The White-breasted Guineafowl Agelastes meleagrides is one of 15 bird species endemic to the Upper Guinea Forests of West Africa. The Taï region in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire probably holds one of the largest remaining populations of this species. We assessed population density in two different sectors in the southern part of Taï National Park and one sector in the N'Zo Faunal Reserve, north of the National Park. The sectors differ in rainfall patterns and hence vegetation type, as well as in previous and past levels of logging and hunting. Line transect surveys were undertaken between 2000 and 2001 with an overall survey effort of 2,883 km. Abundance was highest in the sector with the driest forest type, the N'Zo Faunal Reserve (encounter rate: 0.02 detections km−1, density: 32.9 ind. km−2), where we also observed the largest group recorded for the species so far (38 individuals). The species was almost absent in the southeast of Taï National Park (encounter rate: <0.002 detections km−1), where the impact of poaching on wildlife is strongest. The study confirms that the species reaches highest densities in drier forests and only occurs in smaller numbers in the wetter south of the Taï region. Our data also suggest that past disturbance from logging does not constitute an obstacle for its persistence. The population size in Taï National Park and N'Zo Faunal Reserve should be between 42,000 and 120,000 individuals.

The Bearded Tachuri Polystictus pectoralis occupies lowland grasslands with scrubby vegetation, generally near water, in the Andean grasslands of Colombia at two sites (threatened race bogotensis), savannas in eastern Colombia and the lowland and tepui grasslands of mainly southern Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana and northern Brazil (race brevipennis), reappearing south of the Amazon in central-southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia (no recent records), Paraguay, Uruguay and northern and central-eastern Argentina (nominate pectoralis). It is an austral summer visitor (October/November to February/April) to central-east Argentina, nesting (commonly in thistles) around December, clutch-size three. It feeds on insects by perch-gleaning, sallying, hover-gleaning and still-hunting. It is unobtrusive and must be commonly overlooked, and in some localities may be moderately well represented. Overall, however, it is scarce and appears to be very patchy in occurrence; grassland habitats within its range have been converted wholesale to farming. New quantitative criteria support earlier qualitative judgement that the species is probably not (yet) threatened, but that it merits near-threatened status. Suggestions that one or all of its three subspecies may be good species are premature; it is not even clear how distinct these forms are as subspecies.

There is remarkably little documented information in the scientific literature on any of the 18 species of buttonquail as they are very difficult to observe in the wild. This lack of information has hampered informed conservation decision making. We undertook the first biome-wide survey for the fynbos endemic Hottentot Buttonquail Turnix hottentottus, using flush transect surveys covering 275 km. We used location data for sightings as well as from records reported by the bird-watching community and modelled distribution using MaxEnt. Encounters were restricted to the fynbos biome, and the top contributors to our prediction of suitable habitat were habitat transformation, slope and time since fire. We obtained a density estimate of 0.032 individuals per hectare which, across an estimated median range of 27,855 km2, provides a population estimate of 89,136 individuals. Given the extent of the range and the population estimate we suggest the IUCN Red List status could be ‘Vulnerable’, rather than ‘Endangered’. Agricultural and alien-vegetation encroachment means that the future of the species is certainly under threat and further studies are needed to inform conservation management.

Ornithological surveys were conducted over a seven-week period on Taliabu, Sula Islands, Indonesia in 1991, concentrating on eight species (seven of which have restricted ranges) considered (in 1991) to be threatened and six species (two of which have restricted ranges) considered near-threatened. All of the restricted-range species are dependent on lowland forest, although most persist in secondary habitats, and some also occur in montane forest. Tyto nigrobrunnea was recorded for the first time since the type-specimen was collected in 1938, and is perhaps the most threatened of all the restricted-range birds. Megapodius bernsteinii, Pitta dohertyi, Rhinomyias colonus, Basilornis galeatus and Streptocitta albertinae are threatened in the longer term, primarily by habitat loss. Both Coracina schistacea and C. sula are able to persist in all but the most degraded of habitats. Of the two restricted-range species considered near-threatened, Zoothera erythronota is at greatest risk on Taliabu, apparently restricted to lowland forests. The other, Ptilinopus subgularis, is common in lowland forest and also occurs in montane forest. Little primary lowland forest was found in the areas visited on the island, and identifying remaining areas of this forest type and its relative importance to the birds, especially restricted-range species, should be given highest priority in further surveys. The suitability of a proposed reserve area on the island was evaluated: a larger area of lowland forest than is currently proposed should be afforded protection in order to safeguard the island's characteristic avifauna.

Seven out of ten Black Stork chicks fitted with satellite tags successfully made the journey from Iberia to the Sahel. Four died there during their first winter and one additional bird in the second winter. Our results show that 30% of the tagged fledglings died in Iberia and 50% (5/10) in the Sahel. In the Sahel, Black Storks occupy areas of seasonal rivers and small bodies of water in these sub-Saharan savannas, where they track suitable sites according to the progressive drying of the Sahel after the summer monsoon. This behaviour may make them more susceptible to coming into contact with humans and, consequently, current and future action plans for conserving the Iberian Black Stork population should link efforts with AEWA's Strategic Plan and other international initiatives to promote the global use of water resources for humans and wildlife in the Sahel.

On islands where populations of the endemic Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum and the introduced Madagascan Red Fody F. madagascariensis coexist, previous studies have concluded that the two species are reproductively isolated. On Aride Island, Seychelles, one female F. sechellarum became established within a population of F. madagascariensis and produced at least two hybrid offspring. This paper describes the first known case of hybridization between the two species and highlights the possible biological consequences.

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) rigorously collected in four Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) of Samoa provided conservation and ecological insights about the endemic and evolutionarily distinctive Tooth-billed Pigeon Didunculus strigirostris. This study confirmed the 2006 estimate of a sharply declining population, supporting the recent conservation status assessment of Critically Endangered. Birds are killed as bycatch during hunting for the sympatric Pacific Pigeon Ducula pacifica, suggesting that this activity may be a key threat. The Tooth-billed Pigeon was observed by selected reliable indigenous hunters in several forest areas targeted in the present study, from a few months to several years ago. In the field, it was detected acoustically and identified through TEK and a mix of a TEK-scientific approach in four forest areas within three Samoan KBAs. Detection of the bird in the field is an issue due to its highly cryptic behaviour and because its call largely overlaps with one of the calls of Pacific Pigeon. Original TEK about the behavioural ecology of this species, including the fruiting trees mostly used and its terrestrial habits is reported. Short-term conservation recommendations are provided based on the findings.

The winter bird assemblage and habitat preferences were studied in a largely arable landscape, dominated by winter cereals, in eastern England in one winter. A total of species was recorded on 70 l-km transects but 11% of transects had no birds. Overall densities were low, Skylark Alauda arvensis being the most abundant species. Bird was highest in the first winter period (October-December). Species richness varied proportion to the available habitat in the first winter period but there was a preference for stubble, grass and tilled land (harrow) in the second winter period (January-February) Skylarks preferred stubbles in the first winter period and stubbles and grass in the second winter period. Some 34% of all birds fed on winter cereals despite a lack of preference for this habitat, while 94% of seed specialists (finches and buntings) were recorded on stubbles. The areas of preferred habitats (stubbles, grass) were probably too limited to allow more than small populations to persist. Only by the widespread adoption of agricultural extensification and/or farming some of the land specifically for conservation benefits can the declines in bird populations on intensively managed arable farmland be reversed.

Densities and population estimates are presented for the little known Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail Parrot Prioniturus flavicans, a species endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Sixteen months of fieldwork was conducted within two protected areas in the island's northern peninsula. Densities were found to be much greater in the Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park than in the Tangkoko Duasaudara Nature Reserve: 16.27 and 7.18 birds/km2, respectively. The species has a much more restricted range than previously thought, being confined to the eastern two-thirds of the north peninsula. The remaining suitable habitat within this range, lowland rainforest, is estimated to be c. 11,300 km2. Using this figure in conjunction with density values we estimate that the world population for this species may be greater than 44,650 birds. Whilst such a population size is higher than previously thought, the very restricted distribution of the species causes concern for its future as loss and fragmentation of forest habitat are ongoing within its range.

Species that show obvious population declines are relatively easy to categorize as globally threatened under IUCN Red List criteria. However, species whose populations are highly concentrated at a few inaccessible sites that are unprotected or habitat-threatened and then disperse are more difficult to pigeon-hole. Here we re-assess the conservation status of one such species – the Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus – that occurs across Africa in specialized, inaccessible and arid habitat. Wetland bird counts from 1991 to the present allow us to determine a new world population estimate of about 17,830 birds. This allows us to determine a new 1% level and we identified only eight sites in southern and East Africa where these plovers congregate in numbers >1% when non-breeding. There are only five other sites that hold more than 100 birds, indicating that the species is not simply widely dispersed across suitable habitats. Simultaneous counts across southern and East Africa indicate that just three sites – Walvis Bay and Sandwich Harbour in Namibia and Lake Natron in Tanzania – can hold 87% of the world population during non-breeding periods. Since two of these sites are under threat from pollution, siltation and water abstraction, and the eight sites in total comprise just 30% of the area criteria set by IUCN, the bird meets one of the two qualifiers for globally Vulnerable status. Despite this, we cannot detect any long-term declines in population size, partly because of wide variations in population numbers over decadal time periods (itself an IUCN qualifier). It is clear that this bird should move from its present Least Concern status to Near Threatened and conservation measures be enacted at two of the top three sites – Walvis Bay and Lake Natron.

The carrasco is a dense, shrubby vegetation type that covers the higher parts of table-top mountains in north-eastern Brazil. The vegetation of this phytophysiognomy is often considered to have biogeographical and ecological affinities with the cerrado of Central Brazil, but the biogeographical affinities of its avifauna remain unclear. In recent years, deforestation due to local economic activities has been particularly severe in some carrasco-dominated landscapes. In 2013, we initiated avian surveys at the Fazenda Pau D‘Arco, a privately owned property located on top of the Araripe Plateau, to evaluate the effects of a legal forest management program on the avifauna. Here, we present the results of four years of avian inventories to: i) characterize a well-preserved patch of carrasco vegetation; ii) assess avian biogeographical affinities of this vegetation type; iii) identify associations between managed/unmanaged areas and bird species; and iv) provide baseline data for future avian monitoring studies. Using different survey methods, we provide a list of 148 bird species, including several dry-forest specialists and caatinga endemics. Biogeographically, the avifauna of the carrasco represents a subsample of the Caatinga dry forest, lacking cerrado elements. Forest management significantly affected the distribution of several bird species in the study area. We found that 1/5 of the species (24) recorded during our standardized surveys were significantly associated with either unmanaged (14 species) or managed (10 species) areas. Species such as the Ceará Leaftosser Sclerurus cearensis, a globally vulnerable species, have only been detected in non-managed areas and therefore can be negatively affected by the management program. We also present data on 16 avian taxa with ecological and conservation concerns. By presenting a fairly complete and documented list of the avifauna, we characterize the carrasco avifauna and offer the tools to evaluate the effects of forest management on this poorly known vegetation type.

In 2015 and 2016 four Lesser White-fronted Geese (Anser erythropus), a globally threatened species, were caught and tagged during spring migration representing nearly 10% of the entire Swedish breeding population at the time. Two of the birds were followed over more than one season. Tracking data revealed an unexpected wide network of migration corridors and staging sites. Autumn and spring migration differed by stepping-stone sites and migration speed. So far unknown key stopover sites were discovered in Denmark, northern Germany, and Sweden. By using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models, the potential areas that Lesser White-fronted Geese used during migration are described and conservation implications spotlighted. This study provides another important piece of the puzzle describing the migration of Lesser White-fronted Geese in Western Europe.

Food habits of Malabar Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus were studied from December 2000 to December 2001, in the Athikadavu valley, Western Ghats, India. A total of 147 individuals belonging to 18 fleshy-fruited tree species were monitored fortnightly. Thirteen fruit species, including five figs and eight non-figs, were recorded in the birds' diet. The overall number of tree species in fruit and fruiting individuals increased with the onset of summer, the Malabar Pied Hornbill's breeding season. The peak in fruiting is attributed to the peak in fruiting by figs. Figs formed the top three preferred food species throughout the year. During the non-breeding period (May to February), 60% of the diet was figs. During the peak breeding period (March and April), two nests were monitored for 150 hours. Ninety-eight per cent of food deliveries to nest inmates were fruits belonging to six species. Most fruits delivered at the nests constituted figs (75.6%). In addition, figs sustained hornbills during the lean season and should be considered “keystone species” in the riverine forest ecosystem. Two non-fig species are also important. Habitat features and local threats at Athikadavu valley were assessed. The distribution and conservation status of Malabar Pied Hornbill in the Western Ghats was reviewed. Conservation of hornbill habitats, particularly the lowland riparian vegetation, is imperative.

The hypersaline Lake Urmia, located in Iran, has undergone a significant reduction in size and is currently facing the risk of desiccation. The decrease in water levels, coupled with elevated salinity levels, has initiated ecological degradation, leading to a substantial decline in the region’s waterbird population. This study employs breakpoint analysis to determine the year when the drought event affecting the lake commenced. Additionally, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) is utilised to elucidate the interaction between environmental parameters and the waterbird assemblages in Lake Urmia over the period 1970–2018. Our investigation identifies the year 2000 as the initiation of the water crisis in Lake Urmia, synchronously coinciding with the decline in the waterbird populations. This finding highlights a significant connection between the majority of waterbird species and the axes of CCA, intricately linked with water availability within Lake Urmia. This revelation underscores the pivotal role of fluctuations in water levels in shaping the dynamics of the lake’s waterbird assemblages. Furthermore, our observations emphasise the importance of even minor improvements in hydrological conditions of the lake, resulting in substantial positive impacts on waterbird populations.

Regional and local studies suggest that the Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata in North America is declining in portions of its range. However, whether the overall population is declining, or its range is contracting with little change to the overall population size, is unknown. To examine population trends throughout its North American range, we assembled 11 datasets that spanned 115 years (1905–2019) and included at-sea density and encounter estimates and at-colony burrow and bird counts. We assessed trends for the California Current, Gulf of Alaska, and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands large marine ecosystems (LME). We found: (1) nearly uniform and long-term declines of Puffins breeding in the California Current ecosystem, with most ecosystem colonies surveyed, (2) declining trends at two large colonies and in one at-sea dataset in the Gulf of Alaska LME, with the fourth smaller colony exhibiting no significant trend, and (3) positive trends at four out of five colonies in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands ecosystem complex, with no detectable trend at the fifth very large colony. The general pattern of Tufted Puffin declines across the California Current and Gulf of Alaska LMEs may be attributable to a variety of factors, but additional study is needed to evaluate the relative influence of potential population drivers both independently and synergistically. Potential mechanisms driving population increases in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands ecosystem include reduced depredation and bycatch, intrinsic population growth, and immigration. We found strong evidence for declines in two of the three LMEs evaluated representing approximately three quarters of the species’ North American range. This region of decline includes the Gulf of Alaska LME, which contains a significant portion of the species’ estimated total North American population. Despite data limitations, our analysis coupled with more focused and local studies indicates that the Tufted Puffin is a species of conservation concern.

Migratory species rely on several distant sites during the annual cycle which makes their conservation more complex than that of non-migratory species. Even one of the most extensively studied migratory shorebirds - the Red Knot Calidris canutus - is currently ‘Near Threatened’ at the global level. Conflicting observations of migratory routes cast uncertainty on the subspecies classification and migratory connectivity of Red Knots in the Pacific coasts of the Americas. To fill essential information gaps, we present the first detailed population morphometrics of Red Knots during the non-breeding season in the southern Pacific coast, along with resightings of these birds throughout the Americas. We also estimated daily rate of weight gain during fuelling based on body mass at captures and known departure dates. Resightings demonstrate reliance on staging areas in both the Mid-continental and Atlantic flyways during the northward migration, and additionally in the Pacific Flyway during southward migration. In addition to the strong connection with several areas also used by C. c. rufa on the North American Atlantic coast, our results show morphometric differences within the ranges of both C. c. rufa and C. c. roselaari. Given the threats faced by Red Knots, the population in Chiloé Archipelago should be treated as a separate conservation unit within interhemispheric conservation programmes for endangered shorebirds within the Americas.

The White-bellied Shortwing is a Globally Threatened, endemic bird found in the Western Ghats of southern India. Given the few recent records of the species from its range, its population is thought to have dwindled with increasing habitat fragmentation and disturbance. A previous survey covered the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu while this survey covers the states of Karnataka and Goa; thus together the two surveys cover the species' entire prospective range. The survey resulted in 11 sightings of White-bellied Shortwing in the unique shola forests. Encounter rates in Karnataka were much lower than in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, while no shortwings were sighted in Goa. Effects of sampling effort and detectability were examined as probable causes of the low encounter rates and one site was re-sampled. Conservation problems are highlighted and suggestions are made.

Shade coffee is a well-studied cultivation strategy that creates habitat for tropical birds while also maintaining agricultural yield. Although there is a general consensus that shade coffee is more “bird-friendly” than a sun coffee monoculture, little work has investigated the effects of specific shade tree species on insectivorous bird diversity. This study involved avian foraging observations, mist-netting data, temperature loggers, and arthropod sampling to investigate bottom-up effects of two shade tree taxa - native Cordia sp. and introduced Grevillea robusta - on insectivorous bird communities in central Kenya. Results indicate that foliage-dwelling arthropod abundance, and the richness and overall abundance of foraging birds were all higher on Cordia than on Grevillea. Furthermore, multivariate analyses of the bird community indicate a significant difference in community composition between the canopies of the two tree species, though the communities of birds using the coffee understorey under these shade trees were similar. In addition, both shade trees buffered temperatures in coffee, and temperatures under Cordia were marginally cooler than under Grevillea. These results suggest that native Cordia trees on East African shade coffee farms may be better at mitigating habitat loss and attracting insectivorous birds that could promote ecosystem services. Identifying differences in prey abundance and preferences in bird foraging behaviour not only fills basic gaps in our understanding of the ecology of East African coffee farms, it also aids in developing region-specific information to optimize functional diversity, ecosystem services, and the conservation of birds in agricultural landscapes.

The Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA) contains the largest population of Scarlet Macaws Ara macao in Costa Rica. Despite their influence on ecosystem dynamics and status as a flagship species, empirical data on the foraging patterns of this population is lacking. This information is crucial in implementing effective conservation strategies, particularly reintroduction attempts. Observations of feeding behaviour were made systematically over a 12-month period to provide the first direct examination of Scarlet Macaw diet within the ACOSA region. Scarlet Macaws feed on various items including seeds, flowers, bark, and leaf-gall larvae. Key findings included a demonstration of a smaller dietary niche breadth than that recorded for other Central American populations, use of button mangrove Conocarpus erectus, a species not previously recognised as a food source for Scarlet Macaws, and a heavy reliance on an exotic non-native species, Terminalia catappa. We argue that whilst human-modified coastal locations may present viable habitat for Scarlet Macaws, anthropogenic influences including the removal of native food sources and proliferation of exotic and cultivated species have left the Scarlet Macaws of the ACOSA particularly dependent on a small number of species.