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Increasing in human population causes expansion of urban areas, which threatens forest lands and the biodiversity they harbor. Greenspaces act a critical role maintaining bird diversity within urban areas. Here, we evaluated the effect of spatial characteristics of urban greenspaces on bird species richness to identify the role of greenspace design on bird diversity in Mexico City's Metropolitan Area. We collected data on bird species richness residing in 44 greenspaces and quantified abiotic, biotic and dispersal attributes of each site. These attributes include size, degree of urbanization within and around the greenspace, vegetation cover, distance between sampled greenspaces, distance to nearby greenspace, distance to the closest natural vegetation patch, distance to city center and distance to periphery of the city. We used Generalized Linear Models to determine the effect of spatial characteristics of urban greenspaces on bird species richness. We then built matrices of beta diversity between greenspaces and assessed bird taxonomic dissimilarity via multivariate Bray-Curtis cluster analysis. Our results showed that bird species richness varies between greenspaces. However, species richness was not correlated with spatial characteristics or biotic attributes (P > 0.05), and we only found marginal correlations between built cover within the greenspace and richness of resident species (P = 0.065) and waterbird species (P = 0.070). Taxonomic similarity between greenspaces was correlated with distance between sampled greenspaces (P < 0.05), however, some dispersal attributes showed no significant effect, such as distance to periphery of the city and distance to the closest natural vegetation patch. Our resultssuggest that distances from areas with greater natural vegetation cover to the innermost parts of the city were too short to function as constraints on the ability of birds to disperse to and colonize urban greenspaces. Our study provides further support for the importance of greenspaces as refuges for conservation of bird diversity in urban areas and shows how urban greenspaces are being used by different bird species within a constantly growing urban landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: African tropical regions have a remarkably high bird diversity, yet few studies have tried to unravel the presence of blood parasites in birds found in conservation areas. Knowing which blood parasites are present will help us to prepare for potential disease outbreaks. We test the hypothesis that conservation regions have a high diversity of parasites. Molecular methods were used to screen 1035 blood samples from 55 bird species for blood infections on sites inside and adjacent to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Overall, 28.41% of birds were found infected with at least one type of blood parasites. Bird malaria of the type Haemoproteus and Plasmodium was found in 17.39% and 4.64% of the birds respectively. Leucocytozoon blood parasite was found in 9.24% of birds. One hundred distinct blood parasite types were detected, of which 56 were new types. Similar bird malaria (Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) infections were found in closely related birds, while Leucocytozoon was found in almost every bird type. Sites with a high bird diversity also had a high parasite diversity. These findings provide insight of how birds can gradually survive their blood parasite infections. Afrotropical regions have high bird diversity, yet few studies have attempted to unravel the prevalence of avian haemosporidia in conservation areas. The diversity and host specificity of parasites in biodiversity hotspots is crucial to understanding parasite distribution and potential disease emergence. We test the hypothesis that biodiverse regions are associated with highly diverse parasites. By targeting the cytochrome b (Cytb) gene, we molecularly screened 1035 blood samples from 55 bird species for avian haemosporidia infections to determine its prevalence and diversity on sites inside and adjacent to the Kruger National Park. Overall infection prevalence was 28.41%. Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon, and Plasmodium presented prevalences of 17.39%, 9.24%, and 4.64%, respectively. One hundred distinct parasite lineages were detected, of which 56 were new lineages. Haemoproteus also presented the highest diversity compared to Leucocytozoon and Plasmodium with varying levels of specificity. Haemoproteus lineages were found to be specialists while Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon lineages were generalists. We also found a positive relationship between avian host diversity and parasite diversity, supporting an amplification effect. These findings provide insight data for host–parasite and co-evolutionary relationship models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen science data on biodiversity has experienced significant growth, largely driven by advancements in technology that facilitate data sharing. In recent years, mobile applications have provided a substantial boost to both the collection and sharing of this data. While this accessible information is undoubtedly valuable, we must consider the numerous biases present in this data when used for high-quality research. In this study, we analyse citizen science data for the birds of the Iberian Peninsula, comprising over 23 million unique records after filtering for duplicates (i.e., instances where the same observation was uploaded more than once). Using a 10 × 10 km square grid, we present information on well-surveyed cells (completeness) as well as temporal, taxonomic, geographical, and land use coverages. We found that the completeness of information is generally high, with better coverage around densely populated areas such as major cities and coastal regions, as well as popular birding destinations, which are frequently visited. The Mediterranean ecoregion and wetlands exhibit the highest levels of surveying. Furthermore, we observed an increase in temporal coverage since the 1980s and broad taxonomic coverage across all bird orders in the Iberian region. Our results underscore the utility of citizen science for many locations, as expressed in 10 × 10 km cells. However, they also highlight the inadequate data completeness across part of the territory, particularly in forested or sparsely inhabited areas. These findings not only identify cells suitable for bird diversity or conservation studies but also indicate areas where citizen-driven bird recording efforts should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird monitoring is an important approach to studying the diversity and abundance of birds, especially during migration, as it can provide core data for bird conservation purposes. The previous methods for bird number estimation are largely based on manual counting, which suffers from low throughput and a high error rate. In this study, we aimed to provide an alternative bird-counting method from video datasets by using five available ImageJ methods: Particle Analyzer, Find Maxima, Watershed segmentation, TrackMate, and trainable WEKA segmentation. The numbers of birds and their XY coordinates were extracted from videos to conduct a side-by-side comparison with the manual counting results, and the three important criteria of the sensitivity, precision, and F1 score were calculated for the performance evaluation. From the tests, which we conducted for four different cases with different bird numbers or flying patterns, TrackMate had the best overall performance for counting birds and pinpointing their locations, followed by Particle Analyzer, Find Maxima, WEKA, and lastly, Watershed, which showed low precision in most of the cases. In summary, five ImageJ-based counting methods were compared in this study, and we validated that TrackMate obtains the best performance for bird counting and detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, we explore the understanding of habitat complexity influencing the bird community with a special focus on Malaysia's recent case studies. Malaysia is one of the mega-diverse countries because it is gifted with the beauty of biodiversity. However, biodiversity resources are greatly affected by human activities such as mining operations, agricultural expansion, timber extraction, and hunting activity. In bird ecological research, habitat complexity is crucial because it affects biodiversity overall within species interactions and resource availability by evaluating environmental features including floristic composition and habitat heterogeneity. The positive relationship between habitat complexity and species diversity has been extensively documented. Complex habitats provide a variety of resources and niches, allowing different species to coexist. However, the advanced research methodologies, long-term monitoring, and a more nuanced understanding of the specific ecological processes influencing bird populations should be well emphasized. This review intends to fill in the gaps by critically analyzing potential conservation management strategies that might be adopted to increase habitat connectivity and minimize the negative effects of habitat loss on bird community structures in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tidal flats provide critical habitat for migratory waterbird species; however, populations of migratory waterbirds have significantly declined due to tidal flat loss and degradation caused by human activities, particularly in Asia. Gochang getbol is one of tidal flats located on the southwest coast of South Korea and a center of clam production. Using bird monitoring data collected at five zones (zone1 to zone5) established across Gochang getbol and near coastal area, we examined distribution patterns of migratory bird diversity and conservation-related species along the coast of Gochang getbol. The intensity of human activity ‒ mudflat culture (mostly bivalve) and aquaculture was relatively high at zone2 and zone3, occupying > 30% of 2km circular area surrounding most sample points of these zones. Zone1 and particularly zone4 contained more natural/semi-natural habitats (less disturbed mudflats and wetlands) and zone5 had smallest mudflat than others. Shannon diversity, species richness, and abundance of migratory birds differed between zones (Anova test, P ≤ 0.02) except Shannon diversity in winter. In fall, all values were higher at zone4 than zone3 and zone5. In winter, zone1 showed greatest species richness and higher abundance than zone2, zone3, and zone5. In spring, while most differences were found between zone4 and zone5, abundance at zone4 was somewhat higher than zone2. The results from the fourth corner analysis indicated that abundance of species foraging at mudflat level was positively associated with zone1 (winter) but negatively with zone3 (fall). Sandpipers were positively associated with zone4. Abundance distribution maps of conservation-related species, created by inverse distance-weighted interpolation modeling, also showed high abundance of most conservation-related species at zone4 and 1. The findings of our study suggest the importance of natural/semi-natural habitat, and the possible link between human activity and distribution patterns of migratory birds in Gochang getbol. While we need further investigation on direct response of migratory birds to human activity, areas with low human activity with more natural/semi-natural habitat, e.g., zone4 and zone1 may be crucial for the conservation of migratory birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation decisions for bird diversity in the Afrotropics are often based on ecological studies utilizing diurnal bird species likely owing to difficulties associated with sampling nocturnal birds. It is therefore important to compare the sampling effectiveness of some of the available techniques that can be used in nocturnal bird surveys to guide future long‐term survey efforts. Thus, we compared the sampling effectiveness of point count, acoustic recorder and camera trap for estimating nocturnal bird species richness and also across habitat types. We surveyed 20 points that were spaced at least 500 m apart in November and December 2021 in the Amurum Forest Reserve and its surroundings in Jos‐Nigeria. At each point, we used two camera traps, one at the ground and the other at 2.0 m. We also used one acoustic recorder as well as a 15‐min point count during each survey at each point. We encountered 11 nocturnal bird species, primarily nightjars but also owls. While we did not encounter any species with the camera traps, all 11 species were recorded using the acoustic recorder. All species except for Ketupa lacteaus were recorded in point count. Eight species were recorded in the gallery, seven in rocky and nine in savannah. Species richness and estimation using the acoustic recorder and point count were similar across habitat types. We conclude that either point count or acoustic recorders are useful for nocturnal bird surveys in Afrotropical environments. However, the choice of methods should be based on the research questions as some questions may be better answered by a specific method or even a combination of both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this paper, we present the first diagnostic of the wintering birds in the wetlands of the Saïss plain and its adjacent Atlas Mountains (north–center of Morocco). The study revealed an unexpected diversity of bird species, for which we provide the population size, with their variations, over five years (2017–2018 to 2022–2023). Among these birds, we found four remarkable species: Oxyura leucocephala (endangered), Aythya ferina (vulnerable), Aythya nyroca (near-threatened) and Limosa limosa (near-threatened). In addition, we illustrated the wetland changes during the last 20 years (2003–2023), mainly the habitat loss for wintering waterbirds. Moroccan wetlands host up to half a million wintering birds and provide a stopover for tens of thousands of migrants, while they are inhabited by few nesting species. Most of this avifauna prefers to use the large coastal wetlands or reservoirs, while many species are dispersed across hundreds of small inland wetlands of various types. In this study, we monitored the wintering avifauna of 11 wetlands of the Saïss plain and its adjacent Atlas Mountains (north–center of Morocco), during six wintering seasons (2017–2018 to 2022–2023), with the objective of assessing the importance of this region as a waterbird wintering area. Using the richness of the species, we determine the bird population changes during this pentad and between the different types of wetlands (natural, human-made, and natural wetlands). During this study, we recorded 51 species, belonging to 17 families, among which exist four remarkable birds: the endangered Oxyura leucocephala, the vulnerable Aythya ferina and the near-threatened Aythya nyroca and Limosa limosa. Bird diversity is higher in human-made ecosystems than in peri-urban and natural ecosystems, while the populations' size is similar in urban and non-urban wetlands. With regard to bird conservation, these inland wetlands, mainly the small ones, are threatened by recurrent droughts and various anthropic stressors, which we describe using our observations of the two last decades (2003–2023). The loss of habitat is significant, reaching 348.5 hectares, while the impacts of reduced precipitation and temperature increase are particularly evident in the mountainous natural lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural landscapes are productive areas with high biodiversity potential, but their conversion to monocultures and intensification of practices are recognised drivers of bird biodiversity loss worldwide. This challenges the compatibility of agricultural land use with bird conservation, as landscape composition affects both the diversity of bird species and traits and the assembly of bird communities.We address the underlying mechanisms of avian community assembly in vineyards at the plot and landscape levels in relation to landscape composition in one of the major wine producing regions of France. We jointly analyse how the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic facets of bird alpha and beta diversity respond to a gradient of landscape heterogeneity and test for a non‐random assembly rule.We found that birds tended to avoid vineyard monocultures. There was consistent support for the co‐occurrence of both closely related species and similar functional traits within vineyard plots (namely, phylogenetic and functional clustering, respectively). Landscape composition, both within plots and on a large scale (1000 m), was critical in explaining the occurrence of species and traits within plots. Landscape composition determined a nested pattern of functional and phylogenetic beta diversity from vineyard monoculture to more complex landscapes with increasing seminatural land cover.Synthesis and applications. Landscape composition in seminatural vegetation features significantly influenced both the alpha and beta bird diversity in vineyard‐dominated agricultural landscapes. Interspersed shrubs and woodland can help increase bird abundance and species richness in vineyards, while large‐scale land cover diversity might help promote functional and phylogenetic bird diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework puts forward a new conservation target to enhance urban biodiversity. Cities have a great potential for sustaining biodiversity and nurturing a healthy relationship between people and our nearest nature. It is especially important in developing countries such as China, which has a rich biodiversity and a rapidly growing urban population. Using citizen science data, we show that 48% of the national bird diversity and 42% of its threatened species have been recorded in the top-20 most avian-diverse cities of China. Urban bird diversity hotspots clustered along the eastern coast, indicating the importance of establishing an inter-city conservation network along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. This urban conservation network would be a starting point to promote social recognition of biodiversity's relational value in a country with a vast population and an increasingly important role in meeting UN's Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Agricultural intensification affects life history and functional trait diversity of farmland bird communities. • We calculated the functional diversity index and the community-weighted mean for six life history traits and the brood value index of 30 bird species in eight European farmland areas. • Stronger agricultural intensification at the field level (agrochemicals use, ploughing frequency) favors the assembly of shorter-lived communities and bird species with smaller relative brain sizes. Agricultural intensification reduces the taxonomic diversity of bird communities, but its influence on functional diversity has been less studied. Here, we analyze the response of functional diversity of different cereal farmland bird communities across Europe to a gradient of agricultural intensification. We collected bibliographical information on life history traits (i.e. body mass, brain size, age of sexual maturity, clutch size, number of clutches, lifespan) of 30 species of birds recorded during field surveys in eight European countries. The index "brood value" was calculated to know each species' level of reproductive investment per clutch. Intensification gradients at two spatial scales were obtained from field data through PCA, related to management practices at the field scale and the variation in structure and composition of farmland at the landscape scale respectively. We calculated the functional diversity index (FD) and the community-weighted mean (CWM) for each trait and sampling area, and linear mixed models in relation to the two intensification gradients were performed. Results showed that stronger intensification at the field level favors the assembly of shorter-lived communities and bird species with smaller relative brain sizes, also decreasing overall trait diversity. It also restricts the range of strategies for parental investment, reducing the functional diversity of the brood value index. More intensive field management would favor bird communities dominated by generalist and even introduced and/or managed hunting species, while putting at risk those farmland- and grassland-adapted species, typically more associated with the provision of ecosystem services. This highlights the relevance of field management (agrochemicals use, ploughing frequency) for the functional composition of bird communities and the conservation of farmland biodiversity. These findings add to existing knowledge on how species' pace of life and cognitive capacity interact with drivers of global change, such as agricultural intensification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the diversity of biological communities in areas of agricultural production is a very current debate since protected areas may not be sufficient to ensure biodiversity conservation. Among the biological communities affected by the production areas are birds, which show rapid responses to changes in the landscape. Here we seek to understand how landscape planning, concerning its composition and configuration, in areas with a matrix of planted Eucalyptus spp. forests influences the functional diversity of bird assemblages in the Atlantic Forest. Our results show that the spatial distribution design of planted forests in terms of age, land cover and clone types have effects on bird diversity with regard to functional divergence, functional evenness and species richness. These results reinforce the importance of good management for the maintenance of bird diversity. We found that bird functional diversity in planted forest matrices increased with the proximity index, proportion of native vegetation and age importance value, and is negatively influenced by edge density and proportion of forest plantation. For bird conservation, it is thus better to associate Eucalyptus spp. with other cover types in the landscape. These results corroborate that, to increase bird functional diversity, it is possible to associate conservation and production in the same landscape. Mosaic landscapes have great potential to contribute to the conservation of bird biodiversity outside protected areas. However, decisions regarding the management of planted forests and planning of improved areas intended for conservation seem to be decisive to ensure the maintenance of bird biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird assemblages are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic factors, leading to growing concern about their key role in natural ecosystems. This has led to the creation of conservation programs, however, one of the greatest obstacles to this end is the lack of updated information on the species distribution and taxonomic status. In Colombia, which is recognized as the country with the greatest diversity of birds in the world, conservation efforts are often constrained by the lack of baseline information or outdated data in different regions. To contribute to the knowledge of the regional avifauna, we present an updated checklist for birds of the municipality of Salamina (Caldas), based on published information and field records. We also listed resident, threatened, and endemic species. The checklist includes 279 bird species, 23 of which are migratory, three endemics to Colombia, six are categorized as Near Threatened, and two as Vulnerable (following the IUCN criteria). We propose this updated checklist as baseline information, which can be used in future ecological and management studies of species under conservation priority [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines avian diversity on a 15,000 hectare section of the 3,382,000 hectare Desna River floodplains over four years, revealing 48 species with significant conservation status across 24 identified biotopes, including 14, biotopes listed under Resolution 4 of the Bern Convention. Of these species, 40 are included under Resolution 6 of the Bern Convention, and 19 are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Additionally, there are 22 nesting species, 9 of which are in the Red Book of Ukraine, and 8 are recognized by the IUCN and the European Red List as near-threatened and vulnerable. The findings highlight the critical need for biotopes conservation and propose the establishment of "Podesinnia" National Park as part of a broader ecological strategy aligned with the NATURA 2000 objectives, underscoring the importance of international collaboration in biodiversity preservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands and their surrounding habitats are rich in avian communities. However, the desire for human needs has degraded these ecosystems. The current study was carried out in the Chemoga wetland and its associated human-modified landscapes in East Gojjam, Ethiopia, during both the dry and wet seasons from December 2020 to August 2021. The study aims to investigate the species composition and diversity of the bird community. A line transect sampling technique was used in the human-modified landscapes, whereas the total counting method was used to study the wetland habitat. PAST software and Microsoft Excel were used for data analysis. Using a paired diversity T-test, the effect of seasons and habitats on species richness and abundance was compared. In total, 3890 individuals, 76 species, 31 families, and 13 orders were recorded from the studied habitats. Our results showed that the Chemoga wetland with low human disturbance had a greater number of birds and abundance than the human-modified habitats at P < 0.05. Moreover, in both wet and dry seasons, the Chemoga wetland (P < 0.05) shows significant difference in the abundance of avian species. But, in the human-modified habitat, there is no significant difference in the abundance of avian species (P > 0.05). The majority of birds scored frequent and common on the ordinal scale in both habitats and seasons. This study confirms that the studied habitats are important for the conservation of birds. Conservation measures are thus required to limit disturbances and foster species survival in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global biodiversity crisis and constantly growing human impact on the natural environment call for more evidence where conservation actions are the most urgent. As the agricultural lands are under increased pressure of growing human food needs here the literature survey on farmland bird conservation (FBC) was conducted to reveal geographical distribution in research intensity, the topics addressed and to identify potential drivers for the worldwide scientific effort. The Scopus database search has revealed 2290 papers dedicated to FBC from the period 1990-2020. The distribution was spatially uneven with most papers published in Western Europe and North America. Scientific collaboration was also spatially biased in favor of countries located close to each other and having high scientific capacity. The analysis also revealed 139 terms representing main topics raised in FBC research. The number of FBC papers per country was positively correlated with Gross Domestic Production (GDP), the total number of scientific papers, and number of threatened species, and negatively with the GDP from agricultural production, whereas it was not related to area of agricultural lands or bird species richness. Spatial and thematic biases in studies of farmland birds may have important consequences since uneven scientific evidence constrains development of proper conservation solutions and limits their implementation. We conclude that research on FBC should be globally coordinated and flexible enough to undertake burning conservation problems adjusted to regional differences in agriculture, socio-economy, and bird diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birds are good indicators of the state of our biodiversity since they are high up in the food chain. Avifauna density and diversity are affected by seasonal and climatic variations. Land use changes are one of the most important threats to biodiversity, yet data scarcity makes quantifying their ecological impact challenging in many regions of the world. A variety of bush birds and raptors live in the thorny shrub woodlands. From June 2014 to May 2015, researchers investigated the variety and status of avifauna in the Kiluvamalai Reserve Forest, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India. The study area's avian variety was observed using the line transect method. The Shannon Wiener index was used to calculate the species richness. The data analysis included 30 species from eight orders and 22 families. During the monsoon months, the avian diversity was at its highest, while during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon months, it was at its lowest. Passeriformes dominated with 19 species of overall avifaunal species richness, according to the findings. The current study will serve as a foundation for future studies on the management and conservation of bird species in thorny forest area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brazilian region known as Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba (TMAP) has some areas of high bird diversity. Yet, the region has not been systematically surveyed despite the large transformations its original vegetation has suffered over the past few decades. We report on the most comprehensive bird inventory of the TMAP region, in which we surveyed in 353 sites. For this, we used point transects (11,120 sampling hours) and mist nets (41,920 net-hours). We recorded 469 species belonging to 27 orders and 73 families. Forest-associated species represented 49.04% of the total, grassland and savanna species 38.81%, and aquatic species 11.73%. We found 44 endemic species and 37 species that are threatened at some level. An annotated list of the rare, endemic, and threatened species is provided. This study may serve as a baseline for future studies within the region, including those designed to identify areas of conservation priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Pose estimation plays a crucial role in recognizing and analyzing the postures, actions, and movements of humans and animals using computer vision and machine learning techniques. However, bird pose estimation encounters specific challenges, including bird diversity, posture variation, and the fine granularity of posture. To overcome these challenges, we propose VHR-BirdPose, a method that combines Vision Transformer (ViT) and Deep High-Resolution Network (HRNet) with an attention mechanism. VHR-BirdPose effectively extracts features using Vision Transformer's self-attention mechanism, which captures global dependencies in the images and allows for better capturing of pose details and changes. The attention mechanism is employed to enhance the focus on bird keypoints, improving the accuracy of pose estimation. By combining HRNet with Vision Transformer, our model can extract multi-scale features while maintaining high-resolution details and incorporating richer semantic information through the attention mechanism. This integration of HRNet and Vision Transformer leverages the advantages of both models, resulting in accurate and robust bird pose estimation. We conducted extensive experiments on the Animal Kingdom dataset to evaluate the performance of VHR-BirdPose. The results demonstrate that our proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance in bird pose estimation. VHR-BirdPose based on bird images is of great significance for the advancement of bird behaviors, ecological understanding, and the protection of bird populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dumpsites play key role in conservation of birds. A study was conducted to assess the diversity and abundance of birds in dumpsites of Afar region, Ethiopia from August, 2019 to March, 2020, covering both the wet and dry seasons. A total of nine dumpsites that contain domestic wastes found in different towns of Afar region were selected. Point count technique was employed to identify and count the birds. Shannon-Weiner diversity index was used to estimate species diversity and Two-way ANOVA was used to test birds' species richness and abundance variation across dumpsites and seasons. Results: A total of 48 bird species consisting of one endemic and 10 globally threatened species were recorded. Red-billed Quelea, Marabou Stork and Egyptian Vulture were the most abundant species. There was a significant difference in bird species richness and abundance among dumpsites (F = 8.44, df = 8, P < 0.05) and F = 15.507, df = 8, P < 0.05), respectively. Moreover, a significant difference in abundance was also observed between the two seasons (F = 19.339, df = 1, P < 0.05). The highest species diversity (H' = 3.18) was observed during wet season in Abala and Afambo dumpsites and the highest species evenness (E = 0.86) was observed during dry season in Afdera. Conclusion: Bird species diversity and abundance among dumpsites was high, and man-made disturbance are main threats for conservation of birds in the area. Therefore, conservation measures are needed to maintain survival of birds mainly the globally threatened species. Moreover, proper management of dumpsites is vital to support the waste dependent birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural expansion and intensification are major threats to biodiversity, and even some once common farmland bird species are now endangered. Wine-growing landscapes are intensively managed but can still be an attractive habitat for a wide range of species. However, only few bird species breed within vineyards and thus, semi-natural habitat types like hedges, woodland patches and grasslands are crucial for bird populations. We investigated how birds breeding in wine-growing areas are influenced by the surrounding landscape at three spatial scales: territories, sampling transects and landscapes. In the German wine growing region Palatinate, sixteen landscapes with a radius of 500 m were chosen spanning a gradient in the cover of semi-natural habitat. Bird territories were mapped along three transects of 500 m length in each landscape. We found 300 territories of 33 bird species. Positive effects of semi-natural habitat cover on birds were strongest at the transect scale, with almost proportional increase of species and territory numbers with the cover of semi-natural habitat. Most bird species selected territories that contained more semi-natural habitat than the landscape-wide average of 13.5%, but e.g. woodlark and linnet showed an opposite preference. In addition, the birds' community composition was influenced by the composition of the surrounding landscape. Most species were associated with semi-natural habitat types or built-up areas while vineyards had hardly any species associated with them. Our results suggest that in wine-growing landscapes, the decline in farmland birds can be reversed by the re-establishment of hedges, trees, woodland patches, traditional orchards and grassland areas. However, as preferences at the territory scale were species-specific, there is no uniform best solution for bird conservation in viticultural landscapes. Thus, landscape development should always be accompanied by experts that take the demands of existing and potential breeding birds into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green spaces play a fundamental role in bird conservation in cities. Although the role of urban parks in conserving bird diversity has been explored on a global scale, the analysis of the role of cemeteries has been scarcer. This study aimed to describe and compare the seasonal dynamic of different components of avian taxonomic diversity and composition in two types of urban green areas, parks and cemeteries, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Birds were counted at fixed counting points of 100 m radius in three parks and three cemeteries, and rarefaction curves were used to compare their taxonomic diversity between parks and cemeteries during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. In general, bird diversity (measured as species richness and Shannon and Simpson diversity index) was higher in cemeteries than in parks and during the breeding season, showing greater variation in cemeteries. Bird composition changed between seasons, with Zenaida auriculata being the most common species during the breeding season and Myiopsitta monachus the most abundant during the non-breeding season. However, the composition of the avian community (the most common and abundant species) was similar between parks and cemeteries. Our results suggest that cemeteries are green spaces of great importance since they add heterogeneity to the urban landscape, providing a greater diversity of micro-habitats capable of housing a higher number of species than parks. The higher degree of seasonal variation in the bird community in cemeteries suggests that these habitats help maintain the natural seasonal dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization has transformed the landscape affecting ecosystems around the planet. To provide scientific evidence for the conservation of birds in urban environments, we evaluated bird community responses to local habitat and landscape variables in Santiago city, the capital of Chile. We evaluated 118 sites (1 km² in size) distributed throughout the city, which varied in cover and aggregation of woody cover. At each site, we recorded birds and environmental variables at four sampling points during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Using community indices (Shannon’s diversity and Pielou’s evenness), we quantified the effect of landscape variables (percent and aggregation of woody vegetation cover) on the bird community. Then, we identified bird guilds, categorized according to diet, foraging substrate, nest substrate and body size. Using canonical correspondence analyses, we observed relationships between bird guilds and environmental variables quantified at the local and landscape scales. We recorded 42 species of birds. We found more diverse and equitable bird communities the higher the cover and aggregation of woody vegetation in the landscape. Granivorous and ground foraging birds dominated the assemblage, being positively associated with the built environment. Vegetation cover at the local and landscape scale had positive effects on most of the identified guilds, including invertebrate-feeding birds, omnivores, carnivores, nectarivores, vegetation foragers, vegetation nesters, ground nesters, nest parasites, medium-sized, and very large birds. Our results show that the bird community responds to environmental variables at local and landscape scales. Greater vegetation cover in cities would contribute to greater diversity and evenness of the bird community, promoting the abundance of different guilds, including those sensitive to the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Protected areas are important in mitigating threats to biodiversity, including land conversion. Some of the largest protected areas are located in biodiverse savanna systems where a mosaic of land-uses exist beyond their borders. The protected areas located in such systems are often host to threatened species and diverse animal communities. In spite of the ecosystem services birds provide, we do not know how functionally and evolutionary diverse the community is in north-eastern South Africa, or what the drivers of such diversity are inside and outside one of the world's largest savanna protected areas: Kruger National Park (KNP). Objectives: Firstly, we aimed to investigate how bird species richness, functional richness, phylogenetic and beta diversity (including its components), and rarity differed across the KNP protected area and its adjacent mosaic. Secondly, we aimed to investigate the habitats and proximity to the KNP boundary that drove patterns across three biodiversity metrics. We also investigated whether differences in sample sizes of the citizen science data we employed, impacted results in a significant manner. Methods: To investigate our aims, we used bird species records from the Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 (a citizen science project that collects data at a 5 min latitude by 5 min longitude resolution), and for elucidating drivers of community composition, we used a finer scale remotely sensed product. Results: Human infrastructure, water sources and tree cover were overall the most significant and strongest drivers of bird diversity in the region; however, the patterns were complex. Specifically, we found that species richness was strongly and positively influenced by seasonal water and infrastructure mostly inside the protected area (KNP). Most significantly and somewhat concerning, though, were the strong negative effects that infrastructure had on bird functional and phylogenetic diversity inside KNP and, to a lesser extent, inside the mosaic. Seasonal water had a similarly strong but positive effect on species richness in the protected area, a random sub-sample of the former and the mosaic. Tree cover also had a negative and significant effect across the region on phylogenetic diversity and was the strongest driver of this diversity metric. Conclusions: Our results displayed the significant but negative influence that relatively little infrastructure had on bird functional- and phylogenetic diversity inside the KNP protected area despite its positive effect on species richness. Water sources across the protected area-mosaic landscapes also significantly affected regional savanna bird community richness. An increase in tree cover negatively affected phylogenetic diversity inside and outside the protected area as well as the mosaic: a similar finding to other studies in South African savanna systems. We showed the importance of habitat heterogeneity, specifically its components such as infrastructure, freshwater systems and tree cover, and how these impact independently and differently on bird communities across a large biogeographical savanna region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birds are valued in the traditional cultures of Tibetan areas of China for symbolism, spirituality, and medicine. A total of 329 informants from six Tibetan communities were interviewed through ethnobiological survey methods. Results highlight that Tibetan informants value a diversity of birds for multiple symbolic purposes including spirituality, a good harvest, happiness, fortune, beauty, glory, and omens. Over 20 avian species including eagles, crows, pheasants, and red-breasted parakeets were perceived as totems, taboos, and holy birds. Findings revealed that three vulture species (Gyps himalayensis, Gyps fulvus, and Gypaetus barbatus) are the most important avian species because of their sacred roles in celestial burial. A total of 27 bird species were recorded as being used as traditional medicine. The high valuation of birds in Tibetan culture has likely contributed to the transmission of traditional knowledge regarding birds as well as to the conservation of bird biodiversity in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document titled "I: ORAL PRESENTATIONS" is a compilation of oral presentations made at the XX Congress for the Study and Conservation of Birds in Mexico. The presentations cover various topics, such as the diversity of birds at different altitudinal levels, the relationship between vegetation and bird diversity, the impact of prescribed burns on hummingbird diversity, the bird community in a xerophytic shrubland, mangrove restoration, and the abundance of nocturnal raptors. Other topics addressed include the presence of hemoparasites in birds, the genetic structure of the yellow-headed parrot, the diversity of migratory birds and their relationship with habitat, and the importance of citizen science and community bird monitoring in conservation. [Extracted from the article]

Habitat loss, fragmentation and land-use change caused by the continued expansion of human settlements pose a threat to global biodiversity. Residential green spaces (RGs) are widespread throughout urban areas, providing benefits to human health and well-being and opportunities to conserve biodiversity. While RGs are fragmented by buildings and frequent human activities, little is known about their ability to support and conserve biodiversity relative to that of urban parks. To assess the ability of these green spaces to support biodiversity, we compared the bird species diversity, community composition, and influencing factors in RGs with those in urban parks of different scales. Our results revealed that, similar to medium-sized urban parks, RGs are associated with high bird species richness and abundance. Distance from waterbodies was the only common factor affecting bird species richness in RGs and urban parks. Moreover, RGs were favoured by native birds and urban dwellers, and the bird communities in RGs differed from those in urban parks. The results demonstrated that RGs can provide opportunities for bird conservation and serve as the most convenient place for humans to interact with animals in nature. We recommend that urban planners and managers consider blue–green spaces and habitat construction to improve bird diversity within residential areas. [Display omitted] ● The bird species diversity in residential areas is not lower than that in urban parks of the same size. ● Native birds and urban dwellers prefer residential areas. ● The bird communities in residential areas differ from those in urban parks. ● Blue–green spaces and human disturbances are key factors affecting bird species diversity in residential areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human‐shared landscapes cover much of Earth, yet their conservation value is contested. This controversy may persist because previous studies have examined species diversity, rather than the processes through which such diversity is maintained. For example, a site exhibiting high diversity may not actually bolster populations if the diversity is only maintained through net immigration. Recent research has begun to isolate the processes that maintain metacommunities and develop functional trait methods to identify these processes. However, the processes underlying bird communities remain obscure. Here, we leverage metacommunity theory, functional trait partitioning and a Bayesian multispecies abundance model to assess whether a shared landscape – woody perennial polyculture farms – bolsters bird diversity. Such farms grow multiple species of food‐producing woody perennials together with vegetative groundcover. We surveyed birds and their in situ functional traits across the US Midwest in traditional agriculture, woody perennial polyculture, prairie and woods. We found that woody perennial polycultures exhibited the highest bird diversity and were the most preferred by many species (including threatened ones). Moreover, our functional trait analysis suggests that this diversity is maintained through habitat filtering and competition, rather than merely immigration. Thus, shared landscapes can likely conserve birds by providing a distinct habitat. These results suggest that woody perennial polyculture farms offer substantial potential to support bird populations in the US Midwest. Our study demonstrates the utility of in situ functional trait partitioning within a Bayesian framework to unmask ecological processes and help assess the conservation value of landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are sensitive to hydrological conditions and human influence. The Abras de Mantequilla wetland (AdM) located at the centre of the Guayas River Basin (Western Ecuador), was declared a Ramsar site (2000) due to its important role in the conservation of bird fauna diversity. The wetland also supports significant populations of fish, including endemic species. The area exhibits two seasons: (i) a wet season (January–May); and (ii) a dry season (June–December). For the area of interest data is scarce, and a hydrodynamic model did not exist. In order to evaluate the interannual hydrodynamics and inundation patterns variability of this wetland system, a 2D hydrodynamic model was developed using the Delft3D software suite. Local knowledge was combined with field observations and expert elicitation to construct an appropriate model for the area. Results show that the Abras de Mantequilla is a river-wetland system that experiences extreme variations in hydrodynamic conditions from low water depths and almost stagnant conditions during the dry season, to a very dynamic behaviour during the rainy season. The inundation area ranges between 5 to 27 km2, water depths vary from 0.4 to 9 m and flow velocities from 0.0 up to 0.9 m/s. The "Nuevo River" is the main inflow to the wetland, with an overall contribution of about 85–90%, with peak discharges during February and March. A numerical tracer analysis indicated that the wetland can be divided into three main areas (upper, middle and low), with higher residence times found in the middle area. Overall, based on numerical hydrodynamic simulations it was possible to obtain adequate indications of the relative importance of the different river inflow conditions, as well as spatial and temporal inundation patterns, velocities and residence times under hydrological conditions varying from dry to extremely wet years. Furthermore, the hydrodynamic model provides a basis for other studies such as water quality assessment and primary production dynamics, as well as for determining the habitat suitability for fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird diversity is often used as surrogates for other species diversity, but there is a limited understanding of the extent of this surrogate in identifying representative priority conservation areas (PCAs). We used Yunnan Province in China as a case to measure the surrogacy of birds in systematic conservation planning. Here, we collected distribution records of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds from public databases and literature, and applied systematic conservation planning methods to identify PCAs. We targeted four taxonomic groups at conservation targets of 17%, 31%, and 50% of the total study area, and used the Jaccard similarity index to evaluate the surrogate extent of bird PCAs for the other three groups. Then, we overlapped different portfolios of PCAs with six categories of protected areas (PAs) in Yunnan, calculated the protection rates, and evaluated the effect of sustainable-use PAs on improving the protection rate of strict Nature Reserves. The results showed that bird PCAs generally had the highest surrogacy for representing PCAs of the other three taxa. At the 50% conservation target, the Jaccard indices between birds and the other taxa reached about 0.50. Moreover, amphibian PCAs had a good surrogacy for conserving reptiles, with a Jaccard index of 0.30, 0.44 and 0.51 at the 17%, 31% and 50% conservation targets, respectively. The existing PA system had quite low coverages for PCAs of these four taxa, and the average protection rates were 22.97%, 19.78% and 16.52% at the three levels of conservation targets, respectively. The sustainable-use PAs can greatly complement the strict Nature Reserves by achieving average increased PA coverages of 10.00%, 9.20% and 7.90% at the three conservation targets. Our findings provide a basis for surrogate-based conservation planning for areas with insufficient biodiversity information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diverse landscape can support a more diverse range of species and allow for more complex community structures. In forested habitats, openings and changes in tree composition allow for a higher species richness due to the greater chance of niche occupancy. Knowledge about these relationships may be useful for adapting forest harvesting strategies to, for example, support bird diversity conservation and studies are required to understand how different harvesting strategies influence forest structure and bird diversity. Here, we used Autonomous Recording Units (ARU) to record dawn signalling of forest birds between two forest-harvesting treatment types (complete clear-cuts and hardwood-retention patches) vs control forest patches in the John Prince Research Forest, British Columbia, Canada. We compared Species Richness and Shannon diversity as detected through identifying species in audio recordings, across treatments. The observed Species Richness and Shannon diversity did differ between the Retention treatment and Forest controls when controlling for number of individuals sampled, but both had higher Species Richness and Shannon diversity of passerine species than the Clear-cut treatments. When comparing species composition, we found that forest-associated species were disproportionately detected in Forest controls compared to Clear-cut treatments but detected at intermediate levels in Retention treatments. Species associated with early-seral habitats, though, had disproportionate detection in Clear-cut treatments compared to Forest controls, but also showed expected detections in Retention treatments. These results suggest that partial harvesting and retention of non-commercial hardwoods, can help retain forest-associated species while also helping attract early-seral avian species; this can help increase the overall diversity of the landscape while still making logging profitable. Further research should be conducted to determine the value of this retained habitat at different spatial scales to understand the impacts that it may have for larger-scale deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposition of taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional beta diversity into their turnover and nestedness components could provide novel insights into biodiversity conservation, e.g., provide implications for the Single Large Or Several Small reserves debate (SLOSS debate). Due to dramatic climate change and massive anthropogenic activities in recent decades in North China, the wetlands and the associated biodiversity in this region have declined significantly. This study applied the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional beta diversity decomposition for the first time in wetland bird communities in North China, aiming to propose scientific and comprehensive suggestions for bird diversity conservation in this region. A paired t-test was used to compare the differences between taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional turnover, and their nestedness components. In addition, a spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the associations between each explanatory variable (differences in mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation, as well as spatial distances) and each beta diversity index. A total of 546 bird species were found in 38 wetlands in North China, with three critically endangered species, 19 endangered species, 22 vulnerable species, and 61 near threatened species. The number of threatened species (critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable) found in these lakes was about 30% of all threatened species in China. The results showed that taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity among wetland bird communities in North China was mainly dominated by turnover, while functional beta diversity was mainly dominated by nestedness. Importantly, the phylogenetic and functional results showed similar patterns even after controlling for the effects of taxonomic beta diversity. In addition, the taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover was more associated with both climate variables and spatial distances than other components. The contrasting patterns among the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional decompositions of wetland bird communities in North China indicate that distinctive conservation strategies should be considered for different biodiversity dimensions. Specifically, the conservation of taxonomic and phylogenetic bird diversity in this region should focus on multiple wetlands, while the conservation of bird functional diversity should focus on a single wetland with high functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urban park bird communities were surveyed in six Argentinian cities. • Urban bird metacommunities had a clementsian structure. • Both environmental and spatial factors molded bird composition. • Habitat management and connectivity are needed for bird conservation. Metacommunities are the set of local communities that are linked by the dispersion of potentially interacting species. The study of metacommunities is important to elucidate the relationship between processes that occur at different spatial scales. However, bird metacommunities in urban parks have been little studied. The objectives of this study were: 1) to analyze the relative role of species dispersal, environmental selection, and stochastic processes shaping urban bird metacommunities; and 2) to analyze the structure of the metacommunities of birds in urban parks. Bird surveys were made in 51 parks of six cities in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. To obtain the metacommunity structure, three elements were analyzed: coherence, turnover, and boundary clumping. We found that the metacommunity conforms to a clementsian structure, in which groups of species respond in a similar way to environmental gradients. The environmental and connectivity variables explained a greater proportion of the variance than the spatial variable. The composition of species was related to the location of the cities, the distance to the rural area, the distance to the urban center, the number of cars passing near parks, and habitat diversity. Due to the clementsian structure of metacommunities, they probably were structured under a species sorting and mass effect process. The number of cars and habitat diversity in the parks would be acting as environmental filters for bird species, while the distance to rural areas and the distance to the urban center would affect species dispersal to the parks. These findings emphasize the importance of maintaining and improving park connectivity and habitat diversity for bird species, managing them as cities grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sacred groves have long been recognised for their critical role in biodiversity conservation, but research on their importance in avian conservation is limited. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of bird diversity, richness, and abundance within sacred groves and their surrounding areas in the semi-arid landscape of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. We made 120 point counts (60 sacred groves and 60 random points) to record birds from March 2023 to July 2023. Our results revealed a greater number of bird species (n = 114) within sacred groves than random points (n = 100), including several species of global conservation concern. The species diversity remained consistent, while variations in species richness and abundance was observed. Moreover, we found that the overall composition of birds' feeding guilds was similar in both groups. We observed noteworthy differences in the abundance of frugivores, granivores, insectivores, and omnivores. Species and guild-level abundance exhibited an even distribution. Species richness in both type of sites predominantly attributed to species turnover. Feeding guilds and bird species had varying associations to environmental variables. Our findings recommend the immediate protection of these sacred areas for bird conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires significantly impact biodiversity, with ecosystems exhibiting diverse short- and long-term responses. We investigated the effects of wildfire on bird communities in a Pinus yunnanensis forest, a dominant vegetation type widely distributed in southwest China's biodiversity hotspot. These forests are known to be flammable and exhibit fire-adapted traits. Using point count surveys, we compared breeding bird diversity in burned areas immediately and eight years post-fire. Our findings reveal that: (1) The effects of wildfire on bird diversity vary across spatial and temporal scales; (2) Pyrodiversity promotes bird diversity. Burned areas exhibited higher overall bird diversity (γ diversity) compared to unburned areas. However, species diversity within sites (α diversity) was lower in burned areas at both sampling periods; (3) Bird diversity in areas with the most severe burns was initially lower than all other areas but showed significant recovery eight years after the fire; and (4) The composition of bird communities across burn severities became more similar after eight years, suggesting a trend towards community convergence over time. These results highlight the varied effects of fire on bird communities in this fire-adapted ecosystem. We recommend implementing prescribed burning policies that create a mosaic landscape inclusive of different burn severities to promote bird biodiversity conservation and mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires. • The impact of wildfire on bird diversity depends on spatio-temporal scales. • Differences of α and β diversity among various fire severities weaken with time. • Frequent fires of various severity are beneficial for the conservation of birds in Pinus yunnanensis forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bahir Dar International Airport and its surrounding habitats are known for their rich avifaunal diversity, which results in bird-aircraft collisions as a fundamental problem in the area. A study on bird diversity and bird-aircraft strikes at Bahir Dar International Airport was conducted between February 2020 and August 2020. Based on its vegetation structures, the study area was classified into four habitat types namely; bushland, grassland, wetland, and modified habitats. Transect and point count methods were used to collect data on avian diversity and abundance. Questionnaire surveys, interviews, and document analysis were used to gather information about incidents and protection measures against bird-aircraft strike problems. Shannon–Wiener diversity index, Simpson's similarity index, ANOVA, and chi-square test were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 80 avian species belonging to 15 orders and 40 families were identified in the study area. The highest species diversity (H' = 3.59) and species evenness (E = 0.96) were recorded in modified habitats during the wet season. Relative abundance categories of birds in the study area showed that most were uncommon birds. Birds pose severe threats to aircraft in the airport and 92.3% of the respondents replied that most bird-aircraft strikes occurred early in the morning and late in the afternoon when birds remain more active. The majority (88.5%) of questionnaire participants confirmed that bird-aircraft strike incidents frequently occurred during the time of takeoff and landing of the aircraft. It is also known that on average forty bird-aircraft collisions per year happen at the airport. Conclusion: Bahir Dar International Airport is rich in its bird diversity that recalls the aviation authority to work in collaboration with different organizations to avoid bird-aircraft strike problems using different control measures without compromising the conservation of birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoos are well-known for conservation efforts benefiting wildlife, including some European bird species such as the Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus and Waldrapp Ibis Geronticus eremiticus. In Italy there has generally been a lack of scientific interest towards zoos, and ornithology is no exception. Yet, zoo collections not only may present valuable research opportunities, but also may offer valuable insight into psychological mechanisms that make some bird species attractive to visitors while others are practically of zero exhibit value. The lack of specialized bird parks in Italy seems to suggest indirect evidence of the lack of interest in most birds by the general Italian visitor, a fact that in the long-term could have consequences for public attitudes towards bird conservation. Zoos' experiences in species selection for attractiveness may be useful for conservation campaigns, but greater efforts toward neglected taxa should certainly be useful to increase public interest in biodiversity and ecosystem conservation with particular reference to birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the conversion of natural forest into agricultural land and human settlement has altered avian diversity and structure often leading to functional and/or phylogenetic homogenisation. While the effects of land‐use change on avian functional diversity (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) is well studied in the tropics, it is poorly understood and scarcely studied in the Himalayas let alone in eastern Himalayan bird communities.Using data from replicated transect surveys, we investigated the effects of land‐use change (agriculture, settlement and forest) on the community diversity and structure of 336 bird species while accounting for imperfect detection across 679‐point count locations along an elevational gradient in the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot of Bhutan.The main findings of our study are (a) bird community occupancy along the elevational gradient is negatively associated with human land use (agriculture and settlement), (b) bird assemblages at higher elevations were functionally and phylogenetically clustered and (c) agriculture and settlement harboured disproportionately higher FD and PD whereas forest had phylogenetically diverse communities within functionally convergent traits.Synthesis and applications. Our findings suggest that high functional diversity in agriculture and settlement offers an opportunity for a broad range of ecosystem services such as pollination, insect‐ and rodent‐pest control. Agricultural practices that protect and improve bird‐friendly habitats (particularly for insectivores) should be promoted. To facilitate coexistence, educational programmes on the importance of the functional roles of birds should be implemented to raise farmers' awareness of the importance of farmland biodiversity. Management interventions should seek to integrate bird conservation and farm production. Safeguarding edge habitats and forests abutting human settlements would be key to promoting phylogenetically diverse assemblages and ecological functions in Himalayan working landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas are considered important for biodiversity conservation, however, studies have shown that habitats outside protected areas can also support high diversity and are important for biodiversity conservation. In this context, we compared the bird diversity between protected (Rani Taal in Shuklaphanta National Park) and non-protected (Sati Karnali Taal) wetlands in western Nepal. Bird surveys were conducted from February to August 2019, using open width point count method in 100 m intervals along transects. A total of 122 species belonging to 18 orders and 44 families were recorded from the protected wetland, and 107 species belonging to 16 orders and 41 families from the non-protected wetland area. Insectivores had high abundance in both wetlands (43% and 47% in protected and non-protected wetlands, respectively). Forest-dependent birds were more abundant in protected wetland compared to non-protected wetland. Our study showed that both protected and non-protected wetlands along with agricultural landscapes, support a richness of birds. Hence priority should be given to both wetlands for the conservation of birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More frequent and severe natural disturbances are likely to increase as a result of climate change. However, we have little evidence of the disturbance severity effect on forest birds. We aimed to compare the effect of natural disturbance severity on the bird species in the spruce forests of Šumava NP. For this purpose, we surveyed bird communities in 1) small- and 2) large-scale disturbances, 3) enclaves of live trees in large-scale disturbance areas and 4) non-disturbed forests. Birds were sampled using the point count method in breeding season 2021 and analysed using redundancy analysis (RDA). We recorded 42 bird species on a total of 141 survey points. Small-scale disturbances had generally positive effects on many common forest bird species. On the other hand, large-scale disturbances negatively affected birds of closed canopy stands (e.g. Fringilla coelebs) and positively species of open or shrub habitats (e.g. Anthus trivialis) and some birds with conservation status (e.g. Tetrao urogallus). The size of damaged area was a crucial factor which changed the effect of disturbances on many species. Considering these, both types of disturbances are an important factor for mountain forest bird species diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A re-evaluation study was conducted after eight years of the initial survey to find out the distribution and diversity of avifauna concerning land use types in the main campus of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. This was carried out to serve as a follow-up to a survey carried out in 2011 in the study area. Reevaluation of species diversity is important in conservation as it gives more information on habitat conditions which is necessary for drawing conservation strategies. The study area was stratified into the major land-use types which are Residential, Farmland, Administrative, and Wetland areas. The line transect method was used to collect data on bird abundance and distribution. The Simpson index of diversity (SID) was used to determine species diversity between habitat types whereas the Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H) was used to determine species diversity across the entire area. On the other hand, the Equitability index of Evenness (EH) was used to determine evenness in the distribution of avifauna across the entire area. A total of 3183 birds belonging to 23 families and 44 species were recorded. Out of these numbers, 1037(32.58%) were recorded in a residential area, a total of 519 birds (16.31%) were recorded in administrative areas, farmland recorded 1556 birds (48.88%), and wetland areas recorded 71 birds (2.23%). The diversity index ranges from 0.45-0.77 with the highest being administrative areas and the lowest being wetland. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index was 2.35 which indicates considerable diversity across the area. Therefore, efforts should be directed towards conserving the habitats and making communities realize the importance of avian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development goals imply proper landscape management, a challenging task in human-dominated environments, where the identification of key habitats is often necessary to achieve the conservation of multispecies communities or threatened taxa. We studied the avian composition of 9 habitats in Tota Lake, a highly diverse Andean wetland affected by human activities. We evaluated the richness, abundance, dominance, and bird diversity, and used a species-habitat network approach to assess some emerging properties of the landscape and to identify key habitats for conservation. We observed 116 bird species, with a low diversity index (Shannon = 2.2) due to the dominance of gregarious species. The landscape showed a substantial sensitivity to disturbances due to habitat loss. Natural habitats were more important than human-related habitats, except for the wooded pastures used for low-scale grazing, which are among the most important coverages. This habitat represented a good example of sustainable land use. In contrast, the croplands and touristic beach were notoriously unsustainable in terms of wildlife conservation. Among the natural habitats, the most important was the marshes that presented the higher richness, abundance, importance for the landscape network, and was the most used by birds of conservation concern. Natural forest habitats, despite being reduced and fragmented, were more important to birds than the extensive forest of introduced exotic vegetation, probably due to the evolutionary history of the birds with the native vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 25% of species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are threatened with extinction. Understanding how environmental and biological processes have shaped genomic diversity may inform management practices. Using 68 extant avian species, we parsed the effects of habitat availability and life-history traits on genomic diversity over time to provide a baseline for conservation efforts. We used published whole-genome sequence data to estimate overall genomic diversity as indicated by historical long-term effective population sizes (Ne) and current genomic variability (H), then used environmental niche modelling to estimate Pleistocene habitat dynamics for each species. We found that Ne and H were positively correlated with habitat availability and related to key life-history traits (body mass and diet), suggesting the latter contribute to the overall genomic variation. We found that H decreased with increasing species extinction risk, suggesting that H may serve as a leading indicator of demographic trends related to formal IUCN conservation status in birds. Our analyses illustrate that genome-wide summary statistics estimated from sequence data reflect meaningful ecological attributes relevant to species conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In southern Tunisia, oases and olive orchards are the two main agroecosystems, hence the importance of investigating their value for native fauna. Using generalised linear mixed models, we assessed the relative value of oases and olive plantations over the wintering and the breeding periods by comparing their avifauna diversity using the Shannon diversity index. We also used data on a series of microhabitat features, anthropogenic pressure and spatial parameters to identify the best predictors of bird diversity. In total, 32 species belonging to 18 families were recorded. Sedentary birds accounted for 47% of the counts. Our results showed that bird diversity depends on habitat type, being higher in oases than in olive plantations, but not on the season as no difference was recorded during the two periods of wintering and breeding. The assessment of the effects of microhabitat features, anthropogenic pressure and spatial structure revealed that bird diversity was positively influenced by the cover of trees in oases and olive orchards, negatively affected by distance to edge and that to the paved road in the olive orchards and spatially structured in both agroecosystems. Variation partitioning analysis revealed that the pure effect of microhabitat features (tree cover) was important in explaining the bird diversity both in oases and olive orchards. The identification of factors affecting bird diversity is of great importance for the efficient management of these agroecosystems. Special attention should be paid to keeping a good tree cover. This cannot be performed without: (a) increasing irrigation frequency, (b) adequate tree maintenance (pruning) and (c) reduction of pesticide application. Also, the synergy among owners, farmers, managers and researchers is recommended for the conservation of bird diversity in this North African arid agricultural region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Western Ghats, India, we study how different intensities of tea cultivation influence birds. We compared bird communities in conventional monoculture tea and mixed-shade tea plantations, both of which use agrochemicals, with organic tea plantations, a rainforest fragment, and continuous rainforest within the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. In 225 point count surveys, overall bird species richness and abundance were lowest in conventional tea and up to 33% higher in organic tea. Mixed-shade tea had 40% higher species richness (including 15 canopy and 4 shrub and mid-storey species - primarily frugivores, nectarivores and insectivores), and 83% higher bird abundance than conventional tea, with a greater proportion of forest-affiliated birds and similarity in species composition with forest sites. The rainforest fragment and continuous rainforest had a higher proportion, richness and abundance of forest-affiliated birds and fewer open-country birds, unlike tea plantations where the pattern was reversed. Habitat associations of 62 bird species in indicator species analysis revealed similar patterns. Thus organic tea is better than conventional tea for birds, but mixed-shade tea is even better, although still poorer than forests. Retaining or promoting native shade trees in tea plantations will increase bird diversity and abundance, including of forest-affiliated species and support landscape-level bird conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]