This study investigated the importance of sand knobwood Zanthoxylum leprieurii (family Rutaceae) fruits as a food source for birds in the Tree Heritage Park, Ibadan, Nigeria. We conducted focal observations over three years (2018, 2019, and 2024) during peak fruiting periods, recording bird species foraging on fruits in the canopy and on the forest floor. A total of 4 452 birds from 30 species were observed, with the Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata being the most frequent forager (48%). Foraging activity was higher in the morning than evening. Proximate analysis revealed that sand knobwood fruits contain 8.4% moisture, 6.7% ash, 33.5% fat, 11.2% protein, and 33.5% crude fiber, suggesting potential nutritional value for birds. These findings deepen our understanding of the intricate relationships between trees, birds, and ecosystems.

We conducted transect surveys in urban Pretoria, South Africa, to document interspecific interactions involving the invasive Common Myna Acridotheres tristis and coexisting species. During 90 standardised transect surveys across three suburban sites from April to August 2022 (outside the main breeding season for many bird species), we recorded 36 interspecific interactions between Common Mynas and other birds. Common Mynas were observed chasing or being aggressive towards other birds such as sparrows (Passer diffusus, P. domesticus) and doves (Streptopelia capicola, Spilopelia senegalensis). Of these encounters, 26 (72%, 95% CI: 56–84%) involved aggression, with Common Mynas initiating 86% of aggressive incidents. In most aggressive incidents, the other bird fled; only larger species (Cape Starlings Lamprotornis nitens) successfully retaliated. Such aggression may facilitate the displacement of native and non-native species from feeding sites or nesting areas. These findings provide evidence for interference competition by Common Mynas in South African urban environments and highlight the need for targeted management strategies to protect native bird communities.

Coevolution of plants and animals may lead to features or behaviour that are mutually beneficial. This is exemplified by plant adaptations for seed dispersal, including caliochory, which is the dispersal of seeds by birds in nest materials. Caliochory is a recently identified seed dispersal mechanism and to date there has been no detailed analysis of characteristics that make seeds suitable for caliochory. Moreover, the distribution of this syndrome across regions, habitats, plant taxa or bird taxa has never been investigated. To test the hypotheses that the probability of seeds being incorporated in nest construction is influenced by bird phylogeny, habitat, region, plant morphology or plant olfactory properties, we examined plant materials in bird nests at the Natural History Museum (UK). Despite the age of this international collection (80–120 years) we were able to identify most of the plant materials to the level of family, genus or in some cases to species. We found that selection of material for construction and lining of nests varies among bird taxa but is also influenced by region and vegetation type. Linings of fluffy seeds were more frequently used in arid than mesic climates. Possible adaptation for caliochory among angiosperms appears more frequent in open, arid and disturbed vegetation than in closed and mesic habitats.

At the start of the 20th century, the southern limit of the nonbreeding range of the White Stork Ciconia ciconia, a migrant from the Palearctic, was considered to be at the Orange River; they moved around opportunistically in this area to feed on swarms of locusts. Until around 1935, White Storks were vagrants in the Swartland and Overberg agricultural regions of the Western Cape; after that they were present in small numbers, occurring mainly when there were drought years over the traditional range. From the late 1950s, numbers in the Overberg gradually increased. However, between 1985 and the end of the 20th century, White Stork abundance fluctuated widely here, but the overall trend was no longer upwards. Notably the increase in abundance in the Western Cape occurred while the population in Europe was decreasing, and the southward extension of the nonbreeding range was therefore unexpected. The explanation might lie in impact of locust control in the traditional nonbreeding areas. Locust control became consistent and persistent from around the mid-1940s, with the introduction of benzene hexachloride as control agent. White Storks were not impacted by feeding on poisoned locusts; however, it is likely that locust control gradually reduced the size and abundance of their swarms. In the face of reduced food availability, White Storks started occurring in increased numbers in the croplands of the Overberg. In their pristine state this area would have been unsuitable habitat for White Storks. The transformation to croplands had taken place several decades before they were extensively used by White Storks.

Eight Pleistocene avian ichnosites have been identified in aeolianites on South Africa’s Cape south coast, adding to the 41 sites previously identified. All the newly identified sites are thought to fall within the age range of marine isotope stages (MIS) 6 through 4. The Cape south coast sites form the overwhelming majority of known southern African avian fossil ichnosites. The data provided by this profusion of sites may have a role in future ichnofacies assignment. One of the new sites provides the first global record of a Hamerkop Scopus umbretta (family Scopidae) trackway, exhibiting a variation of the typical ‘heron-like track pattern’ as well as lessons in the interpretation of heron-like tracks. The second southern African records of probable stork, heron and crane tracks have also been identified. A site containing large flamingo tracks supports previous inferences of large Pleistocene avian chrono-subspecies. The bias created by larger, heavier birds registering larger, deeper tracks that are easier to recognise probably accounts for the preponderance of large trackmakers identified. The relatively coarse grain size of aeolianite deposits leads to a further bias against the confident identification of small avian tracks. Given the relative paucity of the body fossil record from this time period in southern Africa, the findings provide a necessary perspective on the regional Pleistocene avifauna. The ephemeral nature of these tracksites highlights the need for vigilance and repeated exploration of known high-yield areas.

The tropical western Indian Ocean islands are at the southern limit of the East Africa–West Asia Flyway, but their importance for wintering and conservation of Palearctic waders remains poorly understood. Europa Island, a remote coralline island in the southern Mozambique Channel, is a Ramsar site administered since 2005 and managed since 2007 by the Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF). Although the island is best known for its important seabird assemblages, its importance as a major breeding site for green turtles, and for its native vegetation and undisturbed coral reefs, it also supports a variety of migratory waders from the Palearctic. However, their abundance, seasonal changes in numbers, and trends are poorly documented. This study, conducted from 2016 to 2024, presents the results of monthly and bimonthly wader censuses. Twenty-one species of waders were observed during this period, where the Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, Greater Sand Plover Anarhynchus leschenaultii and Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia were the most abundant. Peak numbers averaged 667 ± 103 individuals (range: 557–850) annually, with the central lagoon serving as the principal habitat (593 birds on average during peak months with a range of 194–885). The airstrip was the second most important site, with an average of 443 birds (range: 317–646), the most abundant species being the Ruddy Turnstone, with an average of 432 ± 110 individuals during peak periods. The wintering period of most species was between September and March, with some interspecific variations. Trend analysis indicated stable wader populations over the study period. Furthermore, the average numbers were comparable to counts made in the early 1990s, suggesting a long-term stability. These findings highlight the importance of Europa as a wintering site for palearctic waders in the western Indian Ocean despite its small size and remoteness.

Courtship displays provide important insight into sexual selection, evolution and the roles of communication signals in behavioural ecology. Any trait indicating individual quality must display phenotypic variation. Studying this variation can provide insight into the uses of acoustic cues in intra- and intersexual competition. We used the elaborate, understudied acoustic aerial display of the Cape Clapper Lark Corypha apiata to explore the relationship of display and nesting site quality parameters, to assess its potential role in sexual selection. We quantified the differences between individuals by estimating the repeatability of the bioacoustics of the display (claps, call). We then tested for the correlation with proxies of territory quality (area, arthropod prey biomass, Protea plant density). The song and clapping duration showed moderate repeatability, Protea density was negatively associated with the clap duration and the number of claps. There were no associations between the call parameters, the territory size and prey biomass. Wing clapping thus could play a role in sexual selection in this species, and our study provides a platform for future investigation of non-vocal acoustic signalling in birds.

Avian species serve as a barometer of ecosystem health and have been used to determine the presence of chemicals in the South African environment. We conducted a literature review to determine which sublethal agrochemical active ingredient residues have been tested for in South African bird species and which sample types were used. Seventy-three species in 37 publications spanning 55 years were identified, and most residue analyses were conducted on eggs. Fourteen insecticide active ingredients have been assessed, and only one is still legally used under restriction in South Africa. No active ingredients from fungicides or herbicides were determined. This emphasises the paucity of knowledge regarding the presence and sublethal effects of currently used agrochemicals on South African birds and the lack of information required to make informed regulatory decisions. Nearly 14 million hectares of South Africa’s land surface is used for crop cultivation, with continued expansion reported across the sector. Its associated agrochemical use accounts for 2% of the global volume. While the amount of agrochemicals used is concerning, the continued use of many highly hazardous chemicals banned elsewhere exacerbates the country’s pesticide challenges, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive environmental risk assessment scheme.

Madagascar is the non-breeding-season destination for a significant proportion of the global population of the migratory and Vulnerable Sooty Falcon Falco concolor. Here, we report on surveys of wintering birds in Madagascar, conducted in 2023 and 2024 over a total of 52 days (15 January–21 February in 2023, and 18–31 January in 2024), covering the eastern, western and northwestern regions, parts of the southern area, and the Central Highlands. A total of 695 individuals were recorded, 92% (n = 639) during road surveys and 8% (n = 56) from incidental observations across all surveyed areas. The area-weighted average density of Sooty Falcons was 114.7 ind. 1 000 km-2. Degraded Western Dry Forest held 55.8% of the Sooty Falcons recorded. Our results provide useful baseline information and point to the benefits of enacting long-term annual surveys to learn more about the wintering population of Sooty Falcons and its trends.

From 2004–2011, following the collapse of sardine Sardinops sagax, a main food for African Penguins Spheniscus demersus, to < 25% of its maximum recorded abundance, survival of penguins breeding at Dassen and Robben islands, north of Cape Town, South Africa decreased markedly. Based on numbers of penguins breeding at the two islands and observed increased levels of mortality, it was estimated that ∼62 000 breeding individuals (∼95% of the birds that elected to breed in 2004) died as a result of food scarcity in this eight-year period. African Penguins moult annually, coming ashore and fasting for 21 days, when they shed and replace all their feathers. Failure to fatten sufficiently to moult, or to regain condition afterwards, results in death. At both islands, annual survival rates of adult penguins, and proportions of breeders that failed to return to their colonies to moult, were significantly related to an index of prey availability developed for the region. Although some adults moulted at a colony to the southeast, where food may have been more plentiful, much of the mortality likely resulted from failure of birds to fatten sufficiently to moult. The fishery exploitation rate of sardines west of Cape Agulhas was consistently above 20% between 2005 and 2010, peaking at 80% in 2006. In 2024, African Penguins were uplisted to Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Management that helps to promote the long-term recovery of sardine biomass in the main foraging areas of African Penguins throughout their annual cycle will be important in securing their future survival.