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Biodiversity varies worldwide and is influenced by multiple factors, such as environmental stability and past historical events (e.g. Panama Isthmus). At the same time, organisms with unique life histories (e.g. parasites) are subject to unique selective pressures that structure their diversity patterns. Parasites represent one of the most successful life strategies, impacting, directly and indirectly, ecosystems by cascading effects on host fitness and survival. Here, I focused on a highly diverse, prevalent and cosmopolitan group of parasites (avian haemosporidians) to investigate the main drivers (e.g. host and environmental features) of regional parasite diversity on a global scale. To do so, I compiled data from 4 global datasets on (i) avian haemosporidian (malaria and malaria-like) parasites, (ii) bird species diversity, (iii) avian functional traits and (iv) climate data. Then, using generalized least square models, I evaluated the effect of host and environmental features on haemosporidian diversity. I found that haemosporidian diversity mirrors host regional diversity and that higher host body mass increases haemosporidian diversity. On the other hand, climatic conditions had no effect on haemosporidian diversity in any model. When evaluating Leucocytozoon parasites separately, I found parasite diversity was boosted by a higher proportion of migratory hosts. In conclusion, I demonstrated that haemosporidian parasite diversity is intrinsically associated with their hosts' diversity and body mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the winter observation of birds on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein. In particular, it focuses on the observation of geese, waders, earlarks, twites, snow buntings, rock pipits, turnstones, dunlins, and sanderlings. It is also mentioned that the occurrence of some bird species has changed over time, possibly due to climate change. The article emphasizes the beauty and diversity of bird observation on the west coast in winter. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a study conducted on bird diversity in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The researchers used citizen science and satellite data to investigate bird diversity patterns inside and outside the park. They found that the bird communities outside the park were different from those inside, but both areas had similar numbers of species and functional diversity. The presence of infrastructure inside the park negatively impacted bird diversity, while tree cover negatively affected phylogenetic diversity. The study highlights the importance of protected areas in conserving bird diversity and raises questions about the impact of human activities on bird populations. [Extracted from the article]

The Sky Islands boast all our "mountain" warblers, most of our hummingbird jewels, and, of course, Elegant Trogon, the Holy Grail for many first-timers. Three species of jay and three species of vireo may be seen along this stretch, along with many of the mountain warblers. Lucifer Hummingbird, a purple-throated member of a group of hummingbird species called "sheartails", is a bird of northern and central Mexico. The Sky Islands boast all our "mountain" warblers, most of our hummingbird jewels, and, of course, Elegant Trogon, the Holy Grail for many first-timers. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on bird observations and rare species sightings in several protected areas in Germany, including Helgoland, Nordfriesland, Neuwerk, and Greifswalder Oie. It highlights the unique bird species composition and reports on the sighting of rare and migratory birds, such as Emberiza pusilla, Anthus hodgsoni, Phylloscopus proregulus, and Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus. It also mentions the presence of Fahlsegler, Tschuktschenstelze, and other rare species in the region.

The article focuses on leveraging citizen science and satellite data to explore bird diversity in the Kruger National Park and its surrounding areas. Topics include the rarity of required environmental data for large-scale biogeographical studies, the challenges of utilizing citizen science data to compare bird communities inside and outside the park, and surprising findings about the impact of infrastructure and environmental factors on bird diversity patterns.

The article offers information about the hobby of bird listening, where people listen to birds' songs and calls. It highlights the diversity of birds, their singing abilities, and the reasons behind their vocalizations. It encourages curiosity and observation of birds' behaviors, noting that not all birds sing, but they all communicate through various calls and sounds.

The 2024 Mega Bowl of CT, an annual birding event, took place with 20 teams and 60 birders participating. The teams birded within a 5-mile radius or an entire county, and notable species were observed, including rare birds such as the Harlequin Duck and Rufous Hummingbird. The event also raised over $1,000 in donations for various conservation organizations. The Mega Bowl aims to promote birding, preserve habitats, and ensure the continued existence of bird species. The COA (Connecticut Ornithological Association) also supports birding through its programs, workshops, and field trips. [Extracted from the article]

I know you'll find your yard to be a great way to get started with bird photography, and I hope that someday we'll see your backyard bird images on the pages of books and magazines, too! He travels far and wide to photograph birds and also takes bird photos from the comfort of his yard and the yards of friends. As the day starts, I'm sitting quietly in my photo blind waiting for a great bird photography opportunity to happen. Through the years of my career as a bird photographer, I have met many aspiring bird photographers during my travels. [Extracted from the article]

The William P. Wharton Trust is a grant program that supports projects focused on the conservation, study, and appreciation of nature in New England, with a particular emphasis on Massachusetts. The Trust provides grants of up to $15,000 and has two application deadlines each year, on March 15 and September 15. The objectives of the Trust include the conservation of renewable resources, land acquisitions for conservation purposes, improving environmental quality and species diversity, bird and forestry research and management, and fostering an appreciation for wildlife and natural systems. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on Paddling Adventures on New York's Legendary Canals.

In the article, the author discusses the highlights of the bird observations at the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club (OFNC) study region in Ontario in 2021. Also cited are the five-year Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas project, the use by artists of bird species like the Louisiana Waterthrush in their paintings and other artworks, and the birds added to the cumulative regional list like the Willow Ptarmigan, Slaty-backed gull, and Northern Pintail.

The article reports on Tinseltown has provided a helping hand to the tourism trade in Andean Colombia's Cocora Valley and in doing so is helping give the verdant area an even greener hue. It mentions that the lofty valley appeared in the 2021 Disney animated movie Encanto, which those involved in the local tourism trade say has provided widespread exposure for that part of Colombia and attracted more visitors.

"Darwin devotes four full chapters to birds and cites at least 170 species", Futuyma points out. Futuyma, an evolutionary biologist who is the author of textbooks on the subject, is out to inspire, and his new offering more than makes up in sheer wonder what it might lack in an easy and seductive narrative. Views Book How Birds Evolve Douglas Futuyma Princeton University Press THE delight is in the detail of a new evolutionary history of birds, as is some of the devilry - for this isn't a light read. [Extracted from the article]

The amazing diversity of plumage and display behavior of birds of paradise have evolved through sexual selection, reminding us of the power of female mate choice in shaping the beauty of birds. The diversity of birds continues to amaze us. In an entrancing collection, Birds (Abrams, November 2, 2021), photographer Tim Flach invites us to wonder anew at avian diversity - capturing with his camera aweinspiring images of natural phenomena that I explore in the book's accompanying text. [Extracted from the article]

FEATURES One bird's distinctive voice punctuated the morning's natural soundtrack. A TASTE FOR BANANAS The birds appeared to be addicted to bananas. When mature bananas once coaxed four wood-rails into easy view, the birds rotated shifts, approaching the bananas and leaping up to the ripest cluster. The region's many bird species include Barred Puffbird (right), an uncommon bird that occurs in Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador. [Extracted from the article]

The article explores avian research, monitoring, and outreach at Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge. Work at RMNWR provides a unique example of a working partnership between multiple NGOs, federal agencies, and universities. Past collaborative research between Colorado State University, RMNWR, and New Mexico Highlands University investigated the effect of bison, cattle on grassland bird community metrics in the summers of 2016-2017.

The article discusses that Fall migration and birding are lifting people up during the pandemic and social change. Topics discussed include birding has never existed in a vacuum apart from society, and right now the health crisis and social movements happening around the world are intersecting with birding in interesting ways; and the great horned owls she'd seen there in February and red-shouldered hawks had mostly left the snag by March, 2020.

FEATURES More than 90 percent of birds appear to be monogamous, in that males and females form pair-bonds and raise chicks together. Blue tit chicks sired by extra-pair males survive better than their half siblings, and extra-pair bluethroat (Luscinia sve-cica) chicks have stronger immune systems. An equal number of male and female chicks hatch out of eggs, but, for reasons that are not entirely clear, more male offspring make into adulthood, resulting in an excess of males, all of whom find it relatively hard to find a new mate. Black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) that have to find a new partner have higher stress levels and raise fewer chicks than those that stick with a long-term mate, even if some of their chicks are the products of infidelity. [Extracted from the article]

In this article the author talks about the survey of birds and butterflies of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve. Topics discussed include the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR), Selangor, in an announcement by the Selangor Forestry Department on 5 February 2020, was slotted for degazettement; and the areas surveyed consisted of peat swamp forest in the lower lying area and dryland forest further inside, and the peat swamp forest appears to be drier than normal.

FEATURES Sunrise on Big Bald Mountain slices through a brooding sky as gray as catbirds. Hopey chooses nets with the smallest mesh to catch the highest diversity of birds. I savored every bird - a Hooded Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warblers, a Black-throated Green Warbler, lively Gray Catbirds, those ubiquitous Dark-eyed Juncos (Slate-colored), and of course the Tufted Titmouse duo. PHOTO (COLOR): AT HOME AMONG BIRDS: Ornithologist Mark Hopey and his student Jesse Szemkus work at a bird-banding table on the mountain. [Extracted from the article]

STEVE BEISSINGER KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT famed naturalist Joseph Grinnell was doing on June 2, 1932: He was hiking a ridge near Lagunitas, California, with his wife, Hilda. Grinnell's surveyors were unquestionably more methodical than their peers, but the procedure Iknayan and the rest of the team followed was even more regimented, and repeated exactly the same way at every site across California. Instead she joined Beissinger and her fellow students in parsing their observations to discover how birds have responded to the landscape transformations, higher temperatures, and altered precipitation patterns that have come about since Grinnell walked the Earth. Beissinger suspects Grinnell would have enjoyed this modern endeavor: "He'd have been hell on wheels with a computer because he was such a workaholic". [Extracted from the article]

Australia is home to a high number of native bird species, with 45% of the approximately 850 species found in the country being unique to Australia. This is second only to Indonesia in terms of endemic species. The diversity of Australian birds can be attributed to the country's climate, which has experienced periods of drying and wetting over millions of years. These climate fluctuations have led to the evolution of separate bird species in different habitats. Additionally, Australia's isolation and unique climate conditions have prevented the migration of birds from other continents, resulting in a one-way traffic of bird species from Australia to other parts of the world. The tough and adaptable nature of Australian birds has also contributed to their success and popularity, with species like budgerigars, cockatiels, and zebra finches being well-suited to Australia's arid conditions. While some bird species are shared with New Guinea, most of Australia's birds are found only in Australia and require conservation efforts to protect their habitats. [Extracted from the article]

AMENITIES Bird walks held first Saturday of the month (except for July), 8-10:30 a.m. Details and park checklist at forestparkforever.org/ birding-programs. Spring and summer bring swallows, warblers, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and Black-headed Grosbeak. Cannon Beach Settling Ponds CANNON BEACH, OREGON 45°53'53.29"N 123°57'26.82"W Sitting just a few blocks from the beach, the Cannon Beach Settling Ponds provide freshwater and forest habitats away from the bustle of this charming coastal village. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the summary of research presentations at the fall 2019 SDOU meeting. It mentions that the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR), riverine sandbars created by periodic floods are initially used by two federally listed bird species the Interior Least Tern and the Piping Plover; and these sandbars also provide opportunities for recruitment and establishment of early successional cottonwood-willow forest.

For more information on this research see: Bird Diversity in Paddy Field Habitats During The Paddy Ripening Phase (Oryza sativa L.) Jurong Peujeura Village, Aceh Besar Regency, Indonesia. The Shannon-Wiener bird species diversity index in the paddy field area during paddy ripening phase was obtained H'=1.24 which indicates the level of diversity of the bird species is moderate.". [Extracted from the article]

The article informs that the Postal Department of India has featured the diversity of bird species in India on postage stamps. It is noted that on the eve of Children's Day in 1966, a stamp was issued depicting a pigeon which was represented as an apostle of peace and harmony. It is noted that in 1967, a stamp was issued in the memory of Acharya Nandlal Bose, one of the greatest painters of India, depicting a caricature of the eagle.

Each of these territories offers visiting nature photographers imposing sceneries accentuated by their biodiversity - especially by the variety of bird species. This season is particularly thrilling for birdwatchers and bird photographers because many birds are still taking care of their offspring. Parrots breed and feed on the grounds of the hotel, in addition to toucans, hummingbirds, tanagers and several other bird species. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the 2018 Spring Seasonal Report released by College of Arts and Sciences, Dakota State University. It notes several species that reported during spring season including Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Ross's Goose, Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan, and Wood Duck. It also notes the species that were expected but not reported including Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, and Long-tailed Duck.

The article presents an analysis of the 1935-1937 bird records collected by George Levin from a farm at Hereford, Meade in South Dakota (SD). Topics discussed include data of birds associated with Black Hills, SD's coniferous forest occurring on prairie; data related to the birds rare for west-central South Dakota and that are early or late migrants; and other regional surveys such as the Badlands, Black Hills and western prairies, the Pine Ridge Reservation, and the Harding County.

We compared the migrant bird community of reedbeds in Hong Kong under two different management regimes--a permanently inundated reedbed and one that was kept dry from September until May--by mist-netting at the two sites simultaneously during southward migration (September-December) over four years. Overall there was no difference between the wet and dry conditions in terms of the total number of individuals trapped or diversity of species, but habitat preferences were observed for certain species and foraging guilds. Insectivorous and piscivorous species were trapped more often in the wet reed stand, whereas granivorous species were trapped more often in the dry reed stand. Among five reedbed-dependent passerine species that were considered to be of particular interest in our study, four species (Black-browed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps, White-browed Reed Warbler A. tangorum, Oriental Reed Warbler A. orientalis and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola) were trapped significantly more often in the wet reed stand, whereas Chinese Penduline Tit Remiz consobr'mus showed no preference for the wet or dry conditions. We recommend that reedbed bird diversity at this site would benefit from a long-term plan to excavate and regenerate reed stands on a cyclical basis over a number of years to maintain a mosaic of wet and dry reedbed habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the various sea bird species found in places like Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, San Francisco, California, and Algoa Bay, South Africa. It mentions the dangers faced by sea birds from fishing method known as gillnetting. The other topics discussed includes decreasing population of seabirds, biggest threat of sea birds on land, and impact of commercial fishing on the population of seabirds.

The article presents the author's childhood memories of picture books with vivid illustrations and complex themes. The author reminisces about a particular book featuring a man who wanted to become part of a flock of tropical birds to escape his mundane life. It also compares the maximalist style of older books with the minimalist and repetitive style of modern children's books.

ON THE RIGHT SPRING morning you might see Liza Grotelueschen walk the edge of a blackened grassland, stamping out any lingering embers. Grotelueschen is a member of the Loess Canyons Rangeland Alliance (LCRA), a cooperative burn association made up of 75 landowners who share time and equipment to save their disappearing grasslands. Grotelueschen and her neighbors began carefully restoring fire to the landscape after seeing the march of woody species displace prairie plants that feed wildlife and livestock alike. [Extracted from the article]

This suggests that birds such as house sparrows, which visit feeders with simple designs that can be accessed by most birds, contribute to pathogen transmission risks for nectar-eating birds and, possibly, people. Attracting nectar-feeding birds Sugar water serves as an alternative supplementary food for nectar-sipping birds such as tui, korimako/bellbirds and tauhou/silvereye. [Extracted from the article]

Sri Lanka has high avifaunal diversity but pelagic seabirds are the least studied group due to the constraints of conducting dedicated surveys at sea. Most early seabird records were from sightings at coastal viewpoints and the occasional stranding but, in the last few decades, some data have been collected opportunistically during boat-based cetacean surveys around Sri Lanka. This even resulted in the addition of new species to Sri Lanka's bird list, indicating that cetacean surveys could become important platforms of opportunity for seabird observation. In 2008 we initiated the first joint cetacean and seabird survey off southwestern Sri Lanka, using compatible survey methodologies. The avifaunal results from this study are presented and discussed here. The benefits of the combined survey are also highlighted to show how such replicable surveys can become a useful model for seabird studies in developing countries where resources are limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both species are endangered, both are locally common nesters in the oak-juniper habitat of Texas's Hill Country, and my wife and I had not seen either species well in our many Texas birding travels. FROM THE EXPERTS HOTSPOTS NEAR YOU 30°26'44.96"N 99°48'14.65"W I first learned of South Llano River State Park when I heard a birder mention Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler in the same sentence. Spring-summer nesters: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Bell's, Black-capped, and other vireos, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-throated, Golden-cheeked, and other warblers, buntings, orioles. [Extracted from the article]