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Animals
Special Issues
Unveiling the Breeding Biology and Life History Evolution in Birds
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Unveiling the Breeding Biology and Life History Evolution in Birds

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Reproduction".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 589

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shaobin Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Yangtze University, 1 South-Loop Road, Jingzhou 434025, China
Interests: life history evolution of bird; avian ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Changcao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
Interests: avian ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Weibin Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, China
Interests: avian ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, there are over 11,000 extant bird species, exhibiting a remarkable diversity of breeding strategies and life history traits. These range from variations in clutch size and parental care to differences in lifespan and age at first reproduction. Understanding the breeding biology of these species forms the foundation of avian life history theory. However, it is concerning that approximately 30% of bird species have not had their breeding biology documented in the "Handbook of the Birds of the World". These gaps in knowledge may impede our comprehensive understanding of avian life histories. It is imperative for ornithologists to intensify efforts in exploring the breeding biology of these lesser-known species. This Special Issue focuses on the following topics:

  1. Breeding Biology of Lesser-Known Avian Species: Investigating the reproductive strategies of species whose breeding biology remains undocumented.
  2. Breeding Biology in Understudied Habitats or Extreme Environments: Exploring how birds adapt their reproductive strategies to thrive in challenging or poorly understood habitats.
  3. Variation in Life-History Traits Between High and Low Altitudes: Examining how altitude influences life history traits and reproductive strategies in birds.
  4. Reproductive Strategies of Birds in Diverse Habitats: Analyzing how different environmental conditions shape the breeding strategies of avian species.
  5. Unique Avian Behaviors and Their Adaptive Evolution: Investigating specialized behaviors in birds and their evolutionary significance.
  6. Comparative Studies on Avian Ecology and Behaviour: Conducting comparative analyses to understand ecological and behavioral adaptations across different bird species.

Breeding biology and life history traits are crucial for understanding how birds adapt to their environments. They provide essential insights into the adaptive strategies birds employ to maximize reproductive success and survival. This Special Issue aims to fill critical gaps in our understanding of avian breeding biology and life history evolution, thereby enhancing our knowledge of how birds adapt to their ever-changing environments.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Birds.

Prof. Dr. Shaobin Li
Dr. Changcao Wang
Dr. Weibin Guo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • avian
  • breeding biology
  • life history
  • reproductive strategies
  • ecological adaptation
  • evolutionary ecology

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1150 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Microsatellite Characterization and Molecular Marker Development of Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis)
by Weibin Guo, Dianhua Ke, Changcao Wang and Haiying Fan
Animals 2025, 15(10), 1438; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15101438 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 137
Abstract
The Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis), an obligate scavenging bird in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, provides significant ecological services but is currently listed as near threatened. Despite their importance for conservation, genome-wide screening for microsatellites (or SSRs) in G. himalayensis and the development [...] Read more.
The Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis), an obligate scavenging bird in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, provides significant ecological services but is currently listed as near threatened. Despite their importance for conservation, genome-wide screening for microsatellites (or SSRs) in G. himalayensis and the development of corresponding molecular markers have been lacking. This study presents the first in-depth characterization of genome-wide microsatellites in G. himalayensis and the successful development of polymorphic SSR markers. A total of 240,741 microsatellite loci were detected in the G. himalayensis genome, with an average density of 202.2 SSRs per Mb, accounting for 0.44% of the genome. Mononucleotide repeats (53.2%) were the most prevalent among the different microsatellite motif types. Additionally, 100 primer pairs were initially identified, with 17 found to be polymorphic markers. These loci hold significant potential for revealing genotypic diversity in G. himalayensis, thereby laying a foundation for the conservation of this species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unveiling the Breeding Biology and Life History Evolution in Birds)
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11 pages, 943 KiB  
Article
Hanging Position of Artificial Nest Boxes Affects Reproductive Success of Russet Sparrow Passer cinnamomeus
by Pan Peng, Wanzhu Chen, Nursoltan Qianhan, Hang Yu, Qian Hu, Jiagui Zhu, Hua Huang, Zhiyong Du and Jianqiang Li
Animals 2025, 15(10), 1413; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15101413 - 14 May 2025
Viewed by 214
Abstract
Secondary cavity-nesting birds can utilize artificial nest boxes provided by humans for breeding, making nest boxes important approaches for attracting birds. Artificial nest boxes are therefore widely used in fields such as ornithological research and avian diversity conservation. Under natural conditions, the location [...] Read more.
Secondary cavity-nesting birds can utilize artificial nest boxes provided by humans for breeding, making nest boxes important approaches for attracting birds. Artificial nest boxes are therefore widely used in fields such as ornithological research and avian diversity conservation. Under natural conditions, the location of nests often affects the reproductive success of birds. Therefore, understanding the impact of nest box hanging positions on the breeding success of secondary cavity-nesting birds is of great significance for guiding the placement of artificial nest boxes. In this study, we explored the potential factors, including nest-box location, that affect the reproductive success of the russet sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus) by monitoring the nest-site characteristics and reproductive parameters such as clutch size and brood size of those breeding in artificial nest boxes near Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan, China, from April to July 2024. Russet sparrow nesting in boxes on coniferous trees and utility poles showed no significant differences in clutch size, hatching rate, brood size, pre-laying nest-abandonment rate, and whether the breeding was ultimately successful. Nests with earlier egg-laying dates had larger clutch sizes, higher hatching rates, and greater brood sizes. However, the number of fledglings and fledging success were not affected by laying date, and fledging success was not affected by either the distance from the nest site to the nearest road, or the brood size. Both larger brood size and greater distance from the nearest road were associated with increased numbers of fledglings. Furthermore, russet sparrows nesting in boxes on coniferous trees produced significantly more fledglings and exhibited higher fledging success compared to those nesting on utility poles, suggesting that nest boxes’ hanging position may influence russet sparrow reproductive success. These findings not only supplement existing ecological data on russet sparrow reproduction in artificial nest boxes but also provide important insights for avian conservation practices, highlighting the necessity of fully considering hanging position when deploying artificial nest boxes for birds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unveiling the Breeding Biology and Life History Evolution in Birds)
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