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The article examines the breeding ecology of the Twite in a meadow environment at 4,300 meters (m) elevation in northern Tibet during 2004-2007. It mentions that Twite laid eggs between late May and mid-August in response to ripeness of seed food. It notes that incubation by the female only lasted 12.2 days and provisioning of chicks in the nest was continued by both parents for 14.7 days. It describes the period when males performed courtship feeding. It cites that breeding success was 64% and compared to their lowland counterparts, Tibetan Twite produced smaller clutches and larger eggs.

The article offers the author's insights concerning his study on the reproductive ecology of threw species of Tibetan Waterbirds at the Lhalu Wetland in Tibet, China. The author used several methods including data analysis, chi-squared tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results of his study reveals the impact of the balance between body reserve allocation and environmental harshness in the rate of the waterbirds' egg and clutch size, as well as the importance of wetland management.

We studied the breeding ecology of the Grey-backed Shrike (Lanius tephronotus) in alpine shrub habitats in south Tibet. Shrikes nested between late May and early July at elevations of 4,010-4,540 m with a delay in nesting time with increased elevation. Nests were built mostly in bushes (83%), 0.7-2.1 m above ground. Clutch size averaged (± SD) 4.12 ± 0.67, range = 3-5 eggs and was smaller for pairs that nested later at higher elevations. Incubation by females began before clutch competition and lasted 15-18 days. Nestlings were cared for by both parents for 14-15 days. Breeding success, considered as the number of nest attempts that fledged at least one young, was 45.8%. Shrikes nesting in alpine habitats, compared with their lowland congeners, experienced shorter breeding seasons, produced fewer broods, smaller clutches, and larger eggs. They followed a life history strategy that allowed them to compensate for reduced annual fecundity under harsh condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study on breeding ecology of White-browed Tit-Warbler, Leptopoecile sophiae, in the alpine zone of southern Tibet, China. It states that the said bird started egg-laying in early April and ended by late July. Its domed nests were located in 13 species of shrubs at an average height of 0.9 meter above the ground. It found that clutch size averaged 4.7 eggs, declining through the season, while brood size was 4.3 at hatching and 3.8 at fledging. Furthermore, most pairs were monogamous, and both sexes shared all nesting duties.

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The social behavior of free-living male Tibetan Eared-pheasants (Crossoptilon harmani) is described during their breeding season at a site near Lhasa, Tibet. Four types of male-male interactions were identified. (1) Mate guarding. A male maintained vigilance behavior near his partner. (2) Evading. A male urged the female to avoid other breeding males. (3) Lateral display. A male laterally presented his body to another male and the latter postured submissively. On a few occasions, displaying males escaped alone and dominant males attempted to copulate with mates of these males. (4) Driving. A male violently drove off any males that came too near his mate. These behavioral types emerged as pair members associated in groups in early spring, became extensive as pair bonds intensified, and disappeared with hatching. Paired males occasionally displayed to subadult males, but no display activity was observed between subadult males. These interactions were unidirectional for a group in which all male members were individually identified and revealed a linear dominance hierarchy among the males. I believe that mate-guarding was to detect and evading was to escape the high-ranking males, which potentially obtained (through displaying to lower-ranking males) extra-pair copulations. Advertising quality to impress/intimidate opponents and to attract additional females is likely the underlying reason for male-male display. My observations provide an interesting example of how males behaviorally respond to conflict between gregariousness and maintenance in a socially monogamous mating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the nesting ecology of two groups of the endangered Tibetan Eared Pheasants Crossoptilon harmani in scrub environments near Lhasa, Tibet, during 1996 and 1999–2001. One group received artificial food from a nunnery prior to incubation whereas the other fed on natural food. This difference in the birds’ nutritional history allowed us to assess the effects of food on reproduction. Laying occurred between mid-April and early June, with a peak at the end of April or early May. Eggs were laid around noon. Adult females produced one clutch per year. Clutch size averaged 7.4 eggs (4–11). Incubation lasted 24–25 days. We observed a higher nesting success (67.7%) than reported for other eared pheasants. Provisioning had no significant effect on the timing of clutch initiation or nesting success, and a weak effect on egg size and clutch size (explaining 8.2% and 9.1% of the observed variation, respectively). These results were attributed to the observation that the unprovisioned birds had not experienced local food shortage before laying, despite spending more time feeding and less time resting than the provisioned birds. Nest-site selection by the pheasants was non-random with respect to environmental variables. Rock-cavities with an entrance averaging 0.32 m2 in size and not deeper than 1.5 m were greatly preferred as nest-sites. The birds were also more likely to place their nests in denser high-scrub and closer to streams. In the study area, the low availability of both cliff habitats and high-scrub patches suggested a limitation of sites suitable for nesting, which could be reflected in the between-year re-use of nest-sites (8.9%) and intraspecific nest parasitism (3.8%). Despite the apparent preference for certain nest-site variables, we found no effect of these on clutch fate, suggesting that the risk of nest predation was random. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses conducting fieldwork in science, often referencing the author's experience as an ornithologist in studying the ecology and social behavior of the Tibetan eared pheasants in the Tibetan Plateau in Tibet, China. The spiritual aspects of conducting fieldwork in the Tibetan Plateau are discussed.