings and tail become burnt. Moreover, it also takes a pieces of burnt stick and its fire-end is rubbed on the inner side of the wings. Its taking of burnt sticks to everywhere about is a dangerous habit.

A Comparative Study of the Voice and Some Aspects of Behaviour in Two Old-World Jays 1)

Observations were carried out for some years on wild and captive specimens of Garrulus glandarius rufitergum and for some eighteen months on captive specimens of G. lanceolatus. The call-notes and some of the behaviour patterns are described and compared. Most of the calls are homologous and closely resemble that of the other species. Most of the calls are homologous in function and very similar in sound, but parallel notes with the hawk-alarm of glandarius and the Tscherr! note of lanceolatus have not been heard by from the other species. The lateral display (Imponiergehaben) of both species is similar in form and meaning. It is not, however, often used by the female lanceolatus. The chin display is definite in both form and meaning in lanceolatus, but much less so in glandarius. The wing-quivering submissive or female pre-coitional display is assumed to be common to both species, but it has not been seen used by lanceolatus in its sexual meaning. Courtship-feeding is described. No feeding of the male by the female has been seen in lanceolatus though it takes place commonly with glandurius in the early stages of the breeding cycle. The mobbing reaction to the sight of a jay in the hand is the same in both species. It cannot, however, normally be elicited from tame glandarius that are reacting socially to their owner by his showing them a live jay in his hand. Unlike most passerines glandarius does not pick up ants in its bill when anting. G. lanceolatus-, however, does so. The Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha) ants in the same manner as glandarius. Lanceolatus reacts to most of the call-notes of glandarius. It does not, however, react to the sight of a flying glandarius as do birds of that species, when sexually excited in early Spring.