The influence of light intensity on the roosting times of the rook (Corvus frugilegus)

doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(76)80109-1

Animal Behaviour

Volume 24, Issue 1, February 1976, Pages 154-158

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(76)80109-1 Get rights and content

Abstract

Little work has been done on the roosting behaviour of Corvidae, particularly the influence of light-intensity on its timing. This paper describes the effects of light-intensity on the roosting times of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) from a large roost during winter. Light intensity was measured and its influence on the departure of birds from the feeding grounds, arrival at the roost, entry into the roost and morning departure was found to be significant. Departure from feeding areas (and arrival at the roost) was earlier at lower light-intensities and later at higher light-intensities. Control of responsiveness to light-intensity by circadian rhythm for rooks from different feeding grounds was discussed.

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Communal roosting in a suburban population of Torresian crows (Corvus orru)
2006, Landscape and Urban Planning
Communal roosting is a well-known phenomenon among numerous species of corvid (family Corvidae) worldwide. Surprisingly, in Australia this behaviour occurs only in certain urban populations of two species, and is unknown in any of the five native corvid species living away from urban areas. We studied the communal roosting behaviour of Torresian crows (Corvus orru) in the suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, by following six radio-tagged birds and by observing in detail the activities of crows as they departed and arrived at focal roosting trees. Several hundred birds were found to use the roosts on most nights, although there was clear seasonal variation; highest numbers were noted during the autumn and lowest were in spring. Radio-tagged adult birds tended to use the same roost regularly, while juveniles were far less faithful to a particular tree. Roosting behaviour was significantly influenced by cloud cover and temperature and the location of suitable pre-roost gathering sites. We were unable to determine why urban Torresian crows formed large roosting groups but our data did not support the information centre hypothesis.
Ground-roosting in domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) in The Gambia: The anticipation of night
1997, Behavioural Processes
The ground-roosting behaviour of a semi-feral population of domestic hens with broods of chicks was measured in The Gambia, West Africa. Although neither day length nor time of sunset changed significantly over the duration of the study (January–March 1995), mean daily light intensity showed a significant increase. This resulted in an increasingly rapid decline in light intensity at dusk as the season progressed. Hens went to roost significantly later in the day, and at lower light levels, over the course of the season. The results support a model suggesting that the cue to start roosting is a certain light level, constant over the season, but the `settling period' required means that the hens finally roost at later times and at lower light levels as the season progresses.
The anticipation of night by fry-retrieving convict cichlids
1994, Animal Behaviour
Abstract. Every day at dusk, many parental cichlids 'retrieve' their fry: they take wandering fry into their mouth and spit them into a previously dug pit. The present study investigated the relative importance of illumination changes and endogenous clock mechanisms in the daily timing of fry-retrieving behaviour in convict cichlids, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum. Even when night onset was abrupt, most female cichlids were able to anticipate night: they started retrieving 0-12 min before night onset. Retrieving was more pronounced, however, when night onset was reliably preceded by a 15-min period of dim illumination. Dim illumination at other times of the day elicited no fry-retrieving response. When complete darkness was imposed in the middle of the day, retrieving took place but at lower levels than during the first 15 min of the preceding night. These results indicate a dual role of light levels and endogenous clock mechanisms in the anticipation of night by fry-retrieving convict cichlids. Light levels alone may not be sufficient because dusk is not the only time when light levels change, and endogenous clocks alone may not be sufficient because they are not accurate enough.
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The wintering ecology of the Rook Corvus frugilegus in Northern Kyushu, Japan
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^*: Present address: Animal Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS.

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Animal Behaviour

Abstract

References (14)

Rhythme quotidien des activities de l'etourneau, Sturnus vulgaris L., au dortoir

Gerfaut

Weather factors and the timings of evening roosting flights of grackles and starlings at Ames, Iowa

Proc. Ia. Acad. Sci.

Rookeries and roosts of the rook and jackdaw in South-West Cornwall. Part I. Population distribution and rookeries

Bird Study

Rookeries and roosts of the rook and jackdaw in South-West Cornwall. Part II. Roosting

Bird Study

Population changes and roosting time of starlings

Ecology

Roosting of starlings: A function of light and time

Anim. Behav.

The winter flocking behaviour of the common crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

Ohio J. Sci.

Cited by (22)

Communal roosting in a suburban population of Torresian crows (Corvus orru)

Ground-roosting in domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) in The Gambia: The anticipation of night

The anticipation of night by fry-retrieving convict cichlids

Citizen-science data identifies the daily movement patterns and habitat associations of a nocturnal urban-invading bird species (Corvus frugilegus)

Temporal variation in the behaviour of a cooperatively breeding bird, Jungle Babbler (Argya striata)

The wintering ecology of the Rook Corvus frugilegus in Northern Kyushu, Japan