The distribution of birds in the tropical mountains is important not only for testing fundamental... more The distribution of birds in the tropical mountains is important not only for testing fundamental scientific hypotheses, but also for bird conservation. In order to obtain knowledge on bird community structure within the tropical highland ecosystem, we used ground-to-canopy mist nets to assess bird species distribution along a vertical ground-to-canopy gradient for two elevational bands on Mount Cameroon. The study area included lowland forest (Drink Garri, 650 m a.s.l.) and montane forest (Mann’s Spring, 2200 m a.s.l.). We mist netted a total of 2658 individuals, including recaptures, belonging to 118 species from 50 genera. NLAG (net location above the ground), vegetation cover and locality significantly affected the bird communities. The composition of avian communities strongly differed between the two elevational bands. Species diversity considerably decreased with NLAG in both localities and increased with increased vegetation cover at the low elevation site. Species dietary g...
ABSTRACT Standard works on the avifauna of the Czech Republic list four records of the Purple Swa... more ABSTRACT Standard works on the avifauna of the Czech Republic list four records of the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio). My revision of these records shows that the specimen allegedly collected at Jaroslavice in 1957 or 1967 was purchased directly from a bird-keeper, that the 1884 record from Nové Hrady is best treated as an escapee of the nominotypical subspecies P. p. porphyrio, and that the records from the Žehuňský pond (1905) and Nesyt pond (1910) are best treated as escapees of P. p. madagascariensis. I thus suggest moving the Purple Swamphen from the list of the native avifauna of the Czech Republic to category E (escapes).
Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series
The oldest nomenclatural history of the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) is summar... more The oldest nomenclatural history of the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) is summarised and discussed. Our search of literature showed that the author of the species name Rhinolophus hipposideros is André (1797); in the work Der Zoologe, oder Compendiöse Bibliothek des wissenswürdigsten aus der Thiergeschichte und allgemeinen Naturkunde published by 19 April 1797, André (1797: 65) used the name Noctilio Hipposideros and labelled it with “mihi”. André’s (1797) work takes priority over Deutsche Fauna oder kurzgefaßte Naturgeschichte der Thiere Deutschlands by Borkhausen (1797) to which the creation of the name Noctilio Hipposideros has been attributed; the publication date of the latter work for the purposes of zoological nomenclature is 30 September 1797. Revised dating is provided for the second volume of Bechstein’s translation of Pennant’s History of Quadrupeds to which the description of Rhinolophus hipposideros was also formerly assigned: Thomas Pennant’s allgemein...
The name of the Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala is usually attributed to Gmelin (1789), bu... more The name of the Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala is usually attributed to Gmelin (1789), but it dates from Piesch (1784). The correct name of the Sardinian Warbler is thus Sylvia melanocephala (Piesch, 1784). Comments are added on other bird species described by Piesch (1784) from Sardinia.
Although the Old World sunbirds are generally considered to be an ecological analogue of the New ... more Although the Old World sunbirds are generally considered to be an ecological analogue of the New World hummingbirds, it is commonly believed that in contrast to hummingbirds, sunbirds perch while feeding. Nevertheless, recent studies have shown that Old World nectarivores hover while feeding more frequently than previously thought, and some Old World plants seem to have adapted to hovering bird pollinators. To reveal the importance of sunbird foraging behavior in nectar acquisition and to test whether this behavior is determined by plant architecture and rain intensity, we focused on the specialized West African pollination system of Impatiens sakeriana and its two major pollinators, the Cameroon Sunbird (Cyanomitra oritis) and the Northern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris reichenowi). C. oritis hovered more often than C. reichenowi while feeding on flowers, although both species were observed hovering regularly. For both species, hovering reduced the feeding time, but this reducti...
A b s t r a c t. Franz Wilibald Schmidt (1764–1796) described in 1795 seven species of mammals, b... more A b s t r a c t. Franz Wilibald Schmidt (1764–1796) described in 1795 seven species of mammals, birds and fishes, but subsequent systematists overlooked the existence of these names. The following names were found valid: Sorex talpinus ( = Sorex alpinus) in mammals, and Strix bohemica ( = Glaucidium passer-inum), Motacilla alpestris ( = Motacilla cinerea) and Turdus montanus ( = Turdus torquatus alpestris) in birds. The following names were found to be nomina nuda: Picus squamatus (Aves), and Salmo caeruleus
Differences in bird-flower interaction specialization across continents serve as a common example... more Differences in bird-flower interaction specialization across continents serve as a common example of evolutionary trajectory specificity. While New World hummingbird-flower networks have been subject to numerous studies and are considered highly specialized, our knowledge of network specialization for their Old World counterparts, sunbirds (Nectariniidae), is completely insufficient. A few studies from tropical Africa indicate that sunbird-flower networks are rather generalized. Unfortunately, these studies are limited to dry seasons and high elevations around the tree-line, the environments where also niche-based hypotheses often predict lower resource partitioning. In our study, we explore the specialization of sunbird-flower networks and their spatio-temporal variability on Mt. Cameroon (Cameroon). Using a combination of automatic video recording and personal observations, we constructed eight comprehensive sunbird-flower networks in four forest types occurring in different eleva...
The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) once bred in mountains throughout the Mediterranean, ... more The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) once bred in mountains throughout the Mediterranean, but it is now restricted to southwestern and southeastern corners of its former breeding range. In the past, the species occurred north to the Danube; the northernmost confirmed breeding records came from Thuringia, Germany. Here I review historical evidence of the occurrence of the Northern Bald Ibis in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. I found that the reports either had no evident relation to local faunas, or that the authors had other bird species in mind. Recent suggestion by Hudecek & Hanak (2004a,b) that Northern Bald Ibises were recorded in the Czech Republic in the late 8th and perhaps even in the early 9th centuries was rejected.
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 2010
... Sonnerat is well known for having assigned some birds to incorrect localities (Alexander 1924... more ... Sonnerat is well known for having assigned some birds to incorrect localities (Alexander 1924, Ly-Tio-Fane 1978; see also Cheke 2009), but this record fits ... (1978), Kiŝinskij & Lobkov (1979), Morlan (1981), Haffer (1985), Ölschlegel (1985), Howell (1990), Stepanyan (1990: 371 ...
The distribution of birds in the tropical mountains is important not only for testing fundamental... more The distribution of birds in the tropical mountains is important not only for testing fundamental scientific hypotheses, but also for bird conservation. In order to obtain knowledge on bird community structure within the tropical highland ecosystem, we used ground-to-canopy mist nets to assess bird species distribution along a vertical ground-to-canopy gradient for two elevational bands on Mount Cameroon. The study area included lowland forest (Drink Garri, 650 m a.s.l.) and montane forest (Mann’s Spring, 2200 m a.s.l.). We mist netted a total of 2658 individuals, including recaptures, belonging to 118 species from 50 genera. NLAG (net location above the ground), vegetation cover and locality significantly affected the bird communities. The composition of avian communities strongly differed between the two elevational bands. Species diversity considerably decreased with NLAG in both localities and increased with increased vegetation cover at the low elevation site. Species dietary g...
ABSTRACT Standard works on the avifauna of the Czech Republic list four records of the Purple Swa... more ABSTRACT Standard works on the avifauna of the Czech Republic list four records of the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio). My revision of these records shows that the specimen allegedly collected at Jaroslavice in 1957 or 1967 was purchased directly from a bird-keeper, that the 1884 record from Nové Hrady is best treated as an escapee of the nominotypical subspecies P. p. porphyrio, and that the records from the Žehuňský pond (1905) and Nesyt pond (1910) are best treated as escapees of P. p. madagascariensis. I thus suggest moving the Purple Swamphen from the list of the native avifauna of the Czech Republic to category E (escapes).
Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series
The oldest nomenclatural history of the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) is summar... more The oldest nomenclatural history of the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) is summarised and discussed. Our search of literature showed that the author of the species name Rhinolophus hipposideros is André (1797); in the work Der Zoologe, oder Compendiöse Bibliothek des wissenswürdigsten aus der Thiergeschichte und allgemeinen Naturkunde published by 19 April 1797, André (1797: 65) used the name Noctilio Hipposideros and labelled it with “mihi”. André’s (1797) work takes priority over Deutsche Fauna oder kurzgefaßte Naturgeschichte der Thiere Deutschlands by Borkhausen (1797) to which the creation of the name Noctilio Hipposideros has been attributed; the publication date of the latter work for the purposes of zoological nomenclature is 30 September 1797. Revised dating is provided for the second volume of Bechstein’s translation of Pennant’s History of Quadrupeds to which the description of Rhinolophus hipposideros was also formerly assigned: Thomas Pennant’s allgemein...
The name of the Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala is usually attributed to Gmelin (1789), bu... more The name of the Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala is usually attributed to Gmelin (1789), but it dates from Piesch (1784). The correct name of the Sardinian Warbler is thus Sylvia melanocephala (Piesch, 1784). Comments are added on other bird species described by Piesch (1784) from Sardinia.
Although the Old World sunbirds are generally considered to be an ecological analogue of the New ... more Although the Old World sunbirds are generally considered to be an ecological analogue of the New World hummingbirds, it is commonly believed that in contrast to hummingbirds, sunbirds perch while feeding. Nevertheless, recent studies have shown that Old World nectarivores hover while feeding more frequently than previously thought, and some Old World plants seem to have adapted to hovering bird pollinators. To reveal the importance of sunbird foraging behavior in nectar acquisition and to test whether this behavior is determined by plant architecture and rain intensity, we focused on the specialized West African pollination system of Impatiens sakeriana and its two major pollinators, the Cameroon Sunbird (Cyanomitra oritis) and the Northern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris reichenowi). C. oritis hovered more often than C. reichenowi while feeding on flowers, although both species were observed hovering regularly. For both species, hovering reduced the feeding time, but this reducti...
A b s t r a c t. Franz Wilibald Schmidt (1764–1796) described in 1795 seven species of mammals, b... more A b s t r a c t. Franz Wilibald Schmidt (1764–1796) described in 1795 seven species of mammals, birds and fishes, but subsequent systematists overlooked the existence of these names. The following names were found valid: Sorex talpinus ( = Sorex alpinus) in mammals, and Strix bohemica ( = Glaucidium passer-inum), Motacilla alpestris ( = Motacilla cinerea) and Turdus montanus ( = Turdus torquatus alpestris) in birds. The following names were found to be nomina nuda: Picus squamatus (Aves), and Salmo caeruleus
Differences in bird-flower interaction specialization across continents serve as a common example... more Differences in bird-flower interaction specialization across continents serve as a common example of evolutionary trajectory specificity. While New World hummingbird-flower networks have been subject to numerous studies and are considered highly specialized, our knowledge of network specialization for their Old World counterparts, sunbirds (Nectariniidae), is completely insufficient. A few studies from tropical Africa indicate that sunbird-flower networks are rather generalized. Unfortunately, these studies are limited to dry seasons and high elevations around the tree-line, the environments where also niche-based hypotheses often predict lower resource partitioning. In our study, we explore the specialization of sunbird-flower networks and their spatio-temporal variability on Mt. Cameroon (Cameroon). Using a combination of automatic video recording and personal observations, we constructed eight comprehensive sunbird-flower networks in four forest types occurring in different eleva...
The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) once bred in mountains throughout the Mediterranean, ... more The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) once bred in mountains throughout the Mediterranean, but it is now restricted to southwestern and southeastern corners of its former breeding range. In the past, the species occurred north to the Danube; the northernmost confirmed breeding records came from Thuringia, Germany. Here I review historical evidence of the occurrence of the Northern Bald Ibis in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. I found that the reports either had no evident relation to local faunas, or that the authors had other bird species in mind. Recent suggestion by Hudecek & Hanak (2004a,b) that Northern Bald Ibises were recorded in the Czech Republic in the late 8th and perhaps even in the early 9th centuries was rejected.
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 2010
... Sonnerat is well known for having assigned some birds to incorrect localities (Alexander 1924... more ... Sonnerat is well known for having assigned some birds to incorrect localities (Alexander 1924, Ly-Tio-Fane 1978; see also Cheke 2009), but this record fits ... (1978), Kiŝinskij & Lobkov (1979), Morlan (1981), Haffer (1985), Ölschlegel (1985), Howell (1990), Stepanyan (1990: 371 ...
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