Translocations of threatened species play an increasingly important role in conservation management. However, few studies have examined what effects, if any, the translocation process itself (i.e. catching, handling, confining, transferring and releasing an animal into an unfamiliar environment) has on subsequent breeding success. Takahe Porphyrio hochstetteri living on offshore “predator-free” islands in New Zealand are a model system for examining such effects because pre-breeding birds have been frequently translocated between established island populations before they pair up and breed at 2-3 years of age. We postulated that “translocated” breeders (i.e. breeders that had been raised on another island) would delay first breeding attempts and/or have lower reproductive success compared with “resident” birds (i.e. bred on the same island that they were raised). The results indicated that translocated birds did not delay breeding and had similar mean hatching and fledging success as resident pairs in their first breeding season and subsequent seasons combined. The results suggest that at least for large or long-lived birds such as Takahe, the effects of any stress from the translocation itself, or the release into an unfamiliar environment, might be either short-lived or not significant enough to hinder subsequent breeding success. We recommend that further research be carried out on other species to determine the baseline effects, if any, of translocations, so that they can be taken into account when considering other determinants of translocation success such as habitat suitability, number of individuals and timing of releases.

Corncrakes Crex crex mainly breed in grassland, where they are threatened by mowing. Conservation requires delayed mowing or modified mowing methods. In large fields, it has been suggested that leaving strips of uncut grass may reduce mortality, especially of unfledged chicks. We attended mowing operations (2012–2015) in the Lower Oder Valley National Park in north-eastern Germany, where 10-m refuge strips were introduced. We documented the escape behaviour of adults and chicks and their use of refuge strips by observations and radio-telemetry. Flightless chicks crossed significantly shorter distances of mown area (< 20 m) than adults. When mowing from the outside inwards, chicks were not able to successfully escape to the field edge at > 31 m, adults at > 60 m distance to the edge and returned to the unmown block. Twenty-three percent of adults, 30% of families and 49% of independent chicks survived in 10 m-wide strips until such strips were either mown or left as refuges. Whereas adults departed the strips the next day, independent chicks stayed for up to 22 days after mowing in 15–30 m wide refuges. We recommend refuge strips for breeding sites where more effective measures cannot be applied. Farmers face less additional effort and lower financial losses compared with delayed mowing. A width of 10 m should be considered as the absolute minimum, because most birds left the cover already > 10 m for the first time and only wider refuges served as temporary habitat for young.

The Javan Hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartelsi is endemic to the island of Java. Severe habitat fragmentation and small population size, aggravated by illegal hunting have put this rainforest species on the list of threatened bird species. Intensive searching since 1986 resulted in the discovery of a large number of localities additional to the historic ones. All known locality records of Javan Hawk-eagle have been scrutinized and are listed in the present paper. Confirmed post-1980 records are from 24 forest fragments of varying sizes: 10 (including 28 discrete localities) in west, seven (including 14 discrete localities) in central and seven (including 20 discrete localities) in east Java. The configuration of available habitat in forest clusters is evaluated. The co-existence with other threatened bird taxa, and the need for further field surveys and studies of the Javan Hawk-eagle are discussed.

The biggest and best-known population of Brazilian Merganser Mergus octosetaceus occurs in the region of Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil. However, prior to our study it had been recorded in only six sites in the park and its buffer zone. In 2001 and 2002 we surveyed the region to confirm the occurrence of the Brazilian Merganser in different areas within and outside the park. Samples were taken by walking along the banks of the watercourses, using tape-recording playback. We sampled 49 stretches of streams, and observed Brazilian Mergansers in nine localities, totalling 29 sightings. Taking into consideration the reports by biologists who participated in the fieldwork for the review of the park's management plan, the guaranteed reports of the occurrence of the species from local people, and the sites where its occurrence is judged to be very likely, we believe there are at least 81 individuals in the areas sampled. We point out that the absence of records in an area does not mean the absence of the species. Indeed, the presence of the Brazilian Merganser was confirmed, after the end of our field studies, in some stretches where we indicated its occurrence as very likely but had failed to detect it during the sampling. All anthropogenic activities that influence the quality and integrity of the rivers and their banks are a potential threat to Mergus octosetaceus. Efforts to preserve the species entail the conservation of its habitats, which comprise important watercourses and the surrounding natural vegetation.

Climate change can cause geographic displacement of the ecological niche of a species, so that similar species that previously did not coexist could begin to face new interactions. Such geographic displacement and increased competition can also be exacerbated by anthropic intervention. Until less than 100 years ago, Vultur gryphus and Coragyps atratus did not coexist. Nowadays, possibly as a result of climate change, changes in the distributions of both species created areas where they are now sympatric. Through ecological niche modeling, we evaluated the possible effects that future scenarios of climate change and human influence would have on the distribution and sympatry between the two species. Our models predict that the current distribution of V. gryphus will be reduced between 18% and 24% by 2050 and between 21% and 32% by 2070. Additionally, they predict that the distribution of C. atratus will be reduced by 31–52% by the year 2050 and 15–60% by 2070. The two algorithms predict a reduction in the areas of sympatry. However, for the northern Andes the overlap between the two species will increase, reaching up to 70% in the year 2070. The distribution of C. atratus will move towards higher areas in the altitudinal gradient, and this will generate an increase in the current sympatry between both species. No clear trend was observed on the effect of human influences on the areas of overlap between the scenarios evaluated. The possible effects of climate change and anthropic intervention in future scenarios found in this study highlight the need to include these effects in future analyses and conservation programs of V. gryphus and other threatened vultures.

The Grand Comoro Scops Owl Otus pauliani, confined to forest on Mount Karthala on Grand Comoro, Indian Ocean, is a distinct species based on the evidence of its plumage and voice. In November 1989 studies of territorial calling birds at night revealed its presence between 1,000 and 1,900 m on the north, west and south flanks of the volcano, on which there exists some 10,000 ha of suitable habitat. As territory sizes may be only 5 ha, the population could well be over 1,000 pairs but, although this is encouraging, there remains a long-term threat from forest loss through habitat fragmentation (fires, logging) and the spread of the Indian Myna Acridotheres tristis.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim to improve livelihoods and maintain functioning ecosystems, and include the provision of electricity and the prevention of desertification. We show that the pursuit of those two goals can lead to developments that put critical ecosystem functions at risk. Vultures are scavengers that provide sanitary ecosystem services, but their populations across Africa are declining due to poisoning, electrocution, and collision with power infrastructure. The extent to which the pursuit of sustainable development threatens vultures in Africa is unclear. We surveyed 227 km of powerlines in Ethiopia, which revealed bird mortality (0.15 vulture carcasses / km) at power infrastructure constructed under a National Electrification Programme to provide universal electricity access by 2025. We also interviewed 190 local pastoralists in 10 areas about livelihood challenges, which revealed that the bush Prosopis juliflora, which was originally introduced to prevent desertification but then invaded north-eastern Ethiopia, increased livestock predation and motivated the use of poison to control predators. Actions to increase universal access to electricity and to reduce desertification therefore have undesired side-effects that increase vulture mortality through electrocution and poisoning. To avoid negatively affecting local vulture populations and the services they provide, we urge governments to use infrastructure designs that minimise the risk of electrocution and assist pastoralists to protect their livestock and reduce the risk of poisoning to vultures and other wildlife.

From March to July 2000, four seabird colonies in coastal ecosystems of Sinaloa, north-west Mexico were visited: on islets, a sandy beach and a long-abandoned salt-panning flat. There were partial and total breeding failures, most of them due to human activity. Amongst colonies of nine species, the breeding success of three was severely affected. All 250 Royal Tern Sterna maxima eggs were taken for direct consumption; 50% (75) of Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii chicks were killed for crab (Portunidae) fishing; and in a Least Tern Sterna antillarum colony (97 pairs), 50% failed due to disturbance from a fishing championship. Some of these species have priority status within Mexican and international conservation regulations. Certain aspects of these problems are discussed, and actions are suggested to balance conservation and the development of economic activities.

Birds that are long-distance migrants partition their annual cycle among a number of locations over a large spatial range. The conservation of these species is particularly complex because it requires attention to a number of different and distant habitats based on knowledge of migratory phenology, routes and staging areas. In the case of the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola, a habitat specialist that breeds in Europe and spends the boreal winter in sub-Saharan Africa, non-breeding staging areas were widely unknown until recently. We applied light-level geolocators to adult male Aquatic Warblers at breeding sites in Belarus and Ukraine. Data from eight retrieved geolocators confirmed a south-west and then westward migration route through Europe via the northern Mediterranean with staging sites on the Iberian Peninsula and occasionally France and north-west Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, final staging areas were in Mali, either in the Inner Niger Delta or at (presumably) small water bodies in the desert, with one bird most likely staying in the north of Ivory Coast south of the previously assumed range. The birds probably stayed in the final staging areas for most of the non-breeding season, but the logger on only one bird provided data throughout the entire migration cycle. Pre-nuptial migration of the latter was by a more easterly route than the southward migration. Our study suggests that conservation strategies for Aquatic Warbler north of the Sahara should include consideration of unknown staging sites in the northern Mediterranean as well as on the Iberian Peninsula and in north-west Africa. South of the Sahara, our study demonstrates the importance of the Sahel for the conservation of the Aquatic Warbler, including both the major floodplains of the Niger River and small Sahelian wetlands that are under pressure from human development.

The western Angola Endemic Bird Area has 14 range-restricted species. Little is known about the conservation status of the region's birds due to the civil war that has raged in Angola for the last 27 years. The greatest diversity of restricted-range species is found in Cuanza Sul province, and given the uncertainty about their current status, many of these species are listed as Threatened. In this paper we report the first significant ornithological visits to the Gabela region since 1974. We visited an extensive scarp forest patch at Kumbira Primero, near Conda, as well as smaller forest areas along the Sumbe–Gabela and Sumbe–Seles roads. Most of the threatened species were relocated, including several species not seen since the 1970s. Gabela Bush-shrike Laniarius amboimensis was common and Monteiro's Bush-shrike Malaconotus monteiri was fairly common in degraded secondary forest, old coffee plantations and primary forest at Kumbira. Pulitzer's Longbill Macrosphenus pulitzeri was fairly common at higher elevations at Kumbira as well as in the dense understorey of secondary forest west of Seles. Gabela Akalat Sheppardia gabela was less common, with only three birds found at Kumbira and one near Seles, but may have been overlooked. Only one group of eight Gabela Helmet-shrike Prionops gabela was recorded, in open woodland at the base of the scarp between Kumbira and Seles. Angola Cave-chat Xenocopsychus ansorgei was found on the rocky slopes above the forest at Kumbira. We describe the first sound recordings for five threatened species, which will help future systematic surveys of the region's forests. Vocal evidence confirms the close relationship between Gabela Bush-shrike and Lühder's Bush-shrike L. luehderi. The most pressing need is to assess the extent of remaining forests, map the distribution of key species of conservation concern, and then draft a strategy to conserve key habitat blocks.

Twenty-eight species of parrot have been recorded in Argentina. Most of them inhabit forests in the northern part of the country. The conservation status of Argentine parrotsis serious, especially as regards the large species. Of the 11 species of macaws and amazons that formerly existed there, only four now occur for certain. Today, it is still possible to find flocks of many of the remaining species, but several of them have declined. The main problems affecting these species are habitat destruction, primarily of the Misiones forest, and international trade. The large number of species without authorized export quotas for 1993 indicates a very good level of protection for these species, but the authorized quotas for the remaining species are generally high.

Veintiocho especies de loros han sido registradas en Argentina, la mayoría de las cuales habitan selvas en el norte del país. El status de conservatión de los loros argentinos es serio, especialmente el de las grandes especies. De las 11 especies de guacamayos y amazonas que existieron antiguamente, sólo cuatro ocurren con seguridad en la actualidad. Aunque todavía es posible encontrar bandadas de muchas de las especies restantes, muchas de ellas han declinado. Los principales problemas que afectan a estas especies son la destruction del habitat, printipalmente las selvas de Misiones, y el comercio international. El gran número de espeties sin cuotas de exportatión autorizadas para 1993 indica un muy buen nivel de protectión para estas espeties, pero las cuotas autorizadas para el resto de las especies son en general altas.

The global population of the Critically Endangered Raso Lark Alauda razae was estimated in January 2003 at 93–103 birds and in November 2003 at 76–87 birds. Of these, only 25–35% were females. Counts were based on observations of individually colour-ringed and measured birds. Birds were not breeding during the January visit, and were concentrated in two small areas at opposite ends of the island of Raso. This distribution differed substantially from that recorded previously during the breeding season. Three different feeding strategies were apparent: flocking, aggregating around key resources and feeding singly or in pairs. Birds moving to new feeding areas immediately adopted the feeding strategy of other birds present. Birds were seen drinking seawater on several occasions. In November 2003, birds were breeding but nest survival was extremely low due to high rates of egg predation. No evidence was detected of introduced predators on Raso. However, a population of feral cats was found on nearby Santa Luzia, prohibiting natural colonization or deliberate introduction of Raso Lark to the island, despite much apparently suitable habitat there. Faecal analyses showed that these cats feed largely on skinks. Increased tourism development on neighbouring islands is identified as a potential threat to the species.

We examined the influence of forest fragmentation and resource availability on the abundance and distribution of Sumba Hornbill Aceros everetti, a large, canopy-dwelling bird endemic to Sumba Island, Indonesia. Hornbill numbers were estimated monthly from August 1998 to September 1999. Estimates were made in three large (≥1,000 ha) and three small (<1,000 ha) forest fragments, using a standard line transect method. Phenological patterns of canopy trees were assessed in 10 × 50 m plots. Our data indicated that forest patch size may be a better predictor of Sumba Hornbill abundance and distribution than overall resource availability. Hornbills occurred at higher densities in large forests (6/km2) than small forests (2.4/km2). Small forests produced more fruit/ha per month but lacked a number of important hornbill food species. Monthly fruit availability in large and small forest fragments had no significant effect on fluctuations in hornbill density. However, hornbill densities were significantly higher in forests with high densities of strangling figs, after controlling for patch size, and in larger forests hornbill densities correlated with the abundance of ripe figs. We hypothesize that small patches still have conservation value if they are within hornbill ranging distance, and speculate that Sumba's forests are in a dynamic phase before the full impact of fragmentation has been expressed.

Saffron-cowled Blackbird Xanthopsar flavus is a globally threatened icterid of open areas of south-eastern South America. Several sources suggest that the species is declining throughout its range, mainly due to habitat destruction. Between December 1997 and December 1999 we studied a breeding population of X. flavus at the Banhado do Vinte-e-Cinco and Banhado da Mulata area, Rio Grande municipality, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. This population, previously unreported for the state's coastal plain, numbers at least 60 individuals and seems confined to an area of c. 35 km2. The area is characterized by Cyperacaea-dominated peat marshes in comparatively higher terrain, covered with sandy, rolling fields. The species was recorded in all months (not necessarily of the same year) except March, and a marked irregularity in flock size was detected. During the non-breeding period, flock size averaged 12.7 individuals (S.D. = 11.7; range = 2-37; n = 11). During the 1997-1998 breeding season (December to January), mean flock size was 25.3 individuals (S.D. = 16.2; range = 16-60; n = 7), while in the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 breeding seasons, 33 and 4 individuals were recorded respectively. No pronounced discrepancy was found in the size of the largest flocks recorded per season (from 20 to 37 individuals), suggesting that the population is sedentary and that it undertakes only local movements. A nesting colony occupying the same part of the marsh in two successive breeding seasons was composed of six breeding pairs in 1997-1998, with an estimated nesting success of 31.8-36.3% at fledgling time. The species is highly gregarious and sociable, foraging flocks frequently following individuals of Black-and-White Monjita Heteroxolmis dominicana and, to a lesser extent, Yellow-rumped Marshbird Pseudoleistes guirahuro and Brown-and-yellow Marshbird P. virescens. Although habitat loss has been indicated as the main factor for the species' decline, we suggest that habitat perturbation and modification may affect negatively recruitment rates in the species and, theoretically, its overall population size. Furthermore, the conservation of Rio Grande's peat marshes should be regarded a regional priority, in order to preserve threatened birds and a very unusual wetland type.

In conservation biology, population monitoring is a critical step, particularly for endangered groups, such as steppe birds in European agro-ecosystems. Long-term population monitoring allows for determination of species population trends and also provides insights into the relative roles that environmental variability and human activities have on priority species. Here, we compare the population trends of two sympatric, closely related farmland bird species, the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax and Great Bustard Otis tarda, in a protected area of Central Spain, which is their main stronghold in Europe. Over 12 years of monitoring, the abundance of Little and Great Bustards shifted in opposite directions in our study area. Little Bustard abundance decreased significantly (both males [-56%], and harder-to-detect females [-55%]), while Great Bustard abundance increased significantly (1,800%). Future surveys should be more precise and frequent for Little Bustards to facilitate evaluation of their population status and trends. We recommend annual surveys in 2–3 important locations by region throughout the breeding range for Little Bustards, while for Great Bustard the current regional monitoring programmes would be sufficient.

Anian veterinarians have much expertise which can be usefully applied to in situ avian conservation programmes. Their knowledge can assist conservation biologists in many of the manipulations which they are currently applying to endangered wild birds in their natural range. Possibilities are outlined and illustrated by examples from various field programmes.

Safeguarding threatened species in captivity is a promising management approach, but evaluating the performance of captive programmes is essential to assess reintroduction potential. The eastern population of the Northern Bald Ibis, Geronticus eremita, used to be a locally common migratory bird species, but catastrophic population declines throughout the past century have resulted in a single population in southern Turkey that forages freely during summer but only survives in captivity during winter. We examined whether breeding success of this semi-wild colony was comparable to breeding success of previous wild populations, and to what extent breeding success was influenced by supplementary feeding and wild foraging in habitats near the breeding station. Average productivity from 2009 to 2015 was 1.12 fledglings per nesting pair (range 0.96–1.19). In 2013 and 2014, there was no correlation between attendance at supplementary feeding events and productivity, and breeding birds attended on average only 35% of supplementary feeding events. Birds that were frequently observed at a local tree nursery raised fewer offspring, while birds observed more frequently in poldered cultivation, and in particular in mint crops or in fields covered with manure, raised on average more offspring. Foraging success was highest in meadows and cropland, particularly in mint crops and fields covered in manure, and lowest at the tree nursery. We speculate that selection of highly suitable wild foraging habitat such as mint crops or fields covered in manure allows the Northern Bald Ibis to raise more fledglings than exclusive reliance on supplementary food provided at the breeding station. Establishing a second breeding colony of this species in Turkey will therefore require a careful assessment of the suitability of wild foraging habitat in the vicinity of suitable nesting opportunities.

Olrog's Gull Larus atlanticus is a threatened and endemic species to the Argentine Atlantic coast. We present information on seven new colonies and update information on known colonies obtained during 1992–1995. Five of the new colonies were in southern Buenos Aires and two in southern Chubut. Total population size, including already known colonies, was estimated at 2,300 breeding pairs. All colonies were located on islands and islets and were associated with breeding Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus. The new colonies extend the known breeding range of Olrog's Gull to the north and increase the overall known population size. However, the aerial survey also showed that two colonies found in 1990 no longer exist. Almost 40% of the total breeding population breed within the Bahía Blanca estuary, an area currently subject to intense human pressure. Olrog's Gull is still a species with restricted distribution and low population size. We suggest conservation actions needed to adequately protect this threatened species.

Modelling the distribution of species of conservation concern is an important issue in population ecology. Classically, logistic regression analyses are conducted to estimate species’ distributions from detection/non-detection data in a sample of sites and to test for the significance of several environmental variables in predicting the probability of occurrence. These modelling approaches assume that species detection probability is constant and equals one in all sampled sites, which is critical, notably in the case of rare, shy and cryptic species. The capture-recapture-like approach developed by Mackenzie et al. (2002, 2003) provides a reliable tool that accounts for imperfect detection when estimating species occurrence, as well as for assessing the relevance of site features as predictors of species occurrence probability. The aim of this study was to explore the possibility of using this approach in the context of Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata in southern Tunisia. Our results show once more the low detectability of this emblematic species and stress the need to take this factor into account when estimating Houbara spatial distribution. The distribution of Houbara in southern Tunisia is more likely to be shaped by human-related than by habitat factors. In particular, Houbara occurrence was positively associated with site remoteness and camel numbers. Houbara seemed to avoid areas with high human presence and shared the most remote and agriculture-free zones with free-ranging camels.

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.