During 1998–2011, in an area of western Cyprus spanning about one-quarter of the global breeding range of the endemic Cyprus Warbler Sylvia melanothorax, the species declined at a rate of c.59% decade-1, suggesting that there is an urgent need to review its global conservation status. This decline has coincided with the recent, rapid colonisation of western Cyprus by the Sardinian Warbler S. melanocephala, whose numbers have increased substantially within the study area, as might be expected of a newly colonising breeding species. To identify possible causes of the Cyprus Warbler’s decline we compared its rate of change with measures of land-cover, vegetation density, altitude, rainfall and the presence of Sardinian Warblers at survey sites. The rate of decline in the Cyprus Warbler’s abundance was strongly correlated with land-cover and with the duration of site occupancy by Sardinian Warbler; Cyprus Warbler abundance had declined more steeply on sites colonised by Sardinian Warblers early in the survey period than on sites colonised later. Furthermore, on sites surveyed by BirdLife Cyprus in 2006–2014, Cyprus Warbler abundance had continued to decline significantly (also by c.59% decade-1) in western Cyprus, while Sardinian Warbler abundance had continued to increase. In contrast, Cyprus Warbler abundance showed no significant change in central and eastern Cyprus, where Sardinian Warblers were sparse or absent during the breeding season. These findings are consistent with at least two contrasting scenarios: that changes have occurred in land-cover or climatic conditions in Cyprus, to the detriment of Cyprus Warbler and to the benefit of Sardinian Warbler; or that in western Cyprus at least, the two species may compete for similar resources, despite a lack of evidence of this in an earlier, more detailed study. In either case, we suggest the need for a thorough, nationwide breeding survey of the two species.

Mountain systems are often recognised as biodiversity hotspots; however, most montane forests are human-modified. Understanding the conservation value of human-modified forests is essential to mountain biodiversity conservation. In this study, mist-nets and point-counts were used to compare the bird communities of primary forests on ridges in the Ailao Mountains of Yunnan, China, and secondary forests, firewood forests, and pine plantations in nearby lower elevation zones. We found that community turnover among habitats was very high using both methods. Although the percentage of forest interior species and insectivores in each habitat was higher in the primary forests than in the human-modified forests, relatively high percentages of forest interior species and insectivores were recorded in the human-modified forests. Moreover, many bird species, forest interior species, insectivores and babblers were only recorded in the human-modified forests. Our study indicated that the primary forests are important for sustaining mountain bird diversity. However, given that primary forests are restricted to ridges, secondary forests, firewood forests, and pine plantations at lower elevations also play important roles in bird conservation in mountainous regions by increasing landscape diversity and partially offsetting species loss from primary forests. Therefore, conservation efforts should also be concentrated on human-modified forests at lower elevations in mountainous regions in south-west China.

An understanding of the ecological factors influencing nest success and the effectiveness of management activities focused on improving nest success can be critical to successful conservation strategies for rare or declining species. Over seven breeding seasons (2006–2012) we examined the influence of nest spacing and habitat characteristics on hatching success for the nationally threatened Pacific coast population of the Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus in coastal Washington, USA in two study areas. Specifically, we assessed the influence of clutch age, nesting season date, distance to conspecific nests, perpendicular distance to the high-tide (wrack) line, vegetation cover and other habitat characteristics at three spatial scales (1m2, 5m2, and 25 m2) centred on the nest. We also assessed the effectiveness of wire mesh cages placed around nests to exclude mammalian and avian nest-predators. We discovered and monitored 307 nests, placed predator exclosures around 142 of these nests and measured habitat variables at 251. Our selected base model included site and quadratic function of season-date. For the analysis examining habitat effects on nest success, only models with distance to nearest active nest ranked higher than the baseline model even when removing the nests that were very distant from conspecific nests (outliers). For these unexclosed nests, predation was the primary source of nest failure and crows and ravens were apparently the primary nest predators. Predator exclosures had a clear positive influence on nest survival. Even though we observed a positive exclosure effect, we recommend that they be used cautiously because we and others have observed adult mortality associated with exclosures. Regardless of the spatial scale, Snowy Plovers are primarily using nest sites with little vegetation, shell or woody material cover suggesting the need for large expanses of very sparsely or unvegetated habitats that allow birds to nest semi-colonially (with near neighbours).

In 1987 an action plan for the recovery of the European populations of Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii was launched. Intervention on the breeding grounds has included the wardening of sites to prevent human disturbance, the provision of nest-boxes to discourage predation, patrolling and controlling to reduce predator presence, planting of Lavatera arborea to shelter nesting birds, and use of the media to establish local interest and commitment. Intervention in the wintering area has focused on Ghana and the reduction there of trapping pressure, through the “Save the Seashore Birds Project-Ghana”, which has involved site protection, legal reform, training, surveys and education programmes.

Confiscated parrots are frequently introduced to captive populations in zoological institutions, regularly with insufficient health screening. This short communication describes a case where 25 confiscated parrots, from four different locations, were brought to the same zoological institution within two years, where they were kept under quarantine conditions. A year after the last birds arrived, several birds died due to either proventricular dilatation disease or herpesvirus infection. As all individuals belonged to rare species, the surviving birds were transferred to the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany, for thorough diagnostics including parrot bornavirus, psittacine herpesvirus 1, adenovirus, polyomavirus, circovirus, Chlamydia psittaci, and mycobacteria. Birds that tested negative for all pathogens were transferred to captive breeding programmes, whereas pathogen carriers were paired up in collections of a similar pathogen status. This case report highlights the dangers of latent infections with different pathogens and the importance of managed screening programmes if such populations are to be considered for conservation.

African White-backed Vultures were recently uplisted to ‘Critically Endangered’ by IUCN due to declines across their range. Poisoning is widely accepted as the major reason for these declines. Botswana supports a high number of this species (breeding pairs > c.1,200), but as yet no published information exists on their breeding success in the country. However, mass poisonings within Botswana and neighbouring countries have killed thousands of White-backed Vultures in recent years. We therefore expected that nesting numbers may have declined in this region if these poisoning events killed local breeding birds. We used information from aerial surveys conducted between 2006 and 2017 in Khwai and Linyanti, two important breeding areas for this species in north-central Botswana, to determine if there was any change in nesting numbers and breeding success of White-backed Vultures. Results showed an overall 53.5% decline in nesting numbers, with a greater decline in Linyanti than in Khwai. In both areas, breeding success was significantly lower in 2017 than it was 10 ten years earlier. We recommend that similar repeat surveys are continued to provide greater confidence in the trends of both nesting numbers and breeding performance. Population viability analysis suggested that if the productivity levels detected in 2017 were a true indication of current productivity levels for this population, and if recent high poisoning rates continue, this population could be extirpated from the area in the next 13 years.

A small colony of Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita breeding in the Syrian desert is the only wild remnant of the eastern population of this ‘Critically Endangered’ species. Since its discovery in 2002, the colony has not increased in size despite being protected on the breeding grounds and exhibiting good productivity until recently. Although it appears that the population is being limited during migration and/or wintering, maintaining maximum breeding productivity is a priority for saving this colony to offset poor survival away from Syria. The ibises have a large home range but forage at a relatively small number of sites within it, despite having access to larger areas of apparently suitable habitat. We sampled potential prey using transects, pitfall traps and searches under stones at sites used by the birds to compare with unused sites. Analysis showed that used sites were twice as rich in vertebrate and invertebrate prey than the surrounding areas. Prey levels halved over the course of the breeding season, but we found that they remained higher in the preferred locations compared with the unused areas. Sites closer to the breeding cliff tended to have lower levels of prey available, which perhaps explained the long commutes that the adults undertook when foraging.

This work highlights the vulnerability of the birds at this site. Degradation of the patches they use could reduce food supply below critical levels and alternative sites may be hard for the birds to identify, being relatively scarce. The birds are also vulnerable to shortening of the season in which adequate food is available. There is already little time post-fledging to prepare for migration. Low food availability later in the season makes the birds dependent on key resources found around local reservoirs and these have failed recently. Breeding failures in 2008 and 2009 may have been mitigated by improved feeding conditions on the breeding area. The successful management of the site for ibises should include measures to improve their food security through range management, and possibly reservoir rehabilitation.

The Rufous-throated Dipper Cinclus schulzi is endemic to the Southern Yungas of north-western Argentina and southern Bolivia. The species is categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List on the basis of small population size and restricted range. The purpose of our study was to determine the distribution of potentially suitable habitat for the Rufous-throated Dipper, estimate its population size, and assess potential distribution within strict protected areas, in north-western Argentina. We surveyed 44 rivers in the Southern Yungas of Argentina from 2010 to 2013 to determine dipper density (i.e. the number of individuals detected per km surveyed). The dipper’s potential distribution was assessed using a maximum entropy modeling approach based on 31 occurrence points and eight bioclimatic and two topographic variables as predictors. The species is dependent on mountain forest rivers, so the potential distribution was restricted to rivers. We estimated dipper population size by multiplying density by the potential distribution along rivers. Finally, we calculated the extent of suitable habitat contained within the boundaries of Argentina´s National Parks. Dipper density was 0.94 ± 1.55 individuals/km. We estimate that within north-west Argentina there are ~2,815 km of river that are potential habitat, with an area of occupancy of 141 km2 and a population size of 2,657 ± 4,355 dippers. However, of this river extent, less than 5% is within National Parks. Our results highlight the need to create new and to enlarge existing National Parks that protect the potentially suitable habitat of the species. Although more information is needed for Bolivia, the country-level area of occupancy and population size of the dipper found in Argentina provides strong evidence that the IUCN Red List classification of this species as ‘Vulnerable’ is warranted.

The Black-breasted Puffleg Eriocnemis nigrivestis is a hummingbird endemic to Ecuador and considered Critically Endangered, given its limited distribution, low population numbers, and ongoing habitat degradation. We investigated habitat use patterns using landscape and microhabitat variables. In addition, we explored a previously postulated competition hypothesis involving the Black-breasted Puffleg and the Gorgeted Sunangel Heliangelus strophianus. Our results suggest that landscape variables may play a role in the habitat selection process; specifically the distance to nearest forest border seems to have a significant effect on our habitat model. We speculate that, as the species is known to perform seasonal movements, the avoidance of forest border might reduce the physiological stress caused by altitudinal migration. At microhabitat level, Black-breasted Puffleg seems not sensitive to forest structure variables. Our findings suggest that ensuring forest tract connectivity, between the altitudinal extremes of the species’ range at the north-western flanks of the Pichincha volcano, might be crucial for survival of the species during its annual cycle. However, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) indicates that Black-breasted Puffleg and the Gorgeted Sunangel do not overlap spatially, but this finding is not conclusive considering our field observations.

The Azure-rumped Tanager Tangara cabanisi is a threatened species confined to the mountains of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in Mexico and neighbouring Guatemala. It occurs on the Pacific and Gulf slopes of the mountain range, but most frequently on the former between 1,000 and 1,700 m. The Azure-rumped Tanager's habitat is a medium height (about 30 m tall) humid evergreen broadleaf forest formation containing elements of both mesophilous forest of higher altitudes and tropical forests of the lowlands. Information from field surveys and more general data from vegetation maps was combined using a geographical information system package to extrapolate and predict distribution of potential Azure-rumped Tanager habitat in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. It is estimated that a maximum of 112,000 ha remain, although the total was probably never greater than 200,000 ha. Fortunately 43,660 ha (39%) of the maximum total is contained within the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, a newly decreed protected area that spans both the Pacific and Gulf slopes in the central portion of the mountain range. Most of the suitable habitat is found within the reserve's buffer zone, an area in which there are several small but expanding communities. The effective protection and future status of the species rests heavily on the conservation of this habitat within the reserve and essentially this depends on the collaboration in favour of conservation between the local people and the conservation managers and, ultimately, the development of viable land-use alternatives that are less damaging to the forest ecosystem.

Blakiston's Fish-owl Bubo blakistoni is classified as ‘Endangered’ by IUCN; this species is associated with riparian old-growth forests in north-east Asia, a landscape threatened by a variety of impacts (e.g. logging, agricultural development, human settlement). We examined a 20,213 km2 study area in Primorye, Russia, and assessed the ability of the protected area network to conserve Blakiston's Fish-owls by analysing resource selection of radio-marked individuals. Based on resource selection functions, we predicted that 60–65 Blakiston's fish-owl home ranges could occur within the study area. We found that the protected area network within our study area contained only 19% of optimal Blakiston's fish-owl habitat and contained only eight potential home ranges (five of these within a single protected area—Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve). We also found that 43% of optimal Blakiston's Fish-owl habitat was within current logging leases; lands capable of supporting habitat equivalent to 24 home ranges. The remaining optimal habitat (38%) was on federal land and potentially contained 28–33 Blakiston's Fish-owl home ranges. The current protected area network, by itself, is not sufficient to conserve the species because relatively few home ranges are actually protected. Therefore, outside of protected areas, we recommend protecting specific locations within potential home ranges that likely contain suitable nest and foraging sites, maintaining integrity of riparian areas, modifying road construction methods, and closing old and unused logging roads to reduce anthropogenic disturbance to the owls and the landscape.

We present a response to Dowsett-Lemaire et al. regarding their contention that there is a “new threat” posed by scientific collecting in Malawi and elsewhere.

The montane forests of western Cameroon are well known for their endemic birds. The most northerly such forests probably occur on Mt Tchabal Mbabo, where a preliminary survey of the avifauna in 1990 found 12 montane species, of which six represented significant range extensions, among them the threatened Ploceus bannermani. Given the increasing human pressures on other montane forests in Cameroon, Mt Tchabal Mbabo may be attractive for future conservation because of its comparative lack of human disturbance. Densities of indigenous people are low and there is a lack of significant hunting and firewood-gathering, the precipitous nature of the northern slope makes human intrusions difficult, and the lack of human disturbance may mean that local animal populations are stable.

Les forêts d'altitude de l'ouest du Cameroun sont bien connues pour leurs populations endémiques d'oiseaux. Les forêts les plus au nord sont celles du Mont Tchabal Mbabo, où un recensement préliminaire de la faune aviaire en 1990 a révélé 12 espèces, dont six avaient une aire de répartition relativement grande, y compris l'espèce menacée Ploceus bannermani. Etant donné l'accroissement des pressions humaines sur les autres forêts d'altitude au Cameroun, le Mont Tchabal Mbabo pourrait se réveler intéressant pour des programmes de conservation futurs, compte tenu d'une perturbation humaine relativement inexistante. Les densités de population indigène y sont faibles, et la chasse ainsi que le ramassage du bois pour les besoins domestiques ne sont pas significatifs. Les pentes abruptes du nord rendent difficile toute intrusion humaine, et l'absence de perturbations dues à l'homme pourrait signifier la stabilité des populations animales locales.

The effective conservation management of vulnerable taxa requires up-to-date evaluation of population size. Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus is a farmland raptor of high conservation concern and threatened by agricultural intensification. However, within many European countries, including Poland, the status of this species remains unknown or questionable and information on its breeding is incomplete or imprecise. Here, we estimate the size of the national population of the Montagu’s Harrier and argue that using data from multiple sources may help to design national bird surveys and better contribute to identifying population trends. We built a predictive model based on a presence-absence data obtained by volunteer-based citizen-science projects conducted in Poland during 2000–2012. Afterwards, from the set of 10 km x 10 km squares of high predicted habitat suitability, 100 sampling plots were randomly chosen and regularly surveyed by experienced ornithologists in 2013 and 2014. The evaluation of fieldwork efficiency by the double-observer approach allowed detectability to be estimated and accounted for while estimating population size. We estimated the Polish Montagu’s Harrier population at almost 3,400 breeding pairs (95% CI: 2,700–4,300), thus constituting 20% of the European Union (EU) population. Furthermore, we showed that public-gathered data originating from multiple sources offered great potential for regular surveys to obtain large-scale estimates of population size.

In 1991 a survey was conducted in the Marquesas Islands to determine the current range and population size of the Ultramarine Lory Vini ultramarina. A total of 313 birds were counted, restricted to one island, Ua Huka. A translocation program was initiated to capture and relocate birds to a less disturbed island. Fatu Hiva, an island within the historical range of the species, was chosen to establish a second population. This island still supports suitable habitat and does not have a resident population of Rattus rattus, which may have contributed to the decline of the species on Nuka Hiva and Ua Pou. Increased agriculture, grazing herbivores, bees, and banana plant disease may have also contributed to the decline.

Long-wattled Umbrellabirds Cephalopterus penduliger are restricted to the Chocó Biogeographical Region, an area with exceptional levels of avian diversity and endemism. Due to widespread habitat loss and hunting pressure, the species is considered globally Vulnerable and Endangered within Ecuador. Little is known of the species' basic biology. This paper presents data on the first confirmed nest recorded for the species. The nest was found in June 2002 atop a tree fern Cyathea sp. located in secondary forest near Mindo, north-west Ecuador, at 1,600 m in the subtropical zone of the Andean slope. Data collected during incubation and nestling provisioning suggest that females may be responsible for all parental care. At the nest, the female provided food an average of once per hour, and brought roughly twice as many invertebrate food items as vertebrate or regurgitated food items. A male was never seen at the nest. In addition to presenting data from the nest, we compare Long-wattled Umbrellabirds to congeners and discuss implications for the conservation of this species.

In developing countries, ‘land sparing’ may be more effective than ‘land sharing’ in partially mitigating the impacts of farming on bird species diversity. We examined the pattern of change in the global and local distribution of Hinde’s Babbler Turdoides hindei, a ‘Vulnerable’ Kenyan endemic whose local abundance is dependent on a passive form of land sharing, in which farmland is left fallow or abandoned, enabling Lantana scrub to colonise. In 2011 we assessed the species’ global range and resurveyed three IBAs, surveyed previously in 2000–2001, to determine whether fine-scale changes in abundance reflected temporal changes in habitat quality. Although the babbler’s known range increased between 1900–1970 and 1991–2011, we suggest that this apparent expansion largely reflects an improved knowledge base, and that several recently discovered sites are likely to have been overlooked in the past. In combination, the three IBAs surveyed in 2000-2001 and 2011 showed little net change in the number of individuals (+1.3%) or groups (-3.8%) encountered, despite a 68% decline in the number individuals recorded at one site. Within 1-km transect sections there was a positive correlation between change in Hinde’s Babbler abundance and change in the amount of scrub cover available, such that a reduction in scrub cover of 22 and 6 percentage points, respectively, was associated with the loss of one group or one individual. The availability of scrub cover was dependent mainly on the amount land left uncultivated, perhaps in response to changes in the value of coffee and other crops. Since the babbler’s abundance thus currently depends mainly on land sharing by default, rather than by design, we suggest that a more proactive approach, involving land purchase or payments for land set aside, might help to secure its future.

The Great Bustard Otis tarda is a globally threatened species with populations inhabiting the steppe zones of Turkey. In recent decades, its populations in Turkey have suffered severe declines in range and size. Although the remaining populations are in urgent need of protection, there has been no national-scale study on the species since 2009, and huge information gaps remain concerning its range, abundance, and movements in the country. Here, we combined data from five years of fieldwork together with all available sight and literature records to present up-to-date estimates of distribution and population size in Turkey, to better understand its movement patterns, to reveal its recent and historical population changes, and to assess its national extinction risk and threats. We find that the species’ breeding population has shrunk by 20–29% over the last five years, and there are only 559–780 breeding Great Bustards in Turkey distributed in two discrete subpopulations. Comparison with historical records shows that the species’ range has shrunk by at least 60% since the beginning of the 20th century. We suggest possible migratory routes within and through Turkey and that Turkey might have a higher regional importance for the species than previously thought. Illegal hunting, agricultural intensification, shift to irrigated crops, overgrazing, collision with powerlines, and disturbance are the most severe threats to the species in Turkey. Our national Red List assessment yields an Endangered categorisation. Further studies are needed to understand the metapopulation structure and movements of the species and to conserve its remaining populations in Turkey.

The Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus breeds across a large portion of eastern Asia. One subspecies, L. c. superciliosus, is primarily endemic to Japan and was historically abundant throughout its breeding range. However, both local- and broad-scale studies documented a drastic population decline between the 1970s and 1990s, and the status of the taxon is currently unavailable in Japan. We conducted a nationwide survey to estimate the current population size and breeding range of this subspecies within Japan. We further compared our findings to the historical breeding ranges through a literature review. The total population size was estimated at 149 breeding pairs, and the current breeding range was estimated at 6,800 km2, indicating a 90.9% range contraction over the past century. Our study highlights the urgency of protecting remaining breeding habitats and establishing effective conservation strategies for L. c. superciliosus.

Previous research on the catastrophic decline of the Gyps species complex has identified diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug administered to livestock, as the primary cause. Large-scale climatic phenomena, such as ENSO-induced drought, however have not been examined. Based on time series analysis of annual count data, 1996–2005, we provide evidence that ENSO synchronised population dynamics throughout western Rajasthan. Here, we ask whether El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can also explain the population dynamics of the Critically Endangered Indian Vulture Gyps indicus. We attribute this impact largely to two La Niña events, including the major event spanning 1999. We also examine between-village variation in resident vulture populations. Our results suggest that in several villages, Indian Vulture populations may have been partially buffered from the negative effects of drought when compared to other villages in the study. Finally, we discuss potential causes of buffering in these villages.