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Lovebirds (genus Agapornis of family Psittaculidae) are a group of small, colourful parrot species endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, two-thirds of which are considered to have declining populations. Effective conservation efforts are hampered by a lack of information, particularly for species occurring in regions that have received little research attention. We combined expert knowledge with a review of the primary and grey literature to identify key knowledge gaps and priority conservation actions for this group of birds. Published studies were found to be largely concentrated on lovebird populations in southern Africa and, to a lesser extent in East Africa, and therefore mostly concern members of the ‘white eye-ring’ clade. Some species, such as the Black-collared Lovebird Agapornis swindernianus, remain very poorly studied, with a lack of even basic information such as georeferenced occurrence records. Several lovebird species were historically taken from the wild in large numbers for the international pet trade, leading to population declines. Although trade in wild lovebirds has been much reduced compared with historical levels, considerable numbers are still captured for local and international trade without any monitoring of the wild populations. Habitat change continues to drive declines in the population and range of some species, particularly those considered habitat specialists, such as the Nyasa Lovebird A. lilianae and the Black-cheeked Lovebird A. nigrigenis. However, changing habitat has also driven range expansions and, in combination with trade, has created numerous novel contact zones between formerly allopatric species, such as between Fischer’s Lovebird A. fischeri and Yellow-collared Lovebird A. personatus. Hybridisation has been widely reported, particularly in East Africa, and studies on the implications of this for conservation, building on recent advances in genetic tools, are urgently needed. We call for more targeted research on lovebirds to inform assessments of their population trends, to understand the drivers of these trends, and to highlight opportunities to leverage existing data and new research tools to advance knowledge to support conservation in this group of birds. Les inséparables (genre Agapornis de la famille des Psittaculidae) sont un groupe de petits perroquets aux couleurs vives, endémiques de l’Afrique subsaharienne et de Madagascar, dont les deux tiers sont considérés comme ayant des populations en déclin. Des efforts de conservation efficaces sont entravés par un manque ’informations, en particulier pour les espèces présentes dans des régions qui reçoivent peu d’attention de la part de la recherche. Nous avons combiné les connaissances d’un panneau d’experts avec un examen de la littérature primaire et grise afin d’identifier simultanément les principales lacunes en matière de connaissances et les actions de conservation prioritaires pour ce groupe d’oiseaux. Les études publiées sont largement concentrées sur les populations d’inséparables d’Afrique australe et, dans une moindre mesure, d’Afrique de l’Est, et concernent donc principalement les membres du groupe «lunettes blanches». Certaines espèces, comme l’inséparable à collier noir Agapornis swindernianus, restent très peu étudiées, avec un manque d’informations de base, telles que des relevés d’occurrence géo-référencés. Plusieurs espèces d’inséparables ont été historiquement prélevées en très grand nombre dans la nature pour le commerce international des animaux de compagnie, ce qui a entraîné un déclin des populations. Bien que le commerce des inséparables sauvages ait été considérablement réduit par rapport aux niveaux historiques, un nombre considérable d’oiseaux sont encore capturés pour le commerce local et international sans qu’aucun suivi des populations sauvages ne soit effectué. Les altérations des habitats continuent à entraîner le déclin des populations et de l’aire de répartition de certaines espèces, en particulier celles qui sont considérées comme des spécialistes, telles que l’inséparable de Lilian A. lilianae et l’inséparable à joues noires A. nigrigenis. Cependant, certaines modifications des habitats ont également permis dans certains cas l’expansion de l’aire de répartition et, en combinaison avec le commerce, ont créé de nombreuses nouvelles zones de contact entre des espèces autrefois allopatriques, telles que les inséparables de Fischer A. fischeri et les inséparables masqués A. personatus. L’hybridation a été largement signalée, en particulier en Afrique de l’Est, et des études sur les implications de ce phénomène pour la conservation, s’appuyant sur les progrès récents des outils génétiques, sont urgents. Nous appelons à une recherche plus ciblée sur les inséparables afin d’obtenir des informations solides pour les évaluations des tendances des populations, de comprendre les causes derrière ces tendances et, finalement, de mettre en évidence les opportunités d’exploiter les données existantes et les nouveaux outils de recherche afin de faire progresser efficacement les connaissances pour soutenir la conservation de ce groupe d’oiseaux.

Lovebirds (genus Agapornis of family Psittaculidae) are a group of small, colourful parrot species endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, two-thirds of which are considered to have declining populations. Effective conservation efforts are hampered by a lack of information, particularly for species occurring in regions that have received little research attention. We combined expert knowledge with a review of the primary and grey literature to identify key knowledge gaps and priority conservation actions for this group of birds. Published studies were found to be largely concentrated on lovebird populations in southern Africa and, to a lesser extent in East Africa, and therefore mostly concern members of the ‘white eye-ring’ clade. Some species, such as the Black-collared Lovebird Agapornis swindernianus, remain very poorly studied, with a lack of even basic information such as georeferenced occurrence records. Several lovebird species were historically taken from the wild in large numbers for the international pet trade, leading to population declines. Although trade in wild lovebirds has been much reduced compared with historical levels, considerable numbers are still captured for local and international trade without any monitoring of the wild populations. Habitat change continues to drive declines in the population and range of some species, particularly those considered habitat specialists, such as the Nyasa Lovebird A. lilianae and the Black-cheeked Lovebird A. nigrigenis. However, changing habitat has also driven range expansions and, in combination with trade, has created numerous novel contact zones between formerly allopatric species, such as between Fischer’s Lovebird A. fischeri and Yellow-collared Lovebird A. personatus. Hybridisation has been widely reported, particularly in East Africa, and studies on the implications of this for conservation, building on recent advances in genetic tools, are urgently needed. We call for more targeted research on lovebirds to inform assessments of their population trends, to understand the drivers of these trends, and to highlight opportunities to leverage existing data and new research tools to advance knowledge to support conservation in this group of birds.

This paper presents a novel experimental method for the study of flow induced noise from underwater vehicles. Here, buoyancy driven models are combined with a hydrophone array in a large water tank. The advantage of the methodology is that the noise comes exclusively from the model. The data were processed using conventional beamforming in two configurations, by either using the whole signal or dividing it into several individual time segments, the so-called short-time beamforming method. The beamforming maps are accurate given the small number of sensors. The second method enabled to track the model location during its travel. The results for each test were consistent especially at high frequencies (from 2 kHz).

Anesthesia, critical illness, and trauma are known to alter thermoregulation, which can potentially affect coagulation and clinical outcome. This in vitro preclinical study explores the relationship between temperature change and hemostasis using a recently validated viscoelastic technique. We hypothesize that temperature change will cause significant alterations in the microstructural properties of clot.We used a novel viscoelastic technique to identify the gel point of the blood. The gel point identifies the transition of the blood from a viscoelastic liquid to a viscoelastic solid state. Furthermore, identification of the gel point provides 3 related biomarkers: the elastic modulus at the gel point, which is a measure of clot elasticity; the time to the gel point (TGP), which is a measure of the time required to form the clot; and the fractal dimension of the clot at the gel point, df, which quantifies the microstructure of the clot. The gel point measurements were performed in vitro on whole blood samples from 136 healthy volunteers over a temperature range of 27°C to 43°C.There was a significant negative correlation between increases in temperature, from 27°C to 43°C, and TGP (r = -0.641, P0.0005). Conversely, significant positive correlations were observed for both the elastic modulus at the gel point (r = 0.513, P = 0.0008) and df (r = 0.777, P0.0005) across the range of 27°C to 43°C. When temperature was reduced below 37°C, significant reductions in df and TGP occurred at ≤32°C (Bonferroni-corrected P = 0.0093) and ≤29°C (Bonferroni-corrected P = 0.0317), respectively. No significant changes were observed when temperature was increased to37°C.This study demonstrates that the gel point technique can identify alterations in clot microstructure because of changes in temperature. This was demonstrated in slower-forming clots with less structural complexity as temperature is decreased. We also found that significant changes in clot microstructure occurred when the temperature was ≤32°C.

Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD), caused by Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV), has spread rapidly around the world, raising concerns for threatened species conservation and biosecurity risks associated with the global pet bird trade. BFDV has been reported in several wild parrot populations, but data is lacking for many taxa and geographical areas with high parrot endemism. This data deficit impedes the development of strategies to mitigate the threats posed by BFDV. We aimed to advance understanding of BFDV distribution in many data deficient areas and determine phylogenetic and biogeographic associations of the virus from five parrot species in Africa, the Indian Ocean islands, Asia and Europe. BFDV was detected in eight countries where it was not known to occur previously, indicating the virus is more widely distributed than currently recognised. We document for the first time the presence of BFDV in wild populations of the highly traded and invasive Psittacula krameri within its native range in Asia and Africa. BFDV was detected among introduced 15 P. krameri on the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and the Seychelles, raising concerns for island endemic species in the region. Examination of the phylogenetic relationships between viral sequences, including those detected among wild-sourced parrots seized from illegal trade in Western Africa, revealed likely pathways of transmission between populations. A close degree of phylogenetic relatedness between viral variants from geographically distant populations suggests recent introductions, likely driven by global trade. These findings highlight the need for effective regulation of international trade in live parrots, particularly in regions with high parrot endemism or vulnerable taxa where P. krameri could act as a reservoir host.