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An assessment of potential risks of pesticides on wildlife is required during the process of product registration within Europe because of the importance of agricultural landscapes as wildlife habitats. Despite their peculiarity and their specific role as artificial wetlands, rice paddies are to date pooled with cereals in guidance documents on how to conduct risk assessments for birds and mammals in Europe. Hence, the focal species currently considered in risk assessments for rice paddies are those known from cereal fields and can therefore be expected to differ significantly from the species actually occurring in the wet environments of rice paddies. We present results of a comprehensive review on bird and mammal species regularly occurring in rice paddies during a time of potential pesticide exposure to identify appropriate focal species candidates for ecotoxicological pesticide risk assessment according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In addition, we present data on rice cultivation areas and agricultural practices in Europe to give background information supporting the species selection process. Our literature search identified a general scarcity of relevant data, particularly for mammals, which highlights the need for crop-specific focal species studies. However, our results clearly indicate that the relevant bird and mammal species in rice fields indeed differ strongly from the focal species used for the cereal risk assessment. They can thus be used as a baseline for more realistic wildlife risk assessments specific to rice and the development of a revised guidance document to bridge the gap for regulatory decision makers. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:537-551. © 2018 SETAC.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guideline on risk assessment identifies pesticide exposure scenarios for nontarget wildlife; however, this scheme is not applicable to nonagricultural grassland. For example, different habitats and human utilization on golf courses attract bird communities that differ from those found in agricultural fields with annual crop cycles. The present study determined focal bird species for amenity grasslands such as golf courses following the EFSA guideline. Based on published data and bird surveys, a total of 102 species were found on 13 golf courses in Central Europe. Approximately 58% of the species were recorded on >20% of the golf course and were classified as focal species candidates. Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), common linnet (Carduelis cannabina), wood pigeon (Columba palumbus), yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella), white wagtail (Motacilla alba), and gray heron (Ardea cinerea) are the most adequate candidate focal species for exposure scenarios of carnivorous, granivorous, herbivorous, omnivorous, insectivorous, and piscivorous birds, respectively. Candidate species were verified on 3 golf courses in southwestern Germany in spring 2012. Observations on feeding behavior identified the main foraging areas of focal species. The results of the field work combined with data from the literature identified reliable exposure scenarios to assess the risk of pesticides to birds found on golf courses. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014; 33:2055–2061. © 2014 SETAC

Focal species have been defined by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as real species that represent others in a crop resulting from their potential higher level of exposure to pesticides. As such they are the most appropriate species for refining estimates of exposure further, through, for example, radio tracking and dietary studies. Plant protection product manufacturers collectively commissioned many studies in Europe, according to the EFSA guidelines, to identify focal species in different crops that may be used in risk assessments for spray applications of pesticides. Using frequency of occurrence in crops and risk-based criteria for exposure, all studies have been reviewed to identify if possible at least 1 focal species per feeding guild, per crop in the new registration zones for southern and central Europe. Some focal species repeatedly appeared across a wide range of arable or tree crops but not both, demonstrating broad adaptation to these 2 different crop structures. Many have widespread distributions, for example, 15 of the focal species have a distribution covering all agricultural regions of Europe (northern, central, and southern zones). Three species, corn bunting, serin, and tree sparrow, are restricted to the central and southern zones, whereas another 4 species, Sardinian and fan-tailed warbler, and crested and short-toed lark, are essentially restricted to the southern zone. The authors consider the focal species identified as suitable for risk assessment in Europe at the zonal level and for further refinement of exposure through studies, such as radio tracking or diet analysis, if necessary. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;10:247–259. © 2013 SETAC

Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1063 bp) of Sylvia species from Macaronesia (Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores), Europe, and North Africa revealed new insights into the phylogeography of these taxa. Subspecific distinctiveness for Sardinian warblers (Sylvia melanocephala) from the Canary Islands was rejected on the basis of very low genetic divergence, distribution of haplotypes, and high variation in morphometrics. Furthermore, blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) from Madeira, Canary Islands, and the Azores were not genetically distinct, whereas morphometrics were highly variable. Differences in morphometrics in both Sardinian warbler and blackcap are caused rather by migratory behaviour and ecological traits than by phylogeny. Tentative data obtained in a small sample of spectacled warblers (Sylvia conspicillata) also suggest a low degree of differentiation between Sylvia conspicillata orbitalis (Canary Islands) and Sylvia conspicillata conspicillata (Mediterranean basin). At least for the Sardinian warbler and blackcap, the genetic data suggest a recent range expansion and chronologically different colonization events to the Atlantic islands.

An analysis of the sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1005 bp) of the Parus teneriffae-group from the Canary Islands and North Africa revealed new insights into the phylogeography of this taxon. The origin of the radiation on the Canarian Archipelago was apparently one of the central islands—Tenerife or Gran Canaria. The populations on El Hierro (P. t. ombriosus) and La Palma (P. t. palmensis) represent distinct monophyletic lineages. Blue tits from Gran Canaria are genetically distinct from those of La Gomera and Tenerife (P. t. teneriffae), which supports the results of other studies and suggests the existence of an—until now—undescribed taxon there. In contrast, the populations on the eastern islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (P. t. degener) could not be distinguished from North African blue tits (P. t. ultramarinus), and these populations should be subsumed under the subspecies ultramarinus. Taxonomic recommendations based on these results include the distinction of the northern European P. caeruleus from P. teneriffae, including blue tits from North Africa and the Canary Islands, the treatment of degener and ultramarinus as synonymous (P. teneriffae ultramarinus) and a new blue tit taxon on the island of Gran Canaria (P. t. hedwigii nov. ssp.), which is formally described. The genetic results are in parts supported by bioacoustic and morphological data.

During May and June 2003, a mixed breeding pair consisting of a male western Bonelli’s warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli) and a female wood warbler (P. sibilatrix) successfully raised six young in a broad-leafed forest near Junkerath, western Germany, an area far outside the regular breeding range of P. bonelli. The identity of the adult birds was confirmed by song, calls, colouration, and wing measurements. Based on blood samples taken from both parents and three juveniles, the potential interbreeding was analysed by molecular methods. Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene differed between male and female by 8.7% and confirmed the identification of both parents. Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene revealed that the male was a western Bonelli's and the female a wood warbler. The hybridisation and the parentage of male and female were corroborated by multilocus DNA fingerprinting. This is the first documented and genetically proven hybridisation event between these two warbler species.

Ein Vergleich von systematisch durchgefuhrten, grosraumigen Kartierungen der Verbreitung aller Vogelarten im Rheinland (Teil Nordrhein) aus den Jahren 1974–84 und 1990–2000 belegt eine hohe Populationsdynamik und schnelle Arealveranderungen. Von 168 Brutvogelarten zeigen in diesem Zeitraum nur 35 Prozent keine signifikanten Bestandsveranderungen. Etwa 20 Prozent der Arten weisen starke Ruckgange auf, darunter insbesondere Bewohner der intensiv genutzten Agrarlandschaft sowie Langstreckenzieher. Uberraschend ist die Feststellung, dass in demselben Zeitraum circa 45 Prozent der Vogelarten ihre Bestande und Areale haben erweitern konnen. Moglicherweise stehen die Zunahmen der Standvogelarten und Teilstreckenzieher mit der sich anbahnenden Klimaanderung, insbesondere mit milderen Wintern, im Zusammenhang.

Island canaries (Serinus canaria) are characterised as a species living exclusively on North Atlantic islands, mainly on the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands. Although they are very common in their habitats, their behaviour and breeding system has only recently been studied systematically. To advance the understanding of their ecology and to see if the rather isolated archipelagos are already promoting a genetic differentiation, we investigated their phylogeographic relationship as revealed by mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b gene and investigated whether this measure corresponds to morphological characteristics within the islands. Genetic distances were very low throughout the distribution range of the species. Although the variation of genetic distances within the population of Pico (Azores) was larger than that on Madeira and Canary Islands, the genetic distances between island populations were very low throughout which prevented a clear phylogeographic differentiation. Moreover, morphological measurements did not reveal a consistent pattern to reliably separate the populations, although the measures of beak length and body weight revealed a clear island-specific differentiation. These data lead to the assumption that the colonisation of the Atlantic islands by the canaries occurred very recently, while there is no persisting gene flow between the populations.

Phylogenetic relationships between goldcrest populations from the Atlantic Islands (Azores and Canary Islands) were investigated by two molecular markers (mitochondrial control region and cytochrome b sequences), and partly by morphology and territorial song. The Azorean goldcrest populations are closely related to European nominate R. r. regulus. Most probably, the Azores were colonized by goldcrests in a single late-pleistocene invasion, while colonization of the Canary Islands presumably occurred in two steps: An early invasion to Tenerife and La Gomera 1.9–2.3 million years (my) ago and a more recent one to El Hierro and La Palma 1.3–1.8 my ago. Distribution of haplotypes on the Azores suggests a division of R. r. azoricus on Sao Miguel into an eastern population with close affinities to R. r. sanctaemariae and a western population belonging to the lineage of R. r. inermis on the central and western island group. The Canarian populations are genetically substructured into a northeastern group embracing Tenerife and La Gomera and a second, southwestern group including El Hierro and La Palma. Genetic distances between members of the two Canarian clades range at 3.1–3.4% (TrN distance, control region and cytochrome b). Differentiation between the two groups is also supported by morphology and by territorial song. Substitution rate estimates for the both genes range at approximately the same values of 0.0031 and 0.0044 substitutions per site and lineage per my which roughly corresponds 0.61–0.83% divergence between Regulus lineages per my. Highest local rates occur in island clades of the Azorean and the Canarian population and in R. r. japonensis from the Russian Far East and Japan. However, a general acceleration of a molecular clock in island populations is not evident from the Regulus data set due to extremely low local rate estimates in the Canarian clade of Tenerife and La Gomera. As a taxonomic consequence of the marked differentiation of the two Canarian goldcrest clades the populations from El Hierro and La Palma are described as a taxon new to science and are named Regulus regulus ellenthalerae n. ssp.

Focal species have been defined by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as real species that represent others in a crop resulting from their potential higher level of exposure to pesticides. As such they are the most appropriate species for refining estimates of exposure further, through, for example, radio tracking and dietary studies. Plant protection product manufacturers collectively commissioned many studies in Europe, according to the EFSA guidelines, to identify focal species in different crops that may be used in risk assessments for spray applications of pesticides. Using frequency of occurrence in crops and risk-based criteria for exposure, all studies have been reviewed to identify if possible at least 1 focal species per feeding guild, per crop in the new registration zones for southern and central Europe. Some focal species repeatedly appeared across a wide range of arable or tree crops but not both, demonstrating broad adaptation to these 2 different crop structures. Many have widespread distributions, for example, 15 of the focal species have a distribution covering all agricultural regions of Europe (northern, central, and southern zones). Three species, corn bunting, serin, and tree sparrow, are restricted to the central and southern zones, whereas another 4 species, Sardinian and fan-tailed warbler, and crested and short-toed lark, are essentially restricted to the southern zone. The authors consider the focal species identified as suitable for risk assessment in Europe at the zonal level and for further refinement of exposure through studies, such as radio tracking or diet analysis, if necessary.

Based on genetic and morphometric differences, Dietzen et al. (2003) [1] proposed to separate the Gran Canaria Robin from E. r. superbus of Tenerife as a new taxon in a nomenclaturally invalid way. Here, we provide a formal description of the new subspecies (Erithacus rubecula marionae subsp. nov.) in accordance with the rules of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature.