The practice of trapping migratory sparrowhawks Accipiter spp. for falconry and the indiscriminate hunting of other migratory raptors, together with an alleged trade in raptors, were investigated in the eastern Black Sea coastal region of the Republic of Georgia in 1998. Falconry and hunting are deeply rooted in Georgian tradition, exacerbated by the current socioeconomic crisis, and result in significant mortality of migratory raptors during the autumn migration along strategic bottlenecks in the Kolkheti Lowland and along the Atchara-Imereti mountain range. The mortality of migratory raptors resulting directly from hunting and trapping ranges between 1,500 and 3,000 birds during the autumn migration. Education of trappers and hunters through constructive dialogue and advocating best practice is practicable and imperative to reduce the magnitude of raptors killed.

Seabird colonies often constitute valuable tourist attractions. Different species differ in their sensitivity to human disturbance and, although birds may habituate to visitors, inappropriate intrusions at poorly managed sites may result in adverse effects on breeding individuals. The rapid growth of wildlife-based tourism and recreation in coastal Patagonia, Argentina, presents opportunities for significant economic benefits but also raises concerns about the potential effects on seabird colonies. Sixteen seabird species breed along the Patagonian coast, with Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus being one of the main tourist attractions. At least 27 sites where seabirds breed are currently visited by people either through organized tourism or for recreational purposes, 19 of which are included in coastal protected areas. The number of visitors per year varies from 50 to more than 100,000, depending on the site. Negative effects on seabird reproduction in Patagonia are through direct destruction of nests or their contents and desertion of offspring, particularly at locations where seabirds nest in association with or near to colonies of avian predators. Tourism and recreation activities are growing in extent and intensity at most coastal sectors in Patagonia. Current trends in coastal recreation activities may result in negative effects on breeding seabirds unless management guidelines are developed and enforced. Information shows that tourism in coastal Patagonia is compatible with seabird conservation if appropriately managed. Given the rapid increase in the interest in visiting seabird colonies in Patagonia, several management tools such as sanctuaries, the limitation of visitor numbers and both temporal and spatial zoning, need to be implemented in the short term.

Bird Conservation International fills an important niche in the scientific literature by providing a forum for applied research of high utility to conservation biologists, often from research carried out as part of conservation projects. As such, it provides an outlet for research which might otherwise remain in the ‘grey’ literature. This is largely thanks to a cosmopolitan list of contributors, both amateur and professional, including academics and those working for conservation organisations, from all corners of the globe. To anyone reading this who is working in bird conservation research, I hope BCI is near the top of the list of journals you would like to publish your work in.

BCI's remit is to cover ‘subjects relevant to the conservation of birds’, allowing an eclectic mix of topics whilemaintaining a focus on bird conservation. In Volume 10 alone, 17 papers were studies of individual bird species, of which 15 are listed as globally threatened or near-threatened by BirdLife International (2000). A further nine papers were studies of habitats or regions. The focus of papers in the journal is diverse, and last year topics included baseline surveys, comparisons of bird communities in natural and disturbed habitats, conservation management advice, morphological variation, and molecular systematics. Additionally, regular ‘Opinion’ papers provide a forum for the discussion of conservation issues of the day. In covering such a wide range of subjects, every issue should include information of value to those involved or interested in conservation, not only of birds. The journal also has a truly international flavour: papers in Volume 10 resulted from studies in 17 different countries, from six of the world's seven continents, and were contributed by authors based in 14 different countries.

Most research on cockatoos Cacatua outside Australia has focused on species that figure significantly in the pet trade. Here, we examine the status of Blue-eyed Cockatoo Cacatua ophthalmica, an extremely poorly known species endemic to the island of New Britain, in three lowland forest types: primary forest, forest that had been commercially logged of selected large trees in the previous eight years, and forest gardens (small-scale mixed agroforests or “homegardens” tended by indigenous people). During fieldwork at two lowland study sites on New Britain between December 1998 and April 1999, groups of C. ophthalmica were recorded in all forest types (maximum group size = 40), but the species was largely absent from non-forested areas. Estimated cockatoo density in selectively logged forest (64 individuals per km2) was similar to that in primary forest but densities in forest gardens at both sites (6 and 28 per km2) were considerably lower than those in primary forest (27 and 73 per km2). Most active nests found were in large trees in primary forest and the paucity of nests in logged forest, and particularly in forest gardens, is cause for concern given ongoing forest alteration on the island. While we predict that the Blue-eyed Cockatoo population on New Britain is declining, the species remains numerous and the current low levels of trapping and the large area of suitable forest remaining on the island indicate that the taxon is currently of “Least Concern”. In a wider context, C. ophthalmica is considerably more common than most of the traded cockatoos, but the tendency for cockatoo densities to be highest in primary forest, intermediate in human-altered forests and lowest in non-forest areas holds for traded and untraded species alike.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, south-west Uganda, supports 24 of 37 restricted-range bird species of the Albertine Rift Mountains Endemic Bird Area (EBA). In common with other montane forest fragments in the EBA, Bwindi's structure and ecology have been substantially modified by human activities, the impact of which on its birds is difficult to gauge in the absence of quantitative information on their habitat use and abundance. During October 1999, habitat associations of nine restricted-range species and of 12 species with which they were commonly associated, were measured at Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between habitat, topography, altitude and species occurrence. Population densities of 19 species were estimated using distance sampling, at survey points visited between dawn and midday. Although the detection rate declined during the morning, observations made towards midday helped to improve precision, without lowering density estimates. Eight habitat and topographical features significantly associated with restricted-range species are described. Few of the features measured were significantly associated with more than one species, underlining the importance of maintaining a diverse forest structure. Two restricted-range species were among the commonest birds in the study area, while a further four species were at least as abundant as their more widespread congeners.

Quantitative differences were assessed in avian mortality by electrocution between the most frequent pole designs and habitat types in south-west Spain. Pin-type insulators in natural habitats accounted for 36.9% of total avian mortality. Including all species, we estimated a mean annual death rate of 4.5 birds per 100 poles (95% confidence interval: 3.0-6.03), of which 53.8% were diurnal birds of prey. We identified all power poles in the distribution area of the Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti population of the Doñana area. The estimated total mortality for adults was 0.38 birds per year and for immature eagles 3.38, which was 1.3% of the adult population and 30.0% of the mean annual number of fledged young. Adequate modification of 18.6% of power poles in the distribution area of the eagle population could reduce the total estimated mortality by 51.6%.

From 1950 to 1999 there was a substantial decrease in the number of Imperial Eagles Aquila heliaca breeding in the Baikal region of eastern Russia, but there have been no apparent changes in habitat or breeding success within this region. Identification of wintering and stopover sites is therefore necessary to discover whether negative impacts at these sites could be causing the observed population decline. To this end, we satellite-tracked four juvenile Imperial Eagles from Lake Baikal to their wintering grounds. Two sibling eagles were tracked in 1998 and two siblings from a different brood in 1999. The eagles migrated through eastern Mongolia and central Inner Mongolia (China), and wintered from south China to Thailand. Siblings independently used the same migration flyway, and the flyway was different between families. These results provide useful information for determining the causes of the decline in the population of Imperial Eagles in the Baikal region.

Vu Quang Nature Reserve, Vietnam, was brought to the attention of the world scientific community following the discovery of two previously undescribed large mammal species in the early 1990s. In light of the identification of other sites of high biodiversity value in the Annamite mountains of Vietnam and Laos, the relative importance for biodiversity conservation of Vu Quang needs to be reassessed. In this paper we evaluate the importance of the site for bird conservation, in relation to 13 other protected areas in the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA) and present species lists for all 14 sites. Whilst Vu Quang supports one of the highest numbers of recorded bird species of all 14 protected areas, a complementarity analysis revealed that Vu Quang does not fall within the critical subset of sites necessary to conserve 95% of the avifaunal diversity of the EBA. The site should not, therefore, be considered a regional bird conservation priority. Furthermore, of the nine restricted-range species known from the Annamese Lowlands EBA, only three are known from Vu Quang, which is not, therefore, a priority site for the conservation of endemic bird species. We also evaluate the conservation status of the avifauna of Vu Quang, and propose potential conservation measures to enhance its importance for bird conservation.

Olrog's Gull Larus atlanticus is an endemic species of the Atlantic coast of southern South America. It is one of six globally threatened gull species in the world, and is classified as Vulnerable. We studied age-related differences in the diet and foraging behaviour of this species in Mar Chiquita Lagoon during the non-breeding season. Diet was assessed by analysis of regurgitation casts, prey carcasses and direct observation, while foraging behaviour was quantified by focal observations. Grapsid crabs were by far the main prey in frequency of occurrence, followed by fish and snails. Some differences in diet were found between ages, particularly in spring when mature birds start to feed on the eggs of ovigerous females of the crab Cyrtograpsus angulatus. Foraging behaviour was similar between ages which is attributed to large resource availability, foraging strategies and social factors.

Bird surveys were conducted through observations and mist-netting in six forest fragments in the cerrado region of central Brazil, to evaluate the effects of fragmentation on bird species richness and community composition. Smaller forest fragments had fewer species than larger fragments. The proportion of species in most foraging guilds did not change with forest size, except for that of granivores, which decreased as fragment size increased. The proportion of forest-dependent species increased significantly with increasing fragment size while that of semi-dependent species significantly decreased. Forest-dependent endemic birds, however, were not area sensitive, but appeared to be partially dependent on the flooded forests of the region. Conservation policies for the region should conserve both large and small forest fragments urgently, and flooded forests especially.

Brazilian Merganser Mergus octosetaceus is considered to be one of the rarest and most threatened species in the Neotropical region, yet little is known about its distribution and life-history. We studied the population of Brazilian Merganser in and around Serra da Canastra National Park (SCNP) in Minas Gerais, Brazil, during 1996, with additional observations from 1997 to 2000. In this paper we report the sighting of previously undiscovered pairs and present some new behavioural data, including a description of calls performed by males and females, feeding behaviour, home ranges, parental care and population density. We also describe a previously unreported plumage of the young. A total of 39 individuals were recorded, comprising 12 adults (six pairs) and 27 young. Brood size ranged from two to four (mean 2.7), being smaller than in other Mergus spp. (e.g. Goosander Mergus merganser). Two pairs were located within the SCNP, and four on unprotected stretches of river outside. Home range was large compared with other Mergus spp., each pair using on average 9 km of river. Range size was thought to be related to the availability of suitable nesting and feeding sites. SCNP and its environs contain very little mature gallery forest with trees large enough to provide nest sites (most having been selectively logged in the past). There is also competition for nest sites with other birds and mammals. All suitable habitat surrounding the SCNP is now occupied by adult birds, leaving none for young birds. Further research is needed to determine the fate and dispersion routes of juveniles. Future conservation priorities for Brazilian Merganser in and around SCNP include the installation of nest boxes to test whether the availability of good quality nest sites limits breeding success. A captive breeding programme could be established using eggs from these nest boxes. This would help to ensure the survival of this species and to provide birds for future reintroduction programmes should they be deemed necessary. Further surveys, with subsequent establishment of reserves at key sites, are required throughout the Brazilian Merganser's range.

White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus is probably the most threatened heron species in the world, and the highest priority for heron species conservation. From 1990 to 1998, there were sightings from only six localities in the wild. There are none in captivity. In 1998 a caged bird was found in a wildlife market in the city of Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. This finding prompted a 12-month survey in 1998–1999 of both markets and potential habitats in Guangxi. Several captured birds provided direct evidence of the existence of small populations in Guangxi and Guangdong Provinces. The respective habitats were surveyed in spring 2000, with emphasis on observations at dusk. The species was seen at two locations. Although some of the captured birds came from highly degraded habitat, the best sites seemed to be in areas near extensive primary forests, with streams, rice fields and marshes. The information obtained will be used to compile a detailed Action Plan designed to prevent the extinction of the species.

Olrog's Gull Larus atlanticus is a vulnerable species endemic to the Argentine Atlantic coast. We present information on new breeding colonies, update information on known colonies, and describe habitat and nest site characteristics of Olrog's Gulls breeding at Bahía San Blas, southern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Information was obtained during the 1998 breeding season. We recorded four colonies on islets, with a total population size of 305 pairs. Colonies were located on open ground, partly bordered by vegetation. The two colonies at Islote Arroyo Jabalí Oeste were located more than 150 m from the high tide line, while the two colonies at Banco Nordeste were placed only a few metres from the high tide mark (1-6 m). Most nests were located more than a metre away from low Atriplex patagonica bushes (20-30 cm high) and herbaceous species, although a few nests were a few cm from vegetation. Nests were built on vegetation debris, on low herbaceous vegetation, and on gravel and sand. All nests at the four colonies were built with vegetation debris, mainly Spartina densiflora and some Salicornia sp. Mean external and internal diameters of nests were 40.57 ± 5.14 and 19.71 ± 2.21 cm, respectively. Gulls nested in discrete groups at relatively high densities, which ranged between 0.62 and 1.1 nests/m2. Nest occupation and number of eggs per nest varied among colonies. Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus were observed nesting in close proximity to all colonies. Further studies are needed to assess habitat partitioning between these two species, particularly considering that they nest in association at all breeding locations in coastal Argentina and that Kelp Gulls have shown an important population increase in recent decades.

We studied the distribution of birds along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 800 m to 1,400 m on two slopes of the Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Ornithological surveys were conducted over transects covering open (cerrado, campo rupestre) and forested (gallery and Atlantic forest) habitats from 1994 to 2000. We found 273 bird species belonging to 51 families. Twenty-two species were restricted to higher elevations and 84 species were detected on only one slope, depending on the vegetation type they inhabited. We recorded 104 species occurring on both slopes, while 61 species were considered altitudinal generalists. Six species, including Hyacinth Visorbearer Augastes scutatus and Cipó Canastero Asthenes luizae were restricted to the highest parts of Serra do Cipó, a fragile habitat important to endemic birds of the Espinhaço Range. In the past 10 years, the Serra do Cipó region has suffered human impacts on a large scale, and conservation action must be developed to protect the fauna and flora confined to the area.

Most of Brazil's electricity is generated by hydroelectric power plants that require the flooding of huge areas and affect the stability of local ecosystems. The area of the Porto Primavera power dam was flooded in 1998 and a rescue programme was executed to save the fauna sheltering on treetops or emerging islands. Using DNA fingerprinting we estimated the genetic variability in a sample of 23 Bare-faced Curassow Crax fasciolata rescued in this area and found that the mean heterozygosity was H=0.89. Although similar data on other natural populations of cracids is not available, the mean heterozygosity observed in the present sample is in the range found for free-living populations of two species of reintroduced cracids whose origin was captive breeding of a limited number of founders. We suggest that a collaborative captive breeding and reintroduction programme between the facilities holding the birds caught at Porto Primavera should start immediately to avoid the loss of genetic variability due to the small number of founders in captivity. Habitat protection, responsibility in fauna management and measures that prevent or correct the isolation of habitat fragments are needed to establish an equilibrium between progress and conservation in developing countries.

Transect bird surveys were conducted at 43 tallgrass prairies in southwestern Missouri, U.S.A. in mid-June each year from 1992 to 1999. Litter volume on and near the ground was estimated on a nine-point scale during 1994 to 1999. The relative importance of management type (rotational burning, rotational haying, or a combination of both) and litter volume on relative abundance was analysed for three declining grassland songbirds: Henslow's Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii, Grasshopper Sparrow A. savannarum, and Dickcissel Spiza americana. Haying resulted in significantly higher abundance than burning for all species except Dickcissel, for which few significant management effects were detected. Henslow's Sparrow increased in abundance from light to heavy litter, Grasshopper Sparrow peaked in low to intermediate litter, and Dickcissel showed little pattern relative to litter. Litter scores recorded in each management type increased with number of years since last treatment. Although litter profoundly affected bird abundance, independent and equally important was whether that litter was obtained via haying or burning. Greater consistency among years in hayed vegetation structure may help explain these birds' preference for haying over burning or haying + burning. Rotational haying should be employed more than burning in the management of these declining birds, especially for the sharply declining, fire-sensitive Henslow's and Grasshopper Sparrows.

Suwarrow (Suvorov) atoll is an important seabird breeding site in the central Pacific Ocean. However, it is not protected and is attractive to developers of potentially damaging aquaculture industries. In this paper I report the results of a survey conducted to establish the present status of Suwarrow's seabird colonies and to generate base-line data for measuring the effect of a proposed pearl-farm development. Between late July and early September 2000 the reef islets were surveyed for seabird chick numbers and age-states using a simple sampling method. In addition to Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata, populations of boobies Sula spp., noddies Anous spp., frigatebirds Fregata spp. and tropicbirds Phaethon spp. were assessed. Results showed that bird populations were maintaining levels similar to those from findings of surveys in 1992. Of particular note were globally significant numbers of Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel and Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda. Migratory birds were observed with Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis regularly seen. The well-being of bird-life on the islets appears to be indirectly proportional to the proximity of human activity, with birds not observed breeding on Anchorage Island – the islet most often visited by people.

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.

New World parrots are declining throughout their range. Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna was extirpated from the island of Trinidad in the late 1960s through anthropogenic processes. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is assisting the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, Trinidad on a mission to restore the species into its historical range within the Bush-Bush Sanctuary in the Nariva Swamp. The Sanctuary has been protected by the government of Trinidad and is the home of the endangered Red-bellied Macaw Ara manilata and West Indian Manatee Trichechus manatus. Zoo and Wildlife personnel participated in three separate releases, beginning in December 1999 through to March 2000. The initial release consisted of an identical sex group of macaws followed by two additional releases of pairs/groups of birds. Of 18 Blue and Gold Macaws, 14 were released into the Nariva Swamp and are currently being monitored by the Wildlife Section, Zoo personnel and surrounding community. Translocation of wild populations of parrots has proven to be a viable solution to restocking wild populations that have been regionally extirpated.

Tristan Albatross Diomedea [exulans] dabbenena is the most genetically distinct of the five taxa that form the Wan dering Albatross superspecies, and has been listed as Endangered. It breeds only on Gough and Inaccessible Islands in the Tristan da Cunha group, central South Atlantic Ocean. The entire breeding population was surveyed during 1999-2000. A mid-September survey at Gough Island recorded 1,129 chicks, equivalent to an annual breeding effort by approximately 1,500 pairs. Only one chick was present at Inaccessible Island in 1999, and another pair laid an egg in 2000. The annual breeding effort at this island has not exceeded three pairs since the 1950s. None were found during an incomplete survey at Tristan, where the species bred in the past, but birds were seen flying over the island. A complete survey and attempts to promote recolonization of Tristan are warranted. Breeding success at Gough Island averaged 63%, and no birds that bred successfully attempted to breed the following year. Breeding success was greater and less variable in a large colony at Gonydale than at a peripheral colony at Tafelkop. Young birds returned to the island after 3-4 years (4-5 years old), and the modal age of first breeding was 8 years, with some individuals breeding as young as 6 years. Most chicks (81%) recruited to their natal colony, but some recruited to colonies up to 3 km from their natal site. Among adults, fidelity to partners and breeding colony was high. Of nine birds recovered away from the island, at least four were killed by longline fishing. Despite its known mortality on longlines, the Gough Island census exceeded demipopulation estimates from the 1970s and early 1980s, possibly due to incomplete coverage by previous surveys and a poor breeding season in 1998. Given the lack of evidence for a population decrease, Tristan Albatross should be listed as Vulnerable. It is the third rarest albatross species, however, and its population size warrants monitoring. We provide guidelines for repeatable censuses at Gough Island.