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This article, published in the Journal of Raptor Research, describes the first nest records of the Red-Throated Caracara (Ibycter americanus) in Peru. The Red-Throated Caracara is a social forest raptor that preys on paper wasp colonies. The article provides details of two nests found in the Junín department of Peru, including their locations, characteristics, and observations of adult behavior. The study suggests that the species may exhibit some flexibility in nesting in human-altered forests. Further research is needed to understand the nesting habitat requirements and nest success of this poorly known caracara. [Extracted from the article]

First discovered in northern San Martín department, Peru, in 1976 by O'Neill and Graves (1977), the Long-whiskered Owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi) has been an enigma to Neotropical ornithologists. Before 2007, it had only been encountered twice more, and only as mist net captures. Finally, in the past decade, the species has been found with regularity in the field, allowing us to gain knowledge of its life history. Here, we provide information on the known distribution, natural history, additional specimen data, and conservation status of this enigmatic bird. Descubierta por primera vez por O'Neill y Graves (1977) en 1976, en el departamento de San Martín, en el norte del Perú, la Lechucita Bigotona (Xenoglaux loweryi) ha sido un enigma para los ornitólogos neotropicales. Antes del 2007, había sido encontrada únicamente dos veces más, y estas fueron capturas en redes de niebla. Finalmente, en la última década, la especie ha sido encontrada regularmente en el campo, lo que nos ha permitido adquirir mayor conocimiento sobre su historia natural. En este artículo, proporcionamos información sobre la distribución conocida, la historia natural, datos adicionales de especímenes colectados, y el estado de conservación de esta enigmática ave. Palabras clave: Andes, datos de especímenes, Perú, redescubrimiento, Strigidae, vocalizaciones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market segmentation is an important topic for higher education administrators and researchers. For segmenting the higher education market, we have to understand what factors are important for high school students in selecting a university. Extant literature has probed the importance of rational factors such as teaching staff, campus facilities, and quality of education. Less attention has been devoted to the relevance of emotional factors such as personal values. The aim of this paper is to suggest a segmentation approach based on integrating rational and emotional factors that prospective students value when selecting a university. We gather information from 21 focus groups and develop a survey applied to a sample of high school students. We find six segments characterized by distinct rational and emotional underlying factors that lead to a particular composition for each segment. The factors discussed in this research can be used as a guide for higher education managers to develop segmentation and communication plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New records of the Great Inca-finch (Incaspiza pulchra) and the Masked Duck (Nomonyx dominicus) from 2011 and 2012 in the department of Lambayeque, Peru are presented and discussed. Several Masked Ducks were discovered in seasonal wetlands near the town of La Viña. Single individuals (possibly the same) of the inca-finch were found in both 2011 and 2012 on Cerro Chalpón, near the city of Motupe, and frequent handouts offered by pilgrims to a shrine on the hill. Both these records represent significant range expansions or previously unrecorded populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent panzootic of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) has affected hundreds of thousands of wild birds around the world. Here, we analyze the outcomes of the first H5N1 outbreak in wild birds of Peruvian protected areas. The first detection of H5N1 was confirmed in dead Peruvian pelicans (Pelecanus thagus) on 13 November 2022; the outbreak then rapidly spread to diverse areas along the Peruvian coast. By mid-March 2023, the species affected and number of dead individuals found was alarming: we found at least 100,485 wild birds belonging to 24 species (some of them threatened), which died due to this virus. The number of bird species and individuals affected by this disease in Peru is of conservation concern due to the severe effect of this virus on these populations and the ecosystem services they provide. This emerging pathogen killed, for instance, around 20 % of the pelican population inhabiting marine protected areas in Peru. We call on authorities and conservation managers in South America to be alert and implement actions such as rapid removal of infected carcasses and epidemiological surveillance to limit the spread of this virus and its consequent impact on wildlife. We must prevent this pathogen spreading to other regions in South America and Antarctica, where many potentially susceptible species live and need to be preserved. Since this emerging pathogen has produced high bird mortality worldwide, it should be addressed as a new threat to the survival of several bird species around the world. • H5N1 is causing a severe disease in wild bird species globally. • We evaluated the outcome of H5N1 outbreak in wild birds in Peruvian protected areas. • In a few months H5N1 killed >100,000 birds of 24 different species only in protected areas. • This virus has severely affected bird populations and the ecosystem services they provide. • H5N1 should be included as a new threat to the conservation of several bird species [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Peru has the second-highest diversity of birds in the world, but little is known about the interactions between birds and plastic waste. To fill this knowledge gap, we searched the scientific literature, collected information from social networks such as Facebook and databases such as Macaulay Library and iNaturalist and solicited records through messaging with researchers and bird enthusiasts. We found 119 bird interactions with plastic debris involving 39 species from 20 families, with the red-legged cormorant Phalacrocorax gaimardi and the neotropical cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus being the most affected species. By type of interaction category, plastic waste in nests was the most abundant, followed by entanglement, capture and handling and ingestion. Ropes, nets and soft plastics such as bags were the most frequently reported types of waste. As our methodology has limitations, it is probable that other species that also interact with plastic waste have not been reported, so we recommend further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global-scope scientific journals have played an important role in upholding a colonial legacy of north-south inequities in ornithology, and they now have a key role to play in increasing equity in scientific publishing. We explore common barriers faced by ornithologists in the Neotropics (Latin America and the Caribbean) and suggest priority actions that Ornithological Applications, Ornithology, and other global-scope ornithological journals can take to increase equity in publication and research uptake. Among the most important problems, we identified (1) restrictive (and north-biased) criteria for assessing research “importance” and “novelty,” (2) the high publication costs of the Author Pay (Gold) Open Access model, (3) language hegemony, (4) under-representation of ornithologists from the Neotropics on editorial boards and as lead authors on invited articles, and (5) lack of attention to ethics of collaboration and citation. We recommend that Ornithological Applications, Ornithology, and other global-scope ornithological journals (1) adjust their criteria for publication with the aim to publish all scientifically robust and ethically rigorous ornithology research submitted by first authors based in the Neotropics, including negative results and articles on basic biology; (2) maintain or create options for free or low-cost publication; (3) offer the option of a submission and review process in Spanish (and possibly other languages in the future); (4) increase the representation of ornithologists based in the Neotropics (especially women and those belonging to other marginalized groups) in core editorial teams and on editorial boards; and (5) introduce structured reflexivity statements, in which authors declare how local scientists were involved in the research and how equity was promoted in the collaboration that resulted in the manuscript. For these changes to be broadly effective in the long term, ornithologists across the Global South, and Indigenous, Brown, and Black ornithologists globally, should play lead roles in designing, implementing, and assessing the effectiveness of journal policies and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The canid genus Lycalopex comprises six recently diversified South American species whose evolutionary relationships have been remarkably challenging to resolve. We analyzed 6000 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 55 Lycalopex individuals (L. sechurae = 4, L. culpaeus = 7, L.griseus = 8, L.gymnocercus = 17, L.vetulus = 13 and L. fulvipes = 6), and nine specimens from the closely related species Cerdocyon thous, Chrysocyon brachyurus and Speothos venaticus, to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships, estimate the support for species-level monophyly, and date their divergences. In addition, we also sequenced seven nuclear segments from the same taxa. Three different phylogenetic approaches converged on the same mitochondrial topology with strong support for most nodes. All species were confirmed to be monophyletic for mtDNA, except for one intriguing case in which two L. vetulus individuals carried L. gymnocercus haplotypes, potentially implying a case of interspecies admixture. L. vetulus was the first species to diverge (ca. 1.2 Mya), followed by L. sechurae and then L. gymnocercus. The most internal group comprised L. griseus and the sister-species L. culpaeus and L. fulvipes, which diverged around 430,000 years ago in southern Argentina or Chile. The analysis of nuclear markers revealed several examples of intra-specific variation coupled with lack of species monophyly, consistent with pervasive incomplete lineage sorting and/or hybridization in this recent radiation. Our results provide robust mitochondrial resolution of this challenging radiation, and illustrate the difficulty of attaining similar success with traditional nuclear markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropical Andes in South America stand at the top of the world's list of endemism hotspots, due to their high species richness per unit area. Thus, our study focuses on the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) of the Utcubamba River (PER-84), one of the 96 KBAs, with an extension of 35,534 hectares. This area is located in northwest Peru, within the hotspot of the tropical Andes. The study area is well known as the waterfalls valley, which holds the world's third highest waterfall "Gocta", an outstanding national and international tourist attraction. Nevertheless, despite its great ecological and tourist value, research reports are deficient in the area. Therefore, we conducted a biological inventory in 2019 during the wet season, with the aim of recording and identifying species of tetrapod fauna, as well as promoting actions for their conservation. Based on field assessments, the following number of species was recorded: amphibians (14), reptiles (6), birds (229), and mammals (20). Interestingly, for the first time, two species of amphibians (Gastrotheca aguaruna and Gastrotheca spectabilis) and two reptiles (Dipsas palmeri and Tachymenis affinis) have been recorded; furthermore, the following several endemic species have been observed: amphibians (3), reptiles (2), birds (3) and mammals (1) that have not yet been reported for the ACB, which have not yet been reported for the KBA. This finding, in fact, increases the number of species of endemism in this part of Peruvian territory. Consequently, this study aims to be the basis for promoting further research to discover new species for science and to propose strategies for their conservation over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) is a culturally iconic wildlife symbol for the South American Andes, but is naturally found at very low population densities, and is increasingly threatened. Using the Range Wide Priority Setting methodology, we (a group of 38 Andean Condor experts) updated the Andean Condor historical range (3,230,061 km2 ), systematized 9998 Andean Condor distribution points.

The article reports that the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that spread through the Holarctic region in 2022, affecting millions of birds has reached South America and threatens marine and terrestrial birds, including endangered species. Topics include Realtime information gathering and steps to prevent the spread of disease will be required to mitigate the outbreak; and bird conservation status minimizing risks will give bird populations a better chance against emerging pathogens.