Geopelia Cuneata Research Articles

Wildlife of Lancewood (Acacia Shirleyi) Thickets and Woodlands in Northern Australia. 1. Variation in Vertebrate Species Composition Across the Environmental Range Occupied by Lancewood Vegetation in the Northern Territory.

Vegetation dominated by lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) occurs extensively across the Northern Territory and Queensland. The vertebrate species (birds, mammals, reptiles and frogs) composition was sampled at 61 patches of lancewood in the Northern Territory (including 22 patches where quadrats were intensively sampled), and the distribution of species was related to a wide range of environmental characteristics, spatial variables, disturbance and season. Of 165 species recorded from lancewood patches, eight species were recorded from more than half of the sampled patches: Pachycephala rufiventris, Pomatostomus temporalis, Rhipidura leucophrys, Cracticus nigrogularis, Melanodryas cucullata, Geopelia cuneata, G. placida and Macropus robustus. Environmental variation within sampled lancewood sites was described by classification of 51 quadrats into 7 classes, and the 61 patches into 5 classes. Vertebrate species showed limited association with this classification, with a few species associated with the occasional co-dominant tall shrub Macropteranthes kekwickii, other species associated with variation in rockiness or soil texture, and other species associated with variation in the occurrence of Eucalyptus species within lancewood vegetation. An ordination of all quadrats by their vertebrate species composition suggested a loose patterning associated mainly with latitude and, less strongly, soil texture and co-occurring tree/shrub species (notably Eucalyptus and Macropteranthes). Suggesting a depauperate and poorly defined vertebrate community in lancewood, quadrats in small isolated lancewood patches had more species than those in large patches, and this pattern was shown for many individual species. Lancewood patches showed some impact of grazing and logging, but this was generally minor and could not be demonstrated to have any consistent relationship with the abundance of individual species. In contrast, effects of fire were generally more severe, and were negatively associated with the abundance of relatively many species. Lancewood vegetation is not represented in any conservation reserve in the Northern Territory.

Life in Extreme Dryness and Heat: A Telemetric Study of the Behaviour of the Diamond DoveGeopelia cuneatain its Natural Habitat

Summary: Daily activity cycle and thermoregulatory behaviour of free-ranging Diamond Doves Geopelia cuneata were recorded in the Hamersley Range National Park in north-west Western Australia. Birds were equipped with miniature HF-transmitters (mass approx. 1.6 g, representing 4-5% of body mass) and radio-tracked from sunrise to sunset over a period of 30 days. Transmitters glued onto the tails of the doves did not cause any obvious alteration in the birds' behaviour. For comparison, the behaviour of Spinifex Pigeons, Zebra Finches and various raptors was observed simultaneously. The observations were interpreted with reference to the results of previous laboratory studies. Dia

Life in extreme environments: Investigations on the ecophysiology of a desert bird, the Australian Diamond Dove (Geopelia cuneata Latham)

The Diamond Dove, Geopelia cuneata, is the world's second smallest (ca. 35 g) species of the columbid order. The Diamond Dove is endemic in the arid and semiarid Mulga and Spinifex regions of Central and Western Australia. It regularly encounters ambient temperatures (T a ) in its habitat above +40° C, especially when foraging for seeds on bare ground cover, and may be found at up to 40 km from water. This entails extreme thermal stress, with evaporative cooling constrained by limited water supply. Energy metabolism (M), respiration, body temperature (T a ) and water budget were examined with regard to physiological adaptations to these extreme environmental conditions. The zone of thermal neutrality (TNZ) extended from +34° C to at least +45° C. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) was 34.10±4.19 J g-1h-1, corresponding to the values predicted for a typical columbid bird. Thermal conductance (C) was higher than predicted. Geopelia cuneata showed the typical breathing pattern of doves, a combination of normal breathing at a stable frequency (ca. 60 min-1) at low T a and panting followed by gular flutter (up to 960 min-1) at high T a . At T a > +36° C, T a increased to considerably higher levels without increasing metabolic rate, i.e. Q10=1. This enabled the doves not only to store heat but also to save the amout of water that would have been required for evaporative cooling if T a had remained constant. The birds were able to dissipate more than 100% of the metabolic heat by evaporation at T a ≥ +44° C. This was achieved by gular flutter (an extremely effective mechanism for evaporation), and also by a low metabolic rate due to the low Q10 value for metabolism during increased T b . At lower T a , Geopelia cuneata predominantly relied on non-evaporative mechanisms during heat stress, to save water. Total evaporative water loss over the whole T a range was 19-33% lower than expected. In this respect, their small body size proved to be an important advantage for successful survival in hot and arid environments.

Aspects of the Ontogenesis of the Avian Columella Auris

Observations on embryological material from Spheniscus demersus, Acridotheres tristis, Geopelia cuneata and Gallus domesticus strongly suggest that the avian stapes represents part of an infraphary...

Food of Eight Species of Columbidae, in the Genera Geopelia, Phaps, Geophaps and Petrophassa.

Crop or gizzard contents were studied for Columbidae from north of Western Australia, Northern Territory, south of Southern Australia and Waigani Swamp near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Food was mainly seeds, listed in tables by botanical name, volume and frequency or by the number of gizzards or crops in which each was found. Some species ate small amounts of vegetative parts or insects.Results for Geopelia humeralis (bar-shouldered dove) and Geopelia striata (peaceful dove) suggest difference in feeding habitat though they were collected together from Waigani Swamp or subcoastal Northern Territory. Results for Petrophassa albipennis (white-quilled rock pigeon) and Phaps histrionica (flock pigeon) from north Western Australia and Northern Territory suggested an effect of drought on composition of feed. Other species studied were Geopelia cuneata (diamond dove), Geophaps smithii (partridge pigeon), Phaps elegans (brush bronzewing) and Petrophassa rufipennis (chestnut-quilled rock pigeon).

Thermoregulatory Responses to Heat Stress in Four Species of Birds Weighing Approximately 40 Grams

Thermoregulatory Responses to Heat Stress in Four Species of Birds Weighing Approximately 40 Grams