The globally threatened Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus is one of South-East Asia’s most imperilled songbirds due to the surging demand for the species in the regional bird trade. Recently uplisted from Vulnerable to Endangered, populations of the Straw-headed Bulbul have been extirpated from Java, Thailand and possibly Sumatra while those in Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia are in decline. Intriguingly, a significant yet rarely documented population of this species persists in Singapore. A major stronghold in Singapore is Ubin Island where a population is known since the 1920s. Using a long-term citizen science dataset rarely available for South-East Asian bird species, we determined the status and population trends of the Straw-headed Bulbul in Singapore over a 10–15 year period using Poisson regression models and standardised population indices. We found that the Straw-headed Bulbul population has increased at a rate of 3.69 ± 1.21% per annum on Ubin Island, while the population on Singapore Island remained stable (0.56% per annum) from 2000 to 2016. The population trends in Singapore contrast starkly with the declines reported elsewhere in South-East Asia. We estimated the population in Singapore to be a minimum of 202 individuals, distributed over multiple forest patches. The largest subpopulation of about 110 adult individuals persists on Ubin and which alone forms between 6.5–18.3% of the estimated global population in 2016. Given this unique situation, we recommend a number of conservation measures for the Straw-headed Bulbul to better protect the species, including: (1) an expansion of the protected area network in Singapore to include Ubin as a reserve, (2) the development of an endangered species management plan and, (3) the establishment of ex-situ conservation programmes in zoological institutions and wildlife centres in the region.

The Red-knobbed Hornbill Rhyticeros cassidix and the Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill Penelopides exarhatus are endemic to Sulawesi. This study assessed the effect of anthropogenic disturbance on these two species in Lambusango forest, Buton, south-east Sulawesi. Data were collected between 2005 and 2007 in six study sites which varied in their levels of disturbance. Two of the lightly disturbed and two of the more heavily disturbed sites were within ‘protection forest’ whereas the rest were classified as ‘production forest’. We used point counts with distance sampling to survey the hornbills. Habitat data were also collected at each of the points and related to hornbill ‘occupancy’ with the program PRESENCE. Both hornbills were estimated to be at higher density in the lightly disturbed forest but the level of disturbance had more of a detrimental effect on Red-knobbed Hornbill than on Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill. Lightly disturbed forest had significantly more large trees than the heavily disturbed forest but there was no difference in the abundance of figs. Using four covariates (disturbance level, protection status, number of large trees, and number of figs), 99% of presence/absence of Red-knobbed Hornbills at the points could be explained by habitat disturbance and 87% by forest status; the same covariates explained 76% of presence/absence for the Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill with abundance of large trees as the most important factor. These results support the notion that Red-knobbed Hornbill is more sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance and its conservation is highly dependent upon the preservation of forest habitats with low levels of disturbance.

Forest birds were surveyed on the islands of Flores and Sumbawa, Indonesia, in July-September 1993. Assessments were made of the conservation status and habitat requirements of the restricted-range, threatened, and near-threatened species. Semi-evergreen rainforest was found to be more important than moist deciduous monsoon forest for the conservation of these species, but such habitat is being rapidly degraded at mid-altitudes and in the lowlands. Moist deciduous monsoon forest is still widespread in the lowlands but it is also being degraded by human activities. Only one significant protected area exists in the region: Taman Nasional Komodo. This harbours an important population of Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea but it is too dry o t support any semi-evergreen rainforest. Ten of the 24 restricted-range species found on these islands are of particular conservation importance mainly because of combinations of intolerance of degraded habitat, dependence on semi-evergreen rainforest, restriction to the lowlands, and low population densities. The highest priority species are Flores Monarch Monarcha sacerdotum and Wallace's Hanging-parrot Loriculus flosculus, which were only found in semi-evergreen rainforest at about 450-950 m at one site in the Tanjung Kerita Mese proposed protected area in south-west Flores. Effective protection of this site is urgently required in order to help secure the future of these species. Recommendations are presented for the protection of further areas on Flores and Sumbawa.

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 endemic Jamaican subspecies of the Golden Swallow Tachycineta euchrysea euchrysea has been rare and locally distributed since its discovery in 1847. By the 1950s, its geographic range had contracted to a small region along the northern frontier of Cockpit Country. The last unequivocal sight records occurred in the early 1980s, raising strong concern about the swallow’s conservation status. I conducted an island-wide search for the swallow from 1994 through 2012. Standardised censuses of aerial insectivores at 1,281 sites, including the last redoubts of the Golden Swallow in Trelawny Parish, revealed no evidence of the species. These surveys and the absence of documented sight records during the past three decades suggest that the Jamaican race of the Golden Swallow is close to extinction if not already extinct. The cause of the population decline is unknown but is most likely linked to chronic predation by introduced mammalian predators, particularly the arboreal black rat Rattus rattus.

Population size estimates of waders, gulls and terns passing through or breeding in Central Asia are very scarce, although highly important for global flyway population estimates as well as for targeting local conservation efforts. The Tengiz-Korgalzhyn region is one of the largest wetland complexes in Central Asia. We conducted surveys in this region between 1999 and 2008 and present estimates of population size as well as information on phenology and age structure for 50 species of Charadriiformes. The Tengiz-Korgalzhyn wetlands are especially important for Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus and Ruffs Philomachus pugnax with, respectively, 41% and 13% of their flyway populations using the area during spring migration. The region is also an important post-breeding moulting site for Pied Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta and Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa used by, respectively, 5% and 4% of their flyway populations. Besides its key importance as a migratory stopover site, the study area is a key breeding site for the Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius, the Near Threatened Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni and for Pallas’s Gull Larus ichthyaetus with 16%, 6% and 5% of their world populations, respectively. We identified 29 individual sites that held more than 1% of the relevant flyway populations of at least one species of Charadriiformes. Including data on other species of waterbirds (mainly waterfowl), there were 93 sites that qualify for Important Bird Areas (IBA). About half of them are protected in a state nature reserve, while an additional 20% are recognised as IBAs. Nevertheless, 28 important sites are currently not recognised as IBAs nor are they protected by other conservation means. These sites require conservation attention.

The ‘Vulnerable’ Swinhoe’s Rail Coturnicops exquisitus is believed to occur in only two regions in Russia’s Far East and China’s Heilongjiang province, separated by more than 1,000 km. Recent observations suggest that the Amur region, situated between the two known populations, might be inhabited by this secretive species as well. As the species is rather similar in appearance and field characteristics to its Nearctic sister taxon, the Yellow Rail C. noveboracensis, and almost all field records relate to flushed individuals in flight, we aimed to complement the field observations by genetic evidence. Samples were obtained from four individuals and one eggshell and their mitochondrial cytochrome b genes were amplified and sequenced. The genetic analyses unequivocally confirmed that swab samples and eggshell were attributable to Swinhoe’s Rail, thus constituting the first known breeding record of this species for 110 years. It is therefore likely that the individuals observed in the field also belonged to this species. It seems possible that Swinhoe’s Rail is more widely distributed in the Amur region and was overlooked in the past, possibly due to a misleading description of its calls in the literature.

As threats to biodiversity proliferate, establishment and expansion of protected areas have increasingly been advocated in recent decades. In establishing a network of protected areas, recurrent assessments of the biodiversity conservation actually afforded by these areas is required. Gap analysis has been useful to evaluate the sufficiency and performance of protected areas. We surveyed Reeves’s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii populations in 2018–2019 across its distribution range in central China to quantify the distribution of habitat suitable for this species. Our goal was to ascertain the current distribution of Reeves’s Pheasant and then identify the gaps in protecting Reeves’s Pheasant of the existing national nature reserve (NNR) network to provide suggestions for improving the conservation of this important species. The existing NNR network encompassed only 17.0% of the habitat suitable for Reeves’s Pheasant. Based on the current distributions of both suitable habitat and NNRs for Reeves’s Pheasant, we suggest most currently unprotected areas comprised moderately suitable habitat for species and should be prioritized in the future. A multiple species approach using Reeves’s Pheasant as a flagship species should be considered to understand the extent of mismatch between the distributions of protected areas and suitable habitat to improve the management effectiveness of NNRs. This case study provides an example of how the development of a conservation reserve network may be based on species distribution and habitat assessments and is useful to conservation efforts in other regions and for other species.

The endemic Seychelles Scops-owl Otus insularis is a Critically Endangered restricted range species currently only recorded in the upland forest of Mahé, the largest (152 km2) and highest (903 m) island in the granitic Seychelles. We studied the response of colour-ringed individuals to playback of conspecific calls, to determine factors affecting playback reaction, to monitor behaviour and to assess the reliability of current monitoring techniques. Playback of the territorial waugh call was conducted at fixed points (c. 200 m apart) every month along a total transect length of 8.4 km between April 1999 and May 2001. On the basis of responses and movements of marked individuals we identified 12 territories and noted their boundaries. Mean territory length was 2.92 points (approximately 400 m), equivalent to a conservative estimated territory size of c. 12–16 ha. Males were more frequently detected than females/pairs. The probability of detection (males vs. females/pairs) was 0.87 vs. 0.50 on territory; 0.65 vs. 0.26 at fixed points within territories; and 0.58 vs. 0.22 at fixed points along the transect. There was some significant seasonal variation in detection rates at fixed points within territories for both males and pairs, and in general there was a low probability of detecting individuals around June-August and a high probability of detection around April and, to a lesser degree, October. Response times and owl-recorder distances were not influenced by moon phase or time of playback. This study provides the first baseline data on individual responses to the systematic repeated use of playback in Seychelles Scops-owl. We discuss the implications for current monitoring and its application to other similar Otus species.

Introduced mammalian predators have been implicated in the majority of avian extinctions on oceanic islands around the globe. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the decimated New Zealand avifauna, where introduced predators remain the primary threat to virtually all surviving endemic species, including the threatened New Zealand Falcon Falco novaeseelandiae. We used remote videography at falcon nests and conducted an artificial nest experiment to compare the rates of predation and responsible predators of falcons nesting in hills against those nesting in nearby commercial vineyards. Overall, 63% of artificial nests in the hills were predated, compared with 38% in vineyards. Further, artificial eggs were predated faster in the hills than those placed in vineyards. Video footage revealed that the suite of predators visiting real falcon nests was similar to those identified attacking artificial nests. However, predators differed across habitats, with nests in vineyards being predated mainly by hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus and Australasian Harriers Circus approximans, whereas nests in the hill environments were mainly attacked by stoats Mustela erminea. These results demonstrate the important implications of habitat type on predation pressure associated with introduced predators. These may well prove a fruitful avenue of management if breeding can be fostered in safer areas, as in the case of this threatened falcon.

The Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni is one of the most endangered birds in Europe. Spanish populations have suffered large declines and disappeared from large areas of former distribution, thus leading to many reintroduction programmes. One of the main factors that could affect the population growth of reintroduced populations is the availability of suitable habitat for breeding and foraging. We investigated whether nest site availability is a limiting factor for a newly established population of Lesser Kestrels in eastern Spain. We developed univariate models to understand the relationship between building characteristics (area, height, roof condition, etc.) and occupancy and abundance of Lesser Kestrels, and multivariate models to predict the availability of nest-sites. Our results showed that the species selected medium-sized buildings with extensive land use in the surrounding area and an absence of trees. In addition, Lesser Kestrel abundance was explained by roof condition and distance to the nearest building. Multivariate models predicted that most of the buildings were not suitable for nesting by Lesser Kestrels and thus population growth may be limited due to lack of nest sites. Lack of suitable nest sites, conspecific attraction and Allee effects are all processes that may be limiting, resulting in the low population and colony sizes that were found and predicted. Based on this, we recommend the provision of nest boxes, the use of special tiles and the construction of breeding towers to improve building quality and therefore increase colony size. We also critically question the use of reintroduction projects to restore locally extinct populations for two reasons. First in this case the reintroduced population is near some larger colonies and there is a strong tendency for Lesser Kestrels to move from small to large colonies. Secondly, in a general strategy for the conservation of Lesser Kestrels, conservation of the main colonies is the priority rather than dedicating human and economic resources on manipulative actions for the establishment of new colonies.

Understanding patterns of dispersal behaviour of threatened species is important in conservation biology and population ecology, especially in fragmented landscapes. Dupont’s Lark Chersophilusduponti is a threatened passerine whose European population has declined by around 40% in the last decade. To study natal and breeding dispersal of the species, we used a long-term mark-recapture dataset (2011–2019) and analysed the records of 32 males (39 dispersal movements) and five females (five dispersal movements) captured during the breeding season at Rincón de Ademuz (Valencia, eastern Spain). Adult birds had a median breeding dispersal of 154 m (Q25-Q75 = 70.0–300.3). Among these captures, two adult males dispersed to a new patch of habitat separated by more than 5,800 m. Only one out of 26 nestlings ringed was trapped as an adult bird, which occurred at a site different from the natal territory (4,500 m). Our results show a low breeding dispersal for the species and are, in essence, in agreement with previous studies carried out in the Ebro Valley metapopulation, one of the core areas for the species in Europe. Nonetheless, unlike in the Ebro Valley, we detected movements of adult birds between habitat patches. The low recovery rate of young birds suggests that they left their natal sites and moved outside the study area or that their survival rate was very low. Future studies focused on the post-fledging survival rate and natal dispersal movements are essential to determine effective conservation measures for the species. Habitat management actions in occupied and potential sites should be carried out close to the areas inhabited by the species to increase the success rate of the interventions and the effective dispersal and therefore population connectivity.

In a recent article in this journal, Remsen (1995) attacked moral (and other) objections to killing birds for museum collections, objections that are frequently raised by the general public and scientific community alike. The only grounds for moral objections against killing birds that Remsen considers and rejects are reverence for all life or personal (p. 157; all page references refer to Remsen 1995), that is sentimental (p. 165) reasons. What Remsen ignores is avian sentience and the moral imperative of respecting it.

Counts of breeding birds in fallow land of Castro Verde region, the main steppe area of Portugal, were carried out during the spring of 1994, and the population densities of the most common species were estimated. The bird community is relatively simple, with a low species richness and diversity. Nevertheless, it includes several species with unfavourable conservation status. The most common species were Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra and Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, with a mean density of, respectively, 5.6 and 2.6 males/10 ha. Other breeding species in the studied fallows include Great Bustard Otis tarda, Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra, Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, Little Owl Athene noctua, Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, Quail Coturnix coturnix and Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis. The results suggest that there are differences in population densities in fallows of different age and grazing intensity.

Kuhl's Lorikeet Vini kuhlii has a precarious status reflected by its disjunct distribution in the Pacific, with surviving populations in the Northern Line (Kiribati) and Austral Islands (French Polynesia) some 3,000 km apart, possibly as a result of Polynesian trade in red feathers. The species is extinct in the southern Cook Islands. On Rimatara (Austral Islands), where it is believed indigenous, it is still common but the recent introduction of the Rattus norvegicus is of concern. In the Northern Line Islands, R. rattus appears to have all but extirpated the lorikeet on Tabuaeran (Fanning Island), but one small population has apparently survived for over 70 years, an explanation for which may guide in situ conservation of Vini lorikeets on ship-rat-infested islands elsewhere. The arid and unpredictable climate of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) may preclude the establishment of lorikeets. Only on Teraina (Washington Island), where over 1,000 V. kuhlii survive, are there no confirmed threats and good in situ conservation potential.

Coastal and inland surveys for the endemic and “Critically Endangered” Madagascar Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides were conducted in western Madagascar from Antsiranana in the north to Manja in the south during the 2005 and 2006 breeding seasons (May–October). Surveys covered typical Madagascar Fish Eagle habitat: lakes, rivers, mangroves, estuaries, and marine islands within their known distribution. In total, 287 individuals were encountered, including 98 breeding pairs (196 individuals), 23 breeding trios (69 individuals), 15 single adults and seven immature birds. Of these 287 birds, 128 individuals (44.6%) were observed on lakes; 116 (40.4%) in coastal areas, consisting of 103 (35.9%) in mangroves and 13 (4.5%) in estuaries; 32 (11.2%) on marine islands and 11 (3.8%) on rivers. There was an increase between surveys in 1995 and this study in the number of Madagascar Fish Eagles counted, from 222 to 287, and in the number of pairs from 99 to 121. This study confirms that the Madagascar Fish Eagle population is still low due to human persecution (hunting, collection of eggs and nestlings), overfishing and habitat destruction. We recommend monitoring fish eagles annually at the higher concentration sites to evaluate human activities and conducting a population survey every five years throughout western and northern Madagascar.

Identifying the fate of birds’ nests and the causes of breeding failure is often crucial for the development of conservation strategies for threatened species. However, collecting these data by repeatedly visiting nests might itself contribute to nest failure or bias. To solve this dilemma, automatic cameras have increasingly been used as a time-efficient means for nest monitoring. Here, we consider whether the use of cameras itself may influence hatching success of nests of the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa at two long-term study sites in northern Germany. Annually between 2013 and 2019, cameras were used to monitor godwit nests. In 2014 and 2019, nests were randomly equipped with cameras or not, and nest survival checked independently of the cameras. Nest-survival models indicated that survival probabilities varied between years, sites and with time of the season, but were unaffected by the presence of cameras. Even though predation is the main cause of hatching failure in our study system, we conclude that predators did not learn to associate cameras with food either when the cameras were initially installed or after they had been used for several years. Cameras were thus an effective and non-deleterious tool to collect data for conservation in this case. As other bird species may react differently to cameras at their nests, and as other sets of predators may differ in their ability to associate cameras with food, the effect of cameras on breeding success should be carefully monitored when they are used in a new study system.

The ‘Critically Endangered’ White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi is regarded as one of the rarest and most threatened rallids in Africa. Due to the species’ low density, habitat preference, cryptic colouration, elusive behaviour and lack of auditory cues has resulted in it being one of the most challenging species to survey using traditional methods such as auditory surveys and rope dragging. Numerous data deficiencies exist regarding facets of the species’ ecology, distribution, habitat-use and population status. A stratified array of nine camera localities was used within high-altitude palustrine wetland habitat to ascertain if this non-invasive technique could successfully document the first estimate of site occupancy, fine scale habitat use and activity patterns of this very rare species. Our study accumulated a total of 626 camera days and eight independent sightings of White-winged Flufftail across the respective austral summer season. Furthermore, our study confirms the applicability of camera trapping to other rare and elusive rallid species. Our results confirm that White-winged Flufftail is a low-density habitat specialist species, with site occupancy influenced positively by basal and canopy vegetation cover and detection probability influenced negatively by water depth within associated wetland habitats. Activity pattern analyses displayed that peak activity occurred at dawn and dusk, which yielded the highest degree of activity overlap with the only other migratory rallid recorded, Spotted Crake Porzana prozana. Our study also recorded the first apparent territorial display behaviour noted for the species. Our study supports the need for conservation initiatives focused on securing contiguous sections of suitable wetland habitat in order to accommodate the persistence of this globally threatened species.

An analysis of the extent of overlap between habitats of the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus during summer and winter in Iran, and Iranian protected areas, discovered slight overlap between the two. Our study aimed to survey suitable habitats of the Egyptian Vulture during summer and winter in Iran using MaxEnt, a species distribution modelling method, and compare the results with the locations and span of protected areas. Model fitness was assessed using the area under the ROC-plot and True Skill Statistics. We found that habitat suitability in Iran varies for the Egyptian Vulture during summer and winter. Summer visitors are scattered in the north and west of Iran, concentrated along the Zagros and Alborz mountain ranges. Winter visitors and residents are scattered in coastal areas in the south. Habitat protection for winter visitors was the greatest, with 10% of suitable habitat covered, while less than 10% of suitable habitat for residents and summer visitors fell within protected areas. The Egyptian Vulture is categorised as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. Different environmental factors influence the suitability of habitat for the species. While some factors such as NDVI and anthropogenic disturbance influence all visitors in a similar way, the effects of others such as elevation and distance from protected areas vary for summer and winter visitors. Since designation of protected areas in Iran is mainly determined by the distribution of mammal species, protection of bird habitats is often overlooked. Suitable habitat for the species should be considered when selecting protected areas in future.

South Island Robins Petroica australis australis were monitored through two different brodifacoum (Talon 20 P, 20 ppm) control operations targeting stoats Mustela erminea and ship rats Rattus rattus in a Nothofagus forest. Repeated observations of banded and radio-tagged territorial adult Robins were used to monitor survival from 6 to 8 weeks after poisoning. Where poison was deployed in bait feeders, 96.7% (29/30) of marked Robins definitely survived, whilst where poison was freely broadcast, only 52.2% (12/23) of marked Robins definitely survived. At the non-treatment site 85.7% (18/21) of marked Robins definitely survived. This study demonstrates that individual Robins are at risk from poisoning from exposed brodifacoum on the forest floor and therefore, probably from aerial application of brodifacoum. Further research is required to determine whether the benefit to Robin populations from successful predator control outweighs the loss of some Robins from poisoning. Conservation managers must take a wide view of the ecological community impacts when controlling introduced mammalian predators.