woensdag 26 december 2007

Population trends of widespread woodland birds in Europe

Auteur(s): Gregory, RD (Gregory, Richard D.), Vorisek, P (Vorisek, Petr), Van Strien, A (Van Strien, Arco), Meyling, AWG (Meyling, Adriaan W. Gmelig), Jiguet, F (Jiguet, Frederic), Fornasari, L (Fornasari, Lorenzo), Reif, J (Reif, Jiri), Chylarecki, P (Chylarecki, Przemek), Burfield, IJ (Burfield, Ian J.)
Bron: IBIS 149: 78-97 Suppl. 2 NOV 2007
Abstract: We explore population trends of widespread and common woodland birds using data from an extensive European network of ornithologists for the period 1980-2003. We show considerable differences exist in the European trends of species according to the broad habitat they occupy and the degree to which they specialize in habitat use.

On average, common forest birds are in shallow decline at a European scale; common forest birds declined by 13%, and common forest specialists by 18%, from 1980 to 2003. In comparison, populations of common specialists of farmland have declined moderately, falling on average by 28% from 1980 to 2003. These patterns contrast with that shown by generalist species whose populations have been roughly stable over the same period, their overall index increasing by 3%.

There was some evidence of regional variation in the population trends of these common forest species. The most obvious pattern was the greater stability of population trends in Eastern Europe compared with other regions considered. Among common forest birds, long-distance migrants and residents have on average declined most strongly, whereas short-distance migrants have been largely stable, or have increased. There was some evidence to suggest that ground-or low-nesting species have declined more strongly on average, as have forest birds with invertebrate diets. Formal analysis of the species trends confirmed the influence of habitat use, habitat specialization and nest-site; the effects of region and migration strategy were less clear-cut.
There was also evidence to show that year-to-year variation in individual species trends at a European scale was influenced by cold winter weather in a small number of species.

We recommend that the species trend information provided by the new pan-European scheme should be used alongside existing mechanisms to review the conservation status of European birds. The analysis also allows us to reappraise the role of common forest bird populations as a potential barometer of wider forest health. The new indicator appears to be a useful indicator of the state of widespread European forest birds and might prove to be a useful surrogate for trends in forest biodiversity and forest health, but more work is likely to be needed to understand the interaction between bird populations and their drivers in forest.

zaterdag 22 december 2007

Birds, like humans help their children raise grandchildren

University of East Anglia researchers have discovered the existence of ‘grandparent’ helpers in the Seychelles warbler, a small songbird found on four granitic and corraline islands in the Seychelles.

This is the first time that this behaviour, which rarely occurs except in humans, has been observed in birds.


Lees meer: eBiologyNews

maandag 17 december 2007

Penguins in peril as climate warms

The penguin population of Antarctica is under pressure from global warming, according to a WWF report.

The report, Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change, shows that the four populations of penguins that breed on the Antarctic continent — Adélie, Emperor, Chinstrap and Gentoo — are under escalating pressure. For some, global warming is taking away precious ground on which penguins raise their young. For others, food has become increasingly scarce because of warming in conjunction with overfishing.

Lees meer: WWF
Download het rapport: Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change [pdf, 6.01 MB]

dinsdag 11 december 2007

Diet of Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo) in southern Norway determined from prey remains and video recordings

Auteur(s): Selas, V (Selas, Vidar), Tveiten, R (Tveiten, Reidar), Aanonsen, OM (Aanonsen, Ole Martin)
Bron: ORNIS FENNICA 84 (3): 97-104 2007
Abstract: We examined the diet of six breeding Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) pairs in southern Norway, by analysing pellets and prey remains collected around and in nests, and by video recording prey delivery at the nests. Mammals, birds and reptiles were the major prey groups. Amphibians were underestimated when identified from pellets and prey remains compared to video recording, while birds > 120 g were overestimated.
Selection of avian prey was studied by comparing the proportions of different weight groups of birds among prey with their proportions in the bird community, as estimated by point counts around each nest. Common Buzzards selectively preyed upon medium-sized birds and neglected many of the numerous small passerines.

zondag 9 december 2007

Head ornaments in owls: what are their functions?

Auteur(s): P. Galeotti (correspondence) and D. Rubolini, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Laboratorio di Eco-Etologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, p.zza Botta 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
Bron: JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY 38 (6): 731-736 NOV 2007
Abstract: We studied head ornamentation in owls by focussing on the hypothesis that it may serve both intra- and interspecific communication. We carried out pairwise comparisons of morphological, ecological and behavioural traits on a subset of closely related species with contrasting head ornamentation patterns.
We found that the degree of head ornamentation was associated with habitat and activity rhythm, highly ornamented species (e.g., most of the genus Bubo) living preferentially in open habitats and being active by day, but not with body size. Although our results do not exclude the possibility that head ornaments may represent a warning mechanism to startle predators and mobbers, they nevertheless suggest that such signals have evolved for visual communication with conspecifics, being more expressed in species that may use them more effectively without incurring the risk of predation or disturbance.

dinsdag 4 december 2007

The brochure State of Europe’s Common Birds 2007 published


A new pan-European report The State of Europe’s Common Birds 2007, was published in November 2007.

Lees meer: European Bird Census Council

Download PDF versie van het rapport

zaterdag 1 december 2007

Long-lasting mobbing of the pied flycatcher increases the risk of nest predation

Auteur(s): Krams, I (Krams, Indrikis), Krama, T (Krama, Tatjana), Igaune, K (Igaune, Kristine), Mand, R (Maend, Raivo)
Bron: BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY 18 (6): 1082-1084 NOV-DEC 2007
Abstract: Mobbing behavior may provide real benefits because mobbing prey individuals often cause a predator to leave the vicinity. However, mobbing calls of prey can attract acoustically oriented predators thus increasing nest predation. Therefore, a real value of mobbing as a type of adaptive behavior may depend on its duration. In this experimental study, we tested whether mobbing duration by the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, a small hole-nesting passerine, increases the risk of nest predation.
From the top of one nest-box within each of 78 experimental plots, we played back long calls of pied flycatchers, whereas recordings of short mobbing calls were played back from the top of another nearby nest-box. The nest-boxes were arranged in pairs, and each of them contained a quail Coturnix coturnix egg.
Long-call nest-boxes were depredated by martens Martes martes significantly more often than short-call nest-boxes. This predator usually hunts by night and may eavesdrop on the calls of their mobbing prey while resting nearby during the day. The results of the present study show that long-lasting conspicuous mobbing calls may carry a significant cost for the breeding birds.