The Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus is endemic to the Western Himalayas and currently listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List which also emphasizes a data deficiency regarding its distribution and population size. With this study we provide new data from the Palas Valley, northern Pakistan and deliver a range wide estimate of the species current, past, and future potential distribution as derived from environmental niche models. In the Palas Valley, Western Tragopans occupied different summer habitats on north-facing slopes and winter habitats on south-facing slopes. A quantitative estimate of local populations in six side valleys was inferred from individual call-count surveys during two breeding seasons (April and May 2017, 2018) and disturbance factors were evaluated from information of local people provided in questionnaires. Generalized-linear models (GLMs) showed a significant effect of disturbance factors on Western Tragopans, i.e. local abundances decreased with increasing disturbance from livestock, collectors and hunters visiting the area. This effect was visible across survey years and at both, south- as well as north-facing slopes. While the known distributional range of the Western Tragopan is small and fragmented, our niche models inferred climatically suitable space between Himachal Pradesh and northwestern Pakistan to be more continuous. Given the species sensitivity to disturbance, these findings indicate that the observed fragmentation of the current range might also be attributed to habitat transformation or anthropogenic disturbance rather than climatic suitability. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) T. melanocephalus was probably restricted to small forest refugia, whereas projections onto eleven future climate simulations were inconclusive with the majority suggesting that climatically suitable space for T. melanocephalus will likely expand in response to anthropogenic climate change. In conclusion, we recommend that future conservation measures should be planned with regard to the species’ sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbances.

The White-winged Black Tit Parus nuchalis is an endemic Indian species threatened by the destruction of its Acacia scrub forest habitat. Historical and recent unpublished records are here combined to provide a new assessment of its disjunct range. Only three records exist from its southern area of distribution; against this, there were 27 sightings of up to four individuals between 1976 and 1991 at 14 localities in Kachchh. The species urgently needs measures to preserve its habitat, and particularly its nest trees.

The Udzungwa Forest Partridge Xenoperdix udzungwensis was discovered in 1991 in the geologically old and eco-climatically stable Udzungwa Mountains (hereafter the Udzungwas) in Tanzania - a global biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Arc Mountains of East Africa. The partridge is categorised as globally ‘Endangered’ and this study aims at assessing its population status and habitat requirements in the two separate montane forests where it was discovered c.30 years ago and for the first time using systematic playback technique. We estimate the partridge population at c.2,800 individuals (1,680–3,860) confined to less than 150 km2 and now confined to a single forest and with a clearly declining distribution within the last few decades since its discovery. The species is confined to evergreen closed (semi-closed) canopy forest habitat with leaf litter and sedges on the forest floor for feeding and cover. The partridge has become an emblem for the high concentration of endemic species of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. At the same time there is a risk that this species could go extinct without notice if the Tanzanian authorities do not tackle two envisaged main drivers, namely fragmentation of the evergreen forest area over the last few centuries and current illegal hunting. Hence it seems crucial to allow natural expansion of its forest habitat in the Udzungwas and to eliminate hunting in the other forest within its recently known distribution where the population has presumably been extirpated. The partridge is remarkable as its closest relatives are in South-east Asia and it is used as a flagship species for the Udzungwas, which has one of the highest concentrations of endemic species on earth.

Bekoff and Elzanowski (1997) (hereafter “BE”) have criticized my paper on the continuing importance of collecting scientific specimens of birds, focusing primarily on a brief section concerning “moral objections” to scientific collecting. BE seem to state either that it is acceptable to kill birds as long as every effort is made to reduce suffering, or that it is never acceptable to kill birds because suffering is unavoidable, depending on which portion of their essay is regarded as paramount. If their message is the former, then I and other museum scientists concur completely, because we already do this (contrary to the implications of BE). If their message is the latter, then we have an impasse, with two different sets of personal moral standards. Although virtually every sentence by BE can be criticized, I restrict my rebuttal to the “top 10” most-revealing statements.

The Nonggang Babbler Stachyris nonggangensisis a new species of Timaliidae which was discovered in the Sino-Vietnamese border region in 2008. The species was initially classified as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List and was believed to occur only in Nonggang Nature Reserve, where the type specimen was collected and where c.200 individuals were recorded. These few observations, and suggestions of a declining population, prompted us to initiate an extensive survey over the whole potential distribution range of this species in China from June 2009 to May 2011, during both dry and wet seasons. We conducted the survey in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province and selected 19 reserves and forest areas where similar habitat to that in the Nonggang Reserve is known to occur. We used transects combined with playback to survey for this species. Nonggang Babbler was recorded at four new sites in the Sino-Vietnamese border region: two areas of the Nonggang Reserve (Nonggang and Longhu), Bangliang Gibbon Nature Reserve and Chunxiu Nature Reserve. The estimated population size of Nonggang Babbler was about 1,300 individuals in the four sites. Nonggang Babbler is also assumed to occur in the Trung Khanh Gibbon Reserve of Vietnam which adjoins Bangliang Gibbon Reserve. The estimated population in Trung Khanh is c.200 individuals. In total we estimate that the global population size of Nonggang Babbler is c.1,500 individuals. The Nonggang Babbler is restricted to karst forests, and its activities, foraging and nesting strictly rely on this habitat. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats.

Cipo Canastero Asthenes luizae is a relict ovenbird restricted to rocky outcrops at high elevations within the campo rupestre vegetation of the Espinhaço Range in the state of Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. This poorly known species is considered ‘Near Threatened’, but recent studies have suggested that it should be listed under a higher category of threat. To contribute to the knowledge of this species and its conservation assessment and related planning, we compiled all literature records of the species distribution (n = 16 locations), collected new data on its occurrence (n = 72 locations), and calculated its geographic range using four different approaches. First, we defined the sky islands where the species occurs (nine units) using the lowest elevation value recorded (1,100 m asl) as a cut-off. Second, we performed species distribution modelling (SDM) across the sky islands and identified an area of 2,225.21 km2. Third, we measured the species’ extent of occurrence (EOO = 24,555.85 km2) and used SDM to estimate its upper limit (EOOup = 30,697.58 km2). Fourth, we measured the area of occupancy (AOO = 228 km2) and used SDM to estimate its upper limit (AOOup = 1,827.39 km2). We analysed the Cipo Canastero sky islands in terms of landscape metrics including size, isolation, protected area coverage, shape index, core area index, and proportion covered by SDM. We observed a very fragmented distribution, especially in the North sector of the species distribution, composed of small and isolated populations (separated by up to 112 km); the South sector is the core of its distribution and is composed of larger, more connected patches with differences in shape complexity that are not strongly influenced by an edge effect. The range sizes calculated, along with other reported information regarding population and habitat trends, justifies the inclusion of the species in at least the ‘Vulnerable’ category.

During a tourist cruise with M.V. Academik Shokalski from Cairns (Australia) to Chuuk (Micronesia) between 20 March and 3 April 1996 we visited a number of seabird islands in Micronesia described by Nelson (1978). On these and other islands visited, we asked local people for further information on breeding seabirds. After the cruise H.M. visited Ant Atoll at Pohnpei.

This note presents the results. Time did not allow us to undertake real counts so we provide only rough estimates of numbers of breeding pairs, in orders of magnitude.

The Grey-bellied Comet (Taphrolesbia griseiventris) is a hummingbird species endemic to northern Peru and listed as Endangered by IUCN due to its small and fragmented population. Despite this, little has been attempted to increase knowledge of its natural history and ecology to provide current information and better evaluate its conservation status. Here, we used known curated records of the species from the literature to generate a model of its potential distribution using MaxEnt, and we then validated the model in the field through direct observation in selected areas. Where the species was confirmed, we conducted a habitat characterisation with field data, and a threat assessment of the landscape using secondary data in ArcGIS. We found five new records of the species in the department of La Libertad at two different sites, confirming a new population. The habitat mostly comprised Andean scrub (17.6%) throughout its distribution, and the main threat in the habitat was human-induced fires for agricultural purposes and as a means of waste disposal. Our findings revealed new information on the distribution of the species with a potential habitat occupancy of 4–6% within its range. Furthermore, areas that were previously reported to harbour a population of the species no longer showed records despite intensive searches in the field. Finally, we discuss the implications for its conservation. Our results indicated that conservation measures to protect the Grey-bellied Comet are urgently needed, especially the declaration of a reserve in La Libertad, which might be the only area where the species is reliably present with good quality habitat.

Seychelles Black Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone corvina is found almost exclusively on the 10 km2 island of La Digue. It is currently considered the second rarest endemic bird in the Seychelles, using the criteria of total population and number of discrete populations. Research reassessing the habitat requirements of the flycatcher was conducted on La Digue from 1999 to 2001. This work was conducted in parallel with assessment and ranking of the suitability of medium-sized islands of the inner Seychelles archipelago for avian ecosystem restoration, using biological, geographical and anthropogenic criteria. Predator eradications on several islands have led to a reduction in the range of alien predators, and future eradications are planned. These developments combined with the findings of recent ecological research and a novel assessment of many islands in the archipelago have led to the opportunity for a reassessment of conservation options for Seychelles Black Paradise-flycatcher. This paper discusses and prioritizes strategies to increase the range and total population and hence improve the conservation status of this species.

Southern Black Korhaan is “Vulnerable” to extinction and a South African endemic that is restricted to the area of the Northern Cape Province that is west of the Great Escarpment, and to the area south of the Great Escarpment in the Western Cape, and the western section of the Eastern Cape Province. The 1990, 2014, and 2020 land use land cover (LULC) databases prepared for South Africa were used to determine the LULC categories that best describe suitable habitat for the birds using beta regressions and data on the exact locality of the birds from BirdLasser. The South African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP) reporting rates were used to determine the change in the relative abundance of the birds between the first and second SABAP. Beta regression models were compiled using the bird’s reporting rate and the total surface area, and three other landscape metrics, of the per pentad LULC categories considered to be suitable habitat for them. These models and the SABAP reporting rates revealed that Southern Black Korhaan is adversely affected by the loss of, especially, its fynbos habitat to crop agriculture. In 2020, the area of suitable habitat available to the bird was estimated to be 2,035,526 ha on terrain with a slope of ≤4°. Southern Black Korhaan remains “Vulnerable” to extinction because of the continued decline of >30% in the size of its population over three generations (31 years). The cumulative effects of habitat fragmentation and loss on Southern Black Korhaan and other threatened taxa must be mitigated by conserving and, where appropriate, rehabilitating suitable habitat (e.g. Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve’s Corridors and Rehabilitation Project) in the protected areas, critical biodiversity areas, and ecosystem support areas identified in the provincial spatial conservation plans. Together these areas form a perforated landscape that ensures maximum connectivity between the remaining patches of indigenous habitat.

In a manuscript written by August Spennemann in the 1930s, information is presented on display behaviour, vocalizations and habitat at two hitherto unknown localities of the Javanese Lapwing Vanellus (Hoplopterus) macropterus, a species last recorded in 1940. We provide a translation of the notes and give a summary of all information additional to what has already been published on the species. The Javanese Lapwing is historically known from two discrete areas on the island of Java: one in the west along the north coast, and one in the east along the south coast. Spennemann's observations, made in 1927 and 1928 at Poponcol and Tegallurung, represent the last documented sightings of the species along the north coast and are situated some 75 km east of the north coast's previous easternmost known locality, effectively doubling the species' known range in western Java. At this time, the Javanese Lapwing was observed daily, and unlike at most other localities from where the species is known, was common. Spennemann observed them in groups of up to six birds, the largest group size recorded. Some local movement or migration is suggested by its erratic occurrence and off-shore sightings.

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.

Wetlands act as islands of high biodiversity within the ecological landscape and provide crucial ecosystem services to society. Anthropogenic activities are driving wetland degradation and it has become increasingly rare to find wetlands that do not show signs of biodiversity loss or alteration. The exacerbated loss of biodiversity in wetlands has a negative impact on the local economy and ecosystem services provided by these systems. We responded to the South African National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA) call to document wetland biodiversity against the backdrop of sustained wetland degradation in southern Africa. We monitored the soundscape of a high-elevation wetland in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) from June 2019 to December 2020 across 24 localities using a rolling grid layout. We detected 35.9% of the avian species previously recorded from ad hoc sightings in the GGHNP of which 68.1% are wetland obligate species. We contributed an additional 10.2% new species records to the avian diversity of the GGHNP, including 24 species that are considered threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Our remote monitoring technique enabled the first ever continuous monitoring using remote acoustic equipment for a high-elevation wetland in South Africa, thus providing a valuable contribution to the NBA call.

Despite the widely recognized value of wetlands in providing vital ecosystem services, these are presently being degraded and ultimately destroyed, leading to a decrease in the biodiversity associated with these areas. Some species inextricably linked to wetlands, however, have been increasing and (re)colonizing areas across their range; a notable example being the Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia. In this study we aimed to identify the most important habitats for juvenile spoonbills fledging from a traditional colony in Portugal, located in Ria Formosa, during the period of their life with the lowest survival rates: the first months after leaving the colony. We deployed 16 GPS/GSM tags on juveniles captured in different years (2016 to 2020) and tracked them during post-fledging dispersal and first winter (average 166.4 ± 29.2 SE days). Using Corine Land Cover data, we were able to identify which habitats were most important. Several habitats were used in variable proportions by individuals originating from the same colony, but there was a general trend towards using fewer habitats along the first months of life. Intertidal wetlands were the most used habitat, but anthropogenic habitats such as Wastewater Treatment Plants, saltpans and rice fields were identified as alternative habitats for young spoonbills, and may had contributed to the recent expansion of this species in Portugal.

Bird migration studies are sparse in the Caucasus region, but have received more interest in recent years. To date, these studies have focused on diurnal migration and no information about nocturnal bird migration is available from this region. Therefore, nocturnal bird migration in the Besh Barmag bottleneck (Azerbaijan) was acoustically analysed on the basis of 1,464 h 44 min of sound recordings cost-efficiently obtained with an autonomously operating recorder and an omnidirectional microphone between sunset and sunrise on 63 nights in autumn 2011 and 67 nights in spring 2012. In total, 88,455 calls of 106 migrating species were detected. Of these, 2,172 calls could not be identified due to recording deficiencies or imperfect familiarity with some of the vocalisations and may involve as many as 20 species. The calls and songs of another 13 non-migratory species were not counted. Due to organisational or technical constraints some nights in the study periods could not be analysed and so the ensuing data gaps were repaired by interpolation, resulting in an estimated total of 108,986 calls in autumn 2011 and 33,348 calls in spring 2012. In both seasons the most vocally productive and species-rich phase was civil morning twilight, containing as it does the onset of diurnal migration. In autumn 2011, 54.7% of the recorded calls occurred in civil evening and morning twilight and 68.8% in spring 2012. But species and call numbers were also high in the darkest twilight and night phases. The interpretation of the data is, however, partly conjectural and any future access to truly reliable information on migration densities is conceivable only through radar studies.

This paper reports results from the eighth of a series of road transect surveys of Gyps vultures conducted across northern, central, western, and north-eastern India since the early 1990s. Populations of the White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Indian Vulture G. indicus, and Slender-billed Vulture G. tenuirostris declined rapidly, beginning in the mid-1990s. The principal cause of the declines was poisoning due to widespread veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac on cattle. The results of the current survey suggest that, while populations of all three species of vulture remain at a low level with no signs of recovery, they appear to have been approximately stable since veterinary use of diclofenac was banned in the mid-2000s. Population trends in India, where the illegal use of diclofenac and legal use of other toxic NSAIDs continues, are compared with more positive trends in Nepal, where the veterinary use of toxic NSAIDs appears to have been reduced to a low level.

“I'd forgotten how trees full of bird sounds made you sense the world differently.” (Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees)

No one I have ever met was more attuned to bird sounds, or to birds in general, than was Ted Parker. It was from Ted that many of us, who thought that we already knew a thing or two about birds, truly learned how to sense the world.

No matter when one first met, or heard of, Ted Parker, the name was already a legend. I first met Ted over 20 years ago, and like many people at the time I was already somewhat in awe of him. Then he was known for his birding exploits in the United States and in Mexico. Although I did not realize it at the time, he was already studying the birds of South America, and soon would be transforming our understanding of the avifauna of that continent. By the end of the 1970s, within just a few years of his first trip to the Andes, and without benefit of field guides or commerical bird tapes, he was already the field ornithologist of South America.

Aleutian Tern Onychoprion aleuticus numbers have been in steep decline at known Alaskan breeding colonies in recent decades (IUCN recently uplisted to ‘Vulnerable’). Available data suggest that most of the species may currently breed in Russia. Efforts to document global abundance and trends have been hampered by remoteness of colonies, lack of a formal monitoring programme, and the absence of reproducible population estimates with quantifiable errors, especially for large colonies. We surveyed four historically large colonies in Russia (2018) and Alaska (2019), which together may comprise 30–50% of the global breeding population. At each colony we obtained high resolution aerial photographs using a small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS). The large size of the colonies and the minimum altitude required to identify terns made it impractical to collect imagery of the entire colony. Instead, we employed a sampling approach, with sample locations selected based on spatially balanced acceptance sampling. Statistically sampled, low altitude sUAS images provided a fast, reproducible, and rigorous count of abundance for geographically large colonies, with low disturbance, and were generally consistent with concurrent ground-based observations. Concurrence among observers in photo counts indicated high precision in counts of attending birds and unattended nests, although species attribution in mixed tern colonies remains a source of significant uncertainty. Our results indicate that the four colonies surveyed here together supported <2,500 pairs of Aleutian Terns in the survey years. None of the colonies approached their peak size reported previously, likely due to recent predation, long-term decline, cold early season weather, or other factors. If these reduced colony sizes are representative of the current conditions, the implications for the global population would be dire.

The two species of Hylorchilus wrens are endemic to Mexico and were considered “Vulnerable” by Collar et al. (1994). They are restricted to humid tropical forest growing over karstic terrain, but large areas of apparently suitable habitat exist where they have not yet been recorded. I explored areas of potentially suitable habitat as well as a few localities where they were already known to occur in order to gather new data for a re-evaluation of the conservation status of these species. My records, together with six localities where these species have been reported by others in the past few years, add 15 localities to the 12 listed by Collar et al. (1992). Based on this and other new information, I recommend “Endangered” status for Nava's Wren, H. navai, based on criterion B of Mace-Lande (extent of occurence <5000 km2) and on the strongly fragmented state of its habitat. I would retain “Vulnerable” status for Sumichrast's Wren, H. sumichrasti, owing to its slightly larger range which is still relatively unfragmented and its apparently larger population density

The Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola is one of the least known shorebird species, and its habitat associations are very poorly understood. Here we provide the first assessment of the habitat use of the Wood Snipe during the breeding season. Between May and July 2021 at a 4-km2 alpine meadow in Sichuan province, China, we conducted population surveys and behavioural observations to identify sites where breeding Wood Snipe occurred and foraged. We quantified the habitat characteristics and food resource availability of these sites and compared them with randomly selected “background” sites. Comparison between 34 occurrence sites and 25 background sites indicated that during the breeding season, Wood Snipes are not distributed evenly across alpine meadow habitats, but preferred habitats in the lower part (3,378–3,624 m) of the alpine meadow with intermediate levels of soil moisture. In addition, comparison between 17 foraging sites and 24 background sites showed that the Wood Snipe tended to forage at sites with higher soil fauna abundance. We found weak evidence for denser vegetation cover at its height and no evidence for other biotic habitat variables such as vegetation composition or other abiotic habitat variables such as slope, soil penetrability, or disturbance level to influence Wood Snipe habitat associations. Our results suggest that the actual distribution range of the Wood Snipe during the breeding season may be smaller than expected from the extent of apparently suitable habitat. We advise caution in evaluating the potential habitat availability and distribution of the Wood Snipe, and call for further research to better understand the ecology of this rare species to inform its conservation.