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Content with tag caprimulgus ruficollis .

Birds' feathers also go grey with the age

A study from the Ecological Pyrenean Institute (IPE-CSIC) and the Doñana Biological Station shows that some birds’ feathers turn white with the age.
? The study was carried out in natural conditions. The team monitored the birds since their birth to an advanced age.

Nocturnal birds could communicate through the fluorescence of their feathers

Many nocturnal animals, including invertebrates such as scorpions and a variety of vertebrate species, including toadlets, flying squirrels, owls, and nightjars, emit bright fluorescence under ultraviolet light. However, the ecological significance of this unique coloration so attached to nocturnality remains obscure. An intensively studied population of migratory red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) was used to investigate inter-individual variation in porphyrin-based pink...

Landscape change promotes the emergence of a rare predator-prey interaction

Diet studies provide basic natural history information to understand food web dynamics. However, measuring the dietary breadth of rare, elusive species is extremely challenging due to their scarcity and/or cryptic behavior. Here, for the first time, an uncommon predatory interaction –nest predation– between two of the most elusive and rare species in Europe, the Iberian lynx and the red-necked nightjar is documented.

Foxes, rabbits and nightjars interact on roads

Linear developments, such as roads, firebreaks, and railways, provide a stark juxtaposition of different habitats with contrasting associated predation risks, thus potentially influencing predator–prey interactions. However, empirical evidence is still very limited. The effect of fox abundance and that of their main prey, the European rabbit, on habitat selection by an alternative prey, the red-necked nightjar, was studied in a road network crossing the Doñana Natural Space.