The Blue-cheeked Amazon Amazona dufresniana occupies tropical and subtropical forest in north-eastern South America in eastern Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana, where it remains a very little known species, apparently living in scattered pairs in the interior when breeding, but with irregular movements to the coastal regions in (albeit now small) flocks in July and August. Nothing is recorded of its feeding or breeding habits, nor is it known to be at serious risk from habitat loss or trade, although both these factors may have operated against the species in the past. It occurs in two protected areas and deserves to be a target species of any fieldwork in the region aimed at obtaining status information on areas or faunas.

Reintroduction and restocking programmes are conservation tools which may be employed when a wild population is otherwise beyond recovery. The decision to undertake such programmes should be based on a series of “feasibility” assessments (e.g. the bird's ecology, current threats, suitability of available stock and regional human socioeconomic implications). Releases should only take place when the habitat is capable of sustaining a viable population and the original constraining factors no longer operate. Releasing birds into near-saturated areas may be harmful and should be avoided. Local, national and international support for the programme should be secured. The birds should be of optimal quality in terms of behaviour, health and genetics and they should be reared, released and monitoring according to sound strategies and criteria. Assessment and adjustments of the programme should periodically be made after initial releases. Documentation of the programme should be circulated and/or published.

A population of about 60 Red-fronted Macaws Ara rubrogenys, a parrot endemic to central southern Bolivia, was studied in an area of around 200 ha in the Río Caine valley, northern Potosí department, in October and November 1990. The habitat was semi-desert steppe dominated by cacti; the very light rainy season (in which the macaws are believed to breed) lasts from November to April. The birds, most commonly to be seen in pairs, were active in the early morning and the later afternoon, feeding during both these periods on groundnuts in a 30 ha area cultivated by local Indians who, however, made no attempts to persecute them. There seem to be no serious threats to the species in the Rio Caine valley. However, breeding success appeared to be low, presumably reflecting the sparse dietary resources of the region.

Durante los meses de octubre y noviembre de 1990, se estudió una población de Guacamayo Dorado Ara rubrogenys (especie endémica del área centro y sur de Bolivia) compuesta por unos 60 individuos. El área de estudio abarco unas 200 ha en el valle del Río Caine, al norte del departamento de Potosí. El hábitat en esta zona estaba formado por estepas semidesérticas dominadas por Cactáceas, con un período de lluvias moderadas (tiempo en el que se cree que tiene lugar la reproduccíon) que se extiende desde noviembre hasta abril. Las aves se observaron preferentemente en parejas, siendo las primeras horas de la mañana y las últimas de la tarde los momentos de mayor actividad en los que se alimentaban de maní (cacahuetes) en un área de 30 ha cultivada por indígenas, quienes no mostraron intentión alguna por evitarlo. Aparentemente no hay evidencia que induzca a pensar que la especie se encuentre amenazada en el valle del Río Caine, no obstante, el éxito reproductor aparentemente resultó ser bajo, lo que reflejaría quizás unos recursos tróficos escasos en la región.

Fisheries observers recorded incidental capture of seabirds during 338 days on Soviet squid trawlers in New Zealand subantarctic shelf waters around the Snares and Auckland Islands in 1990. Seven species were recorded entangled in fishing gear, including very high numbers of breeding adult White-capped Albatrosses Diomedea cauta steadi. The actual level of White-capped Albatross mortality was estimated at 2,300 birds in 1990, and is not considered sustainable. Nearly all albatrosses were killed by collision with the netsonde monitor cable. In New Zealand waters this equipment is carried only by Soviet trawlers, and is considered obsolete. Replacement of this cable by discrete netsonde transducers on Soviet trawlers should be a global seabird conservation priority.

The St Helena Wirebird, a sand plover, is the last surviving endemic bird on the South Atlantic island of St Helena. Census work carried out during 1988–1989 located a maximum of 495 individuals. This is thought to be close to the true size of the population and i s more than 50% higher than the most recent previous estimate. Population trends remain unknown, however. Breeding success appears to be low. A maximum survival rate from egg to independence of 19% was estimated. Predation and disturbance of Wirebirds is discussed. Wirebirds occur in grassland and semi-desert. Highest densities are found in relatively dry, flat pastures. Wetter upland pastures hold few Wirebirds, possibly because of more difficult feeding conditions encountered in taller, denser vegetation on steep slopes. Wirebirds prey on a wide range of invertebrates but beetles and caterpillars appear to predominate in the diet. Possible future threats, principally changes in land-use, were assessed and a management strategy for the species is outlined.