本研究以青背山雀（Parus monticolus）為對象，於2004年、2005年在關原地區以針孔錄影機觀察巢箱中育雛中期以後（11-19日齡）雛鳥之乞食行為及親鳥之育雛行為，共觀察11巢、162小時，總計1525筆資料。食物種類各項組成之比例中前三項，最高比例為毛蟲類佔72%（1083個），蛹或成蟲腹部佔8%（120個）次之，再次為鱗翅目成蟲佔3%（51個）。研究結果顯示：在雛鳥乞食強度較強時，親鳥回巢間隔較短（P=0.0009）；在同一類型食物中（毛蟲類），餵食間隔較長時帶回的食物較大（P<0.0001），且餵食不同類型的食物所花費的時間間隔亦有顯著不同（P<0.0001）。親鳥育雛能力不受雛數的影響，在雛數較多的巢中，整巢餵食頻率較高，但在不同雛數的巢間，雛鳥個體平均獲得的食物量並無不同（P=0.3046）。雛鳥乞食強度與雛數無關（P=0.8905），在不同雛數之巢間，雛鳥身體狀況並無顯著差異（體重，P=0.0629；跗蹠長，P=0.0790；雛鳥身體狀況指標：跗蹠長對雛鳥體重做線性迴歸之殘差，P=0.2377）。在人為操作，移出巢中部分雛鳥，使之飢餓3小時後放回巢的實驗中顯示，飢餓操作對親鳥的餵食頻率沒有顯著的影響（P=0.4362），但每趟食物大小顯著較小，因此雛鳥個體獲得的餵食量在操作後較低，親鳥能力無法補償。禁食雛鳥操作後乞食強度明顯增加（P=0.0036），且獲得較多餵食。由於在飢餓操作中移除禁食雛鳥，使留在巢中的未禁食雛鳥獲得較多餵食，然而其於操作後並未受到禁食雛鳥影響而增加乞食強度。因此不論是自然或人為操作的結果，皆表示乞食強度反應出雛鳥實際的飢餓狀況，和雛數無關亦不受巢中其他雛鳥乞食強度影響，符合誠實訊息模式。

From 2004 to 2005, observations on Green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) breeding in nest box were made on the begging behaviors of the nestlings and the feeding behavior of parent in mid to late nestling stage (11-19 days of age) by video cameras at Guan-yuan in Taroko National Park. Observations were conducted on 11 nests, totaling 162 hours and 1525 feeding time. Among the three highest ratios of different food types, the first one came to caterpillars, standing for 72% (1083 items), the next came to the proportion of the pupas and belly part of mature insects, standing for 8% (120 items) and the last came to the proportion of the Lepidoptera , standing for 3% (51 items). It was showed that when the begging intensity was stronger, the time interval between two feedings was shorter (P=0.0009). Given the same type of fed food (caterpillars), then the longer feeding interval resulted in larger fed food (P<0.0001). Besides, the time interval between feedings varied significantly with the type of food (P<0.0001). The feeding frequency was higher in the nests of larger brood size. However, the amounts of food quantity among individual nestlings in different brood size showed no difference (P=0.3046). The feeding ability of the parental birds with different brood size showed no difference, and the begging intensity of the nestlings were not affected by the brood size (P=0.8905). There were no significant differences in the physical condition of nestlings (weight, P=0.0629; tarsus, P=0.0790; nestling condition indexes: calculated as the residuals from a regression of body mass on tarsus length, P=0.2377). The experiment manipulation which took out part of nestlings from the nest and put them back 3hr later showed that the hungry manipulation did not have significant impact upon the frequency of feeding (P=0.4362), but because of the smaller prey size of each trip in the post-manipulation period, the fed food quantity of the individual nestling was lowered after the manipulation. This indicated that the parental birds could not compensate the need of nestlings. The begging intensity of the deprived nestlings was increased significantly, and they acquired more food consequently. Because of the removal of the deprived nestlings in the fasting period, the control nestlings in the nest received more food. The begging intensity of control nestling was not affected by the deprived nestlings when they were returned. Therefore, no matter whether it was from the view point of natural brood size or from the view point of human hunger manipulation, the Honest Signaling Model which holds that begging intensity responds to the real hungry condition, i.e. the parental birds can adjust their feeding based on the begging of the nestlings and the begging behavior of the nestlings will increase with the degree of their hunger, can not be rejected.

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