The Siberian Rubythroat ( Calliope calliope ), a shy and cautious passerine bird, is widely distributed throughout Siberia, Asia, and Europe. In this study, the complete mitogenome of the Siberian Rubythroat samples collected in Heilongjiang, China, was sequenced. The whole length of the complete mitochondrial genome is 16,840 bp, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one control region. Only one overlapping gene was found among the 13 protein-coding genes (ND4L/ND4). The length of the control region is 1068 bp. The nucleotide composition is 29.32% A, 23.05% T, 14.80% G, and 32.82% C. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close genetic relationship between C. calliope and Luscinia cynaura .

The Ferruginous Duck ( Aythya nyroca ) is a diving duck that is widely distributed in Asia, Africa, and Europe. We determined the complete mitogenome of the Ferruginous Duck gathered at Ningxia, China. The total length of the complete mitochondrial genome is 16,623 bp and it consists of 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region (CR). Only one overlap among the 13 protein-coding genes was found: ND4L/ND4. The CR is 1068 bp in length. The nucleotide composition is 29.66% A, 22.28% T, 15.35% G, 32.71% C. The result of phylogenetic analysis showed that there is close genetic relationship among Aythya nyroca and three ducks in the Genus Aythya .

We determined the whole mtDNA genome of the gray-headed lapwing (Vanellus cinereus) in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. The complete mitochondrial genome is 17,078 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region (D-loop). The nucleotide composition is 31.65% A, 23.50% T, 13.76% G, and 31.09% C. The result of phylogenetic analysis showed that there was close genetic relationship between V. cinereus and V. vanellus.

Since ruminants needs a constant adaptation to the environmental changes, therefore they adapt different ecological niches and feeding habits. In addition the morphology and function of digestive system also reveals some adaptive evolutionary characteristics. Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) display a variety of morpho-physiological adaptations–typical for grazers. We collected 64 adult blue sheep samples (whole animal carcass) in different seasons from the Helan Mountains, China. The external morphological parameters, digestive system morphological indexes and rumen surface enlargement factor were determined. Our results revealed that the weight of rumen and reticulum was positively correlated with body weight (P = 0.004), while the food channel aperture, intestinal length and weight of blue sheep digestive tract have no significant difference between different seasons (P > 0.05) and gender (P > 0.05). Therefore, it is difficult for blue sheep to delay the flow rate of large food particles in the rumen and reticulum by adjusting the aperture of the mesh flap. There were significant differences (P < 0.001) in the density, length and width of mastoid for blue sheep, and the rumen mucosal surface dilatation coefficient was 2.85 ± 1.37, which is the typical characteristic of roughage feeders. The nutritional and ecological characteristics of blue sheep are the obvious morphological and physiological adaptations to the herbivorous diet. They can adopt the quick foraging strategy for consuming large amount of food and rapid excretion to obtain the energy needed for their activities and to better adapt with the environmental changes.

The Brambling ( Fringilla montifringilla ) (Linnaeus 1758) is a member of the Passeriformes family of birds and primarily feeds on grass seeds and grains. Muscle tissue was collected from birds sampled from Moar Mountain, China, and the complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced. Its mitochondrial genome consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), 22 tRNA genes, and 1 control region (CR). The genome comprises 30.30% A, 23.32% T, 14.31% G, and 32.07% C bases. Phylogenetically, F. montifringilla is closely related to the Fringilla coelebs , Fringilla teydea teydea and Fringilla polatzeki .