#Threats seen to 3 billion birds in vast Canadian forestindustrial encroachment in North america's 1. 5 billion-acre boreal forest could endanger billions of birds
and other species. A new report calls for saving half of boreal forest acreage to protect the habitat for more than 300 migratory bird species. The northern landscape is beset with oil gas mining
Stretching from Alaska to Newfoundland the boreal forest--the circumpolar woods that circle the upper Northern hemisphere--provides habitat for up to 3 billion nesting and migratory birds according to the report Boreal Birds Need Half:
Maintaining North america's Bird Nursery and Why it Matters released this week by the Boreal Songbird Initiative Ducks Unlimited and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
More species have become threatened and endangered due to industrial encroachments into the birds'habitats. For example Canada warblers and evening grosbeaks have experienced both recently close to 80 percent declines in numbers says the report.
The document outlines the economic and ecological importance of these species. For example birding-related business generates some $100 billion per year in the U s
. and Canada alone said Jeff Wells associate scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the report's lead author.
and draw a host of butterflies birds and other wildlife that depend on these plants for survival.
and is loved by Hummingbirds. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Wake Forest University.
#Is self-fumigation for the birds? Save threatened species by giving them treated cotton for nestswhen University of Utah biologists set out cotton balls treated with a mild pesticide wild finches in the Galapagos islands used the cotton to help build their nests killing parasitic
fly maggots to protect baby birds. The researchers say the self-fumigation method may help endangered birds and even some mammals.
We are trying to help birds help themselves says biology professor Dale Clayton senior author of a study outlining the new technique.
The findings were published online May 5 2014 in the journal Current Biology. Self-fumigation is important
because there currently are no other methods to control this parasite bloodsucking maggots of the nest fly Philornis downsi says University of Utah biology doctoral student Sarah Knutie the study's first author.
So the birds have no history with these flies which is why they are sitting ducks.
From the perspective of the birds these things are from Mars. Knutie says the flies now infest all land birds there including most of the 14 species of Darwin's finches two
fewer than 100 mangrove finches remain on Isabela Island and only about 1620 medium tree finches exist all on Floreana Island.
Nest flies have been implicated in population declines of Darwin's finches including the two endangered species. Clayton says the pesticide--permethrin--is safe for the birds:
It might kill a few other insects in the nest. This is the same stuff in head-lice shampoo you put on your kid.
if treated cotton is placed only in the habitats of endangered finches not others. Knutie and Clayton conducted the study with University of Utah doctoral students Sabrina Mcnew and Andrew Bartlow and with Daniela Vargas now of the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain.
and Clayton say their method might help the endangered mangrove finches with only 60 cotton dispensers needed to cover the less than half a square mile inhabited by the birds on Isabela Island.
if mangrove finches will collect cotton balls from dispensers. There are other species of birds that are hurt by parasites
and so if the birds can be encouraged to incorporate fumigated cotton into their nests then they may be able to lessen the effects of the parasites Knutie says.
Examples: Hawaiian honeycreepers infested with feather lice birds in Puerto rico afflicted by Philornis flies and the endangered Florida scrub jay parasitized by fleas.
The same method might be used for the black-tailed prairie dog--removed from the endangered species list
but still declining on the Great plains and often infected by fleas with plague bacteria Knutie says.
Finches Nipping at a Clotheslinethe new study was done in the Galapagos islands where the diversity of finches helped inspire Charles darwin's theory of evolution after he visited in the 1830s.
when she noticed Darwin's finches were coming to my laundry line grabbing frayed fibers from the line and taking it away presumably back to their nests she recalls.
The birds also collect toilet paper string and fibers from towels. Parasitic nest flies lay their eggs in finch nests
which have shaped dome roofs of woven plant fibers. When the eggs hatch they become larva or maggots
which feed on the blood of nestlings and on mother finches brooding their eggs and nestlings.
Past studies found that in some years maggots kill all the nestlings in nests they parasitize
but spraying nests with 1 percent permethrin solution eradicates the maggots. So Knutie wondered if finches could be encouraged to pick up treated cotton to fumigate their own nests located in tree cacti and acacia trees.
She ran her study during January-April 2013 at a site named El Garrapatero on the Galapagos'Santa cruz Island.
In a preliminary experiment Knutie showed the birds had no preference for collecting treated versus untreated cotton or for processed or unprocessed cotton.
In another preliminary test the researchers showed that the finches which are territorial travel no more than 55 feet from their nests to collect nest-building material.
and dispensers were 130 feet apart--more than twice 55 feet making it likely each nesting finch had a favorite dispenser.
The researchers searched for active finch nests weekly within 65 feet of each dispenser using a camera on a pole to check each nest
They found cotton balls were collected by at least four species of Darwin's finches: the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) small ground finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) and vegetarian finch (Platyspiza crassirostris.
In some cases researchers were unsure which species occupied a nest. After birds in a given nest finished breeding (within three weeks) and left the nest the scientists collected the nest dissected it counted the number of parasitic fly maggots
and then weighed and separated all the nest materials including cotton. The Utah biologists found 26 active nests of which 22 (85 percent) contained cotton:
If the birds insert a gram or more of treated cotton--about a thimbleful--it kills 100 percent of the fly larvae Clayton says.
A separate follow-up experiment--and earlier studies by others--showed killing the parasites with sprayed permethrin increases baby bird survival.
so birds can be weighed and banded which might disrupt the birds from self-fumigating their nests with cotton balls.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Utah. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The study also found that letting forests regenerate had a massive impact on the populations of threatened species. In secondary forests in the region researchers found 33 of 40 red-listed bird species that are threatened with extinction.
In addition to the insects Zurek and his research team have showed also that wild birds such as ravens
and crows carry multi-drug antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Wild birds can pick up the antibiotic resistant bacteria from fields where animal manure was used as a fertilizer he said.
We still don't know how significant these birds are as carriers. We just know there are multiple venues where wildlife can acquire resistant strains and move them around in the environment.
Making strides on the issueto help eliminate the potential connection to food animal production the U s. Food
birds for example are migrating earlier in the spring and later in the autumn. Food shortages expectedthe estimated future crop yields will not be feed enough to the world in 2015.
of Ornithology's Team Sapsucker is taking on another big challenge. In early May the team will head to the American Southwest following a new birding route they call El Gigante.
and California says Sapsucker captain Chris Wood. It's a brand-new route for us with new challenges and lots of unknowns.
We'll be looking for some really great birds such as the Elegant Trogon Phainopepla and Mountain quail.
The Sapsuckers'route will take them through areas where habitat for birds and other animals is under heavy pressure from changes in land use and severe ongoing drought.
and landowners determine the best ways to target bird and habitat conservation. These same techniques are helping us identify the most important times
and places to provide habitat for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway. To learn more about the Sapsuckers'Big Day in the Southwest visit www. birds. cornell. edu/Bigdaystory Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by Cornell University. The original article was written by Joe Schwartz.
and wetlands and pest control provided by birds and bats. The study's findings point to the need for new approaches that integrate conservation
Chickens are descended from a wild bird called the Red Junglefowl that humans started raising roughly 4000-5000 years ago in South Asia.
To pinpoint the genetic changes that transformed this shy wild bird into the chickens we know today researchers analyzed DNA from the skeletal remains of 81 chickens retrieved from a dozen archeological sites across Europe dating from 200 to 2300 years old.
and other wild birds don't have. When the team compared the ancient sequences to the DNA of modern chickens only one of the ancient chickens had the yellow skin so common in chickens today.
The U s. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that last year the range-wide population of the lesser prairie chicken declined to a record low of 17616 birds an almost 50 percent reduction from the 2012 population estimate.
and Coloradoâ#ave a conservation plan in place with a population goal of 67000 birds range-wide for a 10-year average. â#oethat doesnâ##t mean that we have to go from the current estimate of about 17000 birds up to
and then having once exceeded the goal change the status againâ#Lee said. â#oeit means having 67000 birds consistently for a 10-year timeframe. â#Lee said the listing might pose a challenge for some landowners particularly in western Kansas
Significant habitat changes must occur to meet the 67000-bird decade goal and those changes will most likely have to come from livestock ranchers
The first chapter of On the Origin of Species discusses the domestication of animals such as as pigeons cattle
As a result shade grown coffee plantations provide corridors for migrating birds to move between forest fragments attract
and Audubon California in the journal Western Birds scientists document the importance of irrigated agricultural crops in California's Central Valley to a conspicuous shorebird.
Crops like alfalfa provide critical habitat for the Long-billed Curlew the largest shorebird in North america and a species of continental conservation concern.
and flooded agricultural lands will only grow stronger for wetland-dependent birds. Curlews can't survive in the Central Valley without irrigated agriculture given the loss of most of their historic shallow-water habitats in summer
and fall says Dave Shuford Point Blue ecologist and lead author of the publication. The Central Valley's protected wetlands (federal wildlife refuges state wildlife areas and private lands)
and certain types of agriculture (e g. rice alfalfa) provide nearly all of the habitat used by millions of ducks geese shorebirds and other waterbirds every fall winter and spring.
In early fall--the driest time of year in the Valley--it is especially important that these birds can find flooded fields and wetlands for their survival.
In the study Point Blue scientists Audubon California and a host of volunteers studied the curlews for three years.
Observers recorded over 20000 curlews: about 93%were in the central and southern portions of the Central Valley concentrating in areas extensively flood irrigated for alfalfa
Millions of migratory birds rely on the flooded agricultural fields each year. Conservation and agricultural groups can work together to benefit birds
and people says Meghan Hertel Audubon Working Lands Director. In the future irrigated agriculture will face increased water costs driven by competing needs of an increasing human population
and irrigated pasture to the benefit of both farmers and curlews. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Point Blue Conservation Science.
#World ranking tracks evolutionary distinctness of birdsa team of international scientists including a trio from Simon Fraser University has published the world's first ranking of evolutionary distinct birds under threat
These include a cave-dwelling bird that is so oily it can be used as a lamp
and a bird that has claws on its wings and a stomach like a cow. The research published today in Current Biology the shows that Indonesia Australia
and New zealand all score high on responsibility for preserving irreplaceable species. The researchers examined nearly 10000 bird species
and identified more than 100 areas where additional protection efforts would help safeguard avian biodiversity. We used genetic data to identify the bird species that have the fewest relatives on the'Tree of Life'that is
which species score highest on the'evolutionary distinctness'index explains SFU biologist Arne Mooers one of the six authors of a study that was seven years in the making.
and was applied to an updated version of the first global tree of birds published in 2012 by the group in Nature.
and maps of where every bird in the world lives. The result is a snapshot of how the entire Tree of Life of birds is distributed on the planet
and where on earth the tree is most at risk of being lost. Given that we cannot save all species from extinction these distinct species are of special conservation concern
Many of these distinct species are also incredibly cool--the number-one bird lives in caves
and is so oily you can use it as a lamp the number three-bird has claws on its wings
and a stomach like a cow while still another the Abbott's Booby breeds only on Christmas Island.
Mapping where distinct species are on the planet also gives insight into which areas and countries steward disproportionate amounts of bird evolution.
if we prioritize threatened birds by their distinctness we actually preserve very close to the maximum possible amount of evolution says Mooers.
The zoo has identified already several species like the huge monkey-eating Philippine eagle that are endangered at once distinct
and Subantarctic affects bird populations reveal researchers from the Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizã and from the'Littoral Environnement et Sociã tã s'Laboratory (CNRS/Universitã de
The scientists monitored skuas in Adã lie Land and the Kerguelen Islands for ten years and showed that
when these seabirds exhibit high mercury levels in their blood their breeding success decreases. This is the first time that toxicological measurements have been combined with a population study carried out over such a long period in the Antarctic and Subantarctic.
The results published in the journal Ecology in April 2014 show that pollutants that accumulate at the Poles can indeed cause a decline in bird populations.
In the Polar regions many seabirds such as skuas were known to accumulate this toxic element at high levels in their tissues.
For the first time the researchers have carried out a ten-year population study of two seabird species: brown skuas living in the Kerguelen Islands (Subantarctic) and south polar skuas living in Adã lie Land (Antarctica.
Skuas are migratory birds that feed essentially on penguin eggs and chicks as well as fish. These formidable predators which live for up to 25 to 30 years accumulate mercury in their tissues.
The researchers first captured around a hundred south polar skuas and brown skuas and took blood samples to measure their mercury levels.
The birds were ringed then and released. For ten years the scientists returned to the nesting sites
in order to observe their breeding success. Skuas can rear one to two chicks per year. The first finding was that mercury levels in brown skuas were three times higher than in south polar skuas.
The researchers showed that in both species the higher the mercury levels in the birds the fewer chances they had of breeding successfully
and especially of rearing their chicks. Unexpectedly it is contaminated in the least species the south polar skua that the effects of mercury are the most obvious.
This could be due to the fact that in Adã lie Land the more severe environmental conditions combined with the increasing presence of other pollutants (pesticides PCBS) magnify the impact of mercury contamination.
These findings show that pollutants that accumulate in the Polar regions are an important threat to biodiversity.
Modelling by the researchers indicates that if mercury contamination continues to increase skua populations could decline in the long term.
The scientists call for further toxicological and demographic studies on other southern species . In addition they are carrying out similar studies to measure the effects on bird populations of'conventional'pollutants such as pesticides
and other heavy metals as well as new molecules such as perfluorinated compounds that are also accumulating in the Antarctic.
#Iconic boreal bird species declining in the Adirondacksa new study from the Wildlife Conservation Society finds that several iconic Adirondack birds are in trouble with declines driven by the size of their wetland habitats
The Adirondack Park represents the southern range extent for several species of boreal forest birds in eastern North america.
In her paper Dynamics of Boreal Birds at the Edge of Their Range in the Adirondack Park NY author
and WCS Adirondack Program Science Director Michale Glennon explores occupancy patterns over time for eight bird species in lowland boreal forest wetlands in the Adirondacks.
A total of 1105 count surveys conducted between 2007 and 2011 in wetlands ranging in size from 0. 04--6. 0 square kilometers resulted in 1305 detections of target species with yellow-bellied flycatcher
(30 percent) Lincoln's sparrow (23 percent) and yellow palm warbler (20 percent) detected most often
and fewer detections of black-backed woodpecker (8 percent) gray jay (8 percent) olive-sided flycatcher (6 percent) boreal chickadee (3 percent) and rusty blackbird (2 percent).
Patterns of species occurrence from year to year indicated that these birds function as metapopulations (spatially separated members of the same species that interact with one another through migration in and out of habitat patches.
Glennon found that the area and connectedness of their wetland habitats were important as was nearby human infrastructure with birds much more likely to disappear from smaller isolated wetlands that are near development.
Occupancy rates for four of the eight study species were in decline; two appeared stable and only Lincoln's sparrow
and palm warbler appeared to be increasing in the Adirondack landscape. However data collected since the study indicate that the situation may be getting worse.
When I incorporate data collected since 2011 I am seeing declines for all species except palm warbler some modest
but some of them more troubling said Michale Glennon. The number of boreal wetlands occupied by five species--rusty blackbird gray jay yellow-bellied flycatcher olive-sided flycatcher
and black-backed woodpecker--has decreased by 15 percent or more since 2007. Glennon also looked at
whether the birds appear to be shifting to higher latitudes and/or elevations a pattern documented for many species responding to climate change around the globe.
The analysis yielded inconsistent results (some birds moving northward or upward some not) suggesting that over this small window of time other factors may be playing a larger role in controlling these species'dynamics.
Glennon said The species in question are icons of the area and a big reason bird-watchers come to the Adirondacks.
and displacement from more cosmopolitan birds like blue jays which tend to come along with residential development.
WCS Adirondack Program Director Zoe Smith said Understanding the processes that drive the dynamics of boreal birds in the Adirondacks can enhance the ability of land managers to influence their long-term conservation.
WCS will continue to study these birds and other wildlife of the boreal to help contribute to the long term protection of this vulnerable habitat.
In addition to songbirds and woodpeckers boreal wetlands provide critical habitat for other park icons like moose loon and marten.
and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Bedfordshire UK via the Across the River Project together with experienced rangers from the Forestry Development Authority in Liberia local research assistants from Liberia and Sierra leone
for the Protection of Birds in the Gola Forests Sierra leone and Liberia. With this study we provide an accurate and comprehensive data-based platform for local wildlife protection authorities policy-makers
Sage grouse are picky birds Arkle and colleagues found preferring a sagebrush steppe environment featuring very little human development and dwarf sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula A. nova or A. tripartita) but not cheatgrass or other nonnative plants.
if just 2. 5%of the land is developed within five kilometers of a site the birds will be half as likely to use it.
and livestock watering stations provide predatory ravens with high perches from which to spy sage grouse nests.
Forest harvest creates a temporary opening that is needed by forest species such as butterflies and some birds and deer before it regrows to large trees.
In some cases exposure to soil contaminants can increase disease risks especially for young children said Brent Kim MHS lead author of the paper and a program officer with CLF.
#Climate change will improve survival rates of British bird--the long-tailed titclimate change may be bad news for billions
but scientists at the University of Sheffield have discovered one unlikely winner--a tiny British bird the long-tailed tit.
or three years these birds had until now been thought to die in large numbers during cold winters.
During spring birds must work their socks off to raise their chicks said Philippa Gullett.
For most small birds that live for only two or three years not raising any chicks one year is a disaster.
No surprise then that these birds are willing to invest everything and risk death if it means their young survive.
The research discovered that birds trying to breed in warm and dry springs have much better chances of surviving to the next year--a novel result that counters common assumptions about the cause of death for small birds.
The result is that by the end of the breeding season the adult birds are exhausted.
We're not saying that birds never die in winter--in harsh years there are bound to be explained some fatalities Dr Karl Evans
. However it seems that in most years autumn weather plays a bigger role perhaps acting as a filter that weeds out weaker birds before the real winter hits.
While many species struggle to adjust to climate change these delightful birds seem likely to be winners.
Most tree species are dispersed by birds and mammals but also by ants. A study published today in the Journal of Ecology by a team from the LOEWE Biodiversity
In this context the team conducted experiments to find out to what extent ants contribute to the dispersal of a widespread primarily bird-dispersed tree (Clusia trochiformis)
Birds are the primary dispersers. They feed on the nutritious part of the fruits the fleshy aril
if the less is more effect also occurs in less socially organized species such as rats or non-mammalian species such as birds.
After the fireit is the first time that a study compares different responses of a set of animal organisms to fire (snails spiders beetles ants grasshoppers bugs birds and reptiles.
Surprisingly the study also demonstrates that high-mobility species--such as birds that move to unburnt areas
#Reintroduction experiments give new hope for plant on brink of extinctiona critically endangered plant known as marsh sandwort (Arenaria paludicola) is inching back from the brink of extinction thanks to the efforts of a UC
Water parsley (Oenanthe sarmentosa) is a native plant that grows in wet areas along the west coast of North america.
Arenaria cuttings root easily making it relatively straightforward to propagate large numbers of plants in the UCSC greenhouses.
Greenhouses director Jim Velzy will continue to maintain the collection of Arenaria plants to preserve the genetic diversity of the original population
and two genes probably came from a wild bird isolate he says. We felt a major knowledge gap in the outbreak was that we didn't know which poultry species was maintaining the virus
Pigeons were notably resistant to becoming infected. In additional experiments quail transmitted virus efficiently while pekin ducks and pigeons did not.
None of the poultry species became sick when infected with H7n9 making detection of the virus that much more difficult in the birds says Suarez.
This work supports the need for better surveillance in animal species for avian influenza says Suarez.
The Chinese correctly closed the live bird markets where they had human infections and that reduced the number of cases for a while.
There will be a high turnover in the species composition of bird and plant-life. By the end of the century increasingly unsuitable climatic conditions will for example be endangering the survival of spruce and beech
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