The Black-tailed Godwit - maintaining pair bonds across seasons

N. Sivasothi — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:51:43 GMT

Photo by Marek Szczepanek

Gunnarsson, T. G., J. A. Gill, T. Sigurbjörnsson & W. J. Sutherland, 2004. Pair bonds: Arrival synchrony in migratory birds. Nature, 431(646), doi:10.1038/431646a.

Abstract - Synchronous arrival of pairs of migratory birds at their breeding grounds is important for maintaining pair bonds and is achieved by pairs that remain together all year round. Here we show that arrival [in Iceland] is also synchronized in paired individuals of a migratory shorebird, the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa islandica), even though they winter hundreds of kilometres apart [in Europe] and do not migrate together. The mechanisms required to achieve this synchrony and prevent 'divorce' illustrate the complexity of migratory systems.

Oriental Pied Hornbill - breeding in Pulau Ubin

N. Sivasothi — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:37:26 GMT

"There are slightly more than a dozen Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) in Singapore’s offshore island of Pulau Ubin. There they breed regularly, nesting in cavities found high up along the trunks of old trees."

See "Oriental Pied Hornbill - breeding," by Wee Yeow Chin with Jonathan Cheah. Bird Ecology Study Group, 05 Feb 2007. Related links:

"Oriental Pied Hornbills partying at Pulau Ubin," by Angie Ng & R Subaraj. Bird Ecology Study Group, 07 Feb 2008.
"Artificial nesting cavities for hornbills," by Wee Yeow Chin with Angie Ng and Pilai Poonswad. Bird Ecology Study Group, 20 Dec 2008.

LSM1303 ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR : pair

The Black-tailed Godwit - maintaining pair bonds across seasons

Oriental Pied Hornbill - breeding in Pulau Ubin