Tolerance of disturbance by humans in long-time resident and recent colonist urban doves

Tolerance of disturbance by humans in long-time

resident and recent colonist urban doves

Jemma Gendall;Alan Lill;Juliey Beckman

【期刊名称】《中国鸟类》 【年(卷),期】2015(000)002

【摘要】Background:A critical trait for successful urban dwelling by birds is the ability to tolerate high levels of disturbing stimulation by humans. If such tolerance is partly acquired gradually after colonization, species with a long history of residence in cities are likely to be more tolerant of such stimulation than recent urban colonists, but this has not often been tested. Methods:We tested whether introduced Rock (Columba livia) and Spotted (Streptopelis chinensis) Doves, historically long-term residents of Melbourne, Australia, were more tolerant of disturbance by humans than the very recent colonist, the native Crested Pigeon (Ochyphaps lophotes) by comparing the Flight Initiation Distances (FID) and time allocations to vigilance during foraging of all three species in urban Melbourne. That al three species are members of the Columbiformes reduces the possibility that any species differences in tolerance are simply phylogenetic in origin. Results:Flight initiation distance was shorter in Rock Doves than in the other two species, which did not differ in approachability by a human. Rock Doves retreated from an approaching human mainly by walking a relatively short distance,