Fishery observers recorded incidental capture of seabirds during 785 days on Japanese bluefin tuna longline vessels around New Zealand between April and August each year, 1988-1992. High numbers of albatrosses Diomedea spp. and petrels Procellaria spp. were caught on longline hooks during setting and drowned. Twelve seabird taxa were recorded, six of them breeding only in New Zealand. Most were breeding adults, except for Grey-headed and Black-browed Albatrosses. No bias in sex ratio was evident except for Grey Petrels, of which nearly all were female. Winter-breeding species were most often caught. Birds were not caught randomly, but in a highly aggregated fashion suggestive of complex behavioural interactions with the fishery. Most albatrosses were caught by day in the south whereas most petrels were caught by night north-east of New Zealand. Highest capture rates occurred at dawn and dusk off north-east New Zealand in June-August. Very large catches at specific sites contributed disproportionately to the overall catch rate. The estimated minimum number of total seabirds caught in New Zealand waters declined from 3,652 in 1988 to 360 in 1992, probably as a result of mitigation measures introduced progressively by the industry and by government regulation. Use of tori lines to prevent birds seizing baits had an effect, as did setting in total darkness in the south. Considerably more work needs to be done on the development of improved mitigation measures. Greater observer coverage is required to measure accurately the mortality of individual seabird species on tuna longlines throughout the Southern Ocean and to determine the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

The Grey-winged Cotinga Tijuca condita, previously known from a single specimen collected in 1942, was rediscovered near the type-locality in the coastal hill ranges of Rio de Janeiro state, south-eastern Brazil, in November 1980. Fieldwork at two sites in November/December 1980 and November 1981 revealed the presence of 10 individuals: one calling male and one female in cloud-forest at 1,320 m in the Serra do Tinguá; and six calling males, one female and one unsexed bird in cloud-forest at 1,830-2,000 m in the Serra dos Órgãos. Two females were netted, and two calling males were seen well in the field. The plumage of calling males resembled that of females, but was brighter with more grey on the face. The voice was described as an explosive sooee-wheee. The calling posture was similar to that of pihas Lipaugus, and there was no indication of any lekking behaviour. The species appears to have a very restricted distribution, but there is no indication that it is under threat at the present time.

O cotingídeo Tijuca condita, previamente conhecido de um único indivíduo coletado em 1942, foi redescoberto próximo a sua localidade tipo nas montanhas da costa do estado do Rio de Janeiro, no sudeste do Brasil, em novembro de 1980. Observações no campo em duas localidades em novembro/dezembro 1980 e novembro 1981 revelaram a presença de 10 indivíduos: um macho cantando e uma fêmea em uma floresta de neblina a 1,320 m na Serra do Tinguá; seis machos, uma fêmea e um individuo de sexo não determinado em uma floresta de neblina a 1,830–2,000 m na Serra dos Órgãos. Duas fêmeas foram capturadas em rede e dois machos foram bem observados no campo. A plumagem dos machos assemelha-se a das fêmeas, contudo mais brilhante e acinzentado na face. O canto foi descrito como um explosivo sooee-wheee. A postura de canto foi semelhante à de outros cotingídeos Lipaugus e não há indícios de comportamento de leque. A espécie parece ter uma distribuição muito restrita, mas não ha indícios de que essa espécie esteja ameaçada no momento.

The Gola Malimbe Malimbus ballmanni survives in two general areas of Upper Guinea Forest, both focused in Liberia adjacent to easternmost Sierra Leone and westernmost Ivory Coast, where the species was first recorded in the 1970s. The eastern population extends over an area of at least 18,000 km2 and may consist of some 20,000 to 50,000 birds, the species being locally common in lowland rainforest. The western population covers at least 200–300 km2, but numbers are hard to judge. Both populations are under severe threat from habitat destruction, particularly the western. M. ballmanni and M. racheliae form a superspecies as the forest-interior counterparts of the canopy-haunting M. scutatus and M. cassini. M. ballmanni is found between 8 m and 22 m in high forest (79% of recorded cases), higher than M. nitens, lower than M. scutatus; it joins mixed bird parties and feeds on insects of the same size-class as in scutatus, smaller than in nitens. Annual life-cycle is seasonally adapted, with nesting when the rains end and in the transitional and dry season, occasionally in the intermediate dry season. Most birds moult in the first half of the year. Nests hang on lianas, in open galleries at 8 to 21 m. Up to five birds may help build a nest, with labour divided between males and females (which also have different song phrases). Biometric data of adult and immature birds are given.

The distribution of Tahitian landbirds in the early twentieth century and at presented here together with maps. Three categories may be recognized: (1) species with a declining distribution owing to changes in habitats (Green-backed Heron), (2) stable or increased species, including local and earlier introduced species, and (3) newly introduced species (Zebra Dove, Red-vented Bulbul, Silvereye and Crimson-backed Tanager). Moreover, owing to their low population numbers, two species, the Pacific Pigeon and the Tahiti Monarch, are on the verge of extinction even if their distribution has not changed notably during this century.

Les repartitions des oiseaux terrestres reproducteurs de Tahiti, au début et à la fin du 20e siècle, sont présentées sous forme de cartes. Trois catégories d'espèces sont dis-tinguées: (1) espèce dont la répartition est en déclin a la suite des modifications d'habitats (Héron vert), (2) espèces stable ou en légère augmentation, chez qui on trouve des oiseaux locaux et des oiseaux introduits, et enfin (3) les espèces introduites durant le 20e siècle (Tourterelle striée, Bulbul à ventre rouge, Zosterops à poitrine grise et Tangara cramoisi). II apparaît que deux espèces, le Carpophage du Pacifique et le Monarque de Tahiti, sont aujourd'hui très menacées, même si leur répartition n'a pas régressé d'une façon significative.

The montane forests of western Cameroon are well known for their endemic birds. The most northerly such forests probably occur on Mt Tchabal Mbabo, where a preliminary survey of the avifauna in 1990 found 12 montane species, of which six represented significant range extensions, among them the threatened Ploceus bannermani. Given the increasing human pressures on other montane forests in Cameroon, Mt Tchabal Mbabo may be attractive for future conservation because of its comparative lack of human disturbance. Densities of indigenous people are low and there is a lack of significant hunting and firewood-gathering, the precipitous nature of the northern slope makes human intrusions difficult, and the lack of human disturbance may mean that local animal populations are stable.

Les forêts d'altitude de l'ouest du Cameroun sont bien connues pour leurs populations endémiques d'oiseaux. Les forêts les plus au nord sont celles du Mont Tchabal Mbabo, où un recensement préliminaire de la faune aviaire en 1990 a révélé 12 espèces, dont six avaient une aire de répartition relativement grande, y compris l'espèce menacée Ploceus bannermani. Etant donné l'accroissement des pressions humaines sur les autres forêts d'altitude au Cameroun, le Mont Tchabal Mbabo pourrait se réveler intéressant pour des programmes de conservation futurs, compte tenu d'une perturbation humaine relativement inexistante. Les densités de population indigène y sont faibles, et la chasse ainsi que le ramassage du bois pour les besoins domestiques ne sont pas significatifs. Les pentes abruptes du nord rendent difficile toute intrusion humaine, et l'absence de perturbations dues à l'homme pourrait signifier la stabilité des populations animales locales.

Between June 1989 and October 1990 casual records of rare birds were made in Sabah and on Sipadan Island, Malaysia, and on Luzon, Negros, Bohol and Mindanao, Philippines, with additional observations on Palawan and Tawitawi, Philippines, in August and September 1991. Key sites for bird conservation profiled here are the Angat watershed, Quezon National Park and Candaba Marsh (all on Luzon), Mt Canlaon (Negros), Rajah Sukituna National Park (Bohol), Mt Katanglad (Mindanao), remaining forest on both Tawitawi and Sipadan, and the Danum Valley in Sabah. Notes are provided on 31 species of bird, 17 already considered threatened, three near-threatened. While one threatened species (Nicobar Pigeon Caloenas nicobarica) should be downlisted, at least six species (Spotted Imperial-pigeon Ducula carola, Blue-winged Racquet-tail Prioniturus verticalis, Blue-naped Parrot Tanygnathus lucionensis, McGregor's Cuckoo-shrike Coracina mcgregori, Falcated Wren-babbler Ptilocichla falcata and Palawan Flycatcher Ficedula platenae) should be elevated to threatened status. Records for other species supplement and reinforce current assessments of threat or indicate new distributional or taxonomic information on non-threatened forms.

Originally described last century from New Mexico, U.S.A., Worthen's Sparrow Spizella wortheni has subsequently been recorded from just eight states in Mexico centred on the interior of the north-east of the country. Records during the last 30 years originate from just Coahuila and Nuevo León, with those during the last 10 years exclusively from two small areas in south-eastern Coahuila and western Nuevo León: it appears that this poorly known species has been suffering a range contraction owing to the widespread destruction of its shrubby (mesquite or yucca-juniper) grassland habitat. Little detail is known of its specific requirements, local movements, or even its distribution, and it is proposed that Worthen's Sparrow be formally recognized as a threatened species.

Originalmente descrito el siglo pasado a partir de ejemplares procedentes de Nuevo Méjico, U.S.A., Spizella wortheni ha sido posteriormente citado en ocho estados mejicanos, todos en el interior del noreste del país. Durante los últimos 30 años, todas las citas provienen de Coahuila y Nuevo León, y durante los últimos 10 exclusivamente de dos pequeñas áreas del sureste de Coahuila y del oeste de Nuevo León: parece que el área de distribution de esta escasamente conocida especie ha ido reduciéndose debido a una generalizada destructión de su hábitat de matorral (mescal o yuca-enebro) pastizal. Se conoce muy poco de sus requerimientos específicos, movimientos locales, o incluso su distributión, y se propone que Spizella wortheni sea formalmente reconocido como una especie amenazada.

In March 1993, a survey of dry forest along the Río Machariapo, northern La Paz department, Bolivia, resulted in seven new bird species for the department, including some range extensions of several hundred kilometres: Coccyzus erythropthalmus, Otus guatemalae, Poecilurus scutatus, Formicivora melanogaster, Empidonax traillii alnorum, Nemosia pileata and Conirostrum speciosum. A probable new Herpsilochmus antwren was collected. These discoveries are of high conservation interest, especially as the La Paz - Cobija road is to be constructed through the Machariapo Valley, with work resuming in May 1993 and already very close to the head of the valley. Thus several new plant and bird taxa may be lost through deforestation even before they can be described.

Un estudio del bosque seco a lo largo del Río Machariapo en el norte del Departamento de La Paz, Bolivia, realizado en marzo de 1993, trajo como resultado el descubrimiento de siete nuevas especies de aves en este departamento, incluyendo algunas ampliaciones, de unos cien kilómetros, del área de distribución conocida: Coccyzus erythropthalmus, Otus guatemalae, Poecilurus scutatus, Formicivora melanogaster, Empidonax traillii alnorum, Nemosia pileata y Conirostrum speciosum. También se recolectó un Herpsilochmus sp. que es probablemente una nueva especie. Estos nuevas descubrimientos son de alto interés para la conservación, especialmente porque se está construyendo una carretera desde La Paz a Cobija por el Valle Machariapo. La construcción va a continuar en mayo de 1993 y actualmente esta se encuentra muy cerca del principio del valle. De esta manera nuevos taxa de plantas y aves podrian desaparecer a causa de deforestación, incluso antes de que se pudieran describir totalmente.

The endangered White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata was formerly widely recorded from north-east India, Bangladesh, Union of Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia (peninsular) and Indonesia (Java and Sumatra). It was found to be “common” by British ornithologists in areas of India, Myanmar and Thailand in the early part of this century. Since then, deforestation and hunting have caused a major decline to perhaps less than 5% of its original population size. Since 1980 the species has been reliably recorded from 55 sites in seven countries, with a minimum combined population of 336 individuals. A conservation plan has been produced and implementation has begun.

Searches were made for the Colombian Grebe Podiceps andinus in 1981 in the wetlands in the Eastern Andes of Colombia. The studies also included surveys of other waterbirds and recorded the general conditions of these wetlands, once the stronghold for waterbirds in the northern Andes. The Colombian Grebe was apparently last seen in 1977 in Lake Tota, and is probably extinct, although a flock may have been moving around outside Lake Tota and could have settled outside the former breeding area. The primary reason for the decline must be draining of wetlands and eutrophication and siltation which destroyed the open submergent Potamogeton vegetation, where this grebe may have been feeding on a large diversity of arthropods. Introduction of exotic fish and hunting may also have played a role.

Durante 1981 se han realizado varias expedidones en busca de Podiceps andinus en las zonas húmedas de los Andes Orientales de Colombia. Durante estos estudios también se censaron otras aves acuáticas y se tomaron notas sobre el estado general de éstas zonas húmedas, que en el pasado fueron el principal enclave para las aves acuáticas en los Andes del Norte. Aparentemente Podiceps andinus fué visto por última vez en 1977 en el Lago Tota, y está probablemente extinguido, aunque podría haber un bando en las inmediaciones de dicho lago que se hay a establecido fuera de la antigua área de cría. La razón fundamental del declive debe ser el drenaje de las zonas húmedas y la eutrofización y salinización que ha destruido la vegetatión sumergida de Potamogeton, donde ésta especie se alimentaba de una gran variedad de artrópodos. La introducción de peces exóticos y la caza pueden haber influido también.

The Aldabra White-throated Rail Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus is confined to Middle Island (c. 7,700 birds), lie Polymnie (c. 270) and De aux Cèdres (c. 80) on Aldabra Atoll (now a World Heritage Site) in the Seychelles. It uses all available terrestrial habitats, but chiefly occurs in scrub cover and particularly in the densest types, where leaf-litter (and hence litter fauna) is richest. Its extinction on Assumption, Astove and Cosmoledo is attributable to widespread habitat loss and disturbance, and to human utilization as food; the extent to which rats and cats affect the form, which is flightless, is debatable.

Serra da Capivara National Park covers an area of about 1,300 km2 in south-eastern Piauí, north-eastern Brazil. The park's vegetation is the endemic caatinga, with a few remnants of semi-deciduous forest in some canyons. The area has a reasonable diversity of plants, with 615 catalogued species. Since 1986, 208 bird species have been observed in the park and its buffer zone, including 10 threatened or near-threatened species, plus two recently extinct in the area. Other species are regionally rare and have declined over parts of their distribution. The park also harbours several threatened mammals and caatinga endemics. Despite having been created in 1979 the park remains effectively unprotected and unmanaged. Current levels of poaching and habitat destruction prejudice the future of several species, including some that have already vanished from other parts of the caatinga.

O Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara abrange uma área de aproxidamamente 1,300 km2 no sudeste do Piauí, nordeste do Brasil. A vegetação do parque é a caatinga, com alguns enclaves de mata semi-decíua. A área possui uma razoável diversidade de plantas, com um total de 615 espécies já catalogadas. Desde 1986, um total de 208 espécies de aves foram observadas no parque e sua zona-tampão, incluindo 10 consideradas ameaçadas ou quase-ameaçadas, além de duas recentemente extintas na área. Outras espécies são regionalmente raras ou tern declinado em parte de sua área de distribuição. O parque também abriga diversos mamíferos ameaçados, e endemismos da caatinga. Apesar de ter sido criado em 1979, o parque ainda não foi consolidado e é pouco mais que um parque de papel. Com os presentes niveis de caça clandestina e destruição de habitats, diversas espécies se extinguirão, incluindo algumas já desapareddas de outras partes da caatinga.

The last flightless bird of the western Indian Ocean, Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus survives only on Aldabra. Its population numbered some 8,000 in 1973–1976. Surveys suggest numbers remained roughly constant between 1968 and 1988 (with a fluctuation of only 4% in responses to call playback between 1983 and 1988), but distribution continued to contract. Longevity can reach over 8.5 years (but is probably lower on average), and some birds remain within 100 m of the site of ringing for at least five years. Feral predators remain a threat, and captive populations are recommended. The monitoring procedure may have value for other Gruiformes.

The Andean páramo and puna zones may once have been densely dotted by woodlands, mainly of Polylepis, but human impact has now led to a highly disjunct distribution of this habitat. Because of the habitat fragmentation, many specialized woodland birds now show relictual distributions. Speciations to the Polylepis zone took place in Peru and Bolivia during cold/arid climatic periods, as Polylepis-dominated woodland refuges were isolated away from the humid cis-Andean zone and the pre-Andean scrub-forest in Bolivia. An efficient protection of biodiversity in a minimum of well-managed areas could be achieved, if efforts were concentrated in highlands near the proposed Pleistocene woodland refuges: 55% of all endemic and 67% of all threatened and near-threatened landbirds of the high Andean zone of Peru and Bolivia were recorded within three 10 x 10 km study plots near Cochabamba in Bolivia and east of Abancay and on the east slope of Cordillera Blanca in Peru. The biological basis for the efficiency of this approach is discussed.

Los páramos y punas Andinas pueden haber estado densamente poblados de bosques, principalmente de Polylepis, pero el impacto humano ha causado una distribución muy esparcida de este habitat. Debido a la fragmentatión del habitat, muchos pájaros especializados al bosque, ahora muestran distribuciones rudimentales. La diferenciación de las espeties en la zona de Polylepis se dió en Perú y Bolivia durante períodos climáticos fríos/aridos, al igual que los refúgios de bosques dominados por Polylepis fueron aislados de la zona húmeda cis-Andina y de la zone chaqueña en Bolivia. Se podría lograr una protección efitiente de la biodiversidad en un mínimo de áreas bien manejadas, si se concentrasen los esfuerzos en las sierras cerca de los refúgios propuestos de bosque Pleistocenico. Así es, que un 55% de los pájaros endémicos y 67% de todos los especies en peligro de extintión de la zona alto-Andina de Perú y Bolivia fueron registrados dentro de tres áreas de estudio de 10 × 10 km, cerca de Cochabamba en Bolivia, y al sureste de Abancay y en la vertiente oriental de la Cordillera Blanca en Perú. El artículo diserta los processos básicos.

The Cebu Flowerpecker Dicaeum quadricolor, considered extinct since 1906, was rediscovered in a very small (<2 km2) patch of largely degraded forest near Tabunan, Cebu island, Philippines, in 1992. This patch also holds at least four of the five other bird forms endemic to Cebu that are known to be extant. There appears to be no other forest with any closed canopy elsewhere on the island, and the Tabunan site, although within the Central Cebu National Park, could disappear within five years (through clearance for firewood by local villagers) without immediate intervention.

Between October 1991 and February 1992 field surveys on the status of parrots in the North Moluccas were conducted on Obi, Bacan and Halmahera, with principal focus on three significantly traded species, White Cockatoo Cacatua alba, Chattering Lory Lorius garrulus and Violet-necked Lory Eos squamata. Variable circular plots and variable-distance line transects were used to estimate minimum and maximum population densities at each of 18 sites. C. alba and L. garrulus preferred forest, the former largely confined to lowlands to 600 m, the latter occurring more in hilly areas to at least 1,300 m. E. squamata frequented all habitat types, being commoner in disturbed habitats though rarer at higher altitudes. Minimum populations (the first two being global) were 50,000, 46,000 and 66,000 respectively, and minimum estimated captures in 1991 5,120, 9,600 and 2,850, indicating overexploitation of the first two species. To ensure sustainability, total annual catch quotas should be reduced to 1,710, 810 and 1,590 respectively and allow for fair division between islands. Training, enforcement, monitoring, research and habitat conservation are all needed.

The marshes of the Hongyuan-Ruoergai Plateau in northern Sichuan were visited between 27 May and 10 June 1991 to determine the status there of Black-necked Cranes Grus nigricollis, to investigate reports of threats to their habitat from peat-mining, and to consider options for a protected area for the cranes. Almost 80,000 ha of wetlands in Ruoergai County were surveyed, as well as some of the contiguous wetlands in northern Hongyuan County; 240 Black-necked Cranes and 24 active nests were located. Between 600 and 900 cranes were estimated to be present on the plateau, making this the most important breeding and summering area for the species hitherto known. Neither peatmining nor hunting was judged to pose a threat to the cranes. The principal threat is drainage of habitat for pastureland: overgrazing by domestic livestock is a serious problem on the grasslands, and some drainage of bogs has already occurred in an attempt to increase the area of grazing land. The establishment of a large “crane conservation area” has been proposed, in which there would be no restrictions on the traditional activities of the local tribespeople, but where large-scale drainage, peat-mining and other development activities likely to have a negative impact on the wetlands would be prohibited.

The North Selangor peat-swamp forest occupies an area of about 75,000 ha and has been extensively logged for timber. Of the six sites surveyed, three were located in regenerating or selectively logged areas and contained a higher proportion of forest-dependent species of birds than the other three, which had been extensively cleared by logging and for agriculture. The presence of the nearby Kuala Selangor Nature Park should not diminish the conservation value of the peat-swamp forest, at least where the avifauna is concerned, as their avifauna complement one another.

The Anjouan Scops Owl Otus capnodes, not recorded with certainty since about 1886, was rediscovered in June 1992. It has usually been treated as a race of Madagascar Scops Owl Otus rutilus but, judging from plumage and especially voice, it is a distinct species. It is found only in the remaining patches of upland forest (above 800 m) on Anjouan (Ndzuani), Comoro Islands, where the population is estimated to be at least several tens of pairs, probably between 100 and 200 pairs. The species is highly endangered by accelerating forest clearance and capture for food by the huge and increasing human population. Long-term environmental programmes are essential but may be too late to save this and other endangered species on Anjouan. Species-specific actions are needed: for the owl, a translocation to the neighbouring island of Moheli should be investigated.

La chouette Scops d'Anjouan Otus capnodes, qui n'avait pas été observée avec certitude depuis environ 1886, a été redécouverte en juin 1992. Elle était habituellement considérée comme appartenant à la race des chouettes Scops de Madagascar Otus rutilus, mais à en juger par son plumage et surtout par sa voix, c'est une espèce différente. Elle n'existe que dans les restants de forêts d'altitude (plus de 800 mètres) en Anjouan (Ndzuani), dans les lles Comores, où la population est estimée à au moins plusieurs dizaines de couples, probablement entre 100 et 200 paires. L'espèce est fortement menacée par l'accélération de la déforestation et la capture de ces oiseaux pour l'alimentation d'une population humaine très nombreuse et croissante. Des programmes de conservation de l'environnement à long terme sont essentiels, mais arriveront peut-être déjà trop tard pour sauver cette espèce et d'autres espèces menacées en Anjouan. Des actions spécifiquement centrées sur chaque espèce sont nécessaires: pour la chouette, la possibilité d'un transfert sur l'île voisine de Mohéli devrait être examinée.

Cyclonic storms, variously called typhoons, cyclones, or hurricanes (henceforth, hurricanes), are common in many parts of the world, where their frequent occurrence can have both direct and indirect effects on bird populations. Direct effects of hurricanes include mortality from exposure to hurricane winds, rains, and storm surges, and geographic displacement of individuals by storm winds. Indirect effects become apparent in the storm's aftermath and include loss of food supplies or foraging substrates; loss of nests and nest or roost sites; increased vulnerability to predation; microclimate changes; and increased conflict with humans. The short-term response of bird populations to hurricane damage, before changes in plant succession, includes shifts in diet, foraging sites or habitats, and reproductive changes. Bird populations may show long-term responses to changes in plant succession as second-growth vegetation increases in storm-damaged old-growth forests.

The greatest stress of a hurricane to most upland terrestrial bird populations occurs after its passage rather than during its impact. The most important effect of a hurricane s i the destruction of vegetation, which secondarily affects wildlife in the storm's aftermath. The most vulnerable terrestrial wildlife populations have a diet of nectar, fruit, or seeds; nest, roost, or forage on large old trees; require a closed forest canopy; have special microclimate requirements and/or live in a habitat in which vegetation has a slow recovery rate. Small populations with these traits are at greatest risk to hurricane-induced extinction, particularly if they exist in small isolated habitat fragments.

Recovery of avian populations from hurricane effects is partially dependent on the extent and degree of vegetation damage as well as its rate of recovery. Also, the reproductive rate of the remnant local population and recruitment from undisturbed habitat patches influence the rate at which wildlife populations recover from damage.