It is widely accepted that the gadfly petrels of the Macaronesian islands comprise three closely related and morphologically similar taxa, Petrodroma madeira from Madeira island, P. deserta (also treated as P. feae deserta) from Bugio and P. feae (also treated as P. feae feae) from Cape Verde Islands. However, the taxonomic rank of each taxon is not well defined, and has been subject to a long debate. Partial sequences of cytochrome b (893 bp) from 39 individuals (five from Madeira, 18 from nearby Bugio, and 16 from Fogo) and morphometric data from five characters from 102 individuals (74 from Bugio and 28 from Fogo in Cape Verde), were used to compare and estimate phylogenetic relationships and the taxonomic status of these petrels. In the phylogenetic analysis and sequence divergence estimation, we also include 23 sequences of 19 Pterodroma species available from GenBank. Our results show that Macaronesian gadfly petrels form a monophyletic clade. Birds from Bugio and Cape Verde are the most closely related taxa followed by those from Madeira. The group formed by the three taxa studied is closely related to Bermuda Petrel P. cahow and Black-capped Petrel P. hasitata. A hypothesis for the colonization of the islands is presented. The level of sequence divergence is sufficient to consider the populations of Bugio and Cape Verde as separate species. Reproductive isolation is supported by exclusive haplotypes and fixed changes. Despite the presence of some significant differences in bill and tarsus measurements, the two species seem to be morphologically similar because the great overlap of variation intervals in the measurements hinders identification. It therefore appears suitable for consideration as a cryptic species. An important conservation implication is that the world population of both species is very small; if treated as a full species, deserta on Bugio may qualify for uplisting to ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.

The Giant Conebill Oreomanes fraseri is a specialist of high Andean Polylepis forest remnants. With the aid of radio-tracking and visual observations, the average 100% minimum convex polygon home range size of seven adult individuals was 7.15 ha. Range size decreased with increasing tree density, and for equal tree densities, it was larger in the study site with larger Polylepis fragments. Home ranges often comprised areas that were largely or entirely devoid of trees. Within home ranges, space use significantly varied with time of day, and this pattern tended to be largely consistent among days. Given the large extent of variation in size and structure already observed in this small sample of home ranges, we suggest that apart from the size, shape, structure and degree of isolation of the remaining forest patches, also their topographic location, and hence sun exposure, may be an important consideration when designing conservation strategies for Giant Conebill.

North-west Iberia is a crucial stopover region for European populations of Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca and Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata during their summer-autumn migration. Both species are almost completely insectivorous during breeding in Europe and wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, but are known to consume fleshy fruits during summer-autumn migration, though no detailed investigations have been carried out over long periods of time. In this study, the summer-autumn feeding ecology of Pied and Spotted Flycatchers in a stopover area in north-west Spain, with a landscape of hedgerows and irrigated meadows, was studied for five consecutive years (2002–2006). In general, the passage of both flycatcher species was noticeable from mid-August to the end of September, with a peak in the first ten days of September. The two flycatcher species consumed fruits throughout the stopover period in all years, with constant intensity of frugivory in time, though the importance of fruits was almost three times greater in the diet of Pied Flycatchers (c. 30% of feeding acts) than in that of Spotted Flycatchers (c. 10% of feeding acts). Both species preferred Dogwood Cornus sanguinea fruits, but also ate Elder Sambucus nigra berries and Bramble Rubus spp. drupelets. The high level of selection of Dogwood fruits was probably linked to their high lipid content, an essential nutrient for fattening in long-distance migrant passerines. Hedgerows and wood edges in north-west Iberia are rich in fleshy fruits but threatened by intensive farming. Their conservation and restoration are proposed because they seem to be high-quality stopover habitats for partially frugivorous passerines during summer-autumn migration.

The small size of many island populations of endangered birds, together with their high density, low genetic diversity and naivety to introduced pathogens, may render them vulnerable to disease epidemics. Such an outbreak occurred in an isolated population of threatened South Island Saddleback Philesturnus c. carunculatus on Motuara Island, New Zealand. In 2002, the population dropped from ~130 birds to ~60 birds, apparently from an outbreak of systemic coccidiosis. However, within three years the population had recovered to > 130 individuals. This appears to be the carrying capacity of the island as areas left vacant after the crash were re-occupied by the end of the third year. Reproductive success of saddlebacks was similar across the three years following the crash and there were no significant differences in clutch size, nesting success or fledgling mass as the population increased. In contrast, feather mite loads increased and leucocyte counts changed significantly in both adult and nestling saddlebacks as the population recovered, suggesting higher population densities may reduce immunocompetence. Although reproductive success did not appear directly affected by population size, our observations indicate increased levels of stress at high densities could render saddlebacks susceptible to recurring disease outbreaks.

The Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas, considered ‘Vulnerable’, is an enigmatic ground-dwelling bird endemic to the central African equatorial rainforest and belongs to a family of only two species. Its distribution extends to the two Endemic Bird Areas within Cameroon (Guinea Congo forest biome and Cameroon mountain arc) and its population is thought to be in decline throughout its range due to increasing habitat fragmentation and disturbance. During March–April 2003 and June and October 2007 we surveyed Grey-necked Picathartes in the north-western region of the Mbam Minkom Mountain Forest. In January–March 2006 we surveyed the entire mountain range and found 90 breeding and 24 potential breeding sites, mostly located on the western slopes. From the complete survey, we estimated the population at 44 breeding individuals. Populations were highest in the north-west region but had apparently declined from 40 breeding individuals in 2003 to 20 in 2007. This region accounted for 41% of the entire population on the mountain range during the 2006 survey. The Mbam Minkom/Kala Important Bird Area was designated based on the presence of Grey-necked Picathartes but is under high pressure of imminent destruction from agricultural encroachment and illegal timber exploitation. These results have important implications for decision making in delimiting forest boundaries and core areas for protection in the development of management plans. We suggest possible remedial actions, appropriate repeatable methods for future monitoring and opportunities for community involvement in the management and conservation of the site.

Many South American hotspots of bird endemism are found in Polylepis dominated forests. Although the avifauna of Polylepis forests has been relatively well studied in the tropical Andes, little is known in Argentina. In this study, we characterize the Argentine avifauna of Polylepis australis forests along their entire latitudinal gradient of distribution and provide a first systematic bird list and their conservation status. Fieldwork was carried out from 1,500 to 2,800 m a.s.l. in three study sites: North (Jujuy province), Centre (Tucumán province) and South (Córdoba province); we surveyed 30 point counts per site. We recorded 543 individuals belonging to 50 bird species; two subspecies are endemic to the South site and four species are typical Polylepis forest birds of the North and Centre sites. We identified four species of conservation concern; one globally threatened and three declining at regional level. Bird richness and abundance decreased with latitude; and equitability showed an inverse pattern. Sorenson's similarity index ranged from 12% to 40% showing a large latitudinal turnover in avian communities. Disturbance-sensitive species were the most diverse group in the North site. Variations in species richness, evenness and guild composition may be a response to latitude, but also to differences in habitat complexity and food availability, which appear to be a consequence of forest degradation at the South site. We recommend: (1) the enlargement of Calilegua National Park to include the Polylepis australis belt to assure the conservation of many disturbance-sensitive species which could decline or disappear in degraded areas; (2) management of Quebrada del Condorito National Park to increase the forest structure complexity and therefore provide habitat for disturbance-sensitive species.

From 5 May 2003 to early June 2005, nest site selection of Black-necked Cranes Grus nigricollis was studied at the Ruoergai Wetland Nature Reserve (RWNR), an important breeding area for the species in China. Results showed that the crane nests only in wetland environments, including lake, swamp and river microhabitats. However, the bird showed different selection patterns in these microhabitats. According to the Ivelev selectivity index (S.I.), cranes preferred lakes and avoided swampy areas, while they used river areas in proportion to their availability. Factors associated with the selection of nest sites included water body size, distance to water, water depth and the level of nest concealment. Nest size was a function of the microhabitat used for nesting; nests were largest in lakes, and similarly-sized in swamp and river habitats. A certain water depth was a prerequisite for nest site selection (mean = 31.1 cm), but no differences were found among different microhabitats. Compared with nests found in Qinghai, Tibet, and Ladakh, nests in Ruoergai Wetland were smaller, but water depth near nesting sites was higher (mean = 31.1 cm vs 18.2 cm). Different plant communities, climate and disturbance are likely to be related to these differences. Conservation efforts should focus on the protection of existing lakes, minimizing disturbance impacts and maintaining small patches (i.e. 100 m2 water bodies) of swamp areas as important buffer zones. In the future, restoration of wetlands to decrease fragmentation, and reduction of habitat degradation are advocated for effective conservation of this species.

The exceptionally rapid degradation and fragmentation of the Upper Guinea Forest, caused by slash-and-burn farming and selective logging, oblige bird conservationists to examine critically the conservation value of unprotected areas, which may provide buffer zones or connecting corridors to protected forests. This paper assesses the utilisation of various tree-crop plantations by mainly lower storey forest birds in south-west Ghana, through avifaunal comparisons of shaded cash crops (rustic cocoa; neglected coconut) and exotic tree plantations (Cedrela, Gmelina) with nearby closed forest. Plantations adjacent to, or within, large (>200 km2), biodiverse forests are superior bird habitats compared to similar plantations within small (<50 km2) and species-poor forests. A relatively high forest tree density in cash crop (15–20 ha−1) and exotic (15–35 ha−1) tree plantations, combined with a luxuriant woody undergrowth (not slashed for >5–10 years), may additionally explain the presence of many forest specialists, including regionally ‘Vulnerable’ and locally ‘Endangered’ species. Overall, 50% of species of conservation importance found in forests were represented in plantations. These findings highlight the importance of shaded plantations with long periods between understorey weeding, as appropriate land-use systems that enhance the area under effective conservation and improve the connectivity of protected forest fragments. Results are compared to similar studies in the Old and New World tropics, and implications for off-reserve land-use management are compared and discussed in regional and global contexts.