Bird Composition Research Articles

Effects of wind farm on land bird composition at Kachchh District, Gujarat, India

Bird assemblages in wind farm areas tend to change during the construction and operational phases, causing significant impacts in addition to collision mortality. Most existing studies on this issue are reported from North America and Europe, and it is largely under reported in Asian countries. We assessed patterns of bird assemblage in a wind farm and control areas in Kachchh, India, from October 2012 to May 2014, using point count method (79 sampling points with a 50 m radius). We recorded 54 species of land birds, mainly passerines. Species richness and diversity were higher in the control site, and the abundance of most passerine species was lower in the wind farm area, although the abundance of larks and wheatears was higher in the wind farm areas. Species composition was significantly different in both the sites. This difference is attributed to the presence of wind turbines and a difference in land use pattern.

Bird Beta Diversity in Sharp Contrasting Altai Landscapes: Locality Connectivity Is the Influential Factor on Community Composition.

Simple SummaryUnderstanding the ecological processes involved in establishing a metacommunity, a collection of small communities linked by species dispersal, could help with biodiversity conservation. In this work, we examine how local community connectivity affects the distributional patterns of various bird species across metacommunities in the strikingly different Altai landscapes. We discovered that connectivity was most important for determining community composition in metacommunities. High beta diversity and a high turnover component in the research region showed that regional-scale conservation efforts should consider overall biodiversity. Although they are not part of the Altai-Sayan biodiversity ecoregion, the riparian and desert landscapes are essential to the birds that reside in the mountain ranges and should be regarded as integral parts of the ecoregion, and high connectivity stepping-stone habitats in these landscapes should be protected.Located on the southwest slope and plain areas of the Altai Mountains in China, this study aims to explore bird composition variation (beta diversity) in mountain landscape (metacommunity M), riparian landscape (metacommunity R), desert landscape (metacommunity D) and across the three landscapes (metacommunity A), and to assess how patch connectivity with environmental and spatial factors influence species distributional patterns across multiple metacommunities. In 78 transect lines over the study area, 9724 detections of 139 bird species were detected. We calculated the beta diversity, its turnover and nestedness components in four metacommunities. We used the variation partitioning method to investigate the relative importance between the environment, spatial variation and locality connectivity in driving bird community composition variation. We found high beta diversities with a small contribution of nestedness components in all four metacommunities. When only a single set of predictors is contained in the model, the predictor that best explains the variation of bird community composition is connectivity in metacommunity M, R and D and spatial predictor in metacommunity A. In all three sets of predictors, 73.8~85.4% of variations of community composition can be explained in the four metacommunities, and connectivity always contributed the most. High beta diversity and a high turnover component imply that regional-scale conservation efforts should be thought of as preserving overall biodiversity. A conservation strategy is to keep stepping-stone habitats with good connectivity in the middle of the riparian landscape. Along with the Altai-Sayan biodiversity ecoregion, the desert and riparian environments are essential for birds residing in the mountainous terrain. Furthermore, they should be regarded as integral parts of the ecoregion.

Bird species composition, density and feeding guilds in contrasting lowland dipterocarp forests of Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

A study was conducted to determine the species composition, density and feeding guild of birds at Tasik Kenyir and Setiu, Terengganu between June and September 2017 using line transect method. Observations of birds at Tasik Kenyir and Setiu recorded a total of 297 individuals consisting of 26 families from 64 species. This study estimated that the diversity of birds at Tasik Kenyir (H’ = 3.6) was higher compared to Setiu (H’ = 2.9). However, the density of birds at Setiu (52.05 ± 9.09 SE individuals/ha) was higher than Tasik Kenyir (37.56 ± 10.28 SE individuals/ha). Ten feeding guilds of birds were identified in this study; insectivore, nectarivore, frugivore, omnivore, carnivore, granivore, insectivore-nectarivore, insectivore-frugivore, insectivore-granivore and frugivore-granivore. This study has provided valuable information on the bird assemblage and the understanding on the distribution of birds at Tasik Kenyir and Setiu. It is highly recommended that further studies to be conducted at both sites with more sampling efforts in order to gain a more comprehensive baseline datasets for monitoring bird population trends and turnover between habitats.

Powerline Corridors Can Add Ecological Value to Suburban Landscapes When Not Maintained as Lawn

Electric powerline corridors are informal green spaces that encompass large areas of land and have the potential to support biodiversity in urban and suburban landscapes. However, the extent to which these corridors provide novel habitats compared to the surrounding landscape is unclear. Biodiversity in corridors is often compared to that of “natural” habitats despite the fact that the corridors are subject to frequent vegetation management. In urban and suburban landscapes, residential yards may provide a more appropriate comparison because they are a dominant type of green space and are also characterized by frequent vegetation management. We conducted a study of the biodiversity in suburban powerline corridors in northern Illinois, USA, and compared it to the biodiversity found in nearby residential yards. Our goal was to determine whether powerline corridors added ecological value to these suburban landscapes. We included three different management styles of powerline corridors: (1) frequently mowed and kept as lawn, (2) brush mowed on a five-year cycle (“old-field”), and (3) restored and/or maintained as native prairie. We measured the species richness and composition of plants, birds, and insect pollinators in corridors and yards. The corridor management types and comparison yards differed significantly in the richness of all three taxa, with old-field and/or prairie sites having greater species richness than mown corridors and/or comparison yards. Community composition also differed by management category. While the species richness of old-field sites tended to be high, prairie sites generally had more species of conservation interest. Our study shows that both old-field- and prairie-managed powerline corridors add habitat value to Midwestern U.S. suburban landscapes by providing alternative habitat types that support many species. Nonetheless, we suggest that managers looking to specifically support native and/or grassland specialist species in this region should manage sites as prairies when possible.

Analysis of water surface area dynamics of the Teniz-Korgalzhin lake system by remote sensing methods

Teniz-Korgalzhyn lakes are included in the list of Ramsar sites of international importance and are a place of concentration of a huge number of waterfowl and near-water birds. These are more than 60 fresh and salt lakes with a depth of 1-4 m. Changing the area of the water surface of lakes leads to a change in habitat conditions, species composition and number of birds. The article shows that the changes are associated with both natural and anthropogenic factors. The possibility of studying the dynamics of the area of lakes based on the methods of geoinformation analysis and remote sensing is considered. Several methods have been tested for calculating the area of the water surface of lakes using multizonal space images using specialized spectral indices. On the example of 18 lakes for each method, the mean square error of the accuracy of the results obtained was calculated. It is shown that for the study area the most reliable result is given by the modified normalized water index MNDWI. On its basis, the interannual dynamics of the area of the water surface of the Teniz-Korgalzhyn lakes for the period from 2006 to 2019 was analyzed. It is shown that the fluctuation of the total area of the water surface of the largest lakes during this period reached 2.5 times. At the same time, the trend towards a gradual increase in the area of freshwater lakes since 2013 is primarily due to the action of natural and climatic factors. A much more significant increase in the area of the salt lakes Big and Small Teniz is due to the additional inflow of water due to the breakthrough of the Tabiyak dam in 2015.

A Biodiversity Boost From the Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) in Germany’s Oldest National Park

Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Beavers are important engineers in freshwater ecosystems and reintroduction programs have enabled the recovery of beaver populations in several European countries, but the impact on biodiversity conservation is still unclear. We studied the effects of beavers on the terrestrial biodiversity of eight taxonomic groups by comparing beaver ponds with river and forest habitats in a mountain forest ecosystem in Central Europe. Among the 1,166 collected species, 196 occurred exclusively at beaver ponds, 192 in plots at the river, and 156 in the forest plots. More species of conservation concern were found at the beaver ponds (76) than on the river (67) and forest (63) plots. Abundances of bats and birds were higher at the beaver ponds than at the river or forest sites. The number of bird species at the beaver ponds was higher than at the river. The community composition of birds, beetles, and true bugs differed significantly between the beaver ponds and river plots, and for seven taxonomic groups it differed significantly between the beaver ponds and forest plots. An indicator species analysis revealed eight indicator species for the beaver pond but none for the river and forest plots. Our results demonstrate that beavers, as ecological engineers, increase habitat heterogeneity in mountain forests and thereby promote biodiversity. The expansion of beaver populations into these ecosystems should thus be supported, as it may serve as a biotic restoration tool.

Relation between Climate, Agricultural Land Cover and Bird Richness in a Mediterranean Natura 2000 Wetland

In this study we explore for the first time the combined effect of climate variables and remote sensing land cover indicators on bird richness in a representative wetland location of the Thermaikos gulf Natura 2000 protected area in Northern Greece. In particular the association between bird diversity and climate, as well as remote sensed land cover indices was explored for seven successive seasons using correlation analysis and a Cox-Box transformed multivariate linear model. Three climate variables were tested, mean temperature, rain level and mean relative humidity and three land cover indices, the Normalized difference index (NDVI), the atmospheric resistance vegetation index (ARVI) and an agricultural band combination index (ABCI). Among the environmental drivers explored, temperature, rain levels and ABCI were significantly correlated to bird richness in contrast to NDVI and ARVI which showed a lower correlation, while relative humidity displayed the poorest correlation. Thus, temperature, rain levels and agricultural intensity significantly influenced bird composition. Additionally, the multivariable linear model indicates that temperature, rain levels and ABCI have a statistically significant effect (p<0.05) on bird species richness accounting for 73,02% of data variability. Based on the overall model results and the related 3D contour plot simulation we can conclude that in general, bird species richness increases with an increase in temperature and Rain, as well as with a decrease in agricultural intensity (ABCI). Understanding the factors that can affect bird biodiversity of species is of great importance in ecosystem management and species conservation.

Study on the diversity of birds in the new abode of wetlands created by the 2004 tsunami in South Andaman

Subsidence and upliftment of landmass were encountered in Andaman & Nicobar Islands due to the 2004 tsunami. The subsided landmass at the coastal front was permanently waterlogged ensuring a conducive new habitat for wetland birds. Pre- and post-tsunami Landsat satellite data products were used to demarcate the permanently waterlogged areas. A total of 63 bird species belonging to nine families comprising of five orders were identified and documented through direct observation technique in six stations of the 2004 post-tsunami-created wetlands in South Andaman. Order Charadriiformes and Anseriformes recorded the highest (47.62%) and least (4.76%) taxonomic composition of wetland birds, respectively. Scolopacidae family recorded the highest (56.67%) species composition. Among the six stations, the highest diversity of birds was observed in Sippighat and Ograbraj stations.

Seasonal variation and crop diversity shape the composition of bird communities in agricultural landscapes in Nepal

Farmland birds are declining globally due to anthropogenic activities, with particularly few studies in Asian agricultural landscapes. Various studies have examined the impacts of landscape heterogeneity on farmland bird composition, but few have considered seasonal changes in bird diversity and examined functional feeding guild assemblages. Here, we disentangle the impact of seasonal variation (summer, monsoon, and winter), cropping practice (mixed crop, monocultural-crop, and fallow land), crop type (rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, and other crops), landscape heterogeneity, and the number of houses and trees on the richness and abundance of farmland birds and their feeding guilds conducted within human-dominated agricultural landscapes of lowland Nepal. We established 116 transects (farmland = 100, forest = 8, and river = 8), and each transect was visited nine times from April 2018 to December 2019, with forests and river transect to test the dissimilarities in bird composition between those habitats and farmlands. We recorded 201 bird species in farmland, 133 in the forest, and 131 in river habitats. Bird composition on farmlands showed more dissimilarity with forest than river transects. We recorded nine globally, and 26 nationally threatened birds in farmlands. Seasonal variation and cropping practice significantly influenced the richness of all farmland birds and resident birds only, whereas species abundances vary by season only. We recorded higher species richness in the winter season and mixed crop fields but greater abundance in the monsoon and monoculture crop fields. Farmland bird richness increased with increasing tree numbers but decreased with increasing house numbers. Sugarcane fields had the highest bird richness within crop species, whereas rice fields had the greatest abundance. Seasons and cropping practice also shaped the assemblages of feeding guilds differently. In the context of increasing crop intensification globally, our study suggests that the governments in this region should encourage farmers to cultivate mixed crops and simultaneously restrict the urbanization of farmlands to protect bird diversity. Seasonality should be factored into analyses aimed at understanding bird diversity in agricultural landscapes.

Catalogue of Cuban fossil and subfossil birds

All information relating to the Cuban palaeo-avifauna since the first published list in 1928 to the present, is summarised and presented as a catalogue with commentary. I update data on the composition, systematics and distribution of fossil and subfossil birds from Quaternary (Late Pleistocene-Holocene interval) deposits in Cuba, with a necessary critical review. Thirty-six taxa (30 extinct, two poorly represented and apparently also extinct, and four extirpated) are listed as valid records in Section I, under 14 families, with Teratornithidae the only extinct family grouping. Birds of prey and scavengers constitute 72.2% of these taxa, with Accipitridae (22.2%) and Falconidae (16.6%) the best represented, followed by nocturnal raptors. Sections II and III comment on and discuss material referred to 29 taxa, of which one is of dubious identity and the others misidentified and / or synonymised at class, family, genus or species level. Cuban neospecies currently known in paleontological localities throughout the archipelago are listed in Section IV; 49 are identified (14 considered today as endemic species, including six endemic genera) in 26 families.

Cross-seasonal effects in the American Woodcock: Conditions prior to fall migration relate to migration strategy and implications for conservation

AbstractHow postbreeding habitat quality and body composition of migratory birds carry over to influence fall migration strategies and residency merits consideration when creating cross-seasonal conservation plans, especially in breeding populations that are partial migrants. We assessed the influence of postbreeding habitat quality on departure body composition and fall migration patterns in a southern New England breeding population of American Woodcock (Scolopax minor). Woodcock that overwintered near breeding areas (n = 5) had less fat upon capture in fall and used lower quality habitat during the fall than birds that eventually departed on migration (n = 17). Woodcock that departed earlier were long-distance migrants that had inhabited higher quality landscapes prior to migration, departed with less or similar fat stores, stopped over for shorter periods on migration, and arrived earlier on their more southerly wintering areas. In contrast, woodcock that departed later were short-distance migrants that had inhabited lower quality landscapes prior to migration yet stored similar or more fat upon departure, stopped over for longer periods on migration, and arrived relatively late to their more northerly wintering areas. These differences in migration strategies were evident under the same fall environmental conditions and did not appear related to individuals responding to their own condition as would be expected if they were classic condition-based carry-over effects. As such, the southern New England breeding population of woodcock is best categorized as nonfacultative partial migrants (i.e., includes residents, short-distance migrants, and long-distance migrants) that demonstrate weak connectivity between life stages; such populations are excellent for the study of the costs and benefits of migration. The stopover and wintering areas used by woodcock in the coastal mid-Atlantic states deserve conservation and management attention in order to preserve critical habitat throughout their wintering range.

Land-use intensity and landscape structure drive the acoustic composition of grasslands

Understanding drivers and monitoring changes of biodiversity forms the basis for evidence-based management and policy recommendations that aim to reduce biodiversity loss and to ensure the delivery of ecosystem services on which we rely. Ecoacoustic monitoring can be applied across large spatial and temporal scales, offering the potential for less resource-intensive ecosystem monitoring. Indices of acoustic diversity have been shown to correlate with species richness of various taxa, as well as vegetation and landscape structure. In order to apply ecoacoustic monitoring at large scales we need to improve our understanding of the effects of local and regional land-use on acoustic patterns, and assess how temporal aspects of acoustic patterns can be integrated in these analyses. We hypothesized that land-use intensity and landscape structure affect species richness and composition of birds and orthopteran, and therefore indirectly affect acoustic diversity and composition. To test this, we set up autonomous recording systems in grassland plots along land-use intensity gradients in three regions in Germany. We applied structural equation modelling to analyze the direct and indirect drivers of acoustic diversity and composition, including mowing and grazing intensities, landscape diversity, distance to the nearest road, vascular plant species richness as well as bird and orthopteran species richness and composition. Single indices of acoustic diversity did not reflect changes in bird or orthopteran species richness, making them poor predictors for local land-use related changes in species richness in grassland plots. Acoustic composition (non-metric multidimensional scaling combination of mean monthly acoustic indices at different day phases), however, did relate to differences in landscape structure, land-use intensity, vocalizing species composition and orthopteran species richness. We propose the developed acoustic composition metric as suitable proxy to detect ecosystem changes in grasslands.

How citizen scientists are rapidly generating big distribution data: lessons from the Arewa Atlas Team, Nigerian Bird Atlas Project

The Arewa Atlas Team (AAT) in northern Nigeria has set an example for a robust methodological data collection and made a big impact for the African Bird Atlas Project. To broaden national bird atlas projects and coverage across the continent, this paper reports on the activities and protocols of the AAT. We set out how we have galvanised bird clubs and bird club members to participate in this important monitoring project. We then focus on a bird atlas expedition conducted to the Bauchi State as an example. The outing was carried out from 24 to 28 September 2020 in line with the BirdMap protocol. For the first time, the AAT atlased 100 pentads and recorded 8 591 individual birds of 222 species (24.21% of Nigerian birds) from 67 families. We explore what can be done with these data, by presenting a summary of descriptions of the birds observed. For instance, we recorded 184 resident species, nine intra-African and 24 Palearctic migrants. The highest bird abundance (120 individuals) was recorded at 11°00′26.9″ N, 9°29′46.5″ E, pentad 1105C0925. Furthermore, the Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis was out-of-range from Lumba. The Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax (Vulnerable) and Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus (Near Threatened) were species of conservation concern. Results of this survey shows that citizen science is a powerful tool to make rapid biodiversity assessments of bird species richness and abundance and provides insights into bird occurrence and composition. This can be extended to distribution over time at a local geographic scale. Continuous efforts to map bird distributions are therefore recommended, mostly in regions and countries where atlas projects have not been established or still in the formative stages. It is important that bird atlas teams maximise ways to accomplish more noteworthy coverage in their respective national bird atlas projects and here we outline how we accomplished this as motivation and a model for the African Bird Atlas Project.

样线法和网捕法在机场鸟情调查中的应用比较

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 样线法和网捕法在机场鸟情调查中的应用比较 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202107021763 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 辽宁省教育厅面上项目（LJKZ0093）；国家自然基金国际（地区）合作交流项目（3191101017） Comparisons of line transect and mist-net capture in bird surveys applied in airports Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program, Key Program, Major Research Plan) 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:鸟击事件主要发生在机场范围内，对机场周边生境的鸟类组成进行调查，是制定鸟击防范对策的重要前提。国内多数机场已经开展了相关的鸟类组成调查，但是选用的调查方法却存在较大差异。以样线法和网捕法两种常用的调查方法对沈阳桃仙国际机场周边的迁徙期鸟类进行了研究，旨在比较两种调查方法在机场鸟类群落组成调查中的效果及调查的鸟类群落组成差异。结果表明：两种方法均适合机场鸟类调研，共记录到鸟类97种，网捕法记录的鸟类种数（83种vs.57种）高于样线法，网捕法单独记录的鸟类种数（40种vs.14种）也高于样线法。尽管两种方法每期（半个月）调查的物种数和目的数量无明显差别，但随调查强度（如调查次数）增加，网捕法累计记录到的鸟类种类明显高于样线法，且较晚达到渐近线。另外，两种方法调查记录的鸟类群落组成也具有显著的差别，如网捕法记录到较多鹌鹑和鸮形目等夜间迁徙或活动鸟类，而样线法可记录到鹭科和雁鸭类水鸟等。这说明两种调研方法在鸟类调查中有较好的互补性。因此，本研究认为机场鸟情调研时应该根据鸟情特点，选择合适的鸟类调研方法，综合采用多种调研方法可更有利于获得科学的鸟情信息。 Abstract:Bird strike events mainly occur within airports. Investigating the bird composition in the surrounding habitats of airports is essential to develop strategies preventing bird strikes. Most airports have carried out related bird composition surveys, but there are significant differences in the survey methods used. In this study, the bird composition in Shenyang Taoxian International Airport was surveyed duing migration seasons using two different surveying methods:the line transect and the mist-net capture. This study intended to compare the performance on the bird detection and the species composition of the bird community between the two different methods. In total, 97 bird species were recorded, implying that both methods were operable for the survey of birds in airports. However, the number of bird species recorded by the mist-net capture was higher than that by the line transect (83 vs. 57). The number of bird species recorded solely by the mist-net was also higher than that by the line transect (40 vs. 14). There were no significant differences in the average number of the species sampled per phase (half a month). However, the cumulative numbers of bird species recorded by the mist-net were significantly larger than those recorded by the line transect with increasing investigation intensity (e.g., the number of surveys). The asymptote of the maximum of bird species was also reached later in mist-net capture than line transect. In addition, the composition of the bird community recorded by the two methods was also significantly different, such as the mist-net capture recorded more nocturnal migratory birds (e.g., quails and owls). In contrast, the line transect recorded typical waterbirds (e.g., herons and ducks). Thus, our study illustrated that the two bird-surveying methods were complementary in bird surveys in the airports. Furthermore, appropriate bird surveying methods should be selected based on the characteristics of the bird community, and a combination of different survey methods could promise to obtain more scientific data about the bird community composition. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Investigation of roost composition of passerine birds in different environmental conditions.

The majority of the birds in different habitats are stressed due to alteration in multiple climate factors contributing to their loss. The present study has been planned to find the roosts composition of passerine birds in different major and sub-habitats of Punjab, Pakistan. In Faisalabad, of the four species, the higher number of exits was almost comparable, while Passer domesticus and Pastor roseus were more abundant than Tachycinet bicolor and Lanius cristatus. For the three remaining birds, total exits and returns were 180 for P. roseus, 181 for T. bicolor, and 179 for L. cristatus, respectively. Considering the exits in morning hours, a total of 314, 256, 246 and 210, were recorded from Sheikhupura. In Khanewal, of the four species, the highest exits and returns were that of P. domesticus (407; 451), followed by that of the P. roseus (273; 336), T. bicolor (242; 319) and L. cristatus (220; 397). The temperature imposed serious effects on roost exits for the four birds. The varied P-values which were higher (< 0.001***, < 0.001***, 0.002 **, <0.001***) appeared to limit the roost exits for them. Nonetheless, the impact of relative humidity exerted a strong influence on the T. bicolor (0.003**). In roosts return, it was seen that roost returns were even likely in warm temperatures and precipitation did not impose seriously on returns, and even in light rainfall. Nonetheless, relative humidity (RH) strongly impacted the sparrow. The T. bicolor and L. cristatus were adversely affected with the slopes (1.37) and (2.06), indicated with each percentage increase of relative humidity, and slope variations became least.

ВЕСНЯНІ МІГРАЦІЙНІ СКУПЧЕННЯ ВОДОПЛАВНИХ І НАВКОЛОВОДНИХ ПТАХІВ У ЦЕНТРАЛЬНІЙ ЧАСТИНІ КРЕМЕНЧУЦЬКОГО ВОДОСХОВИЩАВ 2014-2016 РР

Introduction. Kremenchuk reservoir plays an important role for waterbirds and wetland birds during seasonal migrations. Therefore, we provide the monitoring of the avifauna during seasonal migrations in the central part of the reservoir. The article details the results of the wetland birds and waterbirds censuses in the spring periods of 2014-2016.Purpose. To assess the species composition of wetland birds and waterbirds, their relative numbers, and seasonal dynamics in the spring period in the central part of the Kremenchuk reservoir. To compare the results with those obtained during 2007-2013.Methods. Bird censuses were conducted along the dam through the Kremenchuk Reservoir. Used the route-point method of censuses. In total 17 bird censuses were conducted (5-6 each year).Results. During the period of studies, 36 species of waterbirds and wetland birds were detected. The most numerous migratory species were Anser albifrons, Anas plathyrhynchos, A. penelope, Aythya fuligula, and Larus cachinans. Another 7 species can be considered common (Phalacrocorax carbo, Cygnus olor, Anser fabalis, Bucephala clangula, Fulica atra, Larus ridibundus, and L. canus). Five identified species are listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (Cygnus bewickii, Anas strepera, Bucephala clangula, Haliaeetus albicilla, and Haematopus ostralegus). The highest number of birds was observed in the second and third decades of March.Originality. Our data supplement the information on the species composition of wetland and waterbirds, their number, and dynamics in the central part of the Kremenchuk reservoir in the spring. The greatest impact on the number of birds at the local level have temperature, the area of ice cover, the water level in the reservoir.Conclusions. The central part of the Kremenchuk reservoir plays an important role for migratory waterbirds and wetland birds. A significant number of these birds (from 5 to more than 20 thousand) use this area for rest and feeding during the period of the spring migration. The most important for these birds part of the studied area is the water area of the Ornithological Reserve "Lypivskiy".Key words: migration, number, migration waves, phenology.

Monitoring of small rock pools reveals differential effects of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on birds and mammals in the Calakmul region, southern Mexico

AbstractGreat attention has been drawn to the impacts of habitat deforestation and fragmentation on wildlife species richness. In contrast, much less attention has been paid to assessing the impacts of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on wildlife species composition and behaviour. We focused on natural small rock pools (sartenejas), which concentrate vertebrate activity due to habitat’s water limitation, to assess the impact of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on the species richness, diversity, composition, and behaviour of medium and large-sized birds and mammals in the highly biodiverse forests of Calakmul, southern Mexico. Camera trapping records of fauna using sartenejas within and outside the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CBR) showed that there were no effects on species richness, but contrasts emerged when comparing species diversity, composition, and behaviour. These effects differed between birds and mammals and between species: (1) bird diversity was greater outside the CBR, but mammal diversity was greater within and (2) the daily activity patterns of birds differed slightly within and outside the CBR but strongly contrasted in mammals. Our study highlights that even in areas supporting extensive forest cover, small-scale chronic anthropogenic disturbances can have pervasive negative effects on wildlife and that these effects contrast between animal groups.

Evaluating the impacts of metabarcoding primer selection on DNA characterization of diet in an aerial insectivore, the Purple Martin

Abstract DNA metabarcoding is a molecular technique frequently used to characterize diet composition of insectivorous birds. However, results are sensitive to methodological decisions made during sample processing, with primer selection being one of the most critical. The most frequently used DNA metabarcoding primer set for avian insectivores is ZBJ. However, recent studies have found that ZBJ produces significant biases in prey classification that likely influence our understanding of foraging ecology. A new primer set, ANML, has shown promise for characterizing insectivorous bat diets with fewer taxonomic biases than ZBJ, but ANML has not yet been used to study insectivorous birds. Here, we evaluate the ANML primer set for use in metabarcoding of avian insectivore diets through comparison with the more commonly used ZBJ primer set. Fecal samples were collected from both adult and nestling Purple Martins (Progne subis subis) at 2 sites in the USA and 1 site in Canada to maximize variation in diet composition and to determine if primer selection impacts our understanding of diet variation among sites. In total, we detected 71 arthropod prey species, 39 families, and 10 orders. Of these, 40 species were uniquely detected by ANML, whereas only 11 were uniquely detected by ZBJ. We were able to classify 54.8% of exact sequence variants from ANML libraries to species compared to 33.3% from ZBJ libraries. We found that ANML outperformed ZBJ for PCR efficacy, taxonomic coverage, and specificity of classification, but that using both primer sets together produced the most comprehensive characterizations of diet composition. Significant variation in both alpha- and beta-diversity between sites was found using each primer set separately and in combination. To our knowledge, this is the first published metabarcoding study using ANML primers to describe avian diet, and also the first to directly compare results returned by ANML and ZBJ primer sets.

Typology of the Visual Composition of Flowers and Birds in Safavid Palace Murals and Qajar Extensions

Typology of the Visual Composition of Flowers and Birds in Safavid Palace Murals and Qajar Extensions

Spatial and temporal changes in the diet composition of the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) in Slovakia comparing three historical periods

Abstract The author evaluates his own data on the food of the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) in Slovakia using material he collected between 1975 and 2020. A total of 105,543 food items were identified in 254 samples taken at 136 localities. Mammals had the highest representation (Mammalia, 65 species, 58.4%), and the species composition of birds was diverse (Aves, minimally 140 species, 8.5%), but the common frog (Rana temporaria, 32.0%), from the lower vertebrates, is represented more abundantly. Invertebrates (Evertebrata, 0.1%) occurred in food residues only occasionally. The bulk of the samples were collected from eagle-owl nests. The samples were divided into three time periods (A–C), which differ in the manner of human land-use management: A up to the 1950s, with a smaller area of field plots and more extensive grazing in the uplands; B from the 1950s to the 1980s, during the Socialist period, with the concentration of agricultural production in large units; C the last 30 years, 1990 to 2020, with the gradual break-up of collective land management. The first period (A) is characterised by a strong dominance of frogs, particularly the European brown frog R. temporaria (44.6%), and a large share of small mammal species of the family Muridae (genera Apodemus and Mus). During the time of Socialism (B), eagle-owls adapted to hunting larger species of mammals and birds, and the share of frogs in their food fell by half (R. temporaria, 23.3%). With the decline in livestock production after 1990 (period C), the species diversity of birds increased: aquatic species and raptors in particular are on the rise. Successive overgrowth of pastures in the submontane zone is reducing the hunting territories of eagle-owls. The dominance of the common vole (Microtus arvalis) in their diet has gradually increased from period A (26.8%) to period C (37.3%). Data from eleven areas around Slovakia are evaluated separately for the three time periods. In period A, the highest proportion of frogs was in the Liptov region (R. temporaria, 68.2%), when eagle-owls nested deeper in the mountains. The proportion of frogs decreased towards lower areas, and in the Ponitrie (Nitra river basin) it was only 10.8%. At the same time, the share of M. arvalis and larger prey increased. A similar trend of increasing shares of larger prey towards lower locations also applied during the Socialist period (B). In the last 30 years (C), frogs in the higher river basins have given way to European water voles Arvicola amphibius and M. arvalis. In association with the progressive overgrowth of pastures, forest species such as the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank vole (Myodes glareolus) are increasingly prevalent, as are the white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus) and various thrushes (Turdus sp.).