Age estimation of black stork (Ciconia nigra) nestlings from wing, bill, head, and tarsus lengths at the time of ringing

Authors

MACIEJ KAMINSKI
BARTOSZ JANIC
LIDIA MARSZAL
JERZY BANBURA
PIOTR ZIELINSKI

DOI

10.3906/zoo-1702-42

Abstract

Black stork nestlings were measured (wing, bill, head, and tarsus lengths) at weekly intervals in central Poland in 2012, 2014, and 2015. The aim of the study was to provide growth equations based on nestling measurements to allow age estimation of black stork nestlings. The hatching hour and date of nestlings in five nests were determined using trail cameras. The age of the measured nestlings ranged from 18 to 53 days. Wing, bill, and head lengths showed linear growth, while tarsus growth was only linear for nestlings not exceeding 35 days old. Within the age range studied, wing length grew 9.6 mm per day, head length grew 2.3 mm per day, and bill length grew 1.8 mm per day. The study provides the first growth parameters for the black stork.

Keywords

Breeding ecology, growth formulas, ringing, biometrics, storks, trail cameras

First Page

132

Last Page

136

Recommended Citation

KAMINSKI, MACIEJ; JANIC, BARTOSZ; MARSZAL, LIDIA; BANBURA, JERZY; and ZIELINSKI, PIOTR (2018) "Age estimation of black stork (Ciconia nigra) nestlings from wing, bill, head, and tarsus lengths at the time of ringing," Turkish Journal of Zoology: Vol. 42: No. 1, Article 17. https://doi.org/10.3906/zoo-1702-42
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/vol42/iss1/17