Avian ecology and behavior

Drought to deluge: Differential impacts of snow on mountain chickadee reproduction across the Sierra Nevada mountains

This study examines how extreme snow conditions affect mountain chickadee reproduction across different elevations in the Sierra Nevada, revealing spatially variable responses to snow drought and deluge.

Associations of waterbirds with harvesting and ploughing events in rice fields: increasing foraging opportunities or just gathering for the feast?

This study investigates waterbird associations with rice field harvesting and ploughing events, finding increased food availability drives these associations, but not improved foraging success or reduced vigilance.

Dynamic emperor penguin colonies

The paper reports on the discovery of five emperor penguin breeding locations in West Antarctica, showing significant movement over the last decade and discussing implications for colony dispersal.

Ali Khan Faizee, Vijay Ramesh, V.V. Robin. Western Ghat Birds Exhibit a Unique Pattern of Seasonal Elevational Shifts and a Combination of Thermal Regime Dependent Shift Strategies.

The paper examines seasonal elevational shifts in Western Ghat birds, finding 77% of species shift elevations, with thermal regime shaping strategies like niche tracking or switching.

Lost to science for 126 years: Indigenous Knowledge and Camera Trapping Document the Critically Endangered Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon Otidiphaps insularis

Decoupling of emigration timing and skill acquisition in a saturated population of golden eagles

This study investigates why golden eagle juveniles delay emigration despite acquiring flight skills, finding that external factors, not skill mastery, primarily influence the timing of independence.

Using phylogenetic relationships to assess conservation priorities for birds in India

This study uses the EDGE metric to identify conservation priorities for birds in India, finding high EDGE scores in northeastern regions and highlighting inadequate protection for top EDGE species.

A spatial analysis of Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) abundance with reference to Protected Area coverage in England

This study examines whether common pheasants disperse into protected areas in England, finding no significant relationship between pheasant abundance and protected area coverage.

Continuous foraging behavior shapes patch-leaving decisions in pigeons: A 3D tracking study

This study uses 3D tracking to show pigeons prefer ground food patches and delay leaving elevated ones, integrating current and past foraging data in their decisions.

The Salas y Gomez and Nazca Ridges EBSA support a highly functional diversity of seabirds

This study assesses seabird functional diversity in the Salas y Gomez and Nazca Ridges, finding low functional richness and high divergence, highlighting conservation needs.

Experimental and field evidence indicate that islet-nesting tundra birds experience reduced nest predation and benefit indirectly from high snow goose densities

The paper examines how islet microhabitat characteristics and snow goose density affect nest survival in tundra birds, finding islets provide partial refuge from arctic fox predation.

Adaptive Nesting Strategies of Dusky Crag Martins in desert ecoregions: Implications for Conservation and Bioinspired Innovations

This study examines the nesting strategies of Dusky Crag Martins in the Thar Desert, revealing their use of soil layers with specific elemental properties to enhance nest structure and resilience.

Tree-Cover Gradients Modulate the Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Birds in Amazonian Cattle-Ranching Landscapes

This study examines how tree-cover gradients affect bird taxonomic and functional diversity in Amazonian cattle-ranching landscapes, finding differential impacts on guild-level richness, evenness, and functionality across cover types.

Tracking changes in birds' interaction milieu

The paper tracks changes in bird communities' interaction milieu over time, showing non-random structural shifts in association networks.

Integrating satellite data and field surveys to predict bird communities in the Peruvian Amazon

The paper uses satellite data and field surveys to predict bird communities in the Peruvian Amazon, finding that satellite-derived variables better predict species occurrence than habitat categories.

Candling analysis of egg development in an endangered bird species Crested ibis (Nipponia nippon)

This study describes the first comprehensive analysis of egg development in the Crested ibis using candling, identifying critical periods of embryo mortality and providing a reference for conservation efforts.

National-scale acoustic monitoring of avian biodiversity and migration

This study uses national-scale passive acoustic monitoring to track avian migration patterns and develop species distribution models for three passerine species.

The impacts of seventy years of changes in stopover habitats on the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea

This study examines how 70 years of habitat changes affected Spoon-billed Sandpiper populations in Japan, finding that natural habitat loss had a stronger negative impact than artificial wetland expansion.

Feather corticosterone is not associated with feather growth rate or quality across tropical and temperate passerines, but possibly linked to elevation

This study examines the relationship between corticosterone levels in feathers and feather growth rate or quality across passerine birds, finding no association but suggesting elevation may influence corticosterone levels.

Drone Survey Reveals a Severe Chinstrap Penguin Decline and a Novel Gentoo Colony in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area

The paper uses drone surveys to assess population changes in three seabird species in an Antarctic protected area, finding a significant decline in Chinstrap Penguins and growth in Gentoo Penguins and Antarctic Shags.

Revisiting the habitat selection of the Eurasian Woodcock inwinter: insights from the Mediterranean region

This study examines habitat selection and movement patterns of Eurasian Woodcocks in Mediterranean regions, finding reduced use of open habitats and altered activity patterns compared to Atlantic-influenced areas.

Prebreeding populations and the importance of life history for conserving the world's imperiled seabirds

The paper quantifies the conservation relevance of prebreeding seabirds by analyzing reproductive and survival rates across 84 species, finding they make up nearly half of populations and could be key to future stability.

Risk to European birds from collisions with wind-energy facilities

The paper assesses collision risks to 108 European bird species from wind-energy facilities, identifying risk hotspots and informing spatial planning to minimize biodiversity impacts.

Population-level migration modeling of North America's birds through data integration with BirdFlow

This paper introduces a framework to scale BirdFlow models to 153 North American migratory bird species using integrated data, achieving biologically realistic movement predictions.

Optimal thermal niche-tracking buffers wild great tits against climate change

This study shows that great tits adjust their breeding timing to track specific temperatures, enhancing reproductive success in response to climate change.

Identifying the exposure of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of steppe birds to renewable energy developments

The paper assesses the impact of photovoltaic infrastructure on steppe bird diversity by mapping biodiversity hotspots and identifying exposure and no-go areas for renewable energy development.

Mistimed surveys lead to underestimated migratory bird impacts from wind farms

The paper evaluates survey timing for migratory birds at wind farms and finds that half of surveys are not optimal, leading to underestimated impacts.

Bird occurrence and trophic interactions vary across gradients of tree diversity and microclimate in a planted forest

The paper examines how tree diversity and microclimate affect bird occurrence and trophic interactions in planted forests, finding that cooler, more diverse plots support bird specialists and alter herbivory patterns.

A novel feeding mechanism: Sunbirds drink nectar via intralingual suction

This study reveals that sunbirds use intralingual suction to drink nectar, a unique mechanism not found in other animals.

Distribution patterns of aquatic birds in a high-Andean wetland in southeastern Peru: an approach based on environmental factors

This study examines the distribution of aquatic birds in a high-Andean wetland, finding that shallow areas with high chlorophyll-a concentrations support higher bird abundance and diversity.