Avian electrocutions are a global conservation problem. Power outages associated with electrocutions are problematic for electric utilities focused on delivering reliable electric power. We used contextual data, photographs, line voltage, outage type and assessments of power line components to quantify outage-causing avian electrocutions throughout each of Iran’s 31 provinces. We evaluated records of 222 avian-caused outages involving 235 electrocuted birds in 2018. Of these, 14.5% involved species of conservation concern, and a few (at least eight) sparked fires when the plumage of electrocuted birds ignited and fell into dry vegetation. Most avian-caused outages (96%) involved distribution voltages, and 91% involved phase-to-ground contacts attributable to grounded concrete pylons with grounded steel crossarms. These are the most common type of power line structure in Iran. Insulators were involved in 37% of outage-causing avian electrocutions, fused cutouts 29%, transformers 33%, and midspan collisions 1%. Given the numbers of these components in the electrical system, fused cutouts and transformers were involved in more outage-causing avian electrocutions than expected due to chance. The average body size of electrocuted birds was largest for incidents involving suspension insulators, smaller for birds electrocuted on other insulators, and smallest for electrocutions on fused cutouts and transformers. Given that most avian electrocutions do not cause outages and given the similarity across electric systems in the region, our findings likely indicate a much larger avian electrocution concern throughout the middle east. Retrofitting power line components to reduce avian contacts would reduce impacts to wildlife and improve the electrical system’s reliability, reduce costs associated with unplanned outages, and reduce risks associated power line ignitions of fires.

There are no previous studies supporting the link between the decline of Roller Coracias garrulus populations in the Palaearctic and agricultural intensification. We studied the effect of farming practices on Roller reproduction during 1988–1991 in south-west Spain. Nest-boxes were installed on power pylons that crossed six different man-made habitats representing the most characteristic habitats in the Mediterranean region: pasture fields with and without holm oak Quercus rotundifolia trees, cereal fields with and without holm oak trees, scrub fields and irrigated fields. Rollers nesting in nest-boxes erected in unwooded pasture field had the highest breeding success, suggesting that this is the most suitable nesting habitat of Rollers in the region. There were no significant effects of farming practices in habitat adjacent to nests on Roller laying date and clutch size. However, after controlling for laying date, current agricultural practices around nests affected chick mortality, with higher losses in irrigated fields. Breeding success and egg productivity were also affected by farming activities, with the lowest values in irrigated fields. Future conservation plans for Rollers should consider that nest-box provision might increase habitat suitability for Roller reproduction and that highly intensified agricultural practices might have deleterious effects on Roller populations.

Lear’s Macaw Anodorhynchus leari is currently listed as “Endangered” by IUCN. Although it only breeds on cliffs at two protected sites in Bahia State, Brazil, there is no accurate information on population parameters such as the number of breeding pairs and their breeding performance. Between 2009 and 2010, we sought to quantify, for the first time, breeding population size and the main breeding parameters for the species in the two known breeding sites, by quantifying the number of active nests and monitoring 75 breeding attempts. Overall, 80% of the breeding attempts were successful with 1.33 (± 0.86 SD) fledglings/breeding attempt (productivity) and 1.67 (± 0.60 SD) fledglings/successful nest (brood size). Breeding success and productivity were higher in 2010, while brood size did not vary between years and breeding sites. By adding 73 estimated nests to the 41 nests monitored, 228 individuals were estimated to be reproductively active in 2010, representing c.20% of the population (1,125 individuals). Given that the species is confined to a single population, further population increases could provoke overcrowding and negative density-dependent effects if it does not expand geographically. Therefore, long-term population monitoring focusing on the fraction of the population that is actually breeding and its breeding performance, rather than solely on the whole population size, is important for a better understanding of the population dynamics and conservation of this species.

Asian hornbills are primarily frugivorous. We studied the characteristics of fruits consumed by four sympatric hornbill species in Thailand: Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis), Wreathed Hornbill (Aceros undulatus), Austin's Brown Hornbill (Anorrhinus austeni) and Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris). We compared the frequency of distribution of 11 variables for all fruit species collected in the study area (n = 259) and fruit species consumed by hornbills (n = 73). Our analysis revealed that fruits consumed by hornbills are: (1) large, (2) easily accessible within the canopy, (3) red, purple or black and (4) dehiscent or indehiscent with a thin husk. The range of fruit sizes eaten by hornbills in our study is comparable to that reported from other sites in Southeast Asia and Africa. The large gape width of hornbills enables them to consume large fruits that small frugivores would find difficult to consume.

Long-term population monitoring is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation efforts. Systematic surveys of the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor, the rarest spoonbill species globally, are not possible during the breeding season as the largest breeding grounds are inaccessible to surveyors. Instead, we have examined population trend in this species during the winter by utilising a dataset of synchronised surveys conducted annually across 42 sites between 1997 and 2014. We found that the global population has increased from 535 individuals in 1997 to 2,726 in 2014, an annual increase of 8.0%. Population increases were more pronounced in protected sites and sites with low levels of human disturbance, indicating that control of human disturbance is crucial for conservation in this species. It is of concern that the wintering populations are highly clumped and the two largest populations have ceased to increase since 2012; research to investigate the underlying causes is urgently needed. Synchronised surveys in all known wintering sites should be continued to provide up-to-date data on the global population of this endangered species.

We assessed the conservation status of the Chilean Woodstar Eulidia yarrellii, a small hummingbird endemic to a few desert valleys of northern Chile and southern Peru. Although no population studies had been conducted, this rare species was presumed to have undergone a severe population decline during the past decades. Fieldwork in Chile produced a population estimate for September 2003 of 1,539 individuals (929–2,287; 90% CI), located in just two valleys: Azapa and Vitor. There was no evidence of stable populations elsewhere. Our observations tend to confirm the hypothesis of a past decline and evidence points to three main factors driving that trend: (1) Most natural habitat has disappeared and the species relies mostly on artificial resources for feeding and nesting. (2) The start of heavy use of pesticides in the Azapa valley in the 1960s in order to control the Mediterranean fruit fly and other crop pests coincides with the last reports describing the species as abundant. (3) The irruption in the last two decades of the Peruvian Sheartail Thaumastura cora has apparently exerted serious competition pressure on the species. These findings support the classification of the species as globally Endangered. We describe the main lines of action of the recently approved Recovery Plan for the Chilean Woodstar.

To estimate the potential of forest birds to persist in the increasingly deforested island of Sulawesi, we undertook a mist-net survey in the understorey of natural as well as modified forest (forest garden and heavily logged forest) at submontane elevations in Central Sulawesi. A total of forty 102 m mist-net lines were distributed over five 16 ha study sites. Two of the sites were situated in an extensively forested valley, and three in a valley with severely fragmented forest. Of 23 species captured, only seven were typical understorey dwellers of submontane forest, five of which are Sulawesi region endemics. Most were found in similar numbers in natural and modified forest, but one species was significantly more common in modified forest. Of the five endemics, two species were confined to, and one species was significantly more abundant in, the extensively forested valley compared with the severely deforested valley. Our results suggest that the conservation of the remaining submontane forest is crucial to the conservation of Central Sulawesi's understorey bird diversity, but that many Sulawesi endemics might be able to survive in modified habitats.

The Pantanal of Brazil, one of the largest wetlands in the world, is suffering severe threats, such as forest and grassland clearance on the surrounding plateau, conversion of forests and savannas for cattle ranching and effects of large development projects. We used richness, abundance and composition of bird species in four forest types to propose conservation priorities for the northern Pantanal. Birds from 11 sites (a total of 41 points) were sampled through point counts and mist-netting. In total 215 species were recorded in the forests. Two evergreen forest types (cambarazal and landi) had higher estimates of bird richness and abundance than two dry forest types (carvoeiro and cordilheira). The evergreen forests also had more species exclusive to them and were more similar to each other than the dry forests. Selection of forests to be conserved in the northern Pantanal should give priority to evergreen forests and secondarily to dry forests. Cambarazal should be the first forests to be conserved. If the Pantanal inundation cycle is altered by the construction of hydroelectric dams or the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, cambarazal and landi may no longer become flooded, decreasing local species richness. Before our recommendations are considered for conservation and management decisions, more studies on other groups of organisms should also be taken into consideration, and similar studies should be conducted in other regions of the Pantanal. Conservation of Pantanal forest birds depends on a deeper understanding of their use of several habitats, stronger protection of the forests with higher diversity, and public policies that guarantee the long term maintenance of natural flooding cycles.

Black Harrier Circus maurus is a rare southern African endemic that may have lost over 50% of its core breeding habitat in the last century as a result of extensive land transformation by agriculture, invasive alien vegetation and urbanization in the Fynbos biome. We partially surveyed both the western (Swartland) and southern (Overberg) coastal plains of south-western South Africa, over 3 years (2000–2002) for breeding Black Harriers, and found a distinctly polarized distribution. Nests were concentrated either along the coastal strip or inland in montane habitats, and generally absent from heavily cultivated and transformed inland plains areas. Limited evidence (direct observations, prey remains) suggests that harriers forage in cereal croplands but generally do not breed in these modified environments. We recorded breeding success at nests in coastal (Dune Thicket) and montane (Mountain Fynbos) habitats. Harriers bred successfully along the coast and nests were aggregated in loose colonies around wetlands. Harriers in montane environments bred poorly, took a wide range of prey, and were subject to high levels of nest predation. We propose that Black Harriers have been displaced from lowland Renosterveld and Fynbos habitats (characterized by better foraging and nesting opportunities), primarily by the advent and spread of cereal agriculture. The conservation and future research implications of this hypothesis are discussed.

The killing of birds for scientific reference causes debate and dispute whose intensity is in inverse proportion to its relevance as a conservation issue, with similar degrees of heat being generated only by such momentous things as the standardization of vernacular bird names. Doubtless this is because these are seemingly simple, black-and-white issues over which many people feel they have sufficient personal clarity and power to achieve a resolution. Really important matters – global warming, intransigent debt arrangements for developing nations, exponential human population growth, obliteration of habitats for short-term human gain, scandalous abuses of biocide in agriculture, saturation-level corruption and incompetence in state conservation agencies, all of which are poised to degrade the ornithological environment beyond recognition – belong to another dimension altogether in which most of us are simply sleepwalking towards doomsday. It is important, then, to get the collecting issue into reasonable perspective as soon as humanly possible.

In 2001 and 2002, we assessed avian richness in Linggoasri (central Java) where almost all lowland rainforest had been cleared 3 years previously. Bird surveys were carried out in a selectively-logged forest, two regenerating forests and one pine Pinus merkusii plantation. A comparison with a bird list complied at least 3 years prior to logging in Linggoasri showed that 10 lowland bird species may have been extirpated from this area following logging. However, further surveys will be needed to validate these extirpations. A comparison with a list of lowland forest birds of Java shows that only 37% of these occurred in Linggoasri. From the lowland avifauna of Java, sole frugivores and insectivores were less likely to be present in Linggoasri. Smaller, generalist-feeding lowland species, endemic to Java, were more likely to be present in this area. Persisting lowland bird species, however, did not appear to be seriously affected physiologically by habitat degradation, showing no significant loss of body condition or reduction in survival and reproduction. There is an urgent need to preserve the few remaining lowland forest patches of Java and, given the alarming rate of deforestation throughout Southeast Asia, it is critical to conserve adequately large primary lowland forests (e.g. >5,000 ha) if we are to preserve existing lowland avifauna.

Endemic to the islands of Guam and Rota in the Mariana Islands, Mariana Crow Corvus kubaryi is the only corvid in Micronesia. Currently, it survives on Guam only because of translocation of individuals from Rota (1999–2003). Island-wide surveys in 1982 and 1995 on Rota yielded population estimates of 1,348 and 592 respectively, indicating a 56% decrease in only 13 years. A sharp decline in the only viable Mariana Crow population has serious implications for conservation efforts on Rota and for efforts to re-establish the Guam population. However, the validity of the apparent decline has been debated among scientists and government management agencies. We augmented the 1982 and 1995 island-wide VCP surveys with (1) an additional island-wide survey conducted in 1998, and (2) roadside surveys conducted during 1991–1993 and again during 1999–2002. We also outline historical changes in Rota's limestone forest based on aerial photographs and historical information. Data from all surveys indicate a significant decline in the Mariana Crow population. Declines occurred especially along the north-central coast and in the area east of the airport known as As Dudo in the 1990s, but the data indicate an island-wide decline over the entire span of the surveys. Introduced predators, human persecution, and habitat loss and degradation by anthropogenic and natural causes have all contributed to the decline. Long-term preservation of this species will require effective brown treesnake Boiga irregularis control, habitat protection, continued monitoring and research, and increased public education and awareness of Rota's rare and endangered species.

Staging sites are vital for large-sized migratory cranes, which require high-protein food sources during migration. In this study, we used field surveys and faecal analysis to determine the migration patterns and dietary composition of the globally threatened Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis population that migrates and stages at the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve (YRDNR), Eastern China. Analysis of 135 faecal samples collected during the migration season in 2008, 2010 and 2011 showed that 78.8% of the faeces comprised > 90% dry mass of tidal mudflat crab Helice tientsinensis remains, suggesting that tidal mudflat crab was an important source of food for these Red-crowned Cranes. Smaller percentages of two other crab species (Eriocheir sinensis, Macrophthalmus dilatatum), fish remains, ragworms Hediste diversicolor and vegetation were also detected in the faecal samples. Consumption of tidal mudflat crabs was found to increase from autumn through to spring. Surveys of tidal mudflat crabs from YRDNR revealed that female crabs have significantly smaller body size (dry mass) but higher energy reserve ratio (ash-free dry mass per body mass) compared to males. Red-crowned Cranes fed predominantly on small and medium-sized female crabs, with a female to male ratio of 5:1 in the diet, compared with the 1:2 ratio of female to male crabs found within the coastal wetland crab population. Our findings suggest that tidal mudflat crabs represent a critical food source for the migratory Red-crowned Crane population in YRDNR, and future crane conservation strategies should encompass the necessary measures to conserve the tidal mudflat crab population at this staging site.

Competition between closely related species of migratory birds is thought to be important in determining their winter distributions, habitat and resource use. However, the role of active dominance interactions has generally been downplayed. In this paper we review the occurrence of interspecific feeding territories among certain Neotropical migrants. Aggressive dominants have been reported primarily at flowering plants, but also at the honeydew from scale insect infestations, the canopy of insect-rich pioneer trees and, occasionally, fruiting trees. Although the phenomenon is uncommon, aggressively dominant species may be important in certain habitats. The presence of such interspecific territorial systems argues for the poverty of resources in the habitat as a whole. Studying aggressive interactions among migrants is a way of using bird behaviour to define critical resources for conservation management.

The past five years have seen the arrival and extremely rapid expansion of West Nile virus (WNV) in the Western Hemisphere. The rapid sweep across North America has permitted little time for developing knowledge of the virus's potential impacts on wildlife in the New World. Given this information gap, we here summarize for the ornithological community what is known or can be anticipated for WNV's effect on bird communities in coming years. Our particular focus is on impacts of WNV on the conservation status of birds, the principal vertebrate reservoir for the virus.

The Aguapey river basin in the Pampas grasslands of Argentina is the last refuge for a complete assemblage of globally threatened and Near Threatened birds. We evaluated the influence of landscape characteristics on the occurrence and abundance of six globally threatened and Near Threatened passerines. We used point counts to census birds and vegetation and quantified landscape characteristics 1,000 m from the count centres using remote sensing tools. Strange-tailed Tyrants Alectrurus risora were associated with higher percentages of tall-grass Andropogon lateralis in lowland areas. Saffron-cowled Blackbirds Xanthopsar flavus and Black-and-white Monjitas Heteroxolmis dominicana were associated with rolling landscape with wet lowland grasslands and marshes linked with dry upland grasslands. Marsh Seedeater Sporophila palustris and Chestnut Seedeater S. cinnamomea were associated with tall grasslands and marshes. Rufous-throated Seedeater S. ruficollis was not clearly associated with any type of habitat. The Aguapey grasslands are used mainly for livestock grazing and afforestation. Since 1995, approximately 50% of the original grassland habitat has been planted with exotic trees. If this trend continues, Saffron-cowled Blackbirds are likely to become extinct in the Aguapey river basin which currently supports the largest population of this species in Argentina. We recommend guidelines for establishing future reserves and wildlife management actions based on the landscape responses detected in this study. Future action should consider: maintaining connectivity between the Aguapey grasslands and the Ibera Nature Reserve, creating a protected area, designing a land use plan for the basin, avoiding afforestation in large blocks, removal of government incentives for large afforestation projects, and studying the viability of threatened bird populations in extensive cattle ranching areas.

Many breeding colonies of Procellariiformes have been threatened with extinction. Chick translocation has been shown to be an effective method for establishing new “safer” colonies of burrow-nesting species, but techniques for surface-nesting species have not been fully developed. The entire breeding population of the threatened Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastoria albatrus is restricted to two sites, Torishima Island and the Senkaku Islands, and neither site is secure due to volcanic activity or political instability. The Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team has recommended facilitating the recovery of this species by establishing at least one additional colony through the translocation and hand-rearing of chicks at a safe historical breeding site. To evaluate the feasibility of this approach, we hand-reared 10 post-guard phase chicks of two related species in 2006–2007: Laysan Albatross P. immutabilis translocated from Midway Atoll to Kaua’i Island, Hawai’i and Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes translocated from a nearby islet in the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands to Mukojima Island, Japan. In these pilot studies, 40% of Laysan Albatross chicks and 90% of Black-footed Albatross chicks fledged successfully. Following this groundwork, 40 post-guard phase Short-tailed Albatross chicks were translocated from Torishima Island to Mukojima Island in February 2008–2010 and hand-reared to fledging. Their fledging success has been 100% in all three years. Fledging body sizes were similar or greater in hand-reared chicks at the release site than parent-reared chicks on Torishima Island. There were significant differences in levels of some blood chemistry parameters between pre-fledging hand-reared and parent-reared chicks. The techniques developed in our studies have broad-reaching implications for the future conservation of threatened populations of other surface-nesting seabirds.

The population collapse of resident Gyps vulture species in South Asia, caused by the use of a veterinary drug diclofenac, has highlighted an urgent need to monitor numbers of other vulture species in the region. This study assessed population trends of Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in the mountainous region of Upper Mustang, Nepal, which is an important breeding area for the species. Vultures were surveyed in 2002, 2004 and 2005 by recording the number of birds sighted along 188 km of transects, and observing numbers of birds at breeding colonies. The number of birds recorded per day and per kilometre of transect declined by 67% and 70% respectively over the period of study. The number of active nests declined by 84% from 2002 to 2005. The veterinary drug diclofenac was available in pharmacies in the Mustang region. Young Himalayan Griffons, which migrate to the lowland areas of Nepal and, in increasing numbers to India, are highly likely to be subject to diclofenac poisoning. If this rate of population decline occurs throughout the Himalayan region, the conservation status of the species will need to be urgently reassessed.

The Seychelles Warbler was once a highly threatened single-island endemic species with a population of 26 individuals confined to Cousin Island in the inner Seychelles. Following long-term management of Cousin, the population steadily recovered to around 300- 360 birds. Given the vulnerability of one small island in the Indian Ocean, the possibility of establishing the species on additional islands had been proposed as a priority conservation measure. This paper describes the successful translocation of 29 Seychelles Warblers from Cousin to Aride, summarizes the ecological studies carried out prior to, during and after the translocation and documents the subsequent establishment of the new population. It is considered that the Seychelles Warbler will soon no longer be a globally threatened species.

A study was made of the feeding behaviour of Olrog's gull Larus atlanticus in winter. Although feeding mainly on crabs they also, contrary to previous observations, made use of discarded offal, much as other species of gull. Such generalist feeding habits are likely to be beneficial to the conservation of the species.