A lot of other species rely on these thicket habitats including bobcats birds and reptiles. Many thicket-dependent species are on decline
#Technology tracks the elusive Nightjarbioacoustic recorders could provide us with vital additional information to help us protect rare and endangered birds such as the European nightjar new research has shown.
The study led by Newcastle University found that newly developed remote survey techniques were twice as effective at detecting rare birds as conventional survey methods.
and dusk when the birds are most active the team found a 217%increased detection rate of the nightjar over those carried out by specialist ornithologists.
and protect rare birds. The results of this research will help conservationists monitor endangered species more effectively explains Mieke who carried out the research as part of her Phd supported by Baker Consultants Ltd
Using bioacoustics techniques we can more accurately build up a picture of where these birds are population numbers movement and behaviour.
The nightjar--Caprimulgus europaeus--is a migratory species protected under the Birds Directive (Directive 2009/147/EC) and in the UK by the classification of Special Protection Areas (SPAS.
Traditional bird survey methods involve specialist ornithologists conducting field surveys to identify and count the birds they encounter.
But these are time-consuming must be performed by experts and could be inaccurate when surveying species that are difficult to detect.
and could be applied to a wide range of species to give more accurate objective data on bird numbers and distribution.
#Birdlike fossil challenges notion that birds evolved from ground-dwelling dinosaursthe re-examination of a sparrow-sized fossil from China challenges the commonly held belief that birds evolved from ground-dwelling theropod dinosaurs
and later birds evolved. The research duo used advanced 3d microscopy high resolution photography and low angle lighting to reveal structures not clearly visible before.
They also believe that dinosaurs are not the primitive ancestors of birds. The Scansoriopteryx should rather be seen as an early bird whose ancestors are to be found among tree-climbing archosaurs that lived in a time well before dinosaurs.
Through their investigations the researchers found a combination of plesiomorphic or ancestral non-dinosaurian traits along with highly derived features.
and hind limb feathers wing membranes in front of its elbow half-moon shaped wrist-like bones bird-like perching feet a tail with short anterior vertebrae
or ancestral form of early birds that had mastered the basic aerodynamic maneuvers of parachuting or gliding from trees.
Their findings validate predictions first made in the early 1900's that the ancestors of birds were small tree-dwelling archosaurs
This trees down view is in contrast with the ground up view embraced by many palaeontologists in recent decades that birds derived from terrestrial theropod dinosaurs.
The identification of Scansoriopteryx as a non-dinosaurian bird enables a reevaluation in the understanding of the relationship between dinosaurs and birds.
Scientists finally have the key to unlock the doors that separate dinosaurs from birds explained Czerkas.
Feduccia added Instead of regarding birds as deriving from dinosaurs Scansoriopteryx reinstates the validity of regarding them as a separate class uniquely avian and non-dinosaurian.
#Shining light on the 100-year mystery of birds sensing spring for offspringprofessor Takashi Yoshimura
and colleagues of the Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITBM) of Nagoya University have finally found the missing piece in how birds sense light by identifying a deep brain photoreceptor in Japanese quails in
and thus regulates breeding activities in birds. The study published online on July 7 2014 in Current Biology is expected to contribute to the improvement of production of animals along with the deepening of our understanding on the evolution of eyes and photoreceptors.
and birds tend to breed during the spring and summer when the climate is warm
Therefore birds for example are able to detect light even when their eyes are blindfolded. Although this fact has been known for many years the photoreceptor that undertakes this role had not yet been clarified.
which triggers spring breeding in birds. We have been able to show that the CSF-contacting neurons directly respond to light
Our studies have revealed that these neurons are actually the photoreceptors working deep inside the bird's brain.
and sulphur stable isotopes analysis is an effective technique to reconstruct nestling Bonelli's Eagle diet according to a paper published in the journal The Ibis. The article is signed by experts Jaime Resano Mayor Antoni Hernã¡
and the bacteria were thought to be part of the normal microbiota of the birds. In the study Wigley and his colleagues experimentally infected birds from four commercial breeds of broiler chickens.
They found that while levels of the bacteria in the intestines did not differ by breed immune response
but has a big effect on the health of the birds. The most important finding says Wigley is that Campylobacter infection directly impacts broiler chicken health and welfare.
Nearly half of the world's threatened endemic tropical mammal bird and plant species are found in 27 developing counties that the World bank now classifies as having reached upper middle income (UMI) status. UMI countries
#Habitat loss, not poison, better explains grassland bird declinecontrary to recent well-publicized research habitat loss not insecticide use continues to be the best explanation for the declines in grassland bird populations
Last year a pair of researchers linked the drop in the populations of grassland bird species such as the upland sandpiper and the Henslow's sparrow to insecticide use rather than to a rapid decline of grasslands a more commonly accepted theory.
Because grassland bird species tend to do better in states with larger areas set aside in the conservation land program excluding the conservation land program data may have skewed their results said Hill.
and found 1. 3 to 21 times more support that habitat loss was connected more strongly to grassland bird declines than insecticide use said Hill.
Grassland bird trends were associated positively with the acreages of CRP lands and some types of pastures.
Erroneously emphasizing insecticides as the principle cause of grassland bird declines may inadvertently divert attention and funding away from land conservation programs such as CRP according to the researchers.
Grassland bird species use the living and dead vegetation in grasslands to build nests and for use as cover.
The researchers examined population data of grassland species in the 48 contiguous United states from the U s. Geological Survey North american Breeding Bird Survey.
In addition to information provided by the researchers on the study of insecticides and grassland birds they also used data from the U s. Department of agriculture and the National Resources Conservation Services.
and the activities of birds insect and other animals and therefore must be factored into climate-change model predictions.
and spread of the disease up until now is linked mainly to areas that have a high concentration of markets catering to a consumer preference for live birds
They have pinpointed areas elsewhere in Asia with similar conditions (places with a high density of live bird markets) that could allow H7n9--which has infected 429 people thus far
but the concentration of bird markets makes them very suitable for infection should the virus be introduced there
Gilbert and his colleges developed a risk map for H7n9 in part to help anticipate where human infections--so far caused mainly by contact with birds
Unlike H5n1 the other virulent form of avian influenza to emerge in recent years H7n9 produces little signs of illness in birds
which aggregate birds from large geographical areas located near or just outside densely populated urban areas. The existence of wetland-related agriculture near the markets such as farms that raise ducks in flooded rice fields appeared to be a contributing factor linked to the initial emergence of the virus
and intensive poultry operations proliferating in China that raise a larger number of birds. In fact the study notes that H7n9 has thus far been absent from live poultry markets in Northeastern China a region that is home to many of the country's commercial-scale poultry operations.
The study notes that there is evidence that certain factors within live poultry markets such as the amount of time the birds are there the rigor of sanitation measures
and things like how many live bird markets are located in a particular area the more successful we can be at reducing risks associated with intensifying livestock production in developing countries Robinson said.
The fund's initial goal is to raise $10000 for research to monitor the health effects of rodenticides on birds of prey.
Murray has been studying rodenticide poisoning in birds of prey for years and published research in 2011 that has been cited frequently by the EPA.
The paper showed anticoagulant rodenticide residues in 86 percent of 161 birds that were tested over five years at the Tufts Wildlife Clinic.
The study examined four species of birds (red-tailed hawks barred owls eastern screech owls and great horned owls) and found that of those that tested positive 99 percent had residues of the SGAR brodifacoum.
and monitor any long-term changes in rodenticide exposure in birds of prey as a result of the new EPA regulations said Murray.
and a diverse range of birds reptiles amphibians and mammals with some only found in this region making it
Three loggerhead shrike chicks hatched in Mid-may at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute In front Royal Va. Loggerhead shrikes also called butcher birds are songbirds that hunt small animals by impaling them on thorns or barbed wire.
but SCBI scientists are studying the birds. Black-footed ferret kit season is in full swing at SCBI. Twenty-four ferrets have been born so far and 10 more ferret mothers may give birth in the next few weeks (two were inseminated artificially.
and birds eat the seeds all to no ill effects. Jelesko and Kasson have filed for a patent disclosure of their current findings
Ants move more soil than earthworms plus they are food for lots of reptiles and birds.
There is a fledgling industrial effort underway in Florida to redirect the five million tons of annual citrus waste generated there from low-value cattle feed to produce ethanol for fuel.
Writtle College and several conservation organizations (the Society for Conservation Biology Royal Society for Protection of Birds Birdlife Europe Butterfly Conservation Europe and Friends of the Earth--Switzerland.
This continues to take a heavy toll on wildlife with dramatic declines in everything from the farmland bird index to'permanent'grassland that in newer member states has shrunk over 11%in just the last decade.
or providing nesting areas for ground-nesting birds--have been shown to work when properly implemented these are included not as options under the new compulsory greening elements said Dr Lynn Dicks a co-author from the Department of Zoology in the University of Cambridge.
Cool tree trunks are likely to be an important microhabitat during hot weather for other tree dwelling species including primates leopards birds and invertebrates.
We killed two birds with one stone --or rather with one diet explained lead author Dr. David Jenkins who is director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Modification Centre of St michael's Hospital and a Nutritional Sciences professor at the University of Toronto.
#Oil, gas development homogenizing core-forest bird communitiesconventional oil and gas development in northern Pennsylvania altered bird communities and the current massive build-out of shale-gas infrastructure may accelerate these changes according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural
Sciences. The commonwealth's Northern Tier--one of the largest blocks of Eastern deciduous forest in the entire Appalachian region--is an important breeding area for neotropical migrant songbirds.
and gas wells says Margaret Brittingham professor of wildlife resources who conducted a study of bird communities in the Allegheny National Forest.
The cumulative effect of many small-scale disturbances within the forest is resulting in the homogenization of bird communities with species that inhabit the interior forest such as black-throated blue warblers ovenbirds
Lead researcher Emily Thomas at the time a graduate student advised by Brittingham surveyed birds in 50-acre blocks selected for their varied amount of oil and gas development.
and gas development are doing to bird populations said Brittingham. We compared and contrasted the abundance
and diversity of birds near well sites to bird communities in reference sites far away from disturbances in the big woods and
In addition Brittingham noted the generalist bird species that do better around people and tend to be common wherever there are people
Brittingham and her students are currently studying the effects of shale-gas development on birds to determine how it affects avian communities.
Birds are easy to study and survey to gauge the impacts of gas development because they are abundant respond quickly to habitat change
and soil coming from intensive livestock farms (farms with a population of over 40000 hens 2000 fattening pigs
fossil mammals and one fossil bird among others. Thirty-one additional species were identified in the museum's collections by visiting researchers.
Animals such as white-tailed deer the Florida panther and migratory birds that depend on native vegetation such as mangrove for food
This bird is native to tropical and subtropical Africa southern Europe and western Asia. The populations of cattle egret in Brazil are alien to the region
but unlike a number of bird species that have been introduced to nonnative areas through human intervention the cattle egret is known to have established
Understanding how the cattle egret colonized Brazil is crucial for the better understanding of dispersal patterns of bird populations
#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.
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.
and draw a host of butterflies birds and other wildlife that depend on these plants for survival.
#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
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
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:
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.
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
The birds also collect toilet paper string and fibers from towels. Parasitic nest flies lay their eggs in finch nests
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.
In a preliminary experiment Knutie showed the birds had no preference for collecting treated versus untreated cotton or for processed or unprocessed cotton.
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
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
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.
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.
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
To learn more about the Sapsuckers'Big Day in the Southwest visit www. birds. cornell. edu/Bigdaystory Source:
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
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.
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
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.
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
#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
We used genetic data to identify the bird species that have the fewest relatives on the'Tree of Life'that is
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
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.
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 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.
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 birds were ringed then and released. For ten years the scientists returned to the nesting sites
The researchers showed that in both species the higher the mercury levels in the birds the fewer chances they had of breeding successfully
. In addition they are carrying out similar studies to measure the effects on bird populations of'conventional'pollutants such as pesticides
#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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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