In late 2000, five sanctuaries were established on the mainland of New Zealand for the express purpose of protecting populations of five kiwi Apteryx spp. taxa belonging to three species. Conservation management was undertaken at a landscape scale (10,000–20,000 ha) in each sanctuary to improve recruitment of kiwi. This was done by controlling introduced mammalian predators (especially stoats Mustela erminea), and/or by removing eggs and chicks from predation risk, and returning subadults when they were big enough to cope with stoats. Population modelling of the first five years of the sanctuary programme indicated that kiwi numbers in all five sanctuaries would increase as a result of the management. Calculated population increases varied from 0.6% per year at Okarito to 11.3% per year at Moehau, even though predator trapping was more intense at Okarito. The variation from site to site was explained by the widely different inherent productivity of the various kiwi taxa; widely different rates of adult mortality due to the presence or absence of dogs Canis familiaris and ferrets M. furo, the main predators of long-lived adult kiwi; and, local forest conditions affecting predator-prey cycles, and the density of stoats. As a result of this analysis, the management in four of the five sanctuaries has since been modified to try to achieve better overall gains for kiwi within the same operating budget.

Collisions with power lines represent an important mortality factor for Great Bustards Otis tarda throughout the distribution range of the species. This study evaluates the success of two conservation measures implemented in the West-Pannonian distribution range to reduce the number of power line collision casualties: (1) extensive underground cabling of 43.1 km power lines, and (2) marking of 89.7 km power lines starting in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The mortality rate of Great Bustards in our study area (covering 686.5 km2) decreased significantly between 2002 and 2011, predominantly caused by reduced mortality due to power line collisions. Univariate tests indicate that underground cabling and power line marking significantly decreased power line collision casualties. Generalised linear models (GLMs) highlighted the prominent effect of underground cabling. Our results indicate that five years after underground cabling and marking of power lines within core areas of the West-Pannonian distribution range of the Great Bustard, the population already benefited through a significantly decreased mortality rate. Both conservation measures most likely contributed strongly to the rapid recovery of the West-Pannonian Great Bustard population observed within the last decade.

White-necked Picathartes Picathartes gymnocephalus is a globally ‘Vulnerable’ bird endemic to the highly threatened Upper Guinea forests in West Africa. In an environment under a high level of threat, the high breeding site fidelity (or breeding site persistence) of this species enables long term monitoring of colony site occupancy, colony size and other breeding parameters, which provide multiple indicators of population status. We surveyed known colony sites and searched for new sites in three recent breeding seasons in order to assess the current population status in the most important part of their range in Sierra Leone, the Gola Forest. We found 157 active nests at 40 colonies, equating to at least 314 adult birds. Less than half of the known colonies were protected by the Gola Forest Reserve. Colonies outside the reserve tended to be confined to larger rocks and subject to disturbance from human activities in close proximity, but did not have fewer active nests in them. Colonies outside the reserve were also more likely to be inactive in a given year whereas all colonies inside the reserve were active in every survey year. A predictive distribution model indicated that the survey region could have as many as 234 nests equating to at least 468 breeding birds. There was no evidence that mean colony size had declined since surveys undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s but it was not possible to compare colony abandonment rates inside and outside the reserve over that time period. Clutch and brood sizes were similar in each year, though brood size appeared slightly lower in the third survey year possibly because of a slightly later survey date. Mean clutch and brood sizes reported during the study period were similar to those found in the 1980s and 1990s. We conclude that the population of White-necked Picathartes in the Gola Forest area has been relatively stable over the last two decades, reflecting both the efficacy of protection afforded by the Gola Forest Reserve and presumably low pressure to farm new areas in the nearby community forest. However, regular monitoring of colonies both inside and outside the reserve is required to detect any systematic impact on the birds as pressure for land increases.

To develop conservation strategies for vulnerable seabird species that need attention, it is important to know which factors influence their breeding productivity. Predation of eggs and chicks can have large influences on seabird reproduction, especially when human disturbance facilitates predation. On Dyer Island, Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus prey on Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis eggs and chicks, whereas Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus prey on Cape Cormorant fledglings in the waters surrounding the island. Kelp Gulls were estimated to predate 3.8% of the total number of Cape Cormorant eggs and 2.0% of the chicks on the island. These percentages can be expressed as a loss of 4.8% of Cape Cormorant fledglings, which is low compared to the estimated 24.3% mortality of Cape Cormorant fledglings by Cape fur seal predation. Human disturbance facilitated Kelp Gull egg and chick predation and increased the mobbing of cormorant fledglings by Kelp Gulls. Cormorant egg predation by gulls was more frequently reported in the late afternoon. Seal predation was more abundant at the northern side of the island compared to the southern side, was recorded more frequently in the morning, and increased through the breeding season. The altered abundance and distribution of prey, the availability of suitable breeding habitat and mortality from avian cholera, have also influenced the Cape Cormorant’s population size. Hence, the possibility that Cape Cormorants may be locked in a predator-pit, where seals and gulls prevent the population from increasing in size, needs further attention.

Tropical land cover change has negatively affected numerous migratory bird populations. Forest restoration can augment migrant wintering habitat. However, almost no information exists about factors that influence migrant use of tropical restoration sites. We sampled migrant birds in young restoration sites in Costa Rica from February 2006 to April 2008 to determine how vegetation height, planting design, season, and landscape forest cover influenced capture rates of four declining species. We also documented total numbers of migratory species and individuals captured in each planting design treatment; each site had a control treatment where seedlings were not planted, an island treatment where seedlings were planted in patches, and a plantation treatment where seedlings were planted to cover the entire area. Sites varied in landscape forest cover within 500 m buffers. Three out of four focal species were captured significantly more often in plantation treatments than island or control treatments. Two of the four species showed seasonal patterns and one species was captured more often in high-vegetation sites. Greater numbers of species and individuals were captured in plantation treatments compared to island and control treatments. The plantation planting design increased migrant use more quickly than the island planting design. When resources are available, we recommend planting plantation-style to rapidly increase the value of restoration sites to a range of species, particularly those that use woody vegetation. When resources are more limited, planting islands may be a cost-effective, although not as ecologically effective, alternative that supports a diversity of migrant species compared to unplanted controls.

We documented the breeding distribution and estimated abundance of Chubut Steamerducks Tachyres leucocephalus, a flightless waterbird endemic to a relatively small section of coastline in Patagonia, Argentina. The distribution of Chubut Steamerducks is restricted to approximately 700 km of coast. We counted 1,703 adult steamerducks at a subset of shorelines within their range and estimated 1,841 adults after correcting for visibility for shore-based surveys. To estimate adult densities in unsurveyed areas, we used two different methods of extrapolation, resulting in estimates of 1,587 and 1,832 adults. Combined with numbers from surveyed shorelines, the total breeding population size is estimated to be between 3,428 and 3,673 adults. In addition, we counted 1,899 juvenile steamerducks, which occur in irregular aggregations. The Interjurisdictional Marine Park in San Jorge Gulf contains about 46% of the entire population, which may provide some protection from disturbance and habitat destruction. However, oil pollution, other anthropogenic activities, and invasive species still pose potential threats to the population.

The forest-associated Yellow-throated Apalis Apalis flavigularis is the only bird endemic to Malawi. The species is confined to three mountain massifs in the south of the country and is classified as globally ‘Endangered’. This study re-evaluates its conservation status by assessing its population size and habitat preferences on Mount Mulanje, where forest patches are threatened by illegal logging and an increasing frequency of uncontrolled fires. These fires also cause a proliferation of invasive plant species, especially the Himalayan yellow raspberry Rubus ellipticus. We surveyed the Yellow-throated Apalis in 41 forest patches during the breeding season. The apalises favoured forest edge habitat, occurring in forest patches as small as 0.01 ha. Their occurrence was positively correlated with the presence of R. ellipticus, although this relationship may be driven primarily by canopy architecture and the existence of an understorey shrub layer. At a conservative estimate, 7,900 Yellow-throated Apalises were calculated to be present in cedar forest habitat alone on Mount Mulanje. Given that the birds occurred in other native forests at the same altitude at densities of 8.6–10.9 birds ha-1, the true population size on Mount Mulanje alone is likely to approach or even exceed IUCN’s most optimistic estimate of the global population (10,000).

The criteria and categories of the IUCN red list can be applied to any taxonomic unit, including taxa below species level or non-formally described forms, but this is seldom practiced. Because conservation priorities largely focus on well-established taxa that deserve urgent action, cryptic species may be facing a critical situation. This could be the case for some Andean and trans-Andean populations of Pyrrhura parakeets in Colombia that have restricted and isolated geographic ranges, and whose conservation status has been overlooked because nominal species covering them are considered of “Least Concern”. As part of research into the biogeographic history and biogeographic patterns of the genus Pyrrhura, we used MaxEnt modelling to make a first approach to the geographic distribution and conservation status of these populations, and to determine if they could be considered independent conservation units. As with other members of Pyrrhura, we found that their climatic niche was restricted to humid regions of the Andes and the Andean foothills, resulting in isolated and discontinuous distributions associated with the Tropical humid forest Zonobiome. Comparing our estimates of area of occupancy with the established thresholds for IUCN criterion B2, the four subspecies studied could be considered threatened. The small geographic ranges, apparent vulnerability to forest fragmentation compared with other parrots, and extensive habitat loss experienced by the Andean and trans-Andean subspecies of P. melanura and P. picta allow us to conclude that they are valid conservation units. Although further research on these taxa is necessary, our results imply that they must be included as target populations in local and national policies for management plans and decision making, and urgent actions are needed for the subspecies of P. picta such as P. p. subandina and P. p. caeruleiceps.

Decline of native forest cover is a worldwide concern. Recently, overall forest cover in Vietnam has increased, but most of the increase has been attributed to plantations of non-native trees. The conservation value of these plantations for birds is unknown. We compared avian species richness in pine plantations to that in second-growth and mature native forests in Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam. Bird species were classified into two categories: forest specialists or forest generalists. To account for strong heterogeneity in detection probabilities, the number of species in each category was estimated using the Pledger-Huggins estimator. We estimated total species richness and number of forest specialist species to be highest in mature forest (191; 95% CI = 96, 287, and 88; 95% CI = 47, 129 respectively), lower in second-growth forest (158; 95% CI = 87, 245 and 58; 95% CI = 18, 98 respectively), and lowest in pine plantation (106; 95% CI = 52, 158 and 49; 95% CI = 2, 97 respectively). The estimated number of forest generalist species was similar between mature forest and second-growth forest (103; 95% CI = 17, 189 and 100; 95% CI = 42, 158, respectively) and least in pine plantation (57; 95% CI = 31, 82). The maintenance of native forest types should receive priority for conservation in Vietnam and pine plantations should be managed to provide additional structure in the hope of increasing species richness.

Many migratory waterbird populations are in decline and loss of natural wetlands is one of the main causes. However, some species may respond positively to artificial wetland recreation. In Extremadura (south-west Europe), several large reservoirs were created for irrigation since the 1960s and some comparatively small reservoirs were built from the late 1990s onwards close to rice fields. Here we analyse the abundance of wintering dabbling ducks (Anas spp.) in Extremadura before (1991–1994) and after (2007–2010) the creation of these new reservoirs in order to address the current importance of the area for this guild within the East Atlantic Flyway (EAF). A mean of 25,277 dabbling ducks wintered in the study area during 1991–1994, increasing to 46,163 individuals during 2007–2010. After controlling for environmental variables, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Common Teal A. crecca and Northern Shoveler A. clypeata experienced significant increases in the area between both periods, and only Eurasian Wigeon A. penelope suffered a significant decrease. Mallard A. platyrhynchos and Gadwall A. strepera populations did not show any significant trend. The large older reservoirs experienced overall population decreases between the two periods, with four new reservoirs holding more than 35,000 wintering dabbling ducks. Our results reflect an overall improvement in habitat conditions, driven by the creation of reservoirs near to rice fields that could have resulted in a partial redistribution of wintering dabbling ducks in the EAF. The area emerges as one of the most important wintering sites for dabbling ducks in southern Europe, regularly exceeding two of the Ramsar Convention criteria for the conservation of several populations. The protection of these new reservoirs by legal mechanisms would guarantee the existence of a large functional wetland area, which could also mitigate the loss of natural wetlands for populations using the EAF.

The effects of habitat fragmentation on the distribution and abundance of birds is a well-researched topic but there is little information published in terms of how habitat fragmentation affects reproductive life history traits. We reviewed the available literature on this subject and found that only 8% of the 1,433 studies dealing with birds in fragmented habitat studied life history traits and only 1.3% provided appropriate data to perform statistics. We found no effect of fragmentation on clutch and brood size patterns. Those patterns did not change when corrected by phylogeny. However, there is a significant heterogeneity among species responses, thus data on large-bodied, ground-nesting, and precocial birds suggest an increasing response in brood size in fragmented habitats. Finally, our review shows that despite birds being the most studied vertebrate group, crucial information such as the effects of habitat fragmentation on life history traits is still scarce and insufficient, especially on species of conservation concern. Indeed, only one out of 15 species reviewed here was threatened. Studies on reproductive, behavioural and life history trait variation are urgently needed in order to advance conservation actions.

The movement and migration pattern of the ‘Near Threatened’ Sooty Falcon Falco concolor is poorly known. Sooty Falcons breed on the islands of the Arabian Gulf after arriving from their non-breeding areas that are mainly in Madagascar. In the first satellite tracking of the species we fitted a 9.5 g Argos solar powered transmitter on an adult breeding Sooty Falcon off the western coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The bird successfully undertook autumn migration to Madagascar, a known wintering area for the species. We document the Sooty Falcon’s autumn migration route and stop-over sites. The adult Sooty Falcon initiated its migration at night and with tailwinds, and travelled mainly during daytime hours for 13 days over an inland route of more than 5,656 km. The three stop-over sites in East Africa were characterised by moderate to sparse shrub cover associated with potential sources of water. We discuss the migration pattern of the tracked bird in relation to importance of non-breeding areas for Sooty Falcons and recent declines in numbers in their breeding range.

We undertook field observations of the Azure Jay Cyanocorax caeruleus in Araucaria plantations and a secondary forest in southern Brazil from 2007 to 2010. During the breeding season, the territory and the flock sizes in Araucaria plantations (31.6–42.2 ha; 2–3 individuals) seemed to be smaller than in the secondary forest (64.5–72.6 ha; 5–6 individuals). One active nest was monitored in October–November 2009 and indicated cooperative breeding by the Azure Jay, as for the majority of American jays. The fact that reproduction was documented in Araucaria plantations may be positive for the conservation of this species, since natural areas of mixed rainforest are becoming increasingly scarce.

Information on habitat requirements and spatial ecology is vital in conservation strategies and management of particular species. Little Owl Athene noctua is a highly threatened owl species whose populations have significantly decreased or are locally extinct in many European countries. In this study we report on spatial ecology and habitat selection of Little Owls during their breeding season in an agricultural landscape and discuss key management actions for its conservation. The mean home range size of radio-tracked Little Owls, determined by the kernel method, was 0.94 ha (SD = 0.95, 0.24–2.72 ha) and 4.30 ha (SD = 3.75, 0.88–11.70 ha) for 50% and 95% home range, respectively. The smallest home ranges were recorded in April–June (incubation and nesting period) with a significant increase in July–August (fledging season). The most important foraging habitat during the entire breeding season was grassland (especially pastures) reaching 90% for all locations. Vegetation height and cover were the main factors determining habitat selection: Little Owls significantly preferred sparse and short sward vegetation patches that enabled hunting of ground-dwelling prey. Conservation efforts for Little Owls should focus on the active management of prey-rich grassland habitats in the vicinity of breeding sites.

Tourism development is one of the main contemporary drivers of habitat loss and fragmentation within the Caribbean Islands biodiversity hotspot. In Saint Lucia, construction of a hotel and golf course within coastal dry forest is directly threatening the largest known subpopulation of the Endangered White-breasted Thrasher Ramphocinclus brachyurus. Understanding how the species is responding to ongoing landscape change and identifying priority sites for conservation are imperative for planning its long-term conservation. In this study, a four year White-breasted Thrasher monitoring dataset (2006–2009) and landscape-scale environmental variables were used to: a) identify, characterise and map spatio-temporal patterns of White-breasted Thrasher encounter rate (an abundance proxy) within and outside the tourist development site; b) determine landscape-scale environmental variables that influence such patterns, and c) produce an island-wide predictive map of potentially suitable habitat. Observed patterns in encounter rates within and outside the development site were consistent with thrashers being displaced from cleared areas of forest and crowding into intact forest patches to the north and west of the golf course. A year after the period of the most extensive habitat clearance, White-breasted Thrasher numbers declined markedly leading to a 55% reduction in encounter rate within the development site over the four years of the study. The habitat suitability model predicted that a range of sites outside of the known geographic range of the thrasher are potentially suitable, some of which merit further surveys for potentially undetected populations. Given these findings, it is vital that patches of suitable dry forest adjacent to the tourist development are protected and contiguous natural habitat inside the tourist development is preserved.

Understanding the factors that affect the nesting success of threatened birds is essential in designing effective conservation strategies. Here we compare nesting success of the Reed Parrotbill Paradoxornis heudei in annually harvested and non-harvested reedbed habitats in the Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve in China, by recording the number of nestlings produced per nest and the causes of nest failure. We modelled daily nest survival rate (DSR) by considering the effects of harvesting, vegetation characteristics, year, date, advancement within the breeding season, nest age and nearest-nest distance, using the program MARK. Nest densities, but not the number of fledglings per nest, were significantly lower in harvested than non-harvested reedbed habitats. The best-fit DSR model estimated constant survival; none of the tested co-variables had significant effects. Moreover, harvesting did not affect the date of breeding initiation, likelihood of nest failure, or causes of nest failure, as vegetation cover was not significantly different between harvested and non-harvested reedbeds during the whole breeding season. Nest failure following adverse weather conditions was unusually common in harvested and non-harvested reedbeds, accounting for as many nest failures as depredation. However, comparisons with other studies suggest that deriving a conclusion on the impact of harvesting on nesting success is not straightforward and is probably linked to environmental characteristics affecting reed growth.

The Golden-cheeked Warbler Dendroica chrysoparia is a federally endangered Neotropical migrant that inhabits montane pine-oak forests in Mexico and northern Central America during the non-breeding season. Although it is known that Golden-cheeked Warblers are closely associated with ‘encino’ oaks (evergreen or holm oak) such as Quercus sapotifolia, Q. eliptica and Q. elongata, which have shiny, narrow, elliptical, or oblong leaves, quantitative habitat targets are useful for effectively incorporating this information into conservation planning and forest management practices. We analysed data on wintering Golden-cheeked Warblers collected during the non-breeding season in Honduras from 1996 to 1998 to identify quantitative targets for habitat conditions for this species. Data on warbler abundance were collected using line transect surveys located in montane pine-oak forests in a stratified-random fashion. Habitat data were collected at five 0.04 ha plots on these same transects and the averaged values used as predictors of Golden-cheeked Warbler abundance. We found that Golden-cheeked Warblers were strongly associated with the basal area of encino oaks and density of ‘roble’ oaks, such as Q. segoviensis, Q. purulhana and Q. rugosa, which have large, lobed leaves. Density of Golden-cheeked Warblers peaked at ≈ 5.6 m2 ha–1 basal area of encino and ≈7 roble oaks ha–1. These values can be used to identify quantitative habitat targets that can be directly incorporated into forest management practices to ensure that these activities maintain habitat conditions necessary for their use by Golden-cheeked Warblers.