烏頭翁與白頭烏探索行為之比較

Abstract

為瞭解烏頭翁（Pycnonotus taivanus）與白頭翁（P. sinensis）探索行為的差異，於1998年11月至2000年12月間，在室內測試烏頭翁與白頭翁探索陌生環境的意願、在陌生環境的探索能力，及在熟悉環境中出現新奇物品的反應，以比較種間探索行為的差異。 結果發現在缺乏食物時，烏頭翁與白頭翁前往未知環境的比例相近，到達未知環境的時間沒有種間差異。在陌生環境中，除烏頭翁雌鳥探視食盒及吃下的蟲數比白頭翁雌鳥多，且較快開始吃蟲外，兩種鳥的覓食能力沒有明顯差異，而兩種鳥在陌生環境中的活動方式也相似，僅停棲地點的選擇稍有區別。當熟悉環境的必要性資源附近出現新奇物品時，白頭翁雄鳥比烏頭翁雄鳥更快恢復進食，進食時間也較久，表示烏頭翁雄鳥較恐懼新奇物品。綜合三個實驗的結果顯示兩種鳥探索陌生環境的意願相近，在陌生環境時，兩種雄鳥的探索能力相似，但烏頭翁雌鳥的覓食能力與覓食效率比白頭翁雌鳥強，在熟悉環境中面對新奇物品時，兩種雌鳥的反應相似，但白頭翁雄鳥克服對新奇物品恐懼的能力比烏頭翁雄鳥強。

From Nov. 1998 until Dec. 2000, I studied the exploratory behaviour of Styan's Bulbul (Pycnonotus taivanus) and Chinese Bulbul (P. sinensis) through conducting three different experiments: their willingness to enter an unknown environment, their exploratory ability in a new environment, and their neophobia in a familiar environment. Results of the first experiment showed that there was no difference in the proportion and arrival time of individuals entering the unknown environment between the two species. Results of the second experiment showed that there was no interspecific difference in the amount of meal worms consumed. However, when each sex was compared separately, Styan's Bulbul females visited more food containers, ate more worms, and started eating sooner than Chinese Bulbul females. Except the two species favored different tree where they perched in the novel environment, analyses of the location of their activities showed that there was no difference between the two species. In the third experiment, when a novel object was introduced into familiar environment, male Chinese Bulbuls overcame their neophobia and started feeding sooner than male Styan's Bulbuls. In conclusion, the two species behaved very similarly in novel environments, or when they encountered a novel object in familiar environment, but Chinese Bulbul males were more brave than Styan's Bulbul males. There was very little interspecific difference among females, even though Styan' s Bulbul females ate more worms than Chinese Bulbul females in a new environment.