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The aerial and ground methods of counting birds in a coastal area during different ice conditions were compared. Ice coverage of water was an important factor affecting the results of the two methods. When the water was ice-free, more birds were counted from the ground, whereas during ice conditions, higher numbers were obtained from the air. The first group of waterbirds with the smallest difference between the two methods (average 6%) contained seven species: Mute Swan Cygnus olor, Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus, Greater Scaup Aythya marila, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, Smew Mergellus albellus and Goosander Mergus merganser; these were treated as the core group. The second group with a moderate difference (average 20%) included another six species: Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus and Eurasian Coot Fulica atra. The third group with a large difference (average 85%) included five species, all of the Anatini tribe: Gadwall Mareca strepera, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata, Eurasian Teal Anas crecca and Garganey Spatula querquedula. During ice conditions, smaller numbers of most species were counted from the ground. The exception here was Mallard, more of which were counted from the ground, but the difference between two methods was relatively small in this species (7.5%). Under ice-free conditions, both methods can be used interchangeably for the most numerous birds occupying open water (core group) without any significant impact on the results. When water areas are frozen over, air counts are preferable as the results are more reliable. The cost analysis shows that a survey carried out by volunteer observers (reimbursement of travel expenses only) from the land is 58% cheaper, but if the observers are paid, then an aerial survey is 40% more economical.

Los piojos de aves se caracterizan por ser parasitos obligados a su hospedador, es decir que cumplen su ciclo biologico en el cuerpo del mismo. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer la diversidad, prevalencia, abundancia e intensidad de infestacion de piojos asociados a la Focha Andina Fulica ardesiaca en la laguna de Colta, provincia de Chimborazo, Ecuador. Se capturaron 16 individuos de F. ardesiaca , los cuales fueron examinados manualmente para extraer los ectoparasitos. Se identificaron tres especies de piojos: Rallicola advenus , Pseudomonopon pilosum y Fulicoffula longipila . Se determino un porcentaje de prevalencia del 62,5% para todas las aves muestreadas. Rallicola advenus fue el parasito con mayor frecuencia, estuvo presente en el 100% de las aves infectadas con respecto a las otras dos especies de piojos. Se determino que una hembra y un macho tuvieron infestacion multiple por las tres especies, y dos machos presentaron infestacion doble por P. pilosum y R. advenus . Nuestros resultados muestran similitud con las descripciones de piojos en otras especies de Fulica de Sudamerica, Norte America y Europa. Palabras clave: Diversidad, Fulica ardesiaca , Laguna de Colta, piojos, Phthiraptera. Lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) of the Andean Coot Fulica ardesiaca (Gruiformes: Rallidae) at Colta lake, Ecuador Abstract Lice of wild birds are parasites which depend on their hosts to complete their life cycle. This research was aimed to document the diversity, prevalence, abundance and intensity of lice infection in the Andean Coot Fulica ardesiaca in Colta lake, Chimborazo province, Ecuador. Sixteen individuals of F. ardesiaca were captured and manually examined to collect ectoparasites. We identified three species of lice: Rallicola advenus , Pseudomonopon pilosum and Fulicoffula longipila . The percentage of prevalence was 62.5% for all birds sampled. Rallicola advenus was the most frequent lice species, being present in 100% of the infested birds. We found multiple-species infestation in one male and one female, and two males were infected by two lice species, P. pilosum and R. advenus . Our findings are equivalent with genus-level descriptions of lice load in coots in South America, North America and Europe. Keywords: Colta lake, diversity, Fulica ardesiaca , lice, Phthiraptera.

Reportamos la presencia de cuatro especies de aves acuáticas con leucismo parcial en la Laguna de Zumpango, Estado de México. Los individuos que observamos, de coloración aberrante, fueron los siguientes: un polluelo recién eclosionado del ibis cara blanca (Plegadis chihi), un adulto de gallineta frente roja (Gallinula galeata), un adulto de gallareta americana (Fulica americana) y un adulto de chorlo tildío (Charadrius vociferus). Se trata de los primeros registros de leucismo parcial para estas especies de aves acuáticas en México. La Laguna de Zumpango es un humedal que presenta altos niveles de contaminación y un alto grado de perturbación antropogénica, por lo que estudios futuros podrían aportar conocimiento sobre los factores que ocasionan estas anomalías de coloración en el área.

The whole area of the River Danube in Vienna, with its three more or less parallel river stretches Donau, Neue Donau and Alte Donau is an important hibernating area for waterbirds. The “Alte Donau” is an intensely used recreation area. Here especially, people take an interest in birds and feed them in winter. For the inhabitants of a city, this close contact with birds has a highly social aspect, notably for children and elderly people. Nevertheless, the high number of birds has a negative impact on water quality. In the years 1997/1998 to 2000/2001 a total of 391.313 individuals were observed in the Viennese Danube area, consisting of 44 species of water birds, 6 gulls and 8 hybrid species. Most frequent during the whole investigation was the Black-Headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) with a maximum of 15.579 individuals on a single day; Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) dominate among the waterbirds (not counting gulls). Out of these 44 species 23 species of waterbirds, 3 gulls and one hybrid species and a total of 71.913 individuals were observed on the waterbody of the Alte Donau by regular countings during the winters from 1997/1998 to 2000/2001. The three most frequent species on the Alte Donau were the Black-headed Gull with a maximum of 5.965 individuals on a single day, followed by the Mallard and the Mute Swan.

International audience; Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans is a model microorganism for the study of [NiFe]-CODH, a key enzyme of carbon cycle in anaerobic microorganisms. The enzyme possesses a unique active site (C-cluster), constituted of a distorted [NiFe3S4] cubane linked to a mononuclear Fe(II) center. Both the biogenesis of the C-cluster and the activation of CODH by nickel insertion remain unclear. Among the three accessory proteins thought to play a role in this latter step (CooC, CooJ, and CooT), CooT is identified as a nickel chaperone involved in CODH maturation in Rhodospirillum rubrum. Here, we structurally and biophysically characterized a putative CooT protein present in C. hydrogenoformans (pChCooT). Despite the low sequence homologies between CooT from R. rubrum (RrCooT) and pChCooT (19% sequence identity), the two proteins share several similarities, such as their overall structure and a solvent-exposed Ni(II)-binding site at the dimer interface. Moreover, the X-ray structure of pChCooT reveals the proximity between the histidine 55, a potential nickel-coordinating residue, and the cysteine 2, a highly conserved key residue in Ni(II)-binding.

Harvest records are often assumed to offer an indirect measure of population abundance in huntable species. However, this requires population density changes are reflected in comparable linear changes in harvest rates. We tested this assumption for common snipe Gallinago gallinago, common wood pigeon Columba palumbus, coot Fulica atra, grey partridge Perdix perdix, roe deer Capreolus capreolus and brown hare Lepus europaeus in Denmark. If we consider hunting a form of predator-prey interaction, the annual kill can be viewed as a predator functional response to prey population size. Convergence of the annual kill to a type I functional response with similar auto-correlative structures in the harvest and count data would support the hypothesis that fluctuations in harvest and population abundance occurred with similar periodicity. The annual kill of common snipe showed the best fit to a type I functional response to the point count indices, with similar auto-correlative structures in the two variables. Other species showed different functional responses, the result of hunter behaviour, such as voluntary hunting restraint on species of concern and saturation effects from rapidly expanding abundant species. Relationships between the annual kill and population abundance were complex and incorporation of hunting legislation changes improved optimal model fits between harvest statistics and count data. Consideration of the validity of the underlying assumptions is necessary before harvest records are used as an index for population size. It is essential that detectability/accessibility of a species does not change systematically over time. Such bias may derive from habitat shifts, difference in timing of counts and hunting harvest, changes in migration patterns and annual reproduction and mortality. We recommend the continued collation of hunting harvest statistics, supported by sociological studies, to provide insight into the mechanisms that affect the hunting effort, to understand relationships between harvest statistics and population abundance.

Urbanization is currently considered one of the most rapid types of global environmental change. More and more wildlife species are subject to increasing anthropogenic disturbance, but only some of them adapt to become successful urban exploiters. Although a number of fixed life history characteristics may enhance population persistence in an urbanized landscape, behavioural traits are thought to be critical for colonization of a novel urban environment. Within the class of birds, behavioural responses to urban environment have been assessed mostly for passerine species. Here, I examined behavioural alterations in a recently founded urban population of a reed-nesting rallid species, the Eurasian coot Fulica atra. I found that urban coots adapted to nest in anthropogenically transformed littoral zones with scarce or no emergent vegetation, which precluded efficient nest concealment. Despite this, urban individuals spent, on average, less time incubating due to more frequent bouts off the nest than suburban conspecifics. This pattern was likely possible due to the relaxation of predation pressure in the colonized urban environment. Urban birds were also more aggressive, approached a human intruder at the nest more closely and were more likely to actively defend their nests. Finally, they had a reduced level of physiological stress (as measured with heterophil/lymphocyte ratio) when compared with suburban individuals. In conclusion, the behaviour of coots from the recently founded urban population was consistent with behavioural syndromes found in typical urban exploiters. The results support the central role of behavioural adaptation in successful colonization of novel environments by wildlife.

The abundance of the floating-leaved macrophytes, especially Trapa spp., has increased in many eutrophic lakes, butits effects on waterbirds is not clear. By covering the water surface with their floating-leaves, these macrophytes exert effects that differ from those of submerged macrophytes. In this study, we investigated seasonal changes in the species composition and habitat selection of the waterbird community in the shallow, eutrophic Lake Inba in relation to the presence/absence of native floating-leaved macrophytes (Trapa spp.). The results indicated higher abundances of the eastern spot-billed duck (Anas zonorhyncha), the little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), the great egret (Egretta alba), theintermediate egret (Egretta intermedia), and the Eurasian coot (Fulica atra) in Trapa beds, whereas the great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo was more abundant in the open water without macrophytes. Both great egrets and intermediate egrets seemed to actively choose the Trapa beds as a feeding habitat that allowed them to catch the small fish swimming beneath these plants. Eurasian coots utilized Trapa spp. as food directly, by grazing on its fruits and leaves. Little grebes selected Trapa beds for nesting, especially when their flock size was larger. Conversely, Trapa beds prevented the foraging behavior of great cormorants. In Lake Inba, with its suddenly deep shoreline and lack of shallow areas, there are few potential feeding habitats for waterbirds in the littoral zones. Therefore, Trapa beds might provide an alternative habitat for these species, thus serving as an important ecotone between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

The role of rice fields as feeding habitats for the two main waterfowl herbivores, Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) and Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), in the Ebro Delta, a Mediterranean wetland in northeastern Spain, was investigated. Exclusion cages and tethering experiments were deployed within a rice field at the beginning of the growing season (summer 2010) and before harvest (autumn 2010). In summer, waterfowl abundances were low, but cage experiments detected rice field damage by waterfowl grazing through a significant reduction in plant biomass (although consumption was undetectable using tethers). In autumn, waterfowl abundance increased and tethering experiments detected consumption of rice plants with developed seeds, whereas cage experiments did not show grazing effects. Gut content analyses indicate that Mallards are mainly granivorous, feeding mostly on seeds of spiral ditch grass (Ruppia cirrhosa) and rice (Oryza sativa), while Eurasian Coots are herbivorous, feeding mainly on macrophyte leaves. However, stable isotope analyses and mixing model results showed that in the long term both species seem to acquire most of their dietary needs from rice plants and sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus). Dietary analyses confirm the importance of rice in both species' diets but also suggest that waterfowl may undergo seasonal dietary variations. These are mostly influenced by changes in the availability of food resources in the area rather than by their nutritional quality. This study confirms the ecological importance of rice fields as a complementary feeding habitat for waterfowl during the growing season in Mediterranean areas. It also highlights the importance of including these habitats in wetland management for waterfowl conservation.

The aim of this study was to describe the size dimorphism in adult Eurasian Coots (Fulica atra). Appropriate discriminant functions to allow efficient sex determination on the basis of morphological measurements were developed. Breeding Eurasian Coots (n = 55) were captured from the urban population in central Poland. Eight measurements were collected from each individual, and all individuals were molecularly sexed. Head length and wing length yielded the highest discriminatory power among the collected measurements, with males larger than females. Using a jackknife procedure, a combination of these two measurements correctly sexed approximately 95% of Eurasian Coot individuals. The discriminant functions developed here could be a reliable alternative to molecular sexing techniques in the Eurasian Coot.

In this study, we aimed to present the status of lead (Pb) poisoning in birds from southern Poland and the evaluation of in vivo biomarkers which may be used in the diagnosis without killing animals. This included the activity of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-d), hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, hematocrit (Ht) level and concentrations of Pb in blood, feathers and excrements. The significance of this work is the use of hunted birds which allow us to compare the signals of the chosen biomarkers with the internal response. Birds collected in the area of lower hunting activity (the Milicz ponds) revealed statistically lower Pb concentrations than birds from the Zator area. Pb poisoning was diagnosed in almost 8% of birds (including specimens from both areas), but lead pellets were found in 3%. The highest tissue concentration found was noted in kidneys of Mallard from the Zator area (36.55 μg g −1 d.w.). Significantly higher concentrations were noted in a few samples of gizzard content (up to 1047 μg g −1 d.w.) and excrements (up to 82.95 μg g −1 d.w.). Hb concentration, Ht level, concentrations in feathers and excrements seem not to be efficient biomarkers at noted Pb concentrations in internal tissues (brain, pectoral muscle, kidney, liver, spleen, bone). In contrast, we found a significant negative correlation between Pb concentration in blood and ALA-d activity which confirmed that this parameter can be used successfully as in vivo biomarker of lead poisoning also in low environmental pollution.

The study of the Coot’s (Fulica atra) diet was carried out from February 2010 to January 2012 in the nature reserve of Lake Reghaia in the eastern part of Algeria. For that purpose, a total of 600 faecal samples, or 300 faecal samples per year, were analysed. The analysis showed that the bird’s food spectrum primarily consists of plant species, animal prey being very rare. Overall, 34 plant species belonging to 17 families and 18 animal species were identified. Thirty plant species belonging to 15 families were identified during the first study period (February 2010–January 2011) and 32 plant species belonging to 17 families were identified during the second study period (February 2011–January 2012). The relative abundance of Poaceae family plants in the Coot’s diet was estimated at 65.1% and that of Cyperaceae and Typhaceae at 7.3 and 4%, respectively. The share of other plant families in the bird’s diet was found to be negligible. The proportion of animal prey in the diet represents 3.1%. Among plants o...

La Convención de Ramsar busca promover la conservación y el uso sostenible de los humedales de importancia internacional y sus recursos biológicos. En 2012, la Presa de Valsequillo (Puebla, México) fue aceptada como sitio Ramsar, pero se desconocen aún aspectos de la ecología de su avifauna. Con este estudio se incrementó el conocimiento sobre la importancia ornitológica de este sitio Ramsar en el que evaluamos la variación temporal de la estructura de la comunidad de aves acuáticas. Primero, desde febrero de 2014 a enero de 2015, estimamos mensualmente la riqueza y abundancia de aves acuáticas de la Presa desde una embarcación con motor fuera borda, y se usó esta información para analizar los cambios en la riqueza y la diversidad. Después, mediante técnicas de análisis multivariante, obtuvimos grupos de meses con base en su similitud y comprobamos su significación estadística. Finalmente, identificamos las especies responsables de tales cambios. En total, observamos 30 especies de aves acuáticas, pero la riqueza mensual (estandarizada a 768 individuos) varió entre 12 y 20. En ‘primavera-verano’, la comunidad de aves acuáticas fue más sencilla (i.e., con menores valores de abundancia, riqueza y diversidad) que en ‘otoño-invierno’. Los principales cambios en la estructura de la comunidad se debieron a variaciones en la abundancia de unas pocas especies: la gallareta americana (Fulica americana), el pato cucharón (Anas clypeata) y el pato tepalcate (Oxyura jamaicensis). Sin excluir otras posibilidades para estos cambios, nuestro estudio sugiere que los patos (Anatidae) utilizan principalmente la Presa de Valsequillo como un sitio de invernada, mientras que las garzas (Ardeidae) la utilizan como una escala en sus movimientos migratorios otoñales. Nuestros datos pueden aplicarse en programas de ecoturismo (observación de aves), buscando las fechas que permitan maximizar el número de especies observadas, su diversidad o su abundancia.

Wetland ecosystems are subject to severe impacts (physical and chemical) and to the input of various xenobiotics that provoke toxicological consequences. Waterbirds are potential sentinel species of these environments. To analyze how habitat conditions affect the health of Fulica americana, early-warning biomarkers, histopathology, somatic indices, and water quality were examined in two wetlands of the Basin of Mexico: Xochimilco, an urban wetland highly eutrophic with a mixture of pollutants, and Tecocomulco (the reference site), a rural wetland with hunting migratory birds in winter, and with some agricultural contaminants. Coots were collected over 1 year, and the birds were aged, eviscerated, and weighed. Liver samples were analyzed biochemically and histologically. Biomarkers revealed that coots displayed higher lipid peroxidation and elevated activities of gamma-glutamyl transferase and alanine aminotransferase, suggesting hepatic damage during autumn and winter. In Tecocomulco, coots during winter has the highest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (as a measure of oxidative stress), which may be associated with the presence of predators. In Tecocomulco, the higher gonadosomatic index was detected in spring and summer, while in Xochimilco it was elevated in summer, indicating a delayed egg laying and reproduction in coots from the latter study site. In both wetlands, leukocyte infiltration, alone or combined with vasocongestion, reflected alterations in the inflammatory processes in liver throughout the annual cycle and thus potentially altered hepatic function and organism survival. In both wetlands, coots were permanent residents and chronically exposed to different stressors, suggesting damage may be irreversible with potentially adversely reproductive consequences.

Many species of birds react to climate change, for example, by wintering in areas closer to their breeding areas. We investigated the responses of two different functional groups of waterbirds to factors associated with climate change. The Odra River Estuary (SW Baltic Sea) is of key importance to wintering waterfowl. The most numerous birds here belong to two ecological groups: benthic feeders and fish feeders. We showed that numbers of all benthivorous waterbirds were negatively correlated with the presence of ice, but failed to find such a relationship for piscivores. We anticipated that, with ongoing global warming, the significance of this area would increase for benthic feeders but decrease for fish feeders: our results bore this out. The maximum range of ice cover in the Baltic Sea has a weak and negative effect on both groups of birds. Five of the seven target species are benthivores (Greater Scaup Aythya marila, Tufted Duck A. fuligula, Common Pochard A. ferina, Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula and Eurasian Coot Fulica atra), while the other two are piscivores (Smew Mergellus albellus and Goosander Mergus merganser). Local changes at the level of particular species vary for different reasons. The local decline of Common Pochard may be a reflection of the species’ global decline. Climate change may be responsible for some of the local changes in the study area, namely, the significance of the area has increased for Greater Scaup and Tufted Duck but declined for Smew.

Mediterranean shallow lakes support high biodiversity but suffer many anthropogenic threats, including introductions of alien fish. We studied the impact of introduction of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) to Medina and Zoñar lakes in SW Spain. Both lakes were protected as Ramsar sites because of their importance for waterbirds, particularly the globally threatened white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala IUCN Endangered) and common pochard (Aythya ferina IUCN Vulnerable). Two carp introduction events in Medina lake, with total eradication of carp in between, provided a unique opportunity to study the impacts of carp on the waterbird community (counted monthly from 2001 to 2013, with up to 69 species) and submerged macrophyte cover (quantified with satellite images). A comparison of waterbird abundance before and after carp eradication in the smaller Zoñar lake supported the results from Medina lake. Carp consistently led to the destruction of macrophyte beds and a radical change in the waterbird community. After controlling for the influence of depth fluctuations, the numbers and species richness of diving ducks were significantly reduced by carp, whilst the opposite effect was observed for piscivores such as herons. Negative impacts on O. leucocephala, A. ferina, red-crested pochard (Netta rufina) and herbivorous coots (Fulica spp.) were particularly pronounced. A significant negative impact of carp was also recorded on greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), black-necked grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), little grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis) and gadwall (Anas strepera). In contrast, carp presence had a positive impact on grey herons (Ardea cinerea). The ongoing expansion of alien cyprinids in the Mediterranean region constitutes a major threat for waterbirds and particularly for sedentary, threatened taxa such as the white-headed duck and red-knobbed coot (F. cristata). Of 22 key sites for the isolated Iberian population of white-headed duck identified in a European action plan in 1996, at least 14 have since suffered carp invasions. Further development of successful control methods for carp populations is urgently required to support the conservation of waterbirds in the Mediterranean region.

International audience; In Rhodospirillum rubrum, maturation of Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase (CODH) requires three accessory proteins, CooC, CooT and CooJ, dedicated to nickel insertion into the active site, which is constituted by a distorted [NiFe$_3$S$_4$] cubane coordinated with a mononuclear Fe site. CooC is an ATPase proposed to provide the energy required for the maturation process, while CooJ is described as a metallochaperone with 16 histidines and 2 cysteines at the C-terminus, likely involved in metal binding and/or storage. Prior to the present study, no information was available on CooT at the molecular level. Here, the X-ray structure of RrCooT was obtained, which revealed that this protein is a homodimer featuring a fold that resembles an Sm-like domain, suggesting a role in RNA metabolism that was however not supported by experimental observations. Biochemical and biophysical evidence based on circular dichroism spectroscopy, light scattering, isothermal titration calorimetry and site-directed mutagenesis showed that RrCooT specifically binds a single Ni(ii) per dimer, with a dissociation constant of 9 nM, through the pair of Cys2, highly conserved residues, located at the dimer interface. Despite its role in the activation of RrCODH in vivo, CooT was thought to be a unique protein, found only in R. rubrum, with an unclear function. In this study, we extended the biological impact of CooT, establishing that this protein is a member of a novel Ni(ii)-binding protein family with 111 homologues, linked to anaerobic metabolism in bacteria and archaea, and in most cases to the presence of CODH.

A method is presented for the automatic building of nucleotide chains into electron density which is fast enough to be used in interactive model-building software. Likely nucleotides lying in the vicinity of the current view are located and then grown into connected chains in a fraction of a second. When this development is combined with existing tools, assisted manual model building is as simple as or simpler than for proteins., The crystallographic structure solution of nucleotides and nucleotide complexes is now commonplace. The resulting electron-density maps are often poorer than for proteins, and as a result interpretation in terms of an atomic model can require significant effort, particularly in the case of large structures. While model building can be performed automatically, as with proteins, the process is time-consuming, taking minutes to days depending on the software and the size of the structure. A method is presented for the automatic building of nucleotide chains into electron density which is fast enough to be used in interactive model-building software, with extended chain fragments built around the current view position in a fraction of a second. The speed of the method arises from the determination of the ‘fingerprint’ of the sugar and phosphate groups in terms of conserved high-density and low-density features, coupled with a highly efficient scoring algorithm. Use cases include the rapid evaluation of an initial electron-density map, addition of nucleotide fragments to prebuilt protein structures, and in favourable cases the completion of the structure while automated model-building software is still running. The method has been incorporated into the Coot software package.

Behavioural responses of wetland fauna to humans constitutes a potential conservation threat, and may alter how animals use wetlands and their surrounds. We predicted that the farther from refuge (i.e. water) that terrestrially foraging rails occurred, the longer the distance at which they would become alert when approached. We found that the distance at which Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, Purple Swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio, and Dusky Moorhen, Gallinula tenebrosa became alert to an approaching predator (i.e. human) increased with distance from the shore of a wetland (species and starting distance were not significant but associated with low power). Thus, these behavioural measures suggest these birds use water in wetlands as a refuge from potential threats such as people.

The choice of the moulting habitat is of paramount importance for wing-moulting waterbirds that have to cope with a flightless period of several weeks. However, some species might have more restricted habitat requirements during moult than others, for example due to a highly specialized feeding ecology. The moult-related habitat use of five species (Gadwall Anas strepera, Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, Coot Fulica atra) was compared at a European inland moulting site that offered a variety of water bodies characterized by different levels of nutrient concentration, water depth, shoreline vegetation density and disturbance. To determine location- and species-specific densities, birds were regularly counted throughout the moulting seasons of 2010 and 2011. In 2011, additional data on Gadwalls were used to assess differences in requirements between the flightless phase of moult and the periods before and after. Furthermore, habitat choice of 38 tagged Gadwalls was compared among two to four successive years. During the moulting season, all species showed clear preferences for specific levels of nutrient content, suggesting an active choice of suitable food sources in both food specialists and generalists. Species showing the strongest attachment to shallow water (Gadwall and Coot) were most sensitive to human disturbance and increasing water depths, and species averse to diving (Gadwall) used ponds with dense shore vegetation while flightless. For Gadwalls, habitat conditions rather than nutrient supply became increasingly important during the flightless phase. Average return rates of 59 and 54% were recorded for male and female Gadwalls, respectively, and the repeated use of familiar locations could be demonstrated in the majority of returning birds (65%). Familiarity with the habitat apparently plays an important role and may enable individuals to compensate for suboptimal conditions at the moulting site.

Morphoecological Peculiarities of Pelvis in Several Genera of Rails with Some Notes on Systematic Position of the Coot, Fulica atra (Rallidae, Gruiformes). Bogdanovich, I. A. - Some features of pelvic and hindlimb morphology of several ecologically different species of rallids are studied. Adaptive significances of these features are revealed. A special attention is paid to the hindlimb skeleton of the Coot (Fulica atra, Linnaeus, 1758), which retained the locomotor universalism despite adaptations to swimming and diving.

Observations of birds feeding chicks or fledglings of a different species have already been reported in many publications. However, the benefits of the altruistic behaviour are not easy to understand, as benefits and costs of this behaviour have been poorly identified. In May 2013, in a wetland in Central Italy (Piana Fiorentina, Tuscany), some cases of interspecific feeding of an Eurasian Coot Fulica atra chick by an adult non breeding Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida were witnessed. We suggest that the behaviour of the Tern was triggered by the begging of the chick or by its own hormonal status.

This study was conducted to measure the concentration of several elements (Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn) in organs of Coot, Fulica atra, and Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, in order to: (1) determine the significant between metal concentrations in different organs (kidney, liver, pectoral muscle, and feather), (2) to evaluate species differences in metal exposure and accumulation, and (3) to study gender-related trends in metal accumulation. The metal concentrations in organs of F. atra and A. platyrhynchos decreased in the following order: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. These results revealed that there were no significant differences between males and females except for Cu in liver and feather, and Pb in kidney.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) hosts the most polymorphic genes ever described in vertebrates. The MHC triggers the adaptive branch of the immune response, and its extraordinary variability is considered an evolutionary consequence of pathogen pressure. The last few years have witnessed the characterization of the MHC multigene family in a large diversity of bird species, unraveling important differences in its polymorphism, complexity, and evolution. Here, we characterize the first MHC class II B sequences isolated from a Rallidae species, the Eurasian Coot Fulica atra. A next-generation sequencing approach revealed up to 265 alleles that translated into 251 different amino acid sequences (b chain, exon 2) in 902 individuals. Bayesian inference identified up to 19 codons within the presumptive peptide-binding region showing pervasive evidence of positive, diversifying selection. Our analyses also detected a significant excess of high-frequency segregating sites (average Tajima’s D = 2.36, P < 0.05), indicative of balancing selection. We found one to six different alleles per individual, consistent with the occurrence of at least three MHC class II B gene duplicates. However, the genotypes comprised of three alleles were by far the most abundant in the population investigated (49.4%), followed by those with two (29.6%) and four (17.5%) alleles. We suggest that these proportions are in agreement with the segregation of MHC haplotypes differing in gene copy number. The most widespread segregating haplotypes, according to our findings, would contain one single gene or two genes. The MHC class II of the Eurasian Coot is a valuable system to investigate the evolutionary implications of gene copy variation and extensive variability, the greatest ever found, to the best of our knowledge, in a wild population of a non-passerine bird

Rallidae are common and widespread, yet relatively poorly studied. We analysed the ringing data from more than 8,000 Common Coot Fulica atra, accumulated between 1950 and 1982 in Camargue, southern France, in terms of the dynamics of their biometrics throughout the year, migratory pathways and annual survival rate. Mean monthly body mass and wing length indicate seasonal differences, with birds captured in autumn and winter being heavier and larger than those captured in spring and summer. The temporal and spatial distribution across Europe of more than 950 ring recoveries indicates a mixing of sedentary and migratory birds. Capture–recapture analysis indicated lower annual survival rates during the year after ringing, and greater survival rates in adults and in males. Mean survival rate across sex and age classes greater than one year after ringing was 55%. This is somewhat lower than found by other studies, and may be influenced by Coot hunting in the Camargue, especially during the years of this study.

In birds, adaptations that mitigate predators' impact are usually ineffective in confrontation with introduced and rapidly expanding invasive non-native predators. As a consequence, bird populations often decline in the period following the time when predator population is established. Changes in bird numbers and nest spatial distributions in breeding populations of the Eurasian Coot Fulica atra and Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus were studied in Mazurian Lakeland, northeastern Poland in 2002–2003 and 2016, and were analyzed with reference to the abundance of invasive American Mink Neovison vison, whose density declined since mid 1990s. The study was based on a census of breeding pairs and a search of nests at 31 lakes. The numbers of breeding Coots and Grebes increased 2.6-fold and 1.2-fold, respectively. In both study periods Grebes displayed a strong tendency to nest in the vicinity of human settlements and in colonies; however, the percentage of Grebe pairs nesting near settlements and in colonies decreased from 51% to 34% and from 73% to 57%, respectively. Coots also preferred to nest in the vicinity of human settlements. Distributions of their nests have not changed significantly over time: in both periods 55–60% of Coot nests were found in close proximity to human settlements and 13–19% in Grebe colonies. The obtained results suggest that breeding populations of the Coot and Great Crested Grebe can cope with the invasive American Mink, whose predation was considered to be the main reason for waterbird declines in Mazurian Lakeland at the end of 20th century.

The aim of present research was to determine the mercury (Hg) concentrations with regards to oxidative stress in tissues samples of Coot, Fulica atra, and Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos from the Zarivar wetland, Iran. For this reason, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were assayed using an ELISA microplate reader. Results showed that the mercury concentration in the F. atra and A. platyrhynchos were decreased in sequence of feather > liver > kidney > pectoral muscle. The levels of the mercury concentration in the F. atra were higher in the males than in the females; in contract, the mercury concentration level in A. platyrhynchos was higher in females than in males (except mercury in feathers). Mercury in feathers of two bird species exceeded the 5 ppm threshold for adverse effect. The findings indicated the significant differences in the mean activities of SOD, GPx, CAT, and concentrations of TAC and MDA in different tissues and both bird species (p < 0.05). Moreover, results showed that the Hg concentrations in tissues of both bird species induced the oxidative stress markers and these parameters could be useful tool to evaluate the effects of mercury pollution on birds. © 2018

The endangered Hawaiian Coot (Fulica alai) is one of few native waterbird species remaining in Hawaii, USA. On the island of Oahu, 56 adults were captured and sexed using a molecular method, and sexual dimorphism, seasonal variation in shield size (possibly sexually selected), and use of morphometrics to predict sex as an alternative to molecular sexing were investigated. The sex ratio was significantly male biased: 39 males, 17 females (P = 0.003). No morphometric character assessed independently differed significantly between sexes (0.056 < P < 0.975). However, a multiple regression approach indicated that tarsus length, bill height, tail length, and wing length in combination differed between sexes, but prediction of sex was nonetheless possible with only 65% accuracy. Male shield size was larger during the pre-breeding and breeding seasons than the post-breeding season, but did not vary significantly in females, the interaction between sex and season in the model being significant (P < 0.02). Within the breeding and pre-breeding seasons (a subsample of total birds), multiple regression indicated sexual dimorphism in shield width, shield length, and wing length, but prediction of sex was again only possible with 68% accuracy. Thus, neither model predicted sex sufficiently accurately for this morphometric approach to be a viable substitute for molecular sexing.

The range of Eurasian Coot Fulica atra in Japan has expanded gradually since the 1980s, and the numbers of coot wintering at several sites in Japan have increased. In this paper, we summarize the trends in coot numbers wintering in Japan and mainland East Asia. In Japan, wintering numbers of coot have increased in most regions, except in northern Chiba Prefecture. The increase began in the late 1990s or around 2000 at several water bodies in the Kanto, Chubu, Kinki and Chugoku regions of Honshu. It also increased in the mid-2000s at several water bodies in the Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, and Kinki regions of Honshu, and perhaps also on the island of Kyushu. In China, huge numbers of coot overwintered at several sites in the lower Yangtze floodplain (e.g., Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake) and along the Jiangsu Coast near the Yangtze River mouth (e.g., Yancheng Nature Reserve, Hongze Hu Lake) during the 1990s. However, during the 2000s, no sites in China held more than 10,000 wintering coot. The number of coo...

Information on the effectiveness of wildlife management actions is scarce, despite the great relevance of this type of information for maximizing conservation goals while minimizing resource expenditure. Here we assess the management effectiveness of a four-year hunting moratorium, addressed to protecting a declining waterbird game species: common coot Fulica atra. We also studied the indirect benefits that this management action could have had on a non-target endangered species (crested coot Fulica cristata), currently being reintroduced in the study region (Comunidad Valenciana, eastern Spain). We found that wintering common coots interrupted their marked negative trend coinciding with the hunting moratorium, and Before-After-Control-Impact modelling confirmed this fact. However breeding common coots continued their negative trend in numbers. We also found that crested coots increased their wintering numbers during the hunting moratorium years but not during breeding. We detected a strong and time variant cost of release on survival probability of crested coots, but annual survival probability was found to be constant and low for experienced birds, with no clear effects of the hunting moratorium on survival probability. We conclude that the moratorium had some positive effect on both species, but we suggest that lack of enforcement during a traditional hunting practice at the end of each hunting season, most likely precluded the moratorium having a long-lasting effect on the breeding numbers and probably on survival, of both species. Hence, when fully-enforced hunting moratoria are difficult to implement, we recommend the creation of hunting preserves of high habitat quality to attract coots during the winter, allowing its subsequent reproduction during the breeding season. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd., This study has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science (Grant Ref. CGL2009-08298), the Regional Government of Balearic Islands (FEDER funding) and by the regional government of Comunidad Valenciana (Generalitat Valenciana). AMA was funded by an Isidro Parga Pondal postdoctoral contract from Xunta de Galicia

The results of this study showed that the liver of coot bird fulica atra is closely resample to the liver of fowl that it lies in the ventral part of the body cavity and seems red-brown in color and divided into two lobes, right and left . Histologically the liver of coot bird enclosed by thin capsule of connective tissue that continue to subdivided the liver into lobules . The hepatocyte which arranged radially around the central vein as hepatocord in two cells thickness . These cells are polygonal in shape and have rounded nucleus and there is present of sinusoids between hepatocords which lined by flattened endothelial cells .

Waterfowl, including ducks, geese, rails and others, are host to a great di- versity of ectosymbiotic arthropods. In this study, we collected ectosymbionts from waterfowl and analyzed taxon richness and total abundance to determine whether there were differences in the mite and louse assemblages of waterfowl of different species, genera, sexes, and feeding behaviors. Data were collected from 53 individual birds from 13 waterfowl species and 5 waterfowl genera taken from Georgia and Ala- bama. A total of 11 louse species and 7 feather and nasal mite species were collected from the waterfowl samples. Fulica americana (American Coot) harbored the high- est louse abundance and taxon richness but had the lowest abundance of mites. Most significant results were driven by the Fulica assemblage. Significant sex differences were detected only between male and female anseriform birds, in which female hosts demonstrated higher mean numbers of ischnoceran lice than male hosts. No significant differences in mite abundance between waterfowl sex or genera were observed, but more mite taxa were found on diving waterfowl than on dabbling species. These data will help to provide a foundation for future research on the ecology of waterfowl ecto- symbionts in the southeastern United States.

Este estudio se realizó en la laguna El Paraíso, departamento de Lima, Perú, de abril de 1999 a abril del 2000. Tuvo como objetivos la determinación de la diversidad específica en aves; la densidad poblacional de las principales familias de uso cinegético y la determinación de los microhábitats más importantes para los grupos evaluados. Se reportaron 81 especies de aves las cuales pertenecen a 62 géneros y a 35 familias. En esta cifra se reportan 19 especies nuevas para el área de Paraíso; el 46% de la diversidad de aves está dada por las familias Scolopacidae (14%), Ardeidae (10%), Laridae (7%), Anatidae (5%), Charadriidae (5%) y Columbidae (5%). La familia Rallidae es la más abundante y está representada por dos especies Gallinula chloropus "polla de agua" y Fulica ardesiaca "gallareta", siendo la primera más numerosa. Asimismo, se dan las recomendaciones para la conservación del área. This study was carried out at El Paraíso lagoon, Lima, Peru, from April 1999 to April 2000. The main goals was determinated the birds specific diversity, the population density of main cinegetic bird families and the determination of the most important microhabitats for the studied groups. 81 birds species (19 species are new for the area) were reported, distribuited in 62 generas and 35 families. 46% of the diversity is given for the following families: Scolopacidae (14%), Ardeidae (10%), Laridae (7%), Anatidae (5%), Charadriidae (5%) and Columbidae (5%). The Rallidae family is the most abundant and is represented for two species Gallinula chloropus "Common Moorhen" y Fulica ardesiaca "Slate-colored Coot". It is given recommendations for the conservation of the area.

ResumenLa avifauna acuática invernal de la ciénaga de Tláhuac fue estudiada de noviembre de 2006 a febrero de 2007; se identificaron 40 especies, 3 de las cuales corresponden a nuevos registros. El área fue utilizada por, al menos, 25 000 aves acuáticas; 5 fueron las especies dominantes: 3 anátidos (Anas clypeata, A. platyrhynchos diazi y Oxyura jamaicensis), 1 ave playera (Limnodromus scolopaceus) y 1 gallareta (Fulica americana). Sobresalió por su abundancia A. platyrhynchos diazi, subespecie endémica y amenazada, ya que los 2 200 individuos observados representan el 4% de la población total estimada. Las especies mejor representadas mostraron una utilización espacial diferencial, con 3 patrones: 1) especies con distribución uniforme (A. clypeata y F. americana), 2) las agrupadas en una sola porción del humedal (A.p. diazi y O. jamaicensis) y 3) aquella con afinidad por 2 porciones del humedal (L. scolopaceus). La ciénega de Tláhuac es un humedal importante para la avifauna de la región; en ella ocurren, durante el invierno, 6 especies protegidas por el gobierno mexicano; sin embargo, existen factores antrópicos que ponen en riesgo su integridad y que hacen necesarias acciones de protección y conservación.AbstractThe winter waterbirds of the Ciénega de Tláhuac were studied from November 2006 to February 2007; a total of 40 species were observed, with 3 new records. The area was usedby al least 25 000 birds; 5 species were the dominant: 3 anatids (Anas clypeata, A. platyrhynchos diazi y Oxyura jamaicensis), 1 shorebird (Limnodromus scolopaceus) and 1 coot (Fulica americana). The abundance of A. platyrhynchos diazi, a threatened endemic subspecies, was remarkable because the 2 200 individuals observed represent 4% of its population.The best represented species showed a differential spatial use, with 3 patterns: 1) species with homogeneous use (A. clypeata y F. americana), 2) with affinity to a single portion of the wetland (A. p. diazi y O. jamaicensis), and 3) with affinity for both portions of the wetland (L. scolopaceus). The Ciénega de Tláhuac is an important wetland for birds in the region; during the winter 6 species protected by the Mexican Government occur there; however, there are human factors that threaten its integrity, so that protective and conservation actions are necessary.

A new case of partial leucism is described from an individual of Andean Coot Fulica ardesiaca. It was observed and photographed in the Lake San Pablo, canton Otavalo, province of Imbabura, Ecuador. White marks were present on the wings, throat and venter, while the rest of the body showed the gray-black typical coloration.Se describe un nuevo caso de leucismo parcial en un individuo de Focha Andina Fulica ardesiaca. Se observó y fotografío en el Lago San Pablo, cantón Otavalo, provincia de Imbabura, Ecuador. Marcas blancas estuvieron presentes en las alas, garganta y vientre, mientras que el resto del cuerpo presentaba la coloración gris-negruzca típica.

The process of ligand fitting with CCP4 is reviewed, including identifying ligand density in the map, ligand fitting, refinement and subsequent validation. Recent developments are discussed, and are illustrated using instructive examples demonstrating practical application., Crystal structures of protein–ligand complexes are often used to infer biology and inform structure-based drug discovery. Hence, it is important to build accurate, reliable models of ligands that give confidence in the interpretation of the respective protein–ligand complex. This paper discusses key stages in the ligand-fitting process, including ligand binding-site identification, ligand description and conformer generation, ligand fitting, refinement and subsequent validation. The CCP4 suite contains a number of software tools that facilitate this task: AceDRG for the creation of ligand descriptions and conformers, Lidia and JLigand for two-dimensional and three-dimensional ligand editing and visual analysis, Coot for density interpretation, ligand fitting, analysis and validation, and REFMAC5 for macromolecular refinement. In addition to recent advancements in automatic carbohydrate building in Coot (LO/Carb) and ligand-validation tools (FLEV), the release of the CCP4i2 GUI provides an integrated solution that streamlines the ligand-fitting workflow, seamlessly passing results from one program to the next. The ligand-fitting process is illustrated using instructive practical examples, including problematic cases such as post-translational modifications, highlighting the need for careful analysis and rigorous validation.

Canada geese, snow geese, ducks, and American coots all have been implicated in agricultural crop and turf damage. Generally, goose, duck, and American coot damage to crops, vegetation and aircraft can be difficult to identify. Usually the damage to crops or vegetation shows signs of being clipped, torn, or stripped. Tracks, feces, or feathers found neat the damage can be used to help identify the species. Damage to aircraft is obvious if the bird is recovered, but if not, and only bird parts are recovered, a scientific analysis is required. Canada geese, snow geese, ducks, and American coots are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), which stipulates that, unless permitted by regulation, it is unlawful to “pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, barter, purchase, ship, export, or import any migratory birds alive or dead, or any part, nests, eggs, or products thereof.” Generally, geese, ducks, and coots can be hazed without a federal permit in order to prevent damage to agriculture crops and property with a variety of scare techniques. In most cases, live ammunition cannot be used.

Author(s): Underwood, Jared G.; Letchworth, K. Jackson | Abstract: American bullfrogs were introduced to Hawaii’s wetlands from California in the late 1800s. As in other areas where American bullfrogs have been introduced, these voracious predators threaten Hawaii’s native fauna. Of particular concern are Hawaii’s federally endangered endemic waterbirds: the Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian coot, Hawaiian gallinule, and Hawaiian duck. Wetland managers in Hawaii control bullfrogs for the benefit of these endangered waterbirds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages several core wetlands on national wildlife refuges in Hawaii that are necessary for survival of the waterbirds. These refuges include bullfrog control as a management strategy. Unpublished studies on James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge have documented bullfrogs as a major predator of newly hatched endangered waterbird chicks. This refuge currently maintains a year-round bullfrog trapping program with increased effort in the spring during the peak of waterbird breeding. Existing trapping methods employ a simple fish-style funnel trap with red flagging used as an attractant. As part of an effort to improve efficacy of current bullfrog capture methods, we investigated the effectiveness of different attractants for the traps. In addition to the current attractant of red flagging, we tested light, bullfrog call acoustic recordings, and life-size bullfrog decoys. The results showed that most of the treatments were no more effective than the control (no attractant). If we can improve bullfrog trap yields, we expect greater chick survival for the endangered Hawaiian waterbirds.

Plastic intake by marine vertebrates has been widely reported, but information about its presence in continental waterfowl is scarce. Here we analyzed faeces of waterbirds species (European coot, Fulica atra, mallard, Anas platyrhynchos and shelduck, Tadorna tadorna) for plastic debris in five wetlands in Central Spain. We collected 89 faeces of shelduck distributed in four lakes, 43.8% of them presented plastic remnants. Sixty percent of 10 faeces of European coot and 45% of 40 faeces of mallard contained plastic debris. Plastic debris found was of two types, threads and fragments, and were identified as remnants of plastic objects used in agricultural fields surrounding the lakes. Differences in prevalence of plastic in faeces, number of plastic pieces per excrement and size of the plastic pieces were not statistically significant between waterfowl species. Thus, our results suggest that plastic may also be frequently ingested by waterfowl in continental waters, at least in our study area. Future studies should address this potential problem for waterbird conservation in other wetlands to evaluate the real impact of this pollutant on waterbirds living in inland water. This work was performed within the framework of Project ECOLAKE 00Ecological patterns in endorheic lakes: the keys to their conservation, CGL2012-3890900 , funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and by the European Union through the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER) “One way to make Europe”.

Lough Neagh and Lough Beg Special Protection Area (SPA, hereafter Lough Neagh) is an important non-estuarine site in Britain and Ireland for overwintering wildfowl. Multivariate analysis of the winter counts showed a state-shift in the waterbird community following winter 2000/2001, mostly due to rapid declines in abundance (46–57% declines in the mean mid-winter January counts between 1993–2000 and 2002–2009) of members of the diving duck guild (pochard Aythya ferina, tufted duck Aythya fuligula and goldeneye Bucephala clangula) and coot (Fulica atra), a submerged macrophyte feeder. Only pochard showed correlations between declines at Lough Neagh and those of overall species flyway population indices to suggest that global changes could contribute to declines at the site. However, indices from the Republic of Ireland showed no overall decline in the rest of Ireland. Tufted duck indices at the site were inversely related to indices in Great Britain. Lough Neagh goldeneye indices were positively correlated with indices in the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, suggesting that short-stopping could contribute to declines at the site. Coot declines at Lough Neagh did not correlate with trends elsewhere, suggesting local factors involved in the decline. These analyses indicate that although there are potentially different explanations for the dramatic declines in these four waterbird species at this site, the simultaneous nature of the declines across two feeding guilds strongly suggest that local factors (such as loss of submerged macrophytes and benthic invertebrates) were involved. An assessment of the food supply, local disturbance and other factors at Lough Neagh is required to find an explanation for the observed adverse trends in wintering numbers of the affected species. This study highlights the potential of waterbird community structure to reflect the status of aquatic systems, but confirms the need to establish site-specific factors responsible for the observed changes in abundance of key waterbird species at a site. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wetland-dependent birds are considered to be at particularly high risk for negative climate change effects. Current and future distributions of American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), American Coot (Fulica americana), Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) and Sora (Porzana carolina), five waterbird species common in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), were predicted using species distribution models (SDMs) in combination with climate data that projected a drier future for the PPR. Regional-scale SDMs were created for the U.S. PPR using breeding bird survey occurrence records for 1971–2000 and wetland and climate parameters. For each waterbird species, current distribution and four potential future distributions were predicted: all combinations of two Global Circulation Models and two emissions scenarios. Averaged for all five species, the ensemble range reduction was 64%. However, projected range losses for individual species varied widely with Sora and Black Ter...

A behavioral response is usually the first adaptation of animals to environmental changes such as the introduction of an alien invasive species, and it seems to be the most important factor in reducing the negative impact of new predators on naive prey. This study examined changes in the abundance and behavior of breeding coots ( Fulica atra ) and great crested grebes ( Podiceps cristatus ) in response to invasion of the Mazurian Lakeland (NE Poland) by American mink ( Neovison vison ), first recorded here in 1984. Feral mink densities varied from 1.0 to 14.6 individuals per 10 km of shoreline. Mink were responsible for the losses of 17–58% of experimental clutches (artificial nests containing chicken eggs) that were deployed. Mink destroyed more experimental clutches than other predators; the effects of mink predation were similar in reeds and on the bank. Radio-tracking showed that mink avoided lake banks near human settlements. Mink have markedly affected the breeding distribution of both species and caused a greater than 20-fold decline in coot numbers. For coots and grebes breeding distribution and nesting success were positively associated with built-up areas along lake shores and also with whether the birds were breeding in colonies. Increased brood survival of coots and grebes near human settlements is a paradox in the sense that a man-made habitat change has provided refuge from an alien predator.

Seasonal (semestral) counts of aquatic birds at five Andean lakes in Ecuador (Colta, La Mica, Yambo, Yahuarcocha and San Pablo) were analyzed to detect trends in population size between 2004 and 2011.Trends of four abundant species (Ardea alba, Anas georgica, Fulica ardesiaca and Oxyura jamaicensis) and those of five functional groups (based upon body size and diet) were tested using generalized additive mixed modeling. In total, 19 bird species were consistently recorded over the whole period. The Andean Coot (F. ardesiaca) was found in highest densities (c. 3 birds per ha at Colta and Yambo). No significant trends were detected. However, the counts of functional groups exhibited a seasonal pattern (higher counts in February than in July), possibly due to lower resource availability in the dry season. Piscivorous species were relatively abundant at one lake (Yahuarcocha), which might be related to the introduction of Tilapiine cichlid fishes.

We surveyed the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Arkansas (“the Delta”) during the breeding seasons of 2005 and 2006 using the national marshbird monitoring protocol for secretive marshbirds. We detected and documented breeding by Podilymbus podiceps (Pied-billed Grebe), Ixobrychus exilis (Least Bittern), Rallus elegans (King Rail), and Gallinula chloropus (Common Moorhen). We detected but did not document breeding by Botaurus lentiginosus (American Bittern), Porphyrula martinica (Purple Gallinule), and Fulica americana (American Coot), all of which have been documented to breed in the Delta. Our estimated occupancy rates for breeding marshbirds in the study area ranged from a low of 6% for the King Rail in 2006 to a high of 27% for the Least Bittern in 2005. The range of these occupancy rates are low and reflect the rarity of secretive marshbirds in the Delta. Secretive marshbird occupancy rates were higher in the southern third of the Delta, probably because wetlands were more abundant or o...

Loch Leven has been designated as a UK Ramsar Site (1976), a Site of Special Scientific Interest (1985) and a Special Protection Area (2000) due to its importance as a site for overwintering waterfowl. However, no comprehensive assessment of trends in waterfowl at the local versus national scale has been conducted at the site. Coherence between trends in 5-year mean species abundance for Loch Leven and Underhill Indexing Method values for Scotland (or GB in the case of geese) were assessed using principal components analysis for ten study species between 1968 and 2006. Five species showed trends at Loch Leven that were coherent with those at the Scottish scale (Eurasian Teal, Mute Swan, Great Cormorant, Pink-footed and Greylag geese). These species may not respond positively to local scale management. However, the other five species (Mallard, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck and Pochard) showed distinct differences between local and national trends. A study of the feeding ecology for these species, the re-establishment of ringing effort and an assessment of waterfowl–wetland relationships are recommended to determine how changes in local food resources and habitat quality interact with macro-scale population dynamics to influence local and regional patterns of abundance.

Brood size and hatching patterns in birds are widely believed to represent adaptations to food availability during the brood-rearing period. Experimental manipulations of brood size and hatching patterns have been widely employed to determine whether parents can raise larger or more synchronous broods, but concurrent manipulations of food abundance to test the supposed causal mechanism have been rare. I studied survival to fledging of 1,060 American Coot (Fulica americana) chicks from 99 broods for which brood size, hatching asynchrony, and food availability had been experimentally manipulated via inter-nest transfers of newly hatched young and provisioning of supplemental food. Survival of color-marked young was measured until 45 days posthatch using Cormack-Jolly-Seber mark—resighting models. Survival of offspring from unsupplemented broods declined linearly with experimental increases in brood size, and this decline was large enough to ameliorate any benefits to parents from larger broods. Ho...