Insular species, particularly birds, experience high levels of speciation and endemism. Similarly, island birds experience extreme levels of extinction. Based on a 2012 taxonomic assessment, historically there were four reed-warbler species in the Mariana Islands, the Guam Reed-warbler Acrocephalus luscinia (Guam), the Nightingale Reed-warbler Acrocephalus hiwae (Saipan and Alamagan), the Aguijuan

White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis (WBH) is critically endangered, but we lack data on many aspects of its basic ecology and threats to the species are not clearly understood. The goal of this study was to analyse WBH foraging microhabitat selection, foraging behaviour, and prey preferences in two river basins (Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu) in Bhutan which are likely home to one of the largest remaining

Structural vegetation damage and food limitation are important effects of major hurricanes, particularly for fruit/seed-eating, forest-dependent Caribbean birds with restricted distributions and small populations, such as the Bridled Quail-dove Geotrygon mystacea. Motivated by the lack of abundance estimates, corrected for detection probability, we conducted distance-sampling surveys inside and outside

Liben Lark Heteromirafra archeri is a ‘Critically Endangered’ species threatened by the loss and degradation of grassland at the Liben Plain, southern Ethiopia, one of only two known sites for the species. We use field data from nine visits between 2007 and 2019 and satellite imagery to quantify changes over time in the species’ abundance and in the extent and quality of its habitat. We estimate that

The Giant Nuthatch Sitta magna is a globally endangered species presumed to be declining, for which basic parameters of population and habitat associations remain largely unquantified. We focused on Myanmar, which potentially constitutes ~30% of the Giant Nuthatch global range and yet lacks recently published records. Our objectives were to survey key potential Giant Nuthatch localities in, or near

The Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata is an ‘Endangered’ passerine from southern South America. For the past three years a management plan for Yellow Cardinals has been implemented in Argentina, in which rescued individuals from the illegal cage bird trade were released back into suitable habitats within their population of origin. We studied the reproductive success of a mixed population of released

Conservation measures providing food-rich habitats through agri-environment schemes (AES) have the potential to affect the demography and local abundance of species limited by food availability. The European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur is one of Europe’s fastest declining birds, with breeding season dietary changes coincident with a reduction in reproductive output suggesting food limitation during

Reintroductions aim to re-establish a viable population within the indigenous range of living organisms, especially of threatened species. The population of the Asian Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon, a well-known ‘Endangered’ bird species, has increased over 100 times since wild populations were rediscovered in 1981, and several reintroduction projects were subsequently carried out in its former range

Between April 2008 and July 2015, we conducted a total of 18 trips on five different side-haul trawlers fishing within the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone, monitoring 486 hauls. We observed 100% of the hauls and monitored trawl cables for 136.7 hours, about 5% of the trawl effort, to identify the levels of seabird bycatch from net entanglements and collisions with trawl cables. A total of 35 net

Identifying the fate of birds’ nests and the causes of breeding failure is often crucial for the development of conservation strategies for threatened species. However, collecting these data by repeatedly visiting nests might itself contribute to nest failure or bias. To solve this dilemma, automatic cameras have increasingly been used as a time-efficient means for nest monitoring. Here, we consider

The Philippines is a global biodiversity hotspot, with a large number of threatened bird species, one of which is the ‘Critically Endangered’ Negros Bleeding-heart Gallicolumba keayi. The aim of this study was to investigate the habitat preference of the Negros Bleeding-heart and undertake species distribution modelling to locate areas of conservation importance based on identified suitable habitat

Birds are suffering from steep population declines on a global scale and they are one of the few taxonomic groups for which these declines are well documented by long-term monitoring data. This study provides a synthesis of the status of the breeding birds of Greece. To this aim, we retrieved population size estimates from six sources spanning 22 years (1992–2014) and calculated species’ trends in

The Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus breeds across a large portion of eastern Asia. One subspecies, L. c. superciliosus, is primarily endemic to Japan and was historically abundant throughout its breeding range. However, both local- and broad-scale studies documented a drastic population decline between the 1970s and 1990s, and the status of the taxon is currently unavailable in Japan. We conducted a

The Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus is one of South-East Asia’s most threatened songbirds due to relentless demand for the regional cage-bird trade. The species was recently uplisted from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Critically Endangered’ only two years after its previous uplisting. Intriguingly, populations in highly urbanised Singapore appear relatively secure. However, the last Singaporean density

Establishing the specific habitat requirements of forest specialists in fragmented natural habitats is vital for their conservation. We used camera-trap surveys and microhabitat-scale covariates to assess the habitat requirements, probability of occupancy and detection of two terrestrial forest specialist species, the Orange Ground-thrush Geokichla gurneyi and the Lemon Dove Aplopelia larvata during

Farmland birds represent a large proportion of European avifauna, and the populations of several species have suffered a dramatic decline in recent decades. Among these species, the European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur has undergone rapid decline in much of its European range. Therefore, the main aims of this research are to estimate the population density of the Turtle Dove and to investigate

Understanding the environmental drivers of demographic processes is a prerequisite for providing the evidence-based conservation guidance and management actions required to address management goals at population level. Human activities, to which most species are not adapted, are having an ever-increasing impact on the environment. Most policies and strategies focus on broad-scale conservation actions

We report on what appear to be increasing predation events on nesting Thick-billed Parrots Rhychopsitta pachyrhyncha. Thick-billed Parrots are classified as ‘Endangered’ and their seasonal breeding range is restricted to increasingly fragmented and degraded high elevation mixed conifer forest habitat within the Sierra Madre Occidental region of north-western Mexico. Predation of established breeding

Avian electrocutions are a global conservation problem. Power outages associated with electrocutions are problematic for electric utilities focused on delivering reliable electric power. We used contextual data, photographs, line voltage, outage type and assessments of power line components to quantify outage-causing avian electrocutions throughout each of Iran’s 31 provinces. We evaluated records

The Black-capped Petrel or Diablotin Pterodroma hasitata has a fragmented and declining population estimated at c.1,000 breeding pairs. On land, the species nests underground in steep ravines with dense understorey vegetation. The only confirmed breeding sites are located in the mountain ranges of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, where habitat loss and degradation are continuing threats. Other nesting

Cook’s Petrel Pterodroma cookii is an endemic New Zealand seabird that has experienced a large range decline since the arrival of humans and now only breeds on two offshore islands (Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island and Whenua Hou/Codfish Island) at the extreme ends of its former distribution. Morphological, behavioural, and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) sequence data led a previous

The ‘Endangered’ Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres has been monitored across its range for decades through disparate studies varying in geographical scope and length. Yet, no long-term, range-wide survey exists for the species. Coordinated monitoring across the range of the Cape Vulture would be logistically challenging but provide a holistic view of population dynamics in this long-lived species that

Bycatch is one of the main threats to marine biodiversity, affecting ocean ecosystems at a worldwide scale. The main focus of bycatch studies has been on the impact of larger vessels, with few studies assessing the impact of artisanal fisheries. Moreover, bycatch studies are often limited to a small number of marine regions, and significant gaps still exist in our knowledge of the spatial and temporal

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea is a ‘Critically Endangered’ migratory shorebird. The species faces an array of threats in its non-breeding range, making conservation intervention essential. However, conservation efforts are reliant on identifying the species’ key stopover and wintering sites. Using Maximum Entropy models, we predicted Spoon-billed Sandpiper distribution across the non-breeding

Seabirds face a diverse array of threats and are considered to comprise one of the most threatened avian groups globally. Development of appropriate conservation action requires a knowledge of the marine distribution of seabirds, furnished either by tracking the movements of individuals, or from at-sea surveys. Obtaining information on the distribution of the smallest seabird species, the storm-petrels

Pelagic seabird populations have declined strongly worldwide. In the North Atlantic there was a huge reduction in seabird populations following the European colonization of the Azores, Madeira and Canary archipelagos but information on seabird status and distribution for the subtropical region of Cabo Verde is scarce, unavailable or dispersed in grey literature. We compiled and compared the historical

Cambodia supports populations of three Critically Endangered vulture species that are believed to have become isolated from the rest of the species’ global range. Until recently Cambodia’s vulture populations had remained stable. However a recent spike in the number of reports of the use of poisons in hunting practices suggests the need to re-evaluate the conservation situation in Cambodia. Population

Newly established populations of endangered species can help mitigate declines elsewhere and can be a valuable genetic reservoir. When these populations are located within anthropogenic habitats, they may also help mitigate the potential biodiversity loss created by urbanization. The Red-crowned Amazon Amazona viridigenalis is an endangered species that has become naturalized in multiple urban areas

The Inaccessible Island Rail Atlantisia rogersi, the world’s smallest extant flightless bird, is endemic to Inaccessible Island, a 14-km2 uninhabited island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, central South Atlantic Ocean. Rail populations are notoriously hard to survey and the rugged topography of Inaccessible Island makes a survey particularly challenging. Fortunately, Inaccessible Island Rails

Cyclonic storms (often called hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones) often cause population declines in vulnerable bird species, and the intensity of these storms appears to be increasing due to climate change. Prior studies have reported short-term impacts of hurricanes on avifauna, but few have examined long-term impacts. Over two decades (1993–2018), we periodically surveyed a subspecies of West Indian

Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus and Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus are open-country birds of prey with overlapping distributions. Although both species face similar conservation threats across their ranges, work to date has largely been undertaken at a national scale with few attempts to collate and assess factors relevant to their conservation at an international scale. Here we use an expert knowledge approach

The Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis is a steeply declining Neotropical migratory bird and > 50% of its non-breeding range is within the Colombian Andes. Despite being an abundant migrant in Andean forests, the species’ elevational distribution and non-breeding ecology have yet to be studied, thereby precluding the design of effective conservation actions. During four non-breeding periods (2012–2016)

Seabirds are one of the most threatened avian taxa and are hence a high conservation priority. Managing seabirds is challenging, requiring conservation actions at sea (e.g. Marine Protected Areas - MPAs) and on land (e.g. protection of breeding sites). Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) have been successfully used to identify sites of global importance for the conservation of bird populations

The White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis is currently known to be restricted to Bhutan, Myanmar, and north-east India. This ‘Critically Endangered’ species is under threat from the ever-changing river systems, primarily due to anthropogenic pressures including the large number of proposed hydropower projects. We report results of the first systematic, large-scale river survey for this species in the

Reliable population size estimates are imperative for effective conservation and management of globally threatened birds like the ‘Critically Endangered’ Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis. Endemic to one of South America’s largest grassland floodplains, the Llanos de Moxos in northern Bolivia, the species’ global population size is uncertain. The region’s inaccessibility renders the application

Climate change can cause geographic displacement of the ecological niche of a species, so that similar species that previously did not coexist could begin to face new interactions. Such geographic displacement and increased competition can also be exacerbated by anthropic intervention. Until less than 100 years ago, Vultur gryphus and Coragyps atratus did not coexist. Nowadays, possibly as a result

Amazona lilacina is a threatened species endemic to Ecuador, existing across a patchwork of mangroves, lowland coastal forests, agricultural and community owned land. The species was described in 2014 and listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, however, full assessment of the population was lacking. Using a combination of field observations, roost surveys and community questionnaires, conducted

We present an assessment of the Southern Paraguayan Grasslands using Important Bird Areas (IBAs) located in a grassland landscape mosaic. Eleven IBAs in southern Paraguay were evaluated 10 years after their designation, using the BirdLife International method to assess the state, pressure, and response of these areas, during 2017 and 2018. Overall, the Pressure from ecosystem modifications led by fire

A considerable variety of Indonesian avifauna is forced into the domestic and international pet trade, where the majority of individuals are caught in the wild. To monitor the volume and development of the trade and to evaluate the threat status of the traded species, bird market surveys are usually performed. The most commonly used monitoring technique is the “Direct Counting Method – DCM”, i.e. the

The extent of intertidal flats in the Yellow Sea region has declined significantly in the past few decades, resulting in severe population declines in several waterbird species. The Yellow Sea region holds the primary stopover sites for many shorebirds during their migration to and from northern breeding grounds. However, the functional roles of these sites in shorebirds’ stopover ecology remain poorly

The Olrog’s Gull Larus atlanticus is an endemic and threatened species of the south-western Atlantic. Little is known about its movements during the non-breeding period. The objective of this study was to analyse the migration of the species by tracking adults from Bahía San Blas (Buenos Aires province, Argentina) with geolocators and using information of sightings of ringed gulls. Differences between

Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps is the smallest of the five South American sheldgeese and has two separate populations: one sedentary, which resides in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands and one migratory that overwinters mainly in the Pampas region, Argentina and breeds in Southern Patagonia. The Ruddy-headed Goose’s continental population has decreased considerably, and recent estimates indicated

The recent classification of the endemic Cyprus Warbler to a Species of European Conservation Concern by BirdLife International has renewed interest in its interaction with the Sardinian Warbler, a widespread Sylvia that was first confirmed as breeding in Cyprus in the 1990s and has since expanded in numbers and range. In areas where the Sardinian Warbler has become established, there has been a reduction

Reintroduction to, or reinforcement of, threatened wild populations are commonly used conservation strategies. Reintroductions of the Southern Ground-hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri have been tested as a potential conservation tool for this vulnerable species since 1995. Forty-two individuals have been reintroduced under varying management strategies. We analysed the outcomes of these attempts to assess

African White-backed Vultures were recently uplisted to ‘Critically Endangered’ by IUCN due to declines across their range. Poisoning is widely accepted as the major reason for these declines. Botswana supports a high number of this species (breeding pairs > c.1,200), but as yet no published information exists on their breeding success in the country. However, mass poisonings within Botswana and neighbouring

Invasive predators have decimated island biodiversity worldwide. Rats (Rattus spp.) are perhaps the greatest conservation threat to island fauna. The ground nesting Palau Micronesian Scrubfowl Megapodius laperouse senex (Megapodiidae) inhabits many of the islands of Palau’s Rock Island Southern Lagoon Conservation Area (RISL) in the western Pacific. These islands are also heavily visited by tourists

The Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda, part of the Virunga massif in the Albertine Rift region, boasts some of Rwanda’s best remaining natural vegetation and is home to many endangered and endemic species. The park has suffered from high levels of degradation and destruction, reducing in size by 50% during the 1960s and 1970s, and remains under threat from illegal activities, human population

The Rio Branco is a river with unique biogeographic and ecological features, threatened by the Brazilian Government’s plan to build a major hydroelectric dam and associated hydroway along its course. The river crosses one of Amazonia’s largest rainfall gradients and a major geomorphological boundary along a savanna/forest ecotone, marked by the Bem Querer rapids. Above the rapids, the upper Rio Branco

Despite the global significance of the Leach’s Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous colony on Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the estimate of 3.36 million breeding pairs reported for 1984 by Sklepkovych and Montevecchi stands as the single published population estimate for the world’s largest colony. This study increases knowledge of this population by analysing data from additional

The Beck’s Petrel Pseudobulweria beckii is a ‘Critically Endangered’ seabird whose breeding sites remain unknown. Historic observations suggest the species’ distribution is concentrated in the Bismarck Archipelago and particularly southern New Ireland. Over the course of two research expeditions in 2016 and 2017 we used on-land and at-sea observations, local interviews and satellite telemetry to understand

Information on the geographic distribution of a species is fundamental for its conservation. Nonggang Babbler Stachyris nonggangensis (NB) is a rare and newly discovered species that is restricted to limestone karst forest on the Sino-Vietnamese border and has been classified as ‘Vulnerable’ due to its narrow distribution. However, the extent of the habitat suitable for NB is poorly known. We conducted

Populations of Critically Endangered White-rumped Gyps bengalensis and Slender-billed G. tenuirostris Vultures in Nepal declined rapidly during the 2000s, almost certainly because of the effects of the use in livestock of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, which is nephrotoxic to Gyps vultures. In 2006, veterinary use of diclofenac was banned in Nepal and this was followed by the

Understanding the attitude of people towards vultures, especially factors that influence behaviours that support their conservation, is crucial if the decline in vultures is to be slowed and reversed. Their vital ecosystem function in keeping the environment free of carcasses and reducing the spread of disease is not yet appreciated in Ghana. Little is known about the attitude of Ghanaians’ about vultures

The Northern Bald Ibis (NBI) Geronticus eremita, is an ‘Endangered’ bird species of which only very few wild breeding colonies have survived along the Atlantic coast of south-west Morocco. This paper analyses ecological conditions of the 72 breeding sites of the NBI that have been known since 1900 in Morocco. Characterisation of breeding sites is based on physical criteria (elevation above sea level

South-East Asia’s bird trade is of global conservation concern as it has massively depleted wild populations of many species. Parrots (Order Psittaciformes) are especially vulnerable because they are the most heavily traded group of birds globally under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) appendices. Singapore’s involvement in the global pet bird trade as a transhipment

The Congo Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus has experienced a severe population breakdown in recent decades. The rainforests of the Korup region in Southwest Cameroon may harbour a large population of this species, but density and population estimates from this area remain controversial. Before the 2016 breeding season, we surveyed Grey Parrots along transects (621.1 km survey effort) in three adjacent

The Congo Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus has experienced a severe population breakdown in recent decades. The rainforests of the Korup region in Southwest Cameroon may harbour a large population of this species, but density and population estimates from this area remain controversial. Before the 2016 breeding season, we surveyed Grey Parrots along transects (621.1 km survey effort) in three adjacent

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The Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata is a globally endangered passerine from the southern cone of South America. Because of its conspicuous plumage and very attractive song, it suffers considerably from illegal pet trade. The largest remaining populations are found in Argentina, but no coordinated efforts have been made thus far to understand better its current distribution and conservation status