The roller coracias garrulus: ecological characteristics of the species by the analysis of humerus

About the author:

Maxim G. Mitropolskiy, Post-Graduate Student, Department of Zoology and Evolutionary Ecology of Animals, Tyumen State University; max_raptors@list.ru

Abstract:

The article presents morphological and morphometric characteristics of the humerus of the roller Coracias garrulous. The material was collected in Uzbekistan in the period from 1998 to 2013. There were 20 humerus collected from rollers killed by natural causes — 11 birds (55.0%) and anthropogenic ones — 9 birds (45.0%). Sex of birds was defined only in 30.0% of cases. The rest of sex determination was made on the analysis of humerus. Environmental characteristics of the species, using the analysis of humerus, are given in the article. It is the first time when, applying the method to determine sex using humerus, we managed to correctly show that females of rollers are larger than males. These data varied with a high degree of overlapping features in the previous literature. These features have been shown for whole bones and their parts. The analysis showed age and gender selectivity factors of death, including the nutritional factor of eagle owl.

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