Many species of China's Galliformes live in forests and it is often difficult to assess populations of species in these habitats. Such assessments are becoming increasingly important because much of China's forest has been altered through logging and other forms of human activity. After describing and mapping habitat types, we assessed two commonly used methods for counting pheasants (transects and point counts at dawn) in the Xianshennongjia Mountains in the Three Gorges area of Hubei Province in east-central China. Four pheasant species were recorded: Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus, Temminck's Tragopan Tragopan temmincki, Koklass Pucrasia macrolopha and Common (or Ring-necked) Pheasant Phasianus colchicus. Golden Pheasants were detected most often by calls heard during transects and Koklass were recorded mostly during point counts at dawn. Temminck's Tragopan was detected during transects (by sightings) and also by calls at dawn. The relatively few Common Pheasants that were detected were registered mainly during transects. Golden Pheasants were found at the lowest altitudes, closest to human habitation and both Temminck's Tragopan and Koklass lived in various forest types above this. Common Pheasant was found in meadows at higher altitudes. We conclude that the methods used can determine general habitat use, but that no one method is likely to prove sufficient to unravel the detailed pattern of habitat use across all four species. In particular, further study is required to assess the relative importance of different forest types to Golden Pheasant, Temminck's Tragopan and Koklass. It would appear that human impact on the forest has affected the distribution of the pheasant species. For example, Common Pheasant is now absent from low-lying areas and occurs at what appears to be an unusually high altitude in the study area.

Previously known from two specimens, Kaempfer's Tody-tyrant Hemitriccus kaempferi is a globally threatened species endemic to the southern Brazil Atlantic Forest. The first field observations of this little-known taxon were made in the 1990s and our data therefore provide the first published information on its natural history, including breeding biology, behaviour and vocalizations, as well as a new locality. As very little information has appeared in the literature concerning the identification of this species, we present notes on its plumage and habits. Remarks concerning the species's conservation prospects and the importance of the remaining forest in the vicinity of the type-locality for other threatened bird species are made.

Some observations on a pair of Siberian White Cranes Grus leucogeranus were made during 1986-1991 in the Kolyma lowlands, former U.S.S.R. Their nesting habitat and behaviour are described. The diet and food distribution of both adult and chick are discussed. Observations in 1989 and the apparent starvation of a chick in 1991 suggested that narrow (10-20 m wide) strips of floating turf bordering permafrost-formed ponds and lakes may be essential for birds feeding a chick. In 1,050 km2 of tundra there were only 25 km of suitable lakeshore and of this about 18 km were used by the family.

Information about population sizes, trends, and habitat use is key for species conservation and management. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis (BBSA) is a long-distance migratory shorebird that breeds in the Arctic and migrates to south-eastern South America, wintering in the grasslands of southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. Most studies of Nearctic migratory species occur in the Northern Hemisphere, but monitoring these species at non-breeding areas is crucial for conservation during this phase of the annual cycle. Our first objective was to estimate trends of BBSA at four key areas in southern Brazil during the non-breeding season. We surveyed for BBSA and measured vegetation height in most years from 2008/09 to 2019/20. We used hierarchical distance sampling models in which BBSA abundance and density were modelled as a function of vegetation height and corrected for detectability. Next, we used on-the-ground surveys combined with satellite imagery and habitat classification models to estimate BBSA population size in 2019/20 at two major non-breeding areas. We found that abundance and density were negatively affected by increasing vegetation height. Abundance fluctuated five- to eight-fold over the study period, with peaks in the middle of the study (2014/15). We estimated the BBSA wintering population size as 1,201 (95% credible interval [CI]: 637–1,946) birds in Torotama Island and 2,232 (95% CI: 1,199–3,584) in Lagoa do Peixe National Park during the 2019/20 austral summer. Although no pronounced trend was detected, BBSA abundance fluctuated greatly from year to year. Our results demonstrate that only two of the four key areas hold high densities of BBSA and highlight the positive effect of short grass on BBSA numbers. Short-grass coastal habitats used by BBSA are strongly influenced by livestock grazing and climate, and are expected to shrink in size with future development and climatic changes.

We estimated detection, dispersion and density of 10 hornbill, one pheasant and nine diurnal raptor species at Bala forest, southern Thailand, throughout 2004. We conducted 620 1-h lookout watches over the forest canopy from 14 elevated locations along 13.1 km of paved road through Bala, during which we recorded all detections and movements of target species. For a further 619 h, we also recorded all in-forest detections of target species during excursions along and adjacent to the road. Our records covered all months of the year and hours of the day, enabling us to estimate seasonal and diurnal patterns of detection for each target species. We found significant seasonal and diurnal variation for all commoner species in rates of overall detection, visual versus aural detection, and vociferousness. We related most monthly variation to the timing of nesting and most hourly variation to aspects of the behavioural ecology of each species. We used three techniques to estimate dispersion and density for each species, two from lookouts based on our counts of individuals or breeding units per unit area observed, and one from spot maps of core breeding units within 500 m of the road. Differences in our estimates of density varied within and between species, but were mostly lowest for the mean number of individuals detected from lookouts and highest for the maximum of breeding units, whether from lookout detections or core area counts from spot maps. These ranges of densities and their variance indicate upper and lower estimates for each species, and the differences between them and other survey techniques were explicable partly by the behavioural ecology of each species or apparent changes in density. Our density estimates never exceeded the highest comparative estimates for target species or near relatives in other forest habitats, although few were available for diurnal raptors. We suggest that 1-h lookout watches over forest, where feasible, offer alternative and efficient estimates of detection, dispersion and density to conventional distance-sampling techniques conducted from within forest. They will achieve optimum accuracy when conducted during the most detectable periods for target species, particularly for obvious and sparsely dispersed bird species.

Seven out of ten Black Stork chicks fitted with satellite tags successfully made the journey from Iberia to the Sahel. Four died there during their first winter and one additional bird in the second winter. Our results show that 30% of the tagged fledglings died in Iberia and 50% (5/10) in the Sahel. In the Sahel, Black Storks occupy areas of seasonal rivers and small bodies of water in these sub-Saharan savannas, where they track suitable sites according to the progressive drying of the Sahel after the summer monsoon. This behaviour may make them more susceptible to coming into contact with humans and, consequently, current and future action plans for conserving the Iberian Black Stork population should link efforts with AEWA's Strategic Plan and other international initiatives to promote the global use of water resources for humans and wildlife in the Sahel.

There is remarkably little documented information in the scientific literature on any of the 18 species of buttonquail as they are very difficult to observe in the wild. This lack of information has hampered informed conservation decision making. We undertook the first biome-wide survey for the fynbos endemic Hottentot Buttonquail Turnix hottentottus, using flush transect surveys covering 275 km. We used location data for sightings as well as from records reported by the bird-watching community and modelled distribution using MaxEnt. Encounters were restricted to the fynbos biome, and the top contributors to our prediction of suitable habitat were habitat transformation, slope and time since fire. We obtained a density estimate of 0.032 individuals per hectare which, across an estimated median range of 27,855 km2, provides a population estimate of 89,136 individuals. Given the extent of the range and the population estimate we suggest the IUCN Red List status could be ‘Vulnerable’, rather than ‘Endangered’. Agricultural and alien-vegetation encroachment means that the future of the species is certainly under threat and further studies are needed to inform conservation management.

The winter bird assemblage and habitat preferences were studied in a largely arable landscape, dominated by winter cereals, in eastern England in one winter. A total of species was recorded on 70 l-km transects but 11% of transects had no birds. Overall densities were low, Skylark Alauda arvensis being the most abundant species. Bird was highest in the first winter period (October-December). Species richness varied proportion to the available habitat in the first winter period but there was a preference for stubble, grass and tilled land (harrow) in the second winter period (January-February) Skylarks preferred stubbles in the first winter period and stubbles and grass in the second winter period. Some 34% of all birds fed on winter cereals despite a lack of preference for this habitat, while 94% of seed specialists (finches and buntings) were recorded on stubbles. The areas of preferred habitats (stubbles, grass) were probably too limited to allow more than small populations to persist. Only by the widespread adoption of agricultural extensification and/or farming some of the land specifically for conservation benefits can the declines in bird populations on intensively managed arable farmland be reversed.

The Giant Conebill Oreomanes fraseri is a specialist of high Andean Polylepis forest remnants. With the aid of radio-tracking and visual observations, the average 100% minimum convex polygon home range size of seven adult individuals was 7.15 ha. Range size decreased with increasing tree density, and for equal tree densities, it was larger in the study site with larger Polylepis fragments. Home ranges often comprised areas that were largely or entirely devoid of trees. Within home ranges, space use significantly varied with time of day, and this pattern tended to be largely consistent among days. Given the large extent of variation in size and structure already observed in this small sample of home ranges, we suggest that apart from the size, shape, structure and degree of isolation of the remaining forest patches, also their topographic location, and hence sun exposure, may be an important consideration when designing conservation strategies for Giant Conebill.

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) rigorously collected in four Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) of Samoa provided conservation and ecological insights about the endemic and evolutionarily distinctive Tooth-billed Pigeon Didunculus strigirostris. This study confirmed the 2006 estimate of a sharply declining population, supporting the recent conservation status assessment of Critically Endangered. Birds are killed as bycatch during hunting for the sympatric Pacific Pigeon Ducula pacifica, suggesting that this activity may be a key threat. The Tooth-billed Pigeon was observed by selected reliable indigenous hunters in several forest areas targeted in the present study, from a few months to several years ago. In the field, it was detected acoustically and identified through TEK and a mix of a TEK-scientific approach in four forest areas within three Samoan KBAs. Detection of the bird in the field is an issue due to its highly cryptic behaviour and because its call largely overlaps with one of the calls of Pacific Pigeon. Original TEK about the behavioural ecology of this species, including the fruiting trees mostly used and its terrestrial habits is reported. Short-term conservation recommendations are provided based on the findings.

Ornithological surveys were conducted over a seven-week period on Taliabu, Sula Islands, Indonesia in 1991, concentrating on eight species (seven of which have restricted ranges) considered (in 1991) to be threatened and six species (two of which have restricted ranges) considered near-threatened. All of the restricted-range species are dependent on lowland forest, although most persist in secondary habitats, and some also occur in montane forest. Tyto nigrobrunnea was recorded for the first time since the type-specimen was collected in 1938, and is perhaps the most threatened of all the restricted-range birds. Megapodius bernsteinii, Pitta dohertyi, Rhinomyias colonus, Basilornis galeatus and Streptocitta albertinae are threatened in the longer term, primarily by habitat loss. Both Coracina schistacea and C. sula are able to persist in all but the most degraded of habitats. Of the two restricted-range species considered near-threatened, Zoothera erythronota is at greatest risk on Taliabu, apparently restricted to lowland forests. The other, Ptilinopus subgularis, is common in lowland forest and also occurs in montane forest. Little primary lowland forest was found in the areas visited on the island, and identifying remaining areas of this forest type and its relative importance to the birds, especially restricted-range species, should be given highest priority in further surveys. The suitability of a proposed reserve area on the island was evaluated: a larger area of lowland forest than is currently proposed should be afforded protection in order to safeguard the island's characteristic avifauna.

The Laysan Duck Anas laysanensis is a threatened species endemic to Laysan Island, Hawaü U.S.A., with a population that appears subject to severe fluctuation, although this may be attributable to different census methods. The most effective method used so far has been one that notes the ratio of marked to unmarked birds seen on censuses conducted at dusk around the central lake. In 1986 and 1987, weekly censuses were made from which population estimates were derived with the Lincoln—Petersen Index: the current population is approximately 500. The ducks were least visible during the nesting and moulting periods of spring and summer, and population estimates were significantly lower during that period in both 1986 and 1987. This phenomenon calls in doubt other estimates and probably accounts for the fluctuations noted in previous years. Thus careful attention should be given to potential problems in monitoring threatened species populations, because without a clear understanding of the ecology of the threatened species, population estimates could suggest inappropriate management measures.

An ornithological survey was conducted in December 1994 at the lower Río Nangaritza valley in southern Ecuador, during which 181 species were recorded. These data combined with published records reveal the number of species known for this area to be 290. Of these, nine species are classified as globally vulnerable: Solitary Eagle Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, White-breasted Parakeet Pyrrhura albipectus, Spot-winged Parrotlet Touit stictoptera, Napo Sabrewing Campylopterus villaviscensio, Ecuadorean Piedtail Phlogophilus hemileucurus, Lanceolated Monklet Micromonacha lanceolata, Coppery-chested Jacamar Galbula pastazae, Fiery-throated Fruiteater Pipreola chlorolepidota and Orange-throated Tanager Wetmorethraupis sterrhopteron. Of the 290 species listed 115 are currently unrecorded in the adjacent Podocarpus National Park and therefore inhabit no protected area in southern Ecuador. Wildlife of the Nangaritza valley is threatened by gold mining, encroachment and hunting. Given the high avian diversity and the known botanical importance of the area plans to conserve the undisturbed forests of this region as part of a buffer zone for the adjacent Podocarpus National Park are recommended.

The Blue Bird-of-paradise Paradisaea rudolphi (BBOP) is a globally threatened species restricted to the montane rainforest of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Local inhabitants hunt the BBOP for its feathers, which is one of the main reasons for its population decline. The feathers are used for both traditional and commercial purposes. So far virtually nothing is known about which factors enhance or decrease hunting pressure, and how this is influenced by ongoing market integration of local communities. Field research in PNG suggests that the demand for BBOP feathers and, with that, the collection intensity, primarily stem from traditional uses, such as head decoration. Interest in the traditional use of the feathers is particularly high in remote villages, while the value attributed to living birds is higher in less remote villages, suggesting a decrease of BBOP collection intensity with increased market integration. However, increased access to ‘outside influences’ (namely tourism and Christianity) may both decrease as well as increase hunting pressures. Finally, we argue that awareness-raising among local people, government officials and tourists may well be the most sensible conservation measure.

On islands where populations of the endemic Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum and the introduced Madagascan Red Fody F. madagascariensis coexist, previous studies have concluded that the two species are reproductively isolated. On Aride Island, Seychelles, one female F. sechellarum became established within a population of F. madagascariensis and produced at least two hybrid offspring. This paper describes the first known case of hybridization between the two species and highlights the possible biological consequences.

The White-breasted Guineafowl Agelastes meleagrides is one of 15 bird species endemic to the Upper Guinea Forests of West Africa. The Taï region in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire probably holds one of the largest remaining populations of this species. We assessed population density in two different sectors in the southern part of Taï National Park and one sector in the N'Zo Faunal Reserve, north of the National Park. The sectors differ in rainfall patterns and hence vegetation type, as well as in previous and past levels of logging and hunting. Line transect surveys were undertaken between 2000 and 2001 with an overall survey effort of 2,883 km. Abundance was highest in the sector with the driest forest type, the N'Zo Faunal Reserve (encounter rate: 0.02 detections km−1, density: 32.9 ind. km−2), where we also observed the largest group recorded for the species so far (38 individuals). The species was almost absent in the southeast of Taï National Park (encounter rate: <0.002 detections km−1), where the impact of poaching on wildlife is strongest. The study confirms that the species reaches highest densities in drier forests and only occurs in smaller numbers in the wetter south of the Taï region. Our data also suggest that past disturbance from logging does not constitute an obstacle for its persistence. The population size in Taï National Park and N'Zo Faunal Reserve should be between 42,000 and 120,000 individuals.

Reducing the time that birds’ eggs are exposed during incubation in the wild is a management strategy with the potential to reduce nest predation rates, enhance breeding success and increase the population size of endangered species. We tested whether manipulation of clutches through artificial incubation of Lesser Elaenia Elaenia chiriquensis eggs and subsequent reintroduction of new-born nestlings to their original nest, and the use of adoptive parents, were efficient ways of increasing the population size of this species. We evaluated the financial cost and benefit of three different management strategies of artificial egg incubation with reintroduction of nestlings to the original nest. We searched for nests and manipulated eggs during the breeding seasons of 2009 and 2010 in a savanna reserve in central Brazil. Real eggs were replaced by artificial eggs and artificially incubated. The following breeding parameters were monitored: hatching rate, fledgling productivity, daily survival rate of nestlings and nest success. The effect of nest monitoring frequency (daily or every 3–4 days) on breeding parameters was also tested. Hatching rate was much higher amongst artificially incubated eggs than naturally incubated eggs. Artificially incubated clutches presented higher rates of fledgling production and apparent nest success than non-manipulated clutches. Clutch manipulation did not interfere with nestling daily survival rate. Daily monitoring did not have negative effects. The clutch manipulation methodology we used proved to be viable and is a potential tool for increasing population size.

The Bearded Tachuri Polystictus pectoralis occupies lowland grasslands with scrubby vegetation, generally near water, in the Andean grasslands of Colombia at two sites (threatened race bogotensis), savannas in eastern Colombia and the lowland and tepui grasslands of mainly southern Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana and northern Brazil (race brevipennis), reappearing south of the Amazon in central-southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia (no recent records), Paraguay, Uruguay and northern and central-eastern Argentina (nominate pectoralis). It is an austral summer visitor (October/November to February/April) to central-east Argentina, nesting (commonly in thistles) around December, clutch-size three. It feeds on insects by perch-gleaning, sallying, hover-gleaning and still-hunting. It is unobtrusive and must be commonly overlooked, and in some localities may be moderately well represented. Overall, however, it is scarce and appears to be very patchy in occurrence; grassland habitats within its range have been converted wholesale to farming. New quantitative criteria support earlier qualitative judgement that the species is probably not (yet) threatened, but that it merits near-threatened status. Suggestions that one or all of its three subspecies may be good species are premature; it is not even clear how distinct these forms are as subspecies.

The Giant Nuthatch Sitta magna is a globally endangered species presumed to be declining, for which basic parameters of population and habitat associations remain largely unquantified. We focused on Myanmar, which potentially constitutes ~30% of the Giant Nuthatch global range and yet lacks recently published records. Our objectives were to survey key potential Giant Nuthatch localities in, or near, historical locations in Southern Shan State, assess its population status, and quantify habitat associations. Preliminary locality surveys focused on four potential forest patches, assessed by walking approximately 40 km of trails. The species was found in only one of the four localities (Mt. Ashae Myin Anauk Myin [AMAM]), an 18 km2 forest patch in Pindaya and Lawksawk Townships. Here, point counts and vegetation surveys were conducted at 46 locations using an adaptive cluster sampling design. N-mixture models were applied to estimate abundance and identify habitat variables correlated with abundance and detection probability. We also conducted a brief quantitative assessment of tree use and foraging behaviour during one breeding season. Our population estimate for AMAM was 56 individuals (95% CI 25–128) based on a sampled area of 3.25 km2. Abundance was positively associated with larger diameter trees, a higher proportion of pine and oak combined based on their total basal area, and negatively correlated with elevation. Foraging data suggested that Giant Nuthatch preferred to feed on trunks and large branches of larger diameter pines and Fagaceae trees. Based on the estimated population size, AMAM is probably a globally significant locality for Giant Nuthatch and the only confirmed locality in Myanmar since 1992 but is threatened by agricultural expansion. More detailed understanding of the habitat requirements of this endangered species and an assessment of its distribution at the landscape-level, especially in Shan State, would increase the precision of global population estimates.

The carrasco is a dense, shrubby vegetation type that covers the higher parts of table-top mountains in north-eastern Brazil. The vegetation of this phytophysiognomy is often considered to have biogeographical and ecological affinities with the cerrado of Central Brazil, but the biogeographical affinities of its avifauna remain unclear. In recent years, deforestation due to local economic activities has been particularly severe in some carrasco-dominated landscapes. In 2013, we initiated avian surveys at the Fazenda Pau D‘Arco, a privately owned property located on top of the Araripe Plateau, to evaluate the effects of a legal forest management program on the avifauna. Here, we present the results of four years of avian inventories to: i) characterize a well-preserved patch of carrasco vegetation; ii) assess avian biogeographical affinities of this vegetation type; iii) identify associations between managed/unmanaged areas and bird species; and iv) provide baseline data for future avian monitoring studies. Using different survey methods, we provide a list of 148 bird species, including several dry-forest specialists and caatinga endemics. Biogeographically, the avifauna of the carrasco represents a subsample of the Caatinga dry forest, lacking cerrado elements. Forest management significantly affected the distribution of several bird species in the study area. We found that 1/5 of the species (24) recorded during our standardized surveys were significantly associated with either unmanaged (14 species) or managed (10 species) areas. Species such as the Ceará Leaftosser Sclerurus cearensis, a globally vulnerable species, have only been detected in non-managed areas and therefore can be negatively affected by the management program. We also present data on 16 avian taxa with ecological and conservation concerns. By presenting a fairly complete and documented list of the avifauna, we characterize the carrasco avifauna and offer the tools to evaluate the effects of forest management on this poorly known vegetation type.