Rice fields provide functional wetlands for declining shorebirds and other waterbirds around the world, but fundamental aspects of their stopover ecology in rice fields remain unknown. We estimated the length of stay of Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa migrating through rice fields, and showed the international importance of Extremadura’s rice fields (south-west Spain) for this Near Threatened shorebird species. Overall, large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits en route to their breeding grounds had long lengths of stay in the rice fields (34.7 ± 1.7, 14.4 ± 2.0 and 8.3 ± 1.2 days in godwits radio-tagged in late January, early February, and late February, respectively). The long lengths of stay of godwits in rice fields, together with some aspects of their feeding ecology, suggest that rice fields are suitable staging habitats, and therefore they could play an important role as buffer habitats against the loss or degradation of natural wetlands. Extremadura’s rice fields supported at least 14% of the declining Western European population of Black-tailed Godwit, and its increasing number in south-west Spain probably reflects a population shift towards the northern part of the winter range. We strongly suggest the inclusion of Extremadura’s rice fields as a Special Protection Area for birds under the European Union Directive on the conservation of wild birds.

With a decline exceeding 30% over three generations, the once-common European Turtle-dove is now considered globally threatened by IUCN. As a legal game species in 10 European countries, the recent International Single Species Action Plan for this species highlighted the need to carry out an assessment of the sustainability of current levels of hunting. In 2013–2014, the Western European population was estimated at 1.3–2.1 million pairs, and the hunting bag in the same region to be 1.1 million birds. Using the Demographic Invariant Method, we assessed whether current levels of hunting harvest within Europe constitute overexploitation of the western flyway European Turtle-dove population. We calculated the maximum growth rate λmax that a population might achieve in the absence of any additive mortality. Then we estimated the potential maximum harvestable population fraction (P) allowed by excess population growth. We explored a wide range of plausible scenarios relating to assumed demographic rates, geographic scope of the flyway and management objectives. λmax was estimated to lie between 1.551 and 1.869. Current levels of hunting along the western flyway are more than double the sustainable fraction (P) under all suitably conservative scenarios, and only fall below this threshold under the most restrictive assumptions. We conclude that current levels of legal hunting along the western flyway are unlikely to be sustainable. Reducing uncertainty associated with assessments of the sustainability of turtle dove hunting will require improved information on (in order of decreasing importance) current levels of hunting, adult survival, age structure and population size.

In order to assess the potential value of differently managed cacao plantations for bird conservation on Sulawesi, we surveyed birds in near-primary forest (with limited timber and rattan extraction, and some hunting), cacao plantations with remnant forest trees and plantations lacking forest trees, from February to April 2007. A total of 16 50 x 50 m plots were visited twice and records of 87 species were obtained. Bird species richness and the number of endemics and forest specialists decreased along this gradient of forest conversion, with 20% of the forest specialists, among them 10 endemics, exclusively found in forest. Species composition changed dramatically between habitat types. Sørensen indices showed a similarity of species composition between forests and plantations of 45–60% for forest specialists and 65–71% for all species. The most important environmental variable for the diversity and composition of birds was the number of remnant rainforest trees present in the plantations. Our results suggest that large, undisturbed rainforest are most important for the conservation of forest specialists and endemics but that cacao plantations, if managed to maintain a high and diverse cover of forest trees, can harbour up to 60% of forest specialists and endemics.

The distribution of the ornithological localities in the cerrado region of South America is analysed. When plotted out, the distribution of total sampling localities appears to be even. However, when only those localities at which birds have been sampled in any depth (> 80 specimens collected or >100 species recorded) are considered a different pattern emerges: c.70% of the cerrado region has never been satisfactorily sampled for birds, and similar or worse situations have been reported for other groups of organisms. Priority areas for future ornithological exploration in the cerrado region are most of the states of Tocantins, Maranhão, and Mato Grosso do Sul, southern Goiás, and western Minas Gerais. In these areas, inventory efforts could be focused mainly on the avifaunas of tropical dry forests, gallery forests and “campos rupestres”. Because the biological diversity in the cerrado region is poorly known and most of this region has already been modified by human activity, it is suggested that the most feasible way to define both a set of priority areas for conservation and a coherent reserve system is to focus analyses on ecosystems and landscapes rather than on species, subspecies or populations.

A distribuição das localidades ornitólogicas na regiao do cerrado, América do Sul, é analisada. Quando todas as localidades são plotadas em um mapa, o inventário das aves nessa região parece ser bem distribuido. Entretanto, quando somente aquelas localidades que tern sido amostradas com certa intensidade (>80 espécimes coletados ou >100 espécies registradas) são plotadas, um padrão bastante distinto é encontrado: cerca de 70% da região do cerrado tem nunca sido amostrada satisfatoriamente para aves, e situações similares ou piores tern sido também descritas para o inventário de outros grupos de organismos. Áreas prioritárias para futuras explorações ornitológicas na região do cerrado são grande parte dos estados do Tocantins, Maranhão e Mato Grosso do Sul, sul de Goiás e oeste de Minas Gerais. Nestas áreas, inventários poderiam ser direcionados principalmente para as avifaunas de florestas secas tropicais, florestas de galeria e campos rupestres. Em virtude da diversidade biológica na região do cerrado ser pouco conhecida e de grande parte dessa região já ter sido modificada pelas atividades humanas, é sugerido que a melhor estratégia para definir um conjunto de áreas prioritárias para conservação e um coerente sistema de reservas seria concentrar análises sobre ecossistemas e paisagens ao invés de espécies, subespécies ou populações.

Arthropod abundance in most places across Europe has suffered a dramatic decline induced by modifications in agricultural practices, and this could induce changes in the selection of breeding habitat and foraging behaviour of several endangered raptor species. We studied a 6,500 ha Special Protection Area (SPA) in Spain created for the benefit of its important steppe bird populations and examined the patterns of land-use selection and use of vegetation structure by the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni in relation to prey-capture success. We also studied the spatial relationship between foraging sites and the location of colonies in that breeding area. The type of land-use most frequently used by foraging Lesser Kestrels was unploughed fallow (positively selected) while kestrels significantly avoided areas with cereal crops. The relationship between foraging sites and colonies (kestrels forage preferentially in areas close to the colonies) indicates that not only is farmland management important, but also the spatial relationships between foraging areas and breeding sites. Maintaining the Spanish traditional rotation of cultivation (called barbechos) may improve the correct habitat management for Lesser Kestrels in agricultural areas in Spain.

Black-billed Parrot Amazona agilis and Yellow-billed Parrot A. collaria are endemic to Jamaica and are restricted to remnant patches of mid-elevation wet limestone forest. Cockpit Country is the stronghold of Black-billed Parrot and is the only region where these two species occur sympatrically in significant numbers. In northern Cockpit Country, Black-billed Parrots nested commonly in degraded and regenerating edge habitat, where natural nesting cavities did not appear to be limiting. Yellow-billed Parrot nests were less abundant in the study area. Black-billed Parrots produced clutches of 3 or 4 eggs and incubation was approximately 24 days. Nestling growth and development were characteristically slow and the nestling period prolonged. Nesting success of both species was low for non-excavating, cavity-nesting species, but successful nests were prolific. Black-billed Parrot nestling mortality was highest during the first four weeks of the nestling period, the primary cause being predation, followed by “dead-in-nest, possible hypothermia”. Many aspects of Black-billed and Yellow-billed Parrot nesting behaviour may be related to predation. The majority of predation events were attributed to the endemic and Vulnerable yellow boa Epicrates subflavus. Such predator-prey dynamics will challenge Jamaica's natural resource managers to develop a more comprehensive attitude away from single-species conservation towards multiple species and their interactions in a complex habitat.

Three species of resident Gyps vulture are threatened with extinction in South Asia due to the contamination of domestic ungulate carcasses with the drug diclofenac. Observed rates of population decrease are among the highest recorded for any bird species, leading to total declines in excess of 99.9% for the Oriental White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis in India between 1992 and 2007. Vultures have declined in Nepal, but quantitative information on the rate and scale of decreases is unavailable. Road transect surveys for vultures, following the same route, methodology and timing, were undertaken in lowland areas of Nepal for seven years from 2002 to 2011. The seven survey transects followed Nepal’s East-West highway and covered 1,010 km in three years of the survey, and 638 km in the remaining four years. Slender-billed Vultures G. tenuirostris were very scarce, with a maximum of five individuals in 2002 and none recorded in 2010 and 2011. Oriental White-backed Vultures were most commonly recorded, but decreased from 205 to 68 birds over the survey period, with an estimated annual rate of decline of 14% a year. If population decreases commenced in Nepal in the same year as in India, then White-backed Vultures in Nepal have declined by 91% since the mid-1990s. Few resident Gyps vultures remained in Eastern and Central regions of Nepal, with just one, nine and six birds recorded in the three surveys that covered these regions. The majority of threatened Gyps vultures in lowland Nepal are now found in Western and Mid Western regions, where conservation efforts have been focused in the last six years. Removing veterinary diclofenac from across the country and continuing to manage effective “vulture safe zones” are essential to conserve Nepal’s remaining vulture populations.

Over the past half century, grassland birds in Europe have declined dramatically and in order to maintain and restore their populations it is critical to understand how habitat structures and quality within pastures affect birds. This study investigated the effects of habitat structure and pasture abandonment on grassland birds in IBA Ponor, western Bulgaria. Birds were sampled using the point count method at 143 randomly located circular plots and a total of 1,401 observations of birds from 31 species were recorded. The results showed that habitat complexity, management and landscape position influenced bird community structure and species occurrence within the upland pastures. Extensively grazed pastures supported higher structural complexity of vegetation cover and higher bird-species richness and diversity compared with abandoned ones. Moreover, bird species with a preference for grazed rather than abandoned pastures had higher conservation status and most were associated with shrub cover. To maintain high levels of avian diversity, habitat complexity within pastures should be maintained through extensive grazing, to ensure availability of scrub vegetation wherever possible. Finally, this study provided evidence that agri-environmental schemes should not be directly extrapolated from one country or region to another without been tested first, because within the same management, differences in habitat structural characteristics may exist due to the landscape and socio-economic characteristics of the region.

The Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata is a globally endangered passerine endemic to southern South America. Although the conservation status of this species is alarming, there is no information about factors that affect its reproductive success. We studied the breeding biology of a Yellow Cardinal population in Corrientes province in north-east Argentina and report reproductive parameters, such as timing of breeding, clutch size, hatching success and chick survival and analyse factors influencing nest survival. The breeding season lasted from October to December with most nesting attempts occurring during the second half of November. Re-nesting after nest failure occurred in approximately 35% of pairs but we did not observe re-nesting after successful attempts. Modal clutch size was three eggs and successful nests fledged on average 1.6 chicks. We observed brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds Molothrus bonariensis in 33% of the nests. The main cost of brood parasitism was the puncture of cardinal eggs by cowbird females, which very often resulted in nest abandonment. Another factor reducing reproductive success was parasitism by botflies Philornis sp., which occurred in 22% of the nests and reduced chick survival. We determined daily nest survival rate with MARK software and found that during the egg stage, it decreased with time of breeding and brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds. Our results indicate that Shiny Cowbird and botfly parasitism represent a threat for Yellow Cardinals. Conservation actions to protect the remaining populations of Yellow Cardinals should consider the impact of Shiny Cowbird parasitism.

Mortality of albatrosses (and petrels) as bycatch in longline fisheries is one of the most important and pervasive sources of mortality for many species and is often closely linked to observed population declines. In the area of the Southern Ocean managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which includes the waters around South Georgia, Prince Edward Islands, Iles Crozet and Kerguelen (the most important sub-Antarctic breeding sites for many albatross - and petrel - species), such bycatch was reduced to negligible levels (in demographic terms) over the last decade. The process by which this was achieved, in terms of data, policy and practice, together with an assessment of the main drivers and obstacles, is described. The extent to which the CCAMLR example is a model for other Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) (and even for states with jurisdiction in relevant coastal waters) is assessed. Some current actions and priorities for further action in relation to seabird bycatch are summarised.

Island species typically exist in pathogen and predator sparse environments before human settlement, and are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of invasive species. In this study, we used the variable circular-plot method to estimate the density of birds in the highlands of Floreana Island, Galápagos Archipelago, where introduced parasites, predators, and habitat degradation are a known threat to endemic species. We recorded the number of birds seen and heard at 15 locations near Cerro Pajas Volcano in 2004 and 2008, an area that harbours the largest expanse of highland Scalesia forest on Floreana Island. We estimated the change in population density for nine bird species, including five species of Darwin’s finches. We specifically address changes in population density for the locally endemic Medium Tree Finch Camarhynchus pauper, which only occurs on Floreana Island and has a small population size. Comparing 2004 and 2008, our study found lower population density in the Medium Tree Finch, but stable population density in Small Tree Finch C. parvulus and Large Tree Finch C. psittacula. Based on data from three additional highland sites surveyed in 2008, we estimate that the maximum size of the Medium Tree Finch population is 1,620 individuals. In addition to the survey data, we observed breeding males in 2006 and 2008. We found: (1) low nesting success (six out of 63 nests produced fledglings) and high Philornis downsi parasite intensity, and (2) a biased age structure of the breeding population. No breeding males were one year old in 2006, and no males were five years old in either study year, indicating low reproductive success as well as limited lifespan. This research has contributed to the recent re-evaluation by IUCN, which has changed the Red List status of the Medium Tree Finch from ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Critically Endangered’.

Laos is an important country for bird conservation. Bird surveys between 1992 and 1996, the first since 1949, covered 20 main areas, with incidental records from many others.

This paper reviews the status of all Lao species reported to be of elevated conservation concern (key species) in any of the following categories: Globally Threatened or Globally Near-Threatened (sensu Collar and Andrew 1988 and Collar et al. 1994), and At Risk or Rare in Thailand (sensu Round 1988 and Treesucon and Round 1990). Several additional species are covered which have clearly undergone a National Historical Decline in Laos. A comprehensive review of other Lao species was not possible, and some species which are in truth of conservation concern have doubtless been overlooked. Historical and modern records were reviewed and population trends identified where possible.

Current global status listings (Collar et al. 1994) were supported, except that consideration should be given to changing Red-collared Woodpecker Picus rabieri and Sooty Babbler Stachyris herberti from Threatened to Near-Threatened. If the Lao situation is representative of the species throughout their range, then consideration should also be given to placing Ratchet-tailed Treepie Temnurus temnurus and River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii as Near-Threatened.

Twenty-seven Globally Threatened species are known from Laos, of which there are recent records of 22. There are recent unconfirmed records of two more. Forty-seven Globally Near-Threatened species are known from Laos, of which there are recent records of 39; there are unconfirmed records of one further species. Five Globally Threatened and five Near-Threatened species were recorded for the first time in Laos in recent years, suggesting that further species of elevated conservation concern remain to be found.

The Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, which feeds mainly on rabbits and partridges, has been persecuted widely for causing damage to game interests. Although it is a protected species throughout Europe, there is a noteworthy gap in the scientific literature on the causes of mortality in this top predator. Here, we assess the relative importance and the geographical and temporal variation of human-related causes of death by reviewing 1,576 files of individuals admitted to wildlife rescue centres in Spain, a stronghold for Eagle Owls. The main known cause of death was interaction with powerlines followed by persecution and collisions with game fences and cars. There were within-year variations in the distribution of persecution, electrocution and collisions with game fences. Some man-induced causes of mortality were seen to depend on both the geographical region and the period of the year; moreover, mortality within each region was also year-dependent. Since there are strong socio-economic and ethical components involved, management guidelines are discussed bearing in mind such points of view.

We developed distributional models for 90 threatened bird species in China, and used heuristic complementarity algorithms to prioritize areas for conservation. The pixel-based area selection prioritized 20 areas for protection, which covered all species analysed. Area selecting for endangered species based on the existing biosphere reserve system included only 37-62 species in eleven reserves, leaving 28-53 species unprotected. We employed algorithms for area selection based on species richness and rarity and obtained two views of a most efficient reserve network. We used the distributional hypotheses to identify additions to the reserve system that would improve its effectiveness substantially. The pixel-based area selection approach includes species much more efficiently on a per-area basis, and thus offers exciting perspectives for improved protection of the country's endangered avifauna.

The Philippine islands hold a concentration of species diversity and endemism of global importance, yet few studies have analyzed biogeographic patterns or attempted to prioritize areas for conservation within the archipelago. We analyzed distributions of 386 species on 28 Philippine islands and island groups, documenting intense concentration of species richness, especially of endemic species, on the two largest islands, Mindanao and Luzon. Factors identified as influencing species richness included island area, maximum elevation, and Pleistocene patterns of connection and isolation. Reserve systems were developed based on heuristic complementarity algorithms, and compared with the existing Integrated Protected Areas (IPAS) system in the country, showing that IPAS is an impressive first step towards protecting avian diversity in the country. Addition of presently proposed reserves on Palawan and Mindoro would make IPAS a near-optimal reserve design, at least at the level of island representation. Important challenges remain, however, with regard to design of reserve systems within islands to represent complete island avifaunas.

Diurnal raptors may be highly sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances. We evaluated the diversity and abundance of diurnal raptors at an Atlantic Forest–cerrado transition zone in relation to two habitat types (forest fragments and open habitats) and to urbanization, comparing natural open and forested habitats with corresponding habitats within a large urban area. We sampled 80 points, 20 in each of four habitats (semi-natural and urban forests, semi-natural and urban open areas), during 12 months. Diurnal raptors recorded (21 species) included only three out of 10 species with some level of threat in the region. Forested habitats had more species (17) than open habitats (12). Urban areas had only 14 (67%) species, whereas semi-natural areas had all 21 species. Diurnal raptors were as abundant in urban areas as in semi-natural areas in spite of a loss in species richness in urban areas. A re-analysis without Caracara plancus showed that urban areas had a lower mean number of individuals per point than semi-natural areas. Overall species richness usually fluctuated from 14 to 16 species, being slightly higher between January and May than in other months. Overall abundance of diurnal raptors was much higher during summer than during winter. Local extinction may have already occurred for some species of diurnal raptors in the region and will probably shortly include several others. At least C. plancus, a habitat generalist, requires further studies and eventually management actions, since it is able to reach high population numbers in urbanized areas. Furthermore, highly sensitive species that were not recorded require further investigation regarding their conservation status.

Resumo

Raptores diurnos podem ser altamente sensíveis a perturbações antropogênicas. Avaliamos a diversidade e a abundância de raptores diurnos em uma região de transição entre Floresta Atlântica e Cerrado em relação a dois tipos de hábitats (fragmentos florestais e hábitats abertos) e è urbanização, comparando hábitats abertos e florestais aos hábitats correspondentes dentro de uma área urbana. Amostramos 80 pontos, 20 em cada um dos quatro hábitats (florestas semi-naturais e urbanas, áreas abertas semi-naturais e urbanas) durante 12 meses. Entre os raptores diurnos registrados (21 espécies) estão apenas três das 10 espécies com algum nível de ameaça na região. Mais espécies foram registradas nos hábitats florestados (17) do que nos hábitats abertos (12). Apenas 14 (67 %) espécies foram registradas nas áreas urbanas, enquanto as 21 espécies foram registradas nas áreas semi-naturais. Os raptores diurnos foram igualmente abundantes nas áreas urbanas e nas áreas semi-naturais independentemente da perda de espécies nas áreas urbanas. Uma nova análise sem Caracara plancus mostrou que as áreas urbanas tiveram um menor número médio de indivíduos por ponto do que as áreas semi-naturais. A riqueza total de espécies foi de 14 e 16 espécies, em geral, sendo um pouco mais alta entre janeiro e maio do que nos outros meses. A abundância total de raptores diurnos foi muito maior durante o verão do que no inverno. Algumas espécies de raptores diurnos já podem estar localmente extintas na região, o que ainda pode ocorrer para várias outras espécies em breve. Pelo menos C. plancus, uma espécie generalista de hábitat, necessita de mais estudos e eventualmente ações de manejo uma vez que pode atingir grandes tamanhos populacionais em áreas urbanizadas. Além disso, espécies altamente sensíveis que não foram registradas necessitam de mais investigações sobre seus status de conservação.

The Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax (Linnaeus, 1758) is a medium-sized, ‘Near Threatened’ steppe bird, whose Iberian population has been alarmingly declining over recent decades. Although this population loss has been mainly attributed to agricultural intensification, there is no information on Little Bustard adult mortality levels and their drivers. Based on a joint effort combining all the tracking data on adult Little Bustards collected over a period of 12 years by all research teams working with the species in Iberia, we found that annual anthropogenic mortality is likely to have a critical impact on the species, with values almost as high as the mortality attributed to predation. Collision with power lines was found to be the main anthropogenic threat to the adult population (3.4–3.8%/year), followed by illegal killing (2.4–3%/year), which had a higher impact than initially foreseen. Our work shows how poorly understood and previously unknown threats are affecting the survival of the most important Little Bustard population in Europe.

This case study concentrates on the extent of knowledge among the Australian public of Australia's tropical bird species, and their willingness to support their conservation. In order to place this issue in context, we provide background information on the status of Australian bird species, focusing attention on species that occur in tropical Australia. Then, using questionnaire survey results, we consider the hypothesis that the public's support for the conservation of different bird species depends on their understanding of the species' existence and status. Based on results from a sample of residents in Brisbane, Queensland, we found that knowledge of bird species that occur exclusively in the Australian tropics (including tropical Queensland) was very poor compared with that of those occurring in the Brisbane area that are relatively common. Experimental results indicated that when respondents in the sample had an option to allocate A$1,000 between 10 bird species listed in the survey, they allocated more funds to the better-known and more common species, unless they were provided with balanced information about all the selected species. With balanced information, the average allocation to bird species confined mostly to the Australian tropics, particularly those threatened, increased. This demonstrates the conservation implications of information provision about bird species. The results showed that public education can play a crucial role in attempts to conserve bird species that are poorly known and threatened.

Populations of several long-distance migratory songbirds in Eurasia are in peril, drastically illustrated by the recent range-wide population collapse in the Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola. There are signals of a strong decline also in the Rustic Bunting E. rustica, but no range-wide assessment of population trends in this superabundant and widespread bunting species has yet been undertaken. The conservation status of Rustic Bunting is ‘Least Concern’ on the global IUCN Red List, but it has recently been upgraded to ‘Vulnerable’ on the European Red List. To assess the Rustic Bunting’s global conservation status we compiled, for the first time, population data across its breeding and wintering ranges. The analysis reveals a 75–87% decline in overall population size over the last 30 years and a 32–91% decline over the last 10 years. The trend estimates indicate that the long-term (30-year) range-wide population decline in the Rustic Bunting is of similar magnitude to two well-known examples of declining species within the same genus, the Yellow-breasted Bunting and the Ortolan Bunting E. hortulana. The magnitude of the range-wide population decline over the last 10 years suggests that the Rustic Bunting could be upgraded from ‘Least Concern’ to ‘Vulnerable’ or ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN global Red List. Agricultural intensification in the wintering range and intensified levels of disturbance, including logging and fire, in the breeding range could be important drivers of the range-wide population decline, and persecution could also contribute. Untangling threat factors and their interactions on Rustic Bunting is necessary for conservation, but hampered by our currently limited understanding of the relationships between population dynamics and different threats.