• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.297-304
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• 2003

Phylogenetic analysis of 31 species representing 12 genera in the family Strigidae (Aves: Strigiformes) including 5 species (Bubo bubo, Otus sunia, O. semitorques, Ninox scutulato, Strix aluco) collected from Korea has been undertaken using nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Maximum likelihood analysis was performed and pairwise genetic distances were calculated with Kimura's two-parameter and p-distance. Among well-aligned 959 bp used for this study, 459 sites were variable and 398 sites were informative for the phylogenetic analysis. The family Strigidae was divided into three subgroups, Clade I (Aegolius), Clade II (Athene, Micrathene, Glaucidium and Surnia) and Clade III (Bubo, Nycteo, Pulsatrix, Strix, Otus, Ptilopsis, and Ninox). Also, two separated subgroups in the genus Otus were confirmed by the geographical distribution.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.415-424
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• 2015

This research was conducted to reveal the characteristics of breeding ecology of oriental scops owl (Otus sunia stictonotus) inhabiting in South Korea according to the nest types during the breeding season from march to October for two years (2011 and 2012). Oriental scops owl nested in woodpecker's nest holes (46.1%), natural tree holes (38.5%), and artificial wood boxes (15.4%). These nests were located on following trees: Zelkova serrata, Paulownia coreana, Celtis sinensis, Salix chaenomeloides, Salix babylonica, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, Robinia pseudoacacia and Platanus occidentalis. The hatching success was 91.4%, fledging success was 83.0%, and breeding success was 75.9%. The factors of the breeding failure were falling (57.1%), abandonment (28.6%), hatching failure (7.1%), and others with unknown cause of death (7.1%). According to nest types, the fledging success (69.2%) of woodpecker's nest holes were low and the hatching success (79.2%) of natural tree holes were also low due to hatching failure and abandonment. However, hatching success, fledging success, breeding success were high in the artificial nests as all the eggs hatched and succeeded in fledging. Therefore, we suggested that artificial nests can cover the weaknesses of natural nests as well as increasing the breeding success. However, long-term research on installation place, height, and hole sizes of the artificial nest are required in order to clearly reveal the effects on the breeding success of oriental scops owl.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.636-644
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the callings of nocturnal birds using bioacoustic recording technology to identify species and to analyze the ecological characteristics of each species. Three sites - Seoraksan National Park, National Institute of Ecology, and Mudeungsan National Park - were investigated. The investigation period was from the middle of April 2018 to early March 2019 for Seoraksan national park, from late February of 2018 to the middle of February 2019 for the National Institute of Ecology, and from the middle of February 2018 to the end of August 2018 for Mudeungsan National Park. The main research results are as follows. Firstly, nocturnal bird species identified by the survey included Caprimulgus indicus, Otus sunia, Zoothera aurea, Bubo bubo, and Strix uralensis, 5 species in total. Secondly, the breeding call period of each species was from early May to early August for C. indicus, from early April to the end of September for O. sunia, from early March to early October for Z. aurea, from late September to early February for B. bubo, and from mid-January to early March for S. uralensis. Thirdly, the mating call rhythm was between 16:00 and 10:00 on the following day for all the observed species in the three regions, and the peak time zone was from 20:00 to 06:00 on the following day. Fourthly, there was no correlation between the cumulative call frequency and the precipitation for each species. Fifthly, the mean temperature during the period when the specific calls of nocturnal birds were detected was -4.00 ℃ for S. uralensis, 2.58 ℃ for B. bubo, 13.66 ℃ for Z. aurea, 19.50 ℃ for O. sunia, and 20.77 ℃ for C. indicus. The ANOVA results showed that there was a significant difference in mean temperature for the calling by species and that the mean temperature was S. uralensis, B. bubo, Z. aurea, and O. sunia-C. indicus, in the ascending order, for 4 groups in total. The period of the specific mating calls confirmed by the study is a period in which the frequency of calls was the highest among the periods when the specific calls were detected. Since it is associated with the known mating period of each species, the period of the high frequency of calls confirmed by the bioacoustic monitoring can be regarded as the mating season. This study is meaningful in that it is the early research that has used the bioacoustic recording technology to identify species and ecological characteristics of species of nocturnal birds in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.50-54
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• 2021

This study was conducted to investigate the status of carcasses of wild birds among natural monuments in Korea. In Korea, from 2016 to 2020, a total of 38 species and 5,036 individual carcasses of natural monuments were found. The year 2020 saw the highest numbers of species death with 34 and in 2019 the highest number was recorded with 1,095 individuals. In autumn, the largest number of species and the smallest number of individuals were confirmed dead. On the contrary, the smallest number of species and the highest number of individuals were confirmed dead in summer. The largest number of species died in November, and the largest number of individuals died in June. Kestrels accounted for about 20% of the total carcasses, making up the largest number, followed by eagle owls, brown hawk-owls, scops owls, goshawk, eagles and sparrow hawks. In spring and summer, domestic breeding species accounted for most of the carcasses and in winter, the proportion of overwintering individuals such as wooper swans and eagles increased. Reports of lost natural monuments are done by human and the status of the carcasses alone cannot inform the population characteristics of natural monuments when they stay in Korea. However, it is expected that the identified domestic population of strigiformes which has not been investigated in detail because they are nocturnal, and data on the status of carcasses of natural monuments in Korea will provide basic data for the protection of natural monuments.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.327-336
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• 2023

This study aimed to propose an effective method for surveying wild birds by comparing the results of bioacoustic detection with those obtained through a field survey. The study sites were located at Dongbaek-dongsan and a 1100-altitude wetland in Jeju-do, South Korea. The bioacoustic detection was conducted over the course of 12 months in 2020. For the bioacoustic detection, a Song-meter SM4 device was installed at each study site, recording bird songs in 1-min per hour, .wav, and 44,100 Hz format. The findings of the field survey were taken from the 「Long-term trends of Bird Community at Dongbaekdongsan and 1100-Highland Wetland of Jeju Island, South Korea.」 by Banjade et al. (2019). The results of this study are as follows. First, the avifauna identified using bioacoustic detection comprised 29 families and 46 species in Dongbaek-dongsan, and 16 families and 25 species in the 1100-altitude wetland. Second, based on the song frequency, the dominant species in Dongbaek-dongsan were Hypsipetes amaurotis (Brown-eared Bulbul, 33.62%), Horornis diphone (Japanese Bush Warbler, 12.13%), and Zosterops japonicus (Warbling White-eye, 9.77%). In the 1100-altitude wetland the dominant species were Corvus macrorhynchos (Large-billed Crow, 27.34%), H. diphone (19.43%), and H. amaurotis (16.56%). Third, in the field survey conducted at Dongbaek-dongsan, the number of detected bird species was 39 in 2009, 51 in 2012, 35 in 2015, and 45 in 2018, while the bioacoustic detection identified 46 species. In the field survey conducted in the 1100-altitude wetland, the number of detected bird species was 37 in 2009, 42 in 2012, 34 in 2015, and 38 in 2018, while the bioacoustics detection identified 25 species. Overall, 43.6% of the 78 species detected in the field survey in Dongbaek-dongsan (34 species) were identified using bioacoustic detection, and 38.3% of the 47 species detected in the field survey in the 1100-altitude wetland (18 species) were identified using bioacoustic detection. Fourth, the bioacoustic detection identified 9 families and 12 species of birds in Dongbaek-dongsan, and 3 families and 7 species of birds in the 1100-altitude wetland. No results from field survey were available for these species. The identified birds were predominantly nocturnal, including Otus sunia (Oriental Scops Owl) and Ninox japonica (Northern Boobook), passage migrants, including Larvivora cyane (Siberian Blue Robin), L. sibilans (Rufous-tailed Robin), and winter visitors with a relatively small number of visiting individuals, such as Bombycilla garrulus (Bohemian Waxwing) and Loxia curvirostra (Red Crossbill). Fifth, the birds detected in the field survey but not through bioacoustic detection included 18 families and 48 species in Dongbaek-dongsan and 14 families and 27 species in the 1100-altitude wetland; the most representative families were Ardeidae, Accipitridae, and Muscicapidae. This study is significant as it provides essential data supporting the possibility of an effective survey combining bioacoustic detection with field studies, given the increasing use of bioacoustic devices in ornithological studies in South Korea.