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Monogamy was considered to be the most common mating system in birds. However, molecular techniques revealed numerous cases of extra-pair fertilisations (EPFs) in most bird species as well as multiple partners during breeding season. In this study, we examined the population of the Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis breeding along the Danube River system in Slovakia during three consecutive breeding seasons (2016-2018). We analysed 618 individuals – 70 adults and 548 nestlings from 87 broods. Overall, six nestlings (1.09%) from three different broods (3.45%) were fathered by other than the pair male. None of the nestlings had a mother other than the pair female. Besides that, we detected two simultaneously polygamous males (5.13%). In seven cases (9.72%) we revealed mate change between different broods: female change in three cases (4.17%) and male change in four cases (5.55%). The occurrence of extra-pair nestlings as well as polygamy was not associated with the synchronicity of breeding attempts at the beginning of the season, while the type of mating strategy seems to be associated with nest density. At the same time, male body condition was unrelated to the type of mating strategy in which he was engaged. Conversely, polygamous males had higher genetic diversity (observed heterozygosity) than monogamous ones. No difference in genetic diversity was found between monogamous and polygamous females. There was no difference in breeding success before and after the change of partner. In addition, polygamous individuals did not have more young than monogamous birds, suggesting that having more than one partner does not ensure greater breeding productivity. This is probably why polygamy remains a minority strategy in the Common Kingfisher.—Cepková, M., Melišková, M. & Rubáčová, L. (2023). Low extra-pair paternity and polygamy in the Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis. Ardeola, 70: 41-58. La monogamia es considerada el sistema de apareamiento común en las aves. Sin embargo, análisis moleculares han revelado que, en la mayoría de las aves, pueden ocurrir casos de emparejamientos extrapareja, así como de intercambios de parejas durante o entre las temporadas de reproducción. En este estudio nos centramos en una población de martín pescador común localizada en el río Danubio (Eslovaquia) durante tres temporadas consecutivas de reproducción (2016-2018), analizando un total de 648 individuos correspondientes a 71 adultos y 577 polluelos de 92 nidadas. Los análisis mostraron que seis pollos (1,04%) de tres crías diferentes (3,26%) tenían un padre diferente, aunque ninguno de ellos tuvo una madre distinta. Además, detectamos dos machos polígamos simultáneamente (5,13%). Mientras que un macho se apareó con dos hembras, otro tuvo cuatro parejas. En siete casos (9,6%) encontramos evidencias de intercambio de pareja entre distintas crías, de las que en tres ocasiones (4,11%) se intercambiaron hembras y cuatro veces (5,48%) machos. En general, estos resultados indican que el martín pescador común es una especie social, genéticamente monógama, con una rara ocurrencia de pollos procedentes de emparejamientos extrapareja y poligamia, y en ningún caso procedentes de parasitismo de nido intraespecífico. Este sistema de emparejamiento viene en parte apoyado por el hecho de que, en esta especie, el cuidado parental es llevado a cabo tanto por parte de la hembra como del macho durante un período de reproducción generalmente extenso.—Cepková, M., Melišková, M. y Rubáčová, L. (2023). Baja paternidad extrapareja y poligamia en el martín pescador común Alcedo atthis. Ardeola, 70: 41-58. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major questions in ecology is how species share their ecological space and what enables them to coexist. Partitioning of foraging niches should facilitate local coexistence. Thus, detailed data on foraging ecology are needed to provide insight into the assembly of communities. To this end, we quantified foraging behaviour of songbirds (Passeriformes) on 21 sites in woodlands and open forests of eastern Australia along a 3000 km long latitudinal transect spanning from the tropics to southern temperate regions. We obtained 5894 prey attacks by 2624 individuals from 112 species. Birds foraged mostly by gleaning (53.4% of attacks) on leaves (51.3%) in the outer part of crown (41.4%) and in medium foliage density (40.8%). Birds foraged along the whole vertical extent of vegetation, but individual species concentrated their foraging into particular strata. In the 41 best sampled species (minimum of 30 attacks recorded), we identified foraging guilds defined first by the foraging substrate and then by the foraging method. Specialisation on foraging substrate was positively correlated with specialisation on method. The organisation of guilds, patterns of substrate and method used across species, and species specialisation were similar to previous local-scale studies from eucalypt woodlands and forests, and from forests in northern temperate regions in Europe and North America. Thus, using our own data and comparisons with previous studies, we confirm a general pattern of foraging guild organisation of woodland and forest songbirds outside the tropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Central Europe, the breeding season of the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) extends from late March to the second half of September, during which a pair can successfully rear up to four broods. Intensity of reproduction may vary depending on the parents‘ condition and territory quality. In the seasons 2014–2018, we monitored breeding of 95 Kingfisher pairs at the Danube river system in south-western Slovakia (hereafter “Danubian population”) and 121 pairs in the Central Bohemian, South Bohemian and Vysočina regions of the Czech Republic (“central Bohemian population”). We estimated the total length of the breeding season for the study populations as the time period between the first egg laying date and the fledging date of the last young in the population, regardless the pair identity. The length of the breeding season was estimated also for individual pairs. In the Danubian population, we estimated the mean length of the breeding season at 172 days for the whole population and 101 days for individual pairs. In the central Bohemian population, we estimated the mean length of the breeding season at 165 days for the whole population and 89 days for individual pairs. In both populations, most pairs bred two times. In the Danubian population, three or four breeding attempts per season were recorded more often than in the central Bohemian population. Moreover, we documented five breeding attempts per season in one pair from the Danubian population. Despite the different number of broods per pair per season, the mean length of the breeding season of the individual pairs did not differ between the populations, which was a result of larger overlaps of consecutive breeding attempts in the Danubian pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most birds of the temperate zone concentrate their singing activity into the breeding season, which implies its territorial and sexual function. However, males of some species sing also outside the breeding season. For example, the Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), even though it does not stay at the nesting site throughout the year, exhibits territorial behaviour and sings also in the autumn. The aim of this study was to find out whether the spring songs of the Black Redstart differ from the autumn songs and whether the autumn songs elicit a similar territorial response as the spring songs. The fieldwork was carried out in three villages in the Trnava district (Slovakia) during the years 2016 and 2017. Spontaneous spring and autumn songs were recorded and compared. Energy (amplitude) in autumn songs culminated earlier than in spring songs, which was probably related to the tendency of autumn songs to be shorter. In the spring 2017, we investigated the acoustic and behavioural response of males to the playbacks of spring and autumn songs. The songs provoked by the playback of spring song were shorter and reached the peak of energy earlier than the spontaneous spring songs, while the songs provoked by the playback of autumn song did not differ from the spontaneous spring songs. The males responded aggressively to both types of playback, which suggest the territorial function of the spring and autumn songs. Differences in acoustic response to playbacks of spring and autumn songs suggest at least the ability of males to recognize between these songs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]