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White‐rumped vultures (Gyps bengalensis) are critically endangered species, and protecting their habitats, particularly the nesting trees, may have a positive impact on their reproductive success. For a better understanding of vultures' habitat needs, the characteristics of nesting trees should be accounted. In this paper, we compare the characteristics of the trees that have vultures' nests and that do not by randomly select a control tree within a 10 m radius of the nesting tree. We extensively searched and monitored the white‐rumped vultures' nests, nesting trees, and nesting tree species in Nepal between 2002 and 2022, and measured the characteristics of sampled trees such as their height, girth, canopy spread, branching orders, and whorls. We recorded 1161 nests of white‐rumped vulture in total on 194 trees belonging to 19 species over the past two decades. White‐rumped vultures preferred the kapok trees (Bombax ceiba) for nest construction than other tree species (χ2 = 115.38, df = 1, p <.001) as 66.49% of nests were built on them. In the logistic regression model, the number of whorls on a tree, canopy spread, and the height of the first branch determined whether a nest was present or absent on a tree. These results help to prioritize the tree attributes in a habitat conservation plan for vultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonial nesting waterbirds in agricultural landscapes have historically received limited research attention, especially in South Asia. For example, the Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans) is a colonial species that extensively utilizes agricultural landscapes, yet there is a notable lack of substantial studies despite increasing urbanization across these landscapes. We investigated the factors affecting the breeding ecology of Asian openbills in eastern Nepal. We used a grid‐based approach to locate stork colonies and monitored them throughout the breeding season from May to November for three consecutive years (2020–2022). Altogether, we observed a total of 67 active colonies, comprising 4020 active nests, which successfully fledged a total of 7566 chicks. Additionally, most of the colonies were located within areas of human settlements (40%), followed by community forests (33%) and agricultural land (27%). The Asian openbills primarily preferred large trees, such as Bombax ceiba (72%), for nesting. The mean height of nesting trees was approximately 4 m taller, the diameter at breast height was twice as large, and the canopy cover area was three times greater than that of non‐nesting trees. The canopy cover area of trees positively influenced the colony size, while colony size positively influenced the fledgling's success. Our study underscores the significance of large trees in providing sufficient space for accommodating a substantial number of openbill nests and fledglings. These findings have significant implications for conservation efforts to protect large trees along with wetlands and agricultural lands, as crucial measures to ensure the sustainable breeding of this nationally vulnerable species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparisons of plant traits between native and invasive congeners are useful approaches for identifying characteristics that promote invasiveness. We compared germination patterns and seedling growth of locally sympatric populations of native Mimosa himalayana and two varieties of invasive M. diplotricha (var. diplotricha and var. inermis) growing in southeastern Nepal. Seeds were germinated under a 12‐h photoperiod or complete dark, low (25/15°C day/night) and high (30/20°C) temperatures, different water stress levels (0, −0.1, −0.25, −0.5, −0.75 and −1.0 MPa), and soil depths (0, 2, and 4 cm). Plant height, biomass allocations, and relative growth rate (RGR) of seedlings were measured. Invasive M. diplotricha had higher germination percentage, rate, and shorter germination time compared with the native species. Germination of both congeners declined as water stress increased, but the decline was more pronounced in native species. Seedling emergence declined with increasing depth in all taxa. The seedlings of invasive species were taller with higher leaf number and allocated greater proportion of biomass to shoot, whereas the native congener allocated greater biomass to root. The RGR was nearly twice as high in invasive species as it was in the native congener. Seedling height and number of leaves were always higher in invasive than in native species, and the native–invasive differences increased over time. Better germination and higher growth performance of invasive species than the congeneric native one suggests that seed germination and seedling growth can be useful traits for the prediction of species' invasiveness in their introduced range during risk assessment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on prey selection and the diet of the leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is essential for leopard conservation. We conducted an investigation into the prey species and the proportion of each species in the leopard's diet in a human‐dominated mid‐hill region of Nepal. The analysis of 96 leopard scats collected between August 2020 and March 2021 revealed that leopards consumed 15 prey species, including small‐ and medium‐sized mammals and livestock. In addition to these prey species, we also found plastic materials, bird feathers, and some unidentified items in the leopard scats. Wild ungulates (such as barking deer, Muntiacus muntjak and wild boar, Sus scrofa) constituted only 10% of the biomass in the scats, while livestock contributed 27%, and other wild prey contributed 50%. Among all species, domestic goats had the highest relative biomass in the scats, followed by the jungle cat (Felis chaus), domestic dog (Canis familiaris), and large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha). Similarly, the Indian hare (Lepus nigricollis) had the highest proportion of relative individuals present in the scat samples, followed by the jungle cat and the large Indian civet. A lower proportion of biomass from wild ungulates in the leopard's diet and a higher dependency of the leopard on domestic prey and other wild prey indicate a shortage of medium‐sized wild prey, such as barking deer and wild boar, in leopard habitats. Therefore, the conservation of wild prey species, especially medium‐sized prey, is crucial for reducing the leopard's dependence on livestock and mitigating human‐leopard conflicts in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]