Charadriiformes Research Articles

Coronaviruses (CoVs) were first described in poultry in the early 1930s and formally recognized as pathogens of both animal and human populations in the late 1960s. They are now considered among the most abundant viral families in the world. Though their distribution and diversity remain understudied in wild animals, representatives from 13 orders of wild birds worldwide have tested positive for CoVs of the gamma and delta genera over the last 25 years. Many of these wild bird species are in the orders Charadriiformes (shorebirds and their relatives) and Anseriformes (waterfowl including ducks, geese, and swans). Waterfowl are particularly concerning as potential reservoirs for CoVs because they are globally distributed; often congregate in large, mixed-species flocks; and may exist in close proximity to humans and domesticated animals. This review describes the history and current knowledge of CoVs in birds, provides an updated list of global detections of CoVs in 124 species of wild birds as reported in the peer-reviewed literature since 2000, and highlights topics for future research that would help elucidate the role of waterfowl in CoV transmission. Our review reiterates the need for continuous surveillance to detect and monitor CoVs across all bird species and for standardization in data reporting and analysis of both negative and positive results. Such information is critical to understand the potential role of free-ranging birds in the maintenance, evolution, and transmission of the virus. Further, we believe that research on the potential impacts of coronavirus infections and coinfections on avian demographics, especially reproduction in waterfowl, is warranted given known consequences in domestic poultry.

Avifauna is a type of wildlife that can be easily found in various locations and serves as an indicator of environmental quality. Avifauna plays roles such as seed dispersal, assisting pollination, preying on other animals, and so on. It holds significant importance in wetland ecosystems. One of the most crucial ecological functions of avifauna is as a bioindicator of wetland quality, closely related to its position in the food chain. This study aims to determine the number and types of avifauna, understand the abundance of avifauna species in the waters of Limboto Lake, and identify their conservation status. The research was conducted from January to March 2025. Observations were made using the Point Count method with three (3) randomly placed points. The results identified 13 bird species belonging to 6 orders and 7 families. The percentage of species per family was highest for Passeridae at 20%, while the percentage of individual birds per family was dominated by the Ardeidae family at 47.83%. The distribution of individual birds per order was highest for the order Passeriformes with 282 individuals, and lowest for the order Charadriiformes with 11 individuals. The highest avifauna abundance was the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) at 20.52%, indicating high criteria, while the lowest relative abundance was the Greater crested tern (Thalasseus bergii) at 1.59% and the Purple heron (Ardea purpurea) at 1.30%. The diversity index (H') was 2.14%, indicating moderate abundance criteria; evenness (E) was 0.33%, indicating a stable species distribution index; and richness (Dmg) was 1.84%, classified as a low index.

The generation and maintenance of biodiversity are driven by population divergence and speciation. We investigated divergence, gene flow, and speciation in Beringia, a region at the top of the North Pacific Ocean with a history of dramatic landscape alteration through Pleistocene glacial cycles. These cycles repeatedly split and connected the Asian and North American continents, separating and reconnecting avian populations. Glacial refugia within Beringia also isolated some populations for a time before potentially enabling them to reunite during interglacial periods. Prior work suggests gene flow plays an important role in the divergence of Beringian birds. To improve our understanding of the generation of avian diversity in Beringia, we tested models of demographic history in 11 lineages from five avian orders (Anseriformes, Gaviiformes, Charadriiformes, Piciformes and Passeriformes) using population-, subspecies- and species-level pairwise comparisons. We sequenced an average of 3710 ultraconserved element (UCE) loci from the nuclear genomes of these taxa to examine genetic differentiation and test models of divergence through diffusion analysis for demographic inference (δaδi). All of the inferred best-fit models of divergence included gene flow. Together with prior work, this corroborates that divergence with gene flow is the predominant mode of divergence and speciation in Beringian birds.

Ixodes auritulus Neumann, 1904 (Acari: Parasitiformes: Ixodidae) represents a species complex principally associated to birds belonging to the orders Ciconiiformes, Charadriiformes, Columbiformes, Falconiformes, Galliformes, Passeriformes, Piciformes, Pelecaniformes, Procellariiformes, Strigiformes, and Tinamiformes in both immature and adult stages. This is a cosmopolitan tick species whose distribution encompass the Afrotropical, Australasian, Nearctic and Neotropical Zoogeographic Regions, and Pacific Oceans islands. Ixodes auritulus sensu stricto was described from southern Chile, and recently new species from this complex were described based only on morphological characters. In this study, specimens of ticks determined to belong to the I. auritulus complex obtained from the Southern Cone of America in different biogeographic regions of Argentina, southern Chile, Brazil and Uruguay were analyzed. Additionally, a female paratype of Ixodes rio Apanaskevich & Labruna, 2022 from the southern from Brazil was included in the study. Morphological characters were analyzed and phylogenetic analyses were performed by obtaining partial mitochondrial DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA and cox1 genes. The specimens from Punta Arenas, Magallanes Province, southern Chile (type locality) correspond morphologically to I. auritulus s.s. and those from central and northern Argentina (Pampa and Yungas Biogeographic Provinces), Uruguay and southern Brazil (Pampa Biogeographic Province) were morphologically compatible with I. rio. The phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial DNA sequences support the classification of I. auritulus s.s. from southern Chile and I. rio from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay as two distinct species. Additional morphological and molecular analyses of ticks from ecological regions other than those included here are necessary to deepen the knowledge of the diversity of the I. auritulus complex in the Southern Cone of America.

Avifaunal surveys are important for developing targeted conservation strategies for specific sites and species, especially in undocumented critical wintering grounds for shorebirds within the Central Asian Flyway. In this context, we present a first-time avifaunal checklist at the Pillaimadam Lagoon, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. A total of 108 species of birds belonging to 43 families under 16 orders were recorded. Order Charadriiformes was the most prevalent (34 species), followed by Passeriformes (28 species), and Pelecaniformes (15 species). Family-wise, the highest species richness was recorded for Scolopacidae and Laridae (11 species each). Winter visitors accounted for 33.3% (36 species), with other categories including Resident (51 species), Resident/Non-Breeding (17 species), Local Migrant (3 species), and one Passage Migrant—Rosy Starling Pastor roseus. The lagoon harbours five ‘Near Threatened’, two ‘Vulnerable’, one ‘Endangered’ (Siberian Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus), and one unassessed species (Hanuman Plover Charadrius seebohmi) as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and 35 species enlisted in Appendix II of the Convention of the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), emphasizing the need for conserving this coastal wetland as a ‘protected area.’ Hence, the current baseline data on avifaunal diversity is the first comprehensive bird list from Pillaimadam Lagoon.

Avifauna is an important constituent as well as an important link in the food chain of any ecosystem. Birds have been considered as useful biological indicators because they are ecologically versatile an inhabit all kinds of habitats (Sivaperuman and Jayson, 2006). In Indian wetlands 318 species of birds are recorded out of which 193 species are fully dependent on wetlands (Vijayan, 1986). Datia is the small rural district in Madhya Pradesh about 13 small and big ponds found in datia city and two dam angoori reservoir and ramsagar were also present. During the research work, total 41 species of water birds founded belonging to 13 family 8 order were recorded from local water bodies of datia city 16 species were residential 13 is species were residential / migrants and 12 species were migrating the majority of the aquatic Birds observed during the investigation were the residential /migrate and residential. total 32 species for less concern out of 41 species and the most aquatic bird are insectivorous with 17 species and followed by piscivores with 13 species were investigated. In the investigation order Pelecaniformes were dominate with 8 species and followed by order Anseriformes and Charadriiformes with 6 species and order Gruiformes and Passeriformes were present with 5 species,

In the wake of pandemics like COVID-19, which have zoonotic origins, the role of wildlife as reservoirs for emerging infectious diseases has garnered heightened attention. Migratory birds, traversing continents, represent a potent but under-researched vector for the spread of infectious diseases, including novel coronaviruses. This study delves into the genetic diversity and transmission dynamics of coronaviruses in migratory birds, presenting pivotal findings. From April 2019 to April 2023, we screened 5,263 migratory bird samples collected from Shanghai, China, identifying 372 coronavirus-positive samples belonging to five avian-related coronavirus subgenera and subsequently obtaining 120 complete genome sequences. To facilitate further research with a global perspective, the study curated all available 19,000 avian-associated coronaviruses and expanded the original 12 species to 16, including three novel coronavirus species identified in our study and one re-classified species from the public domain. The study illuminates the intricate genetic evolution and transmission dynamics of birds-related coronaviruses on a global scale. A notable aspect of our research is the identification of complex recombination patterns within the spike protein across different virus species and subgenera, highlighting migratory birds as a reservoir of coronavirus. Notably, the coronaviruses found in migratory birds, predominantly from the orders Anseriformes, Charadriiformes, and Pelecaniformes, with domestic ducks from Anseriformes playing a key role in bridging the transmission of coronaviruses between migratory and non-migratory birds. These findings reveal the genetic and recombination characteristics of coronaviruses in migratory birds, emphasizing the critical role of ecologically pivotal bird species in coronavirus transmission and genetic diversity shaping.

The current assessment was carried out to inspect the avifauna diversity of the East Singhbhum, which is one among the twenty-four districts of the Jharkhand. For the listing and tabulation of the bird species of the area under study, area search method was employed. A total of 262 different species of bird belonging to 20 orders and 71 families were listed. Among all the orders enlisted, order Passeriformes is recorded to be the most diverse order with total of 34 families and 117 species, followed by order Charadriiformes with 9 families and 21 species under it. Order Accipitriformes, Cuculiformes, and Piciformes was reported to have only 2 families with 14 species. Order Anseriformes were reported with 1 family and 12 species of birds, followed by Order Pelecaniformes with 2 families and 12 species. Order Ciconiiformes together with Podicipediformes, and Suliformes were observed with 1 family and 2 species of birds, hence, these 3 orders were reported to be the smallest orders among the 20 orders. A comprehensive study of the residential and migratory behaviour of the birds were also recorded and it the list shows that out of 262 species of birds, 168 birds were residential to the region with 64.12%, Migratory species was 94 with 35.88% which is further divided into winter migrant i.e., 87 species with 33.21% and rest 7 species are seen as summer migrant with 2.67%. Among 262 species of birds found in the area, Common Pochard (Aythya farina) belongs to Vulnerable category of IUCN Red List. Few species such as, Ferruginous Pochard (Aythya nyroca), Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus), Red Necked Falcon (Falco chicquera), Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) is included in the Near Threatened list of IUCN Red List were also sighted during the conduct of study.

An inventory and description of the occurrence of the first studied down structures of feathers: combined barbs with typical down barbules and combined barbs with modified down barbules are carried out. The occurrence and distribution of these structures, as well as additional feather and umbilical barbs in different plumage pterylia of 441 birds of 129 species belonging to 19 orders were noted; 3330 feathers have been studied. Downy structures in the orders Charadriiformes and Passeriformes have been studied in most details. In the order Charadriiformes the families and their constituent species differ in the presence or absence of modified barbules. In the feathers of representatives of the order Passeriformes an additional feather/umbilical barbs and modified barbules do not occur in one of the same feathers. In the plumage of representatives of all studied taxa combined barbs with typical down barbules were found, which are present to a greater extent in the cover feathers, and to a lesser extent, on the flight and tail feathers. Combined barbs with modified down barbules are not so widespread in the plumage of the studied taxa and they are present only on the cover feathers. Among the studied orders the additional feather and umbilical barbs are absent in the plumage of Coraciiformes and Upupiformes. The adaptive and diagnostic significance of the studied downy structures is noted. The main function of all downy structures is thermal insulation, while maintaining the rigidity of plumage, preventing its sticking and sealing can be called secondary. The presence in some groups of birds on one and the same feather of an additional feather/umbilical barbs and modified barbules, as well as their various combinations, can be used as a taxonomic sign in combination with other ptylological characters. The presence of downy formations, their shape, structure, size and other features may indicate pterylia within some taxonomic groups of feathers. Along with visual inspection of feathers, light and electron microscopy was also used.

Syringophilidae is one of the most species-rich families in the superfamily Cheyletoidea, comprising approximately 420 species across 62 genera and two subfamilies. In this paper, we propose a new genus, Corvisyringophilus, and a new species, C. krummi gen. n. et sp. n., found in the wing covert quills of the Common Raven, Corvus corax Linnaeus, in Iceland. Corvisyringophilus is placed among the primitive genera of syringophilid mites, which possess the full complement of idiosomal and leg setae. Phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters suggests that this genus forms a sister clade to Blaszakia Skoracki & Sikora, 2008, and Charadriphilus Bochkov & Mironov, 1998, which inhabit birds of the orders Musophagiformes and Charadriiformes, respectively. The study proposes that the current distribution patterns of quill mites, based on their morphological characteristics, may result from multiple host switching followed by co-speciation events, highlighting the complex evolutionary dynamics within this family.

The coastal wetlands along the southern coast of Sri Lanka are home to a diverse array of shorebirds thriving in their natural habitats, classified under the order Charadriiformes. This study examines the impact of land cover changes within the Kalametiya Sanctuary, situated on the southern coast, on the diversity, distribution, and habitat utilization of migrant and breeding resident shorebirds. Three distinct habitat types were selected within the study area: grassland, lagoon, and mixed mangroves. Employing Geographic Information System (GIS) data the land cover changes of these habitats from 2002 to 2023 were analyzed using satellite imagery. Results indicated a substantial decrease in lagoon habitat area by 70% and grassland habitat by 30%, while mixed mangrove habitat saw an increase of >90%. These changes were attributed to anthropogenic interventions and natural events such as the 2004 Tsunami. To determine the shorebird assemblages within the study area thriving in these changing habitats, surveys were conducted from May 2022 to April 2023 at 30 fixed point-count stations along transects in the selected habitat types. A total of 25 shorebird species belonging to six families were recorded. Notable among these were the globally ‘Near Threatened’ species such as the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa and the Great Thick-knee Esacus recurvirostris, alongside nationally threatened species including Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus, Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica, and Common Tern Sterna hirundo species. The mixed-mangrove habitat exhibited the highest shorebird abundance, with 19 species recorded, surpassing the 13 and 11 species recorded in the grassland and lagoon habitats, respectively. Additionally, both grassland and mixed-mangrove habitats demonstrated similar diversity indices and shared more species in common (Shannon’s diversity index [H] = 2.17; Jaccard Similarity Index = 0.45) compared to the lagoon habitat (H = 2.09). Despite the notable decline in lagoon habitat cover, during the present study, it was observed that the overall shorebird populations have been sustained within grassland and mixed-mangrove habitats utilized for their feeding and nesting. Additionally, over-summering migratory shorebirds were observed utilizing these habitats. Hence, the Kalametiya sanctuary serves as a unique setting to study the ecological resilience of migratory and breeding resident shorebirds amidst human interventions. This research provides valuable insights for biodiversity conservation and habitat management in the face of human-induced alterations within ecosystems located especially along migratory pathways of shorebird species. Both grassland and mixed-mangrove habitats exhibited similar diversity indices and shared more species (Shannon’s diversity index [H] = 2.17; Jaccard Similarity Index = 0.45) compared to the lagoon habitat (H = 2.09). Despite the significant decline in lagoon habitat cover, this study observed that overall shorebird populations have been sustained within the grassland and mixed-mangrove habitats, which they use for feeding and nesting. Additionally, over-summering migratory shorebirds were observed utilizing these habitats. Thus, the Kalametiya sanctuary serves as a unique setting for studying the ecological resilience of migratory and breeding resident shorebirds amidst human interventions. This research offers valuable insights for biodiversity conservation and habitat management, particularly in ecosystems along migratory pathways of shorebird species, in the face of human-induced alterations.

Buttonquails (family Turnicidae of the order Charadriiformes) are a morphologically specialized group of small, predominantly tropical birds of open landscapes, extremely poorly represented in the fossil record. The article describes a fragmentary humerus of a buttonquail from the Lower Pleistocene of the Taurida Cave in central Crimea. This is the first find of the family Turnicidae in Eurasia in the chronological interval from the Pliocene through the Middle Pleistocene. This find highlights the limited available information on the taxonomic composition of Early Quaternary Eurasian avifaunas, even at the family level, and also sheds light on the Late Cenozoic evolutionary history of Turnicidae.

We conducted a comparative analysis of qualitative composition of the Buzuluk Pine Forest avifauna, mainly based on data collected by ornithologist E.P. Knorre for the period 1928–1941, and modern observations done between 2000 and the present. Retrospective data were obtained from the now-defunct Buzuluk Bor Reserve with an area of 10 503 hectares (now Borovoye-Opytnoe Forestry in the Orenburg Province). Present-time personal avifaunistic observations (using standard methods with referring to literature sources) were carried out on an area of 49 000 hectares, both in Borovoye-Opytnoe and in several adjacent forestries that were part of the Buzuluk Bor National Park within the Orenburg Province. Comparing the historical and current bird lists, we used a relative assessment of changes in the composition of various bird groups based on the observed and expected frequencies according to the χ2 test. Long-term data on average annual temperatures and precipitation from a nearby state weather station were also used. As a result, it is shown that by now the list of birds of E.P. Knorre decreased from 153 to 109 species (28.8%). When comparing by orders, the water birds were found to be the most affected group. The number of species in orders Podicipediformes, Ciconiiformes, Gruiformes decreased by 80–100%, and it dropped by more than 50% in orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes. There was also a slightly smaller decrease in the number of species in orders Falconiformes and Strigiformes – by about 40%. An assessment of the relative changes in various bird groups from Knorre’s list based on expected and observed frequencies showed significant differences in the portion of avifauna associated with water. It decreased between 23.5% and 9% in the group ‘Limnophiles’ (χ2 = 11.7, df = 1, p = 0.0006) and between 24.8% and 9% in the group of orders represented by waterfowl and waterbird species (χ2 = 13.4, df = 1, p = 0.0002). The change in the portion of birds of prey was statistically non-significant. The same portion assessment method did not statistically confirm the decrease in the rest ecological and order groups. Comparison of groups by occurrence status found no significant changes in the portions of all groups of birds in the past and present, but the largest reduction was recorded in the group of migrating species. The portion of migrants decreased from 8.7% to 3.0% (χ2 = 3.2, df = 1, p = 0.07, Yates corrected χ2 = 2.2, p = 0.1). A dramatic decline in group of bird species associated with wetlands was suggested to be due, among other factors, to the progressive desiccation of the Buzuluk Pine Forest, as E. Knorre himself wrote in his report. The ongoing aridization of the climate, as shown by the graph of average annual air temperatures, has been taking place since at least the 20s of the twentieth century and led to the drying-up of wetlands, and also to migration of groundwater to deeper horizons. The emerging trend towards a reduction in the portion of migrants could be explained by the fact that a number of migratory bird species, mainly ducks and waders, disappeared in the study area, and several other migrants began breeding species. In addition, large-scale fires and logging led to formation of burned wasteland areas inside the forest at the beginning of the twentieth century and also probably contributed to fragmentation and desiccation of this biome.

Running the gauntlet; flyway-wide patterns of pollutant exposure in blood of migratory shorebirds

Toxoplasma gondii is a coccidian that infects almost all warm-blooded animals, including birds. Rocas Atoll Biological Reserve, located in the northeast of Brazil, is the only atoll in the South Atlantic, and home to the largest population of seabirds in the western Atlantic. In this study the occurrence of T. gondii antibodies in seabirds from Rocas Atoll were determined. Birds were manually captured, blood samples were taken, and antibodies detected by the modified agglutination test (>5). In total, 267 birds of seven species belonging to three families (Sternidae, Fregatidae and Sulidae) and two orders (Charadriiformes and Suliformes) were sampled. Out of the 267 samples, 20 (7.3%) were seropositive: nine out of 48 brown noddies (Anous stolidus), one out of 26 black noddies (Anous minutus), three out of 20 magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens), five out of 95 sooty terns (Onychoprion fuscatus) and two out of 20 red-footed boobies (Sula sula). None of the 33 masked boobies (Sula dactylatra) and the 25 brown boobies (Sula leucogaster) were seropositive. The antibody titers were 5 (n=6), 10 (n=4), 20 (n=3), 40 (n=6) and 160 (n=1). Due to the uniqueness of this environment, monitoring the seabirds is suggested to maintaining this Conservation Unit.

In the biosphere, limits for diversity among species, communities, and biomes are revealed through intensive and extensive field-based inventory and assembly of voucher specimens and associated informatics examined in a phylogenetic, historical, ecological, and biogeographic arena. Archival resources for specimens and information contribute to a cumulative view of faunal structure and assembly under a comparative umbrella. Ultimately, species definitions, and inclusive partitions among populations and lineages, are fundamental in articulating hypotheses that examine interactions about evolution, the nature of organisms, and the condition of environments across space and time. We conclude our proposals establishing species limits for tapeworms of the cryptic complex historically accommodated in Tetrabothrius jagerskioeldi Nybelin, 1916 among Alcidae seabirds (Charadriiformes). Explorations of this facet of marine diversity summarize inventory data for species of Tetrabothrius Rudolphi, 1819 from field collections among 1,976 seabirds of 41 species representing 3 avian orders (Charadriiformes, Suliformes, Procellariiformes) examined across 58 oceanic/geographic localities from the greater North Pacific basin between 1949 and 2019, or over the past 70 years. Cestodes of the complex including T. jagerskioeldi sensu stricto, T. alcae Hoberg and Soudachanh, 2021, and T. sinistralis Hoberg and Soudachanh, 2021, along with 2 previously unrecognized taxa, are documented, occurring in 128 of 1976 seabirds examined (6%) and 17 of 41 marine avian species from 23 insular, coastal, and pelagic sites spanning the North Pacific. In completing an evaluation of this assemblage, we focus on those cestodes among 8 species of medium- to small-bodied alcids, subfamily Fraterculinae. Specimens designated as Tetrabothrius fraterculus n. sp. were observed among puffins (2 species of Fraterculus and Cerorhinca), whereas Tetrabothrius aithuia n. sp. is proposed for tapeworms in auklets (4 species of Aethia and Ptychoramphus) and a puffin (Cerorhinca); both cestodes are currently unknown among the Alcinae species of Cepphus, Uria, Brachyramphus, and Synthliboramphus based on the North Pacific inventory collections. These large-bodied cestodes, typical of the 5 species in the complex, are characterized among 46 currently valid species of Tetrabothrius in avian hosts, based on unique configurations of the genital atrium; male and female genital papillae; terminal genital ducts; numbers of testes; and the structure, position, and dimensions of the vaginal and atrial seminal receptacles. Ancillary characters contributing to differentiation include attributes of the scolex, structure, dimensions, and position of the vitelline gland and relative position of the dorsal and ventral osmoregulatory canals. A suite of complex attributes unequivocally separates 5 respective species that had historically been relegated to a single geographically widespread and morphologically variable taxon under T. jagerskioeldi sensu lato. Host range for respective cryptic species of the T. jagerskioeldi–complex reveal an intricate view of ecological isolation and connectivity across the greater North Pacific basin. Seabirds, marine mammals, and parasites are indicators of changing conditions over space and time. Oceanic regime shifts, prey cascades, and diversity for birds and parasites serve as proxies for revealing accelerating perturbation in marine foodwebs under climate forcing.

Buttonquails (family Turnicidae of the order Charadriiformes) are a morphologically specialized group of small, predominantly tropical birds of open landscapes, which is extremely poorly represented in the fossil record. The article describes a fragmentary humerus of a buttonquail from the Lower Pleistocene of the Taurida Cave in central Crimea. This is the first find of the family Turnicidae in Eurasia in a chronological interval from the Pliocene through the Middle Pleistocene. The find highlights the limited nature of available information on the taxonomic composition of Early Quaternary Eurasian avifaunas, even at the family level, and sheds light on the Late Cenozoic evolutionary history of Turnicidae.

African Oystercatchers Haematopus moquini are sedentary, intertidal foraging birds, range-restricted to Namibia and South Africa. Their annual cycle has two components: breeding and moult. The Underhill–Zucchini model estimated a primary moult duration of 154 days, and mean start and completion dates of 1 April and 2 September. Most eggs (90%) are laid between mid-November and mid-February; thus, on average, oystercatchers have 2–3 months between moult completion and egg laying. The completion date confirms an overlap between moult and the period of post-fledging dependence of juveniles on their parents. The 154-day primary moult duration spreads the energetic demands of feather production to cope with this overlap and with the fact that primary moult extends through winter when storms make intertidal areas inaccessible for days. There are approximately 50 quantitative studies of primary moult for migrant waders (suborder Charadrii); this is the third for a resident species. The other two species of resident waders studied are in south-eastern Australia: the Hooded Dotterel Thinornis cucullatus and Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus. The Hooded Dotterel has one of the longest estimated moult durations (203 days) and its moult and breeding overlap. The annual schedules for the Sooty Oystercatcher and African Oystercatcher are similar, as is the estimated moult duration: 149 and 154 days, respectively. Preliminary studies of the primary moult of the Eurasian Oystercatcher H. ostralegus indicate the duration to be 100 days, which is two-thirds that of the two sedentary oystercatchers. This is likely a consequence of Eurasian Oystercatchers having migration and harsh winter conditions as additional components of their annual cycle, and thus a limited period for primary moult. This study was based largely on photographic records of African Oystercatchers in flight, with contributions by citizen scientists. We make two key conclusions: the need for more studies of the moult strategies of the Haematopidae and resident waders; and digital photography of free-ranging birds can be used to study primary moult.

This work aimed to analyze the diversity of hydrophilic avifauna and natural complexes to substantiate the creation of an ornithological reserve in the Kruglaya Bay (Crimea, Black Sea). The diversity of biotopes, marine and coastal flora, and fauna characterized on the basis of long-term research data. The avifauna includes 74 species from 43 genera, 14 families, and 9 orders. The orders Charadriiformes, Anseriformes and Ciconiiformes unite 57 species (77% of the total number of species). The number of birds in winter reaches 0.99–1.38 thousand individuals. There are 11 protected species in the avifauna, including 10 species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. The natural complexes of the bay are most attractive for wintering hydrophilic birds, and to a lesser extent – for transit migrating, nomadic and nesting species. The flora of marine macrophytes and coastal vascular plants comprises 141 species, including 17 protected ones. The ichthyofauna and benthic invertebrates contain 60 and 124 species, respectively, including 9 protected ones. The high environmental value of the bay is associated with the formation of large seasonal clusters of hydrophilic birds, a high degree of biota diversity, the presence of many protected species and biotopes. We are recommended to create an ornithological reserve with a temporary regime (in winter) in the Kruglaya Bay. The new reserve will be the first ornithological object of this category in the nature-protected network of Sevastopol and Crimea. Its formation will allow to preserve biotopes and nesting places of birds, rare flora and fauna, and introduce some restrictions on environmental management and extraction of bioresources.

The birds belonging to the order Charadriiformes are widely distributed along the coastal regions and coastal waters of Kerala and Lakshadweep. Most species in this region are migratory and use the coastal habitats and coastal waters as their feeding grounds or stopover sites. In this study, we documented the diversity and distribution of Charadriiformes along the Kerala coast and Lakshadweep, and recorded 47 species of birds. Among this, 22 species were recorded from both the Kerala coast and the Lakshadweep islands. The abundance and distribution of the Charadriiformes have been examined, and the results show the distribution pattern between the mainland and the islands. On the Kerala coast, the population of three gull species and three sand plover species and in Lakshadweep islands, the population of three tern species and brown noddy determines the Charadriiformes abundance. The breeding colonies of Anous stolidus and Onychoprion fuscatus were observed during the study from the Pashi Pitti, Lakshadweep archipelago. While the distribution and diversity of birds will be used to measure the ecosystem’s health, the results obtained from the current study will provide insight into coastal management and conservation of the avian fauna.