Breeding biology of the Xinjiang ground-jay Podoces biddulphi in the Taklimakan Desert, NW China

Kechun Wang; Yuping Tong; Wenxuan Xu; David Blank; Weikang Yang; Feng Xu

Global Ecology and Conservation (Nov 2023)

Breeding biology of the Xinjiang ground-jay Podoces biddulphi in the Taklimakan Desert, NW China

Kechun Wang,
Yuping Tong,
Wenxuan Xu,
David Blank,
Weikang Yang,
Feng Xu

Affiliations

Kechun Wang: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Sino-Tajikistan Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Urumqi 830011, China; The Specimen Museum of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori 831900, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Yuping Tong: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Development of Xinjiang's Historical and Cultural Tourism, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China; Sino-Tajikistan Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Urumqi 830011, China; The Specimen Museum of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori 831900, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Wenxuan Xu: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Sino-Tajikistan Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Urumqi 830011, China; The Specimen Museum of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori 831900, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
David Blank: CAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Weikang Yang: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Sino-Tajikistan Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Urumqi 830011, China; The Specimen Museum of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori 831900, China
Feng Xu: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Sino-Tajikistan Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Urumqi 830011, China; The Specimen Museum of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori 831900, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 47
p. e02690

Abstract

Read online

The Xinjiang ground-jay (Podoces biddulphi), which is endemic to China, has a limited distribution and a small population in the Taklimakan Desert. In this study, we described the breeding biology and nestling growth patterns of this understudied species. Eleven nests were monitored over three consecutive breeding seasons (2017–2019). The Xinjiang ground-jay breeding season extends from March to May with a clutch size of two or three. The incubation period was 18 d, and females spent most of their time incubating their eggs (63 %), followed by collecting leaves (25 %), resting (10 %), turning the eggs (1 %), grooming (0.6 %), and being vigilant (0.4 %). Both parents fed the nestlings with similar feeding frequencies and durations. The growth curve of the nestlings was S-shaped, and the parameters related to nestling mortality, such as tarsus length, showed faster growth than others. Over the three breeding seasons, 32 eggs were laid across 11 nests. Fifteen (47 %) eggs hatched, and 12 hatchlings across six nests fledged (37.5 %). Our study provides detailed information on the breeding biology and nestling growth of the Xinjiang ground-jay. Given its low reproductive success rate, small population size, and limited distribution, this bird species, which is endemic to China, requires further research, and its conservation should be prioritized.

Published in Global Ecology and Conservation

ISSN: 2351-9894 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/global-ecology-and-conservation/

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords