Taiwan Blue Magpie
Taiwan Blue Magpie
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Urbanization creates both opportunities and challenges for wildife. Although many species struggle to cope with such a rapid environmental change, some species manage to persist when facing this novel environmental condition. In this project, we wish to identify the underlain behavioral and sensory mechanisms that allow urban-tolerant or adapted species to thrive when facing urbanization. By leveraging our knowledge, we seek for potential solutions to create a more friendly environment for those vulnerable speices.
This study centers the interaction between the Taiwan Blue Magpie and its bird prey. Broadly, we aim to understand how the differences of visual and auditory environmental background between the rural and urban habitat is associated with the shift in the predator-prey interaction?
Opportunity
Opportunity
The Taiwan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea) and its sibling species, the Red-billed Blue Magpie, were suggested to gradually increase their populations in urban areas. Yet, they seem to adopt different behavioral strategies for colonization─aggresiveness! Using a series of field observations and behavioral experiments, we conduct a cross-country study examining the behavioral tradeoff resulting in different levels of species aggressiveness.
The Taiwan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea) and its sibling species, the Red-billed Blue Magpie, were suggested to gradually increase their populations in urban areas. Yet, they seem to adopt different behavioral strategies for colonization─aggresiveness! Using a series of field observations and behavioral experiments, we conduct a cross-country study examining the behavioral tradeoff resulting in different levels of species aggressiveness.
Ultimately, we aim to establish a knowledge framework elucidating how urbanization acts as a novel selective force, driving rapid behavioral and evolutionary changes, and the role of behavior in species persistence in cities.
Ultimately, we aim to establish a knowledge framework elucidating how urbanization acts as a novel selective force, driving rapid behavioral and evolutionary changes, and the role of behavior in species persistence in cities.
We are recruiting students for this project!
Get in touch with Rita for more info. Basically, we are interested in examining the role of national parks in supporting species communities at the macroecological scale.
We will collaborate with Dr. Ryan Beshai @ the University of California, Santa Cruz on this project.
Transects
Transects
Taiwan blue magpie baby
Taiwan blue magpie baby
The adult magpie!
The adult magpie!
Collaborators
Collaborators
Dr. Chih-Ming Hung
Dr. Chih-Ming Hung
Research CenterBiodiversity, Academia Sinica
Prof. Hsi-Cheng Ho
Prof. Hsi-Cheng Ho
Institute of Ecology & Evolution, NTU
Challenge
Challenge
The Taiwan Blue Magpie preys on the eggs and fledglings of small-sized birds during breeding seasons. With its gradual establishment in urban areas, this new predator-prey interactions has be introduced, posing a new predatory threat to these small-sized birds.
The Taiwan Blue Magpie preys on the eggs and fledglings of small-sized birds during breeding seasons. With its gradual establishment in urban areas, this new predator-prey interactions has be introduced, posing a new predatory threat to these small-sized birds.
In this project, we investigate how small urban-dwelling birds sense and recognize the presence of predators in the environment? How does the relative importance among different sensory systems shift along the rural-urban environmetnal gradient for these birds with respect to predator detection?
In this project, we investigate how small urban-dwelling birds sense and recognize the presence of predators in the environment? How does the relative importance among different sensory systems shift along the rural-urban environmetnal gradient for these birds with respect to predator detection?
We estimated the refuge availability for bird prey in the urban environment
We are recruiting students interested in this project!
Research aim: comparing the antipredatory responses of prey birds between rural and urban environments and exmaining how visual and auditory environmental noise influence these behavioral responses.
We've completed collecting most of the data in the field already, so basically you will be at a very good starting point to complete your thesis. Plus, you will have an opportunity to learn how to deal with and analyze a big dataset (e.g., images, environmental characteristics, and behavioral data). The chance is rare!
Collaborators
Collaborators
Dr. Chih-Ming Hung
Dr. Chih-Ming Hung
Research CenterBiodiversity, Academia Sinica
Participate in our survey and becoming a citizen science!
Where is the magpie?
We want to investigate the distribution of the Taiwan Blue Magpies in urban environments, and how it uses this habitat and access resources in cities.”
Team of Blue Magpie
Team of Blue Magpie
Yung-Chi Chang 張詠祺
Yung-Chi Chang 張詠祺
Jia-Yun Huang 黃珈耘
Jia-Yun Huang 黃珈耘
Chi-Heng Hsieh 謝季恆
Chi-Heng Hsieh 謝季恆
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