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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol 123, No. 4, December 2011 
FIG. 2. Sketch map showing distribution of line transects used for 
Laojunshan Nature Reserve, Sichuan. China in 2009 and 2010. 
surveys of breeding density of Emei Shan Liocichla 
care). A white cover board was used to estimat. 
nest concealment following Hoover and Blitting 
ham (1998). We did not measure body size anc 
mass of nestlings to reduce disturbance, but onl\ 
recorded external morphological characteristics 
t»y taking photographs during nestling develop¬ 
ment. Nests were considered successful if at least 
one nestling fledged. 
Analyses .—We used the nest survival analysis 
rates°(DSRwry RK ‘° dail * *« — K :l! 
rates (DSRi (Dtnsmore et al. 2002). Nest success 
Mayfield method (May- 
field 1961, 1975) where the relevant equation is- 
nes, success = DSR". .here „ = the total durahon 
Other g aI a r S ' inCUba "° n - and nethling periods. 
Other analyses were conducted using the statisti¬ 
cal package SPSS 13.0 for Windows fsPSS 2004 
Data are presented as means ± SE. 
RESULTS 
Br “* Dmsi ^ Breeding Season.- 
Breeding density and breeding season were 
“'tore Rele r rv E “l Shan U ° cichlas in ^""shan 
•>9 km W The total length of transects was 
and^16 12 bn " din * h 2009 
distributed e've lyalonTthH' 5 
breeding density !"% IT?* . Tl “ 
2009 and 1 55 l 0 « * , ~ °-f 6 males /km 2 in 
0.56 males/km 2 in 2010. There 
was no significant difference between male 
breeding densities in secondary forest and primal}' 
forest (Table 1). We did not find Emei Shan 
Liocichlas breeding in non-native coniferous 
forests or tea plantations. The 2009 breeding 
season was from late April to mid-August 
(‘-110 days), while that in 2010 was from mid- 
May to late August (-100 days). There was no 
significant difference in duration of the two 
breeding seasons (% 2 = 0.476. P = 0.49). 
although the onset of the 2010 breeding season 
was later than in 2009. 
Nesting Habitat and Nest Measurements.— 
Emei Shan Liocichlas preferred to nest at the 
edges of or in gaps within natural broadleaf forest, 
and elevations ot nest sites ranged from 1.450 to 
1,950 m in Laojunshan Nature Reserve to 1.650 m 
2,150 m in Wawushan Nature Reserve. The 
vegetation around nests included C. szechuanen- 
sis, small shrubs, and lianes with few large trees 
Twenty-four nests were in bamboo (i.e.. C 
szechuanensis), four were in small shrubs, three 
were in roses (Rosa spp.), and three each in 
bamboo and lianes. Nests urere cup-shaped at a 
mean height above ground of 137.5 ± 4.6 cm 
(n = 34. range = 60.Q-178.0 cm) and were built 
mainly by females. Nest measurements varied 
(Table 2) and materials consisted of fine stems of 
herbage and liane (and moss for some nests), 
