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Metabolic rate and evaporative water loss in the silky starling ( Sturnus sericeus ) BAO, Huan-Huan; LIANG, Qing-Jian; ZHU, Hong-Lei; ZHOU, Xiao-Qiu; ZHENG, Wei-Hong & LIU, Jin-Song Abstract To better understand the physiological characteristics of the silky starling ( Sturnus sericeus ), its body temperature (Tb), basal metabolic rate (BMR), evaporative water loss (EWL) and thermal conductance (C) elicited by different ambient temperatures (Ta) (5-30℃) were determined in the present study. Our results showed that they have a high Tb (41.6±0.1℃), a wide thermal neutral zone (TNZ) (20-27.5℃) and a relatively low BMR within the TNZ (3.37±0.17 mL O2/g·h). The EWL was nearly stable below the TNZ (0.91±0.07 mg H2O/g·h) but increased remarkably within and above the TNZ. The C was constant below the TNZ, with a minimum value of 0.14±0.01 mL O2/g·h·℃. These findings indicate that the BMR, Tb and EWL of the silky starling were all affected by Ta, especially when Ta was below 20℃ and the EWL plays an important role in thermal regulation. Keywords Silky starling (Sturnus sericeus); Basal metabolic rate; Body temperature; Evaporative water loss

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