Population densities of the near-threatened Black-faced Cotinga Conioptilon mcilhennyi were investigated during a 21-month survey of lowland rainforest bird communities in Madre de Dios, south-east Peru. Surveys for the species were conducted at two locations along the Río Madre de Dios. C. mcilhennyi is more abundant in old floodplain/seasonally flooded swamp forest mosaic habitat than in seasonally flooded swamp forest. Regional population estimates along the Río Madre de Dios, Río Parramanu and Río de las Piedras range from 1,153 to 2,178 individuals. Current threats to this species and its habitat are discussed along with several conservation recommendations, including the proposal that the newly designated Parc Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene or existing Zona Reservada de Tambopata-Candamo are expanded to encompass suitable Black-faced Cotinga habitat.

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.

In the Cerrado of Brazil, the largest Neotropical savanna region, open habitats are suffering an intense process of conversion to pasture and agricultural land. This study evaluated the responses of birds to the thinning of tree and shrub cover in plots of cerrado sensu stricto, the dominant habitat in the region, and examined whether disturbed plots supported bird communities of open natural habitats with similar structure. Birds were censused by point counts in five disturbed sites and in seven preserved patches, with a total of 304 samples of 20 minutes in 68 points. Cleared plots were not suitable for species strongly dependent on trees and shrubs, such as frugivores and most insectivores. Their abundance was associated with the complexity of vegetation structure in these plots. Shrubby pastures held about 120% more species than the traditional cleared ones. Bird communities of pastures showed large differences in relation to those of grasslands with similar structure. Communities of pastures were dominated by a seedeater, the Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina, and most species were habitat generalist or oportunistic predators, such as raptors and insectivores. Obligate grassland species, like the Grass Wren Cistothorus platensis, Cock-tailed Tyrant Alectrurus tricolor and Black-masked Finch Coryphaspiza melanotis, as well as other abundant species in grasslands, such as Sharp-tailed Grass-tyrant Culicivora caudacuta and Capped Seedeater Sporophila bouvreuil do not adapt to pastures. Grassland grasses probably do not recover spontaneously in abandoned pastures and in other agricultural lands. Thus, conservation of grassland birds will strongly depend on a urgent programme of identification and protection of large areas of Cerrado dominated by campo limpo and campo sujo. These species would also benefit from the maintenance of a band of grassland along gallery forests.

The Faunal Reserve of the Lobéké area of south-eastern Cameroon is an important area for forest conservation. One day, it is hoped, it will be part of an international unit, in association with two protected areas in neighbouring countries (Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Congo). With a view to assessing the status of its avifauna in particular, 24 days were spent in three short surveys from 1997 to 1999. The main forest type is semi-evergreen, with an open canopy; the only natural savannas are small saline swamps. The total of 305 species of bird recorded includes a forest nightjar not yet identified (but more likely to be the rare Itombwe Nightjar Caprimulgus prigoginei than a new species) and the Dja River Warbler Bradypterus grandis. The latter is a species confined to Rhynchospora swamps and had not been re-located in Cameroon since it was first collected in 1914 west of the Dja river; the extent of suitable habitat in Lobéké makes this site the most important to date for its conservation. Other rare or little-known forest species recorded include Olive Ibis Bostrychia olivacea, Sandy Scops Owl Otus icterorhynchus, Zenker's Honeyguide Meligomon zenkeri, Tessmann's Flycatcher Muscicapa tessmanni and Yellow-capped Weaver Ploceus dorsomaculatus. Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense is locally common in open-canopy forest: this population was only recently discovered in central Africa and its taxonomic relationships have yet to be determined. We include a brief comparison with the avifauna of adjacent Dzangha-Ndoki National Park and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. A feature of the Lobéké avifauna is the presence of a few species normally associated with forest at higher altitudes (such as White-headed Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus bollei, Uganda Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus budongoensis, Black-throated Apalis Apalis jacksoni), and perhaps absent from lower-lying Nouabalé-Ndoki.

A study of Corn Buntings Miliaria calandra, a rapidly declining red-listed species in the United Kingdom, was conducted over five years in the intensively cultivated, arable landscape of north-east Essex, eastern England. Mean densities in study plots ranged from 8 to 15 territories per km2, with evidence of a decline over the five years. A total of 278 singing males was located in 247 km2 of farmland, some 2–3% of the U.K. population and therefore of national significance. The distribution of territories was highly clumped and there was marked territory fidelity between years. There was a strong preference for territories encompassing field boundaries without hedges and a general avoidance of hedges. Territories occupied in four or five years were more likely to contain water-filled ditches and/or weedy farm tracks than territories occupied in a single year. Song posts may be important resources. There was little preference shown for particular crops or other land-uses during the breeding season. During the winter period there was a strong selection for feeding on the small amount of grass, and in the late winter period, on stubbles. Lack of feeding opportunities in winter would appear to be critical to Corn Buntings. It is suggested that a retention of stubbles over winter on the 26% of farmland destined for spring sowing could be highly beneficial to Corn Bunting populations and that this could be initially targeted at those areas currently holding dense breeding populations.

Since the mid-1980s, exhausted pastures in Ecuador have been increasingly abandoned, allowing forest regeneration. At approximately 2,200 m in the Tandayapa valley I surveyed four abandoned pastures to evaluate their use by birds. Each former pasture represented a different age of vegetation maturity. The number of bird species recorded in each successively older abandoned pasture increased but only half the number of species recorded in the undisturbed forest site was recorded in the most mature pasture. However, at least four restricted-range bird species were recorded in a single pasture. As pastures rapidly convert to secondary forest, more bird species and rarer bird species use them, even in highly disturbed areas where surrounding pristine forest constitutes less than 10% of local forest cover. Conservation efforts should then be directed toward them.

A study was made of the feeding behaviour of Olrog's gull Larus atlanticus in winter. Although feeding mainly on crabs they also, contrary to previous observations, made use of discarded offal, much as other species of gull. Such generalist feeding habits are likely to be beneficial to the conservation of the species.

We investigated the decline and current status of the Black Kite Milvus m. migrans Boddaert 1783 and the endemic and distinct Red Kite (Cape Verde Kite or Cape Verde Red Kite) Milvus milvus fasciicauda Hartert 1914 on the Cape Verde archipelago. In 1996 and 1997, the first census of both kites on the entire archipelago (Hille 1998) revealed that fewer than 10 individuals of each species still existed and that extinction of all kites on Cape Verde was imminent. As expected from this first survey, the tiny island populations of kites further declined and only two individual Red Kites and one Black Kite were found in 1999. Both populations are expected to become extinct very soon. The presumed causes of extinction such as indirect poisoning, lack of food in a changing landscape, and human persecution are discussed.

This section, ‘News and Notes’ is intended to provide a forum for up-to-date information on threatened species, on-going conservation work and other issues related to bird conservation. It includes pieces abstracted from other publications. Please send any contributions to BCI News and Notes Editor, BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 0NA, or email them to [email protected]

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.