• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2017

This study was conducted to identify the reproductive behavior of the barn swallow. The study was carried out in Gwangju, Korea during the 2013 breeding season. In the morning, the nest-building frequency was 14.2~31.0 trips/h (10.2~19.8 trips/h by male and 4.0~11.4 trips/h by female). The nest-building activity took 7.6~15.9 min/h (4.8~8.1 min/h by male and 2.8~8.0 min/h by female). The nest-building time by female ($40.0{\pm}27.9sec/trip$) was about 1.5 times longer than the nest-building time by male ($26.1{\pm}15.5sec/trip$). Only the female incubated the eggs. The Incubation time was $50.6{\pm}17.5min/h$ (84%) at 6h, 24.5 min/h (40.8%) at 7h and 15.6 min/h (26.0%) thereafter. During daytime, the female incubation time showed a highly significant difference (p<0.001), and the incubation time at 6h was higher than that at other times. There was a significantly negative correlation between female incubation time and the mean air temperature(p<0.05). The frequency of feeding was $385.2{\pm}66.9trips/nest$ in the daytime ($219.2{\pm}37.1trips/nest$ by male and $166.0{\pm}30.8trips/nest$ by female). The frequency of feeding per hour was $32.1{\pm}12.3trips/h$ ($18.3{\pm}7.8trips/h$ by male and $14.3{\pm}4.5trips/h$ by female). The frequency of feeding per hour showed a significant difference in the range of 10h(p<0.05) and 15h(p<0.01) by sex. The time of feeding by female ($40.9{\pm}83.3sec/trip$) was longer than the time of feeding by male ($12.3{\pm}31.0sec/trip$). The juvenile defecation frequency was $45.6{\pm}8.4times/nest$ per day and showed a positive correlation with feeding frequency (p<0.05). The results of this study will be helpful in understanding the reproductive behaviors of the swallow adapted to the environment in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2006

During the breeding seasons in 2002 and 2003, the influences of vegetation cover on breeding processes of Black-tailed Gulls (Laurs crassirostris) were studied on Hongdo Island. We checked dutch sizes, calculated hatching success and survival rates on day 15 and a vegetation cover, There was significant positive relationship between vegetation cover and hatching success, and survival on day 15. In order to analyze the relationship, sample nests were categorized as 'exposed' and 'covered' nests, and the breeding processes at each nest were compared. Hatching success and survival on day 15 in covered nests were significantly higher than ones in exposed nests. However, in clutch size, there was no significant difference. The rate of the hatching and survival failure was different amongst the categorized nests. The primary cause of hatching failure in covered and exposed nests was 'disappeared', and the primary causes of survival failure on day 15 were 'disappeared' and 'killed by adults'. The failure in exposed nests was significantly larger than that of covered nests. In the breeding of Black-tailed Gulls on Hongdo Island, vegetation cover influenced the survival of eggs and chicks as the cover provided shelter against predators and extreme weather.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.221-231
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• 2023

Great tit (Parus major) is a bioindicator species that can measure environmental changes in urban ecosystems and plays an important role in maintaining health as a representative insectivorous bird. Researchers have utilized artificial nest box surveys to understand the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family of birds, including the Great tits, but it is difficult to conduct a macroscopic study due to spatial and temporal limitations. This study designed and applied a citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project to transcend the limitations of expert-centered monitoring methods. The Suwon Front Yard Bird Monitoring Team installed artificial nest boxes in green spaces in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province and observed the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family through the participation of voluntary citizen surveyors. Participants were recruited through an online survey from February 9 to February 22, 2021, and they directly performed from installation to observation of artificial next boxes from February 23 to August 31, 2021. Online education was provided to the volunteers for the entire monitoring process to lower the entry barrier for non-expert citizen surveyors and collect consistent data, and observation records were collected through a mobile app. A total of 98 citizen surveyors participated in the citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project, and 175 (84.95%) of the 256 distributed artificial nest boxes were installed in green spaces in Suwon City. Among the installed artificial nest boxes, the results of the citizen science project were confirmed for 173 (83.98%), excluding two boxes with position coordinate generation errors. A total of 987 artificial nest box observation records were collected from citizen surveyors, with a minimum of one time, a maximum of 26 times, and an average of 5.71±4.37 times. The number of observations of artificial birdhouses per month was 70 times (7.09%) in February, 444 times (44.98%) in March, 284 times (28.77%) in April, 133 times (13.48%) in May, 46 times (4.66%) in June, 6 times (0.61%) in July, and 4 times (0.41%) in August. Birds using the artificial nest boxes were observed in 57 (32.95%) of the 173 installed artificial nest boxes, and they included Great tit (Parus major) using 12 boxes (21.05%), Varied Tit (Parus varius) using 7 boxes (12.28%), and unidentified birds using 38 boxes (66.67%). This study is the first to consider citizen participation in the monitoring of artificial nest boxes, a survey method for the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family, including Great tits, and it can be utilized as basic data for the design of ecological monitoring combined with citizen science in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.152-158
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• 2008

This survey was conducted to analyze the effect of road construction near the group breeding places of the egrets and herons located at Palhyun-ri, Daegu, on their breeding during four years from 2003 to 2006. With the number of the individuals of the whole egrets and herons have been decreased due to the three-year road construction work(2003-2005). When the road construction was temporally stopped in 2006, the number of individuals of egrets and herons except Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis increased and partocilarly, the Gray heron Ardea cinerea was found to have been influenced the most by this construction in comparison with other egrets and herons. The number od individuals of large egrets, little egrets and herons was found to decrease during the construction period. After cutting off the nest trees and removing some parts of the breeding site, the herons and egrets tended to move their nesting place from roadsides to the inside of the breeding area. Trees for the nests decreased due to the increase in fellen trees caused by bird nests per tree increased gradually. As for the formation ratio of trees for the nests, the ratio of pine trees lowered yearly while that of acacia and oak trees was increasing during the survey.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.117-127
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• 2022

The survey of bird community characteristics was carried out four times on 2016 and 2017, respectively May and October to figure out effects of the manmade small ecosystem, Anseong. Twenty five species and 94 individuals were observed in the study area. The dominant species were Passer montanus 19.1%, Pica pica 12.8%, Cyanopica cyana 8.51%, Sinosuthora webbiana and Carduelis sinica ussuriensis respectively 7.45%, the diversity of the species was 2.787. With migration, the highest number and percentage to the lowest was residents 72.0%, summer visitors 20.0% and winter visitors 8.00%. Among 22 species which bred (check or possibility) in the manmade small ecology, Anseong, canopy (C) was 54.5%, hole (H) was 31.8%, bush (B) was 9.09% and ground (G) was 4.55% in their nesting guilds. In foraging guilds in breeding season was canopy (C) was 69.6%, bush (C) was 21.7%, water (W) and ground (G) was respectively 4.35%, and in non-breeding season, canopy was 64.0%, bush 24.0%, ground was 8.00% and water 4.00%. In the study site, the manmade habitats for birds were nest box and wetland (rain garden). In 7 nest box, Parus major was uesd 1 nest box as their breeding on 2016 and 2017, and Passer montanus was used 1 nest box on 2017. We assumed that sustainable rainwater supply may be important to attract many birds in rain garden, the manmade habitat for birds.Unfortunately, however, no birds used rain garden (wetland) as their habitats due to water shortage.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.443-450
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• 2005

The ratio of breeding pairs of brown skuas (Catharacta lonnbergi), south polar skuas (C. maccormicki) and mixed species pairs between Barton and Weaver peninsulas remained the same $(X^2-test,\;X^2=0,503,\;df=2,\;p=0.778)$. The nests of skuas were clustered on Barton, whereas they were distributed randomly on the Weaver peninsula. The distance between brown skua nests, and that of mixed species pair nests were longer than those of south polar skua nests. Brown skua nests were distributed along the coast. Whereas, the nests of mixed species pairs and south polar skuas were found more frequently inland (Kruskal-Wallis, $X^2=11.631$, df=2, p<0.005). There was no interspecific difference in the distances between skua nests and Penguin rookery at Barton (Kruskal-Wallis, $X^2=2.153$, df=2, p=0.341) or at King Sejong Station (ANOVA, F=1.483, df=2, p=0.229). In general, skuas prefer lower locales (<125m above sea level) for their nest building sites. Brown skua nests were distributed mainly on the beach, whereas south polar skua were distributed on the predominant periglacial landforms and till areas $(X^2-test,\;X^2=24.988,\;df=8,\;p<0.005)$.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.93-100
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• 2007

This study was based on the breeding process of the Pacific Reef Herons (Egretta sacra) bred in Aewol-eup, Jeju Island, for two years from February 2004 to June 2005. The clutch size of the pacific reef herons was $3.24{\pm}0.75$(N=17, range: $2{\sim}4$), and the egg-laying was at dawn or night intervals of one to three days. The major diameter of the egg(N=39) was $46.73{\pm}1.91mm$, the minor diameter thereof $34.06{\pm}0.83mm$, the weight thereof $27.67{\pm}3.12g$, and the thickness of the egg shell thereof $0.26{\pm}0.03mm$. In relation to the breeding cycles of the Pacific Reef Herons, the nesting or nest repairing was made from February to the end of April each year, the egg laying from the beginning of March to the beginning of May, the hatching from the beginning of April to the middle of May, and the nest departure from the middle of May to the end of July. The supplement brood was started immediately from May to June when the first brood had failed. The incubation period was $28.17{\pm}4.12(N=6)$ days, and hatched asynchronously. The fledgling period was $40.00{\pm}6.84(N=5)$ days, and bill, wing, tarsus and weight developments of early hatched nestlings were the fastest among the same brood. Compared with other egret species, the egg laying period of the Pacific Reef Heron was faster than that of the Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret and Great Egret, but later than that of Grey Heron, in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.545-550
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• 2006

Ten supernormal clutches of little terns Sterna albifrons and seven clutches having mixed eggs by little terns and kentish plovers Charadrius alexandrinus were recorded during the breeding seasons of 2003$\sim$2005 at Ganwol lake, Hongsung-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea. The frequency of egg retrieval by Little Terns was higher after the second egg laying regardless of the clutch size and incubation stage. The frequency of egg retrieval was high at all incubation stage. When experimental eggs were placed within 15 cm from the nests, the percentage of egg retrieval was highest (almost 100%). However the percentage dropped rapidly over 35$\sim$55 cm range and finally to zero at 60 cm distance. Little terns retrieved all kinds of eggs set near their nests regardless of its kind or size. This study suggests that egg retrieval by little terns may be a source of the nest with supernormal and mixed egg clutch observed in this species.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2012

Yellow bitterns (Ixobrychus sinensis) are a small wetland bird common to Asian countries including South Korea, Japan, and China. The aim of this study is to describe diet of yellow bitterns during the breeding season in artificial wetland of northeastern South Korea between May to August 1999-2001. For the purposes of this paper, we observe the frequency of nest visiting by parents during the chick rearing period. A total of 98 boluses regurgitated by 52 chicks aged 1 day to 11 days after hatching form the sample and are shown to contain 323 food items. A bolus contained mean 3.8 items and weighs 0.2 g to 7.7 g. The most regularly occurring food items recorded are fish (63%) and insets (33%). In terms of fish, top mouth minnows (Pseudorasbora parva) and crucian carps (Carassius auratus) are frequently observed. In terms of insects, there are mosquitoes (Diptera), instars of dragonfly (Libelluidae), damselflies (Coenagrinonidae) and water bugs (Diplonychus japonicus). Yellow bitterns were also shown to feed on bull frogs (Rana catesbeiana), shrimp (Palaemonidae), and spiders (Araneae). The size of fish in a bolus ranged from 15.56 mm to 93.73 mm (mean, 37.08 mm). The amount of food can be observed to increase with the age of chicks (r = 0.279, P = 0.025, N = 64) but parents did not provide larger fish as chicks grew. Parent birds visited nests more frequently when they have a larger brood ($F_{1,21}$ = 14.529, P = 0.001). Our results suggest that fish is the most important prey during the breeding season and that age of chicks is related to amount of diet in yellow bitterns.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.15 no.1 s.26
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• pp.7-16
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• 1976

In order to increase utility efficiency of red wood ants, Formica rufa truncicola var. yessonesis Forel as a resource of natural enemy of pine caterpillar, Dendrolimus spectabilis Butler, by finding out ecological and environmental factors in the habitat of red wood ants, the nest distribution and its density in habitat, plant distribution and density, stand-density of red pine, nest building and fixing plants, relative humidity of surface soil, physical and chemical natures of soil, and breeding rate were examined. The obtained results are summarized as follows: 1. The nest of red wood ants was densely distributed, in the lower-and middle top of mountain but no nest was found in the top. 2. The economical distribution of nest of habitat was estimated as $2.85/m^2$ and the lowest density as $1.93/m^2$ and these estimation lead us to confirm that pine caterpillar could be controlled. 3. The ecological characteristics of habitat seemed to be represented as higher stand-density of red pine of 10-20 years of age with large areas of eroded land under trees. The major grasses prevailing in this area were Andropogon brevifolius. Arundinella hirta, Miscanthus purpurasens, Eulia speciosa, Themeda japonica, Cymbopogon goeringii, and Eccoilpus cotulifer 4. Red wood ants seemed to build the nest by using red pine, Arundinella hirta, Miscanthus purpurascens, Themeda japonica or Cymbopogon goeringii as a fixing plant. 5. The limited point of humidity percent in habitat of red wood ants was estimated as $76\%$ during the acting period of May to September and as $72\%$ during pre-period of hibernation of October to November. 6. Soil analysis in habitating region showed higher concentration of organic matters and lower concentration of calcium and magnesium, and habitat was largely composed of silt and fine sand rather than coarse sand. 7. When the separated colony was transplanted to non-habitating red pine forest that seemed to have the similiar conditions as those of habitat, propagation and establishment of nest was possible.