Presence Of Birds Research Articles

Bird predation and landscape context shape arthropod communities on broccoli

Abstract Birds increase crop yields via consumption of pests in some contexts but disrupt pest control via intraguild predation in others. Landscape complexity acts as an inconsistent mediator, sometimes increasing, decreasing, or not impacting pest control. Here, we examined how landscape context and seasonal variation mediate the impact of birds on arthropod pests and natural enemies, leaf damage, and yields of broccoli (Brassica oleracea) on highly diversified farms that spanned the USA west coast. Our study had two complementary components: a bird exclusion experiment and molecular diet analysis of 357 fecal samples collected from the most commonly captured bird species that also foraged in Brassica fields—American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), and White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys). Bird access yielded higher, rather than lower, numbers of pest aphids and increased their parasitism, while no other arthropods examined were consistently impacted. Independent of bird presence, percent natural cover in the landscape sometimes increased and sometimes decreased densities of arthropods in the mid-growth period, with diminishing impacts in the late-growth period. Herbivore feeding damage to broccoli leaves decreased with increasing amounts of natural land cover and in the late-growth period. Molecular diet analysis revealed that Brassica pests and predatory arthropods were relatively uncommon prey for birds. Landscape context did not alter the prey items found in bird diets. Altogether, our bird-exclusion experiment and molecular diet analysis suggested that birds have relatively modest impacts on the arthropods associated with broccoli plantings. More broadly, the limited support in our study for net natural pest control services suggests that financial incentives may be required to encourage the adoption of bird-friendly farming practices in certain cropping systems.

The habitat suitability of Timor friarbird (Philemon inornatus) in Western Timor Island, Indonesia

Abstract. Paga B, Pudyatmoko S, Wijayanti LR, Yuda P, Sulaksono N. 2021. The habitat suitability of Timor friarbird (Philemon inornatus) in Western Timor Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 703-713. Timor friarbird is an endemic bird to Timor Island. The population of this bird has been declining due to land cover changes as a result of massive anthropogenic pressures. This study aimed to assess the suitability of Timor friarbird's habitat by using 12 ecogeographical variables. The sources of data included Sentinel 2A satellite imagery and remote sensing-based algorithms. The bird's presence was analyzed by using a combination of line transect with point count methods. Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) model was applied to obtain habitat suitability value as well as coefficient of marginality (M) and specialization (S). These results showed that the Timor friarbird needs a habitat with a different value from the average of the entire habitat. High specialization value indicated that the species has a narrow ecological niche. Factors influencing habitat suitability included the distance from roads, the presence of mangroves, primary and secondary dryland forests, rivers, and low-density settlements. About 75% of the study area is classified as unsuitable habitat, and only 22% is suitable with range classes of suitability from marginal to optimal habitat. Areas with less anthropogenic pressure on the land cover will be preferred more by the bird. Improvement of unsuitable habitat and protection of suitable habitat, therefore, will be the most important strategy for Timor friarbird conservation.

BIRD DIVERSITY ON RECLAIMED NICKEL MINE-LAND IN KOLAKA DISTRICT SOUTHEAST SULAWESI

Nickel mining is one of open type mining having a high risk on environment. Birds are often used as indicators of habitat change in reclaimed mine-land. The objectives of this study were (1) to identify bird species; (2) to compare bird communities; (3) to predict biotic and abiotic factors that affect bird communities in mining reclamation land according to the age of reclamation, and natural forest in nickel mining area. This research was conducted on reclaimed land in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. The composition of bird species is described based on family, endemicity and feeding guild. Bird data were analyzed using Shannon index, Jacknife index, and Sorensen community similarity. Estimation of environmental factors is calculated using multiple regression analysis. This study discovered 41 bird species from 23 family classified into 7 guilds. There were 17 Sulawesi endemic species, and one of them is categorized as vulnerable by IUCN (Rhabdotorrhinus exarhatus). The highest species richness and diversity was found in year 2006 reclamation land (34 species, S = 44, H '= 3,08). The highest similarity analysis of bird communities was in 2006 reclaimed land and natural forest (Cn = 0,79). Based on the results of multiple regression analysis, 3 variables significantly affect the presence of birds (the insect abundance, number of tree species, and the closest perpendicular distance to the river). The presence of birds is influenced by food sources (insects, fruit) and the presence of water. The composition of bird species approached natural conditions with increasing age of reclaimed land. 
 
 Key words: bird, community, diversity, mine, reclamation

EDNA profiling of mammals, birds, and fish of surface waters by mitochondrial metagenomics: application for source tracking of fecal contamination in surface waters.

Knowing the composition of animals present in aquatic ecosystems can tell us about the anthropic pressures on these environments. One of these pressures is the occurrence of fecal contamination. However, this contamination can originate from more than one animal species in areas where urban and agricultural activities overlap. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has become the standard barcoding tool to identify the presence of animal species in environment. Amplicon-sequencing metagenomics is a powerful approach to derive the animal profile in an environment. However, PCR primers targeting mtDNA of a broad range of animals are highly degenerate or generate short DNA fragments that could cause ambiguous affiliation. Here we report the development of a new set of primers targeting the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA genes of a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic animals, which include mammals, birds, and fishes. These primers successfully amplified mtDNA from environmental DNA (eDNA) extracted from surface waters. Sequencing the resulting amplicons revealed the presence of mammals and birds that may contribute in fecal contamination of surface water. In one of the river samples high in fecal indicator bacteria, human and bovine mtDNA accounted for 40.5% and 4.1% of the sequences, respectively, suggesting fecal contamination by these two animals. These findings indicate that our PCR primers coupled with amplicon-sequencing metagenomics contribute in profiling the animal diversity in the surface waters and its surrounding. This approach could be a valuable tool to identify simultaneously the potential contribution of various animals as sources of fecal contamination in surface waters.

Empirical Study on the Effect of Birds on Commercial Microwave Links

With emerging technologies such as the 5G and IoT, wireless communication has become more and more dominant in human life. Many applications require high quality of service (QoS) and even momentarily interruption may cause irreversible damage. The signal level in wireless point-to-point communication links is affected by environmental phenomena, including objects blocking the propagating electromagnetic wave. While the relation between signal attenuation and weather phenomena such as rain has been well studied, in this paper we empirically show, for the first time, the relation between the presence of birds and attenuation in Commercial Microwave Links ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">CMLs</i> ). Using real <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">CML</i> s data collected in Israel that was intersected with GPS data from tagged birds, we empirically associate measured attenuation in the signal in a given link with the presence of birds in its vicinity.We quantified this relation by evaluating the Receiver Characteristics Operating ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ROC</i> ) curve describing the false positive vs. false negative decision on the presence of birds by setting a threshold on the measure attenuation in <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">CML</i> s. The results show encouraging performance and establish the potential of the proposed approach for opportunistic automatic monitoring of migrating birds, and for understanding the hazards to QoS in sensitive applications.

Field methods to identify Palm Cockatoo nest hollows

Within Australia, the iconic Palm Cockatoo Probosciger arterrimus macgillivrayi occurs only on the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, has recently been listed as Endangered, and requires large, old hollow-bearing trees for nesting. Surveys for these trees are crucial for management purposes. Typical surveys rely on following auditory (vocalisations) and visual (sightings) cues to determine the presence of birds or nests. However, nesting hollows can easily be inadvertently overlooked during such surveys because of false absences caused by biennial nesting, decreased vocal activity during nesting, and silent flushing from active nests when approached. We developed a systematic, grid-based transect methodology that maximises the likelihood of identifying potential, used, and confirmed Palm Cockatoo nest hollows and this has been implemented on western Cape York Peninsula since 2015. This method does not rely on bird presence at the time of surveys, but instead relies on multiple, specific signs of recent Palm Cockatoo nesting activity, to the exclusion of other large, sympatric parrots. We tested this method on novice observers and found that it enabled them to rapidly learn how to detect Palm Cockatoo hollows in the landscape. Thus, for ecological surveys on Cape York Peninsula, we propose that this method should supersede previous auditory/ visual surveys to identify Palm Cockatoo nesting sites, and we hope that this improves the conservation of this species in Australia.

Soil-chronosequence and Quaternary landscape evolution at the marine terraces of Harmony Point, Nelson Island, Maritime Antarctica.

This study characterized the physical, chemical, macro- and micromorphological soil properties from three successive marine terrace levels from Harmony Point (Nelson Island, Maritime Antarctica) in order to understand the pedological signatures of Quaternary coastal landscape evolution of Maritime Antarctica. Soils were sampled on the Late Holocene beach (current beach) and Mid Holocene marine terraces higher up, at 3, 8, and 12 m a.s.l. At the lower levels, the predominant soils were Gelorthents, whereas Haplogelepts dominate the higher terraces. Soil properties are mostly influenced by parent material and faunal activity, in which cryoclastic (thermal weathering) and phosphatization are the main soil-forming processes. Soils from the upper levels are more developed, deeper with reddish colors, granular structures and incipient formation B horizon. These horizonation features highlight that soils vary according with age of glacier-isostatic terrace uplift, representing a Quaternary soil chronosequence. All marine terrace levels are Ornithogenic soils, at varying degrees. However, the presence of old bird nesting sites for long periods led to formation of phosphatic horizons, stable Fe-phosphate minerals and abundant vegetation in the highest terraces of this part of Maritime Antarctica.

Effects of nutrient transfer by great skuas (Stercorarius skua) and arctic skuas (Stercorarius parasiticus) on vegetation and soil at Breiðamerkurjökull, SE-Iceland

Seabirds can play a vital role in primary succession by transferring nutrients from sea to land. Here, we examine the effects of sparse seabird colonies on primary succession at the Breiðamerkurjökull glacial fore-field in SE-Iceland. The area is generally characterized by low vegetation cover, where mosses are dominant, with scattered, grassy vegetation “islands” (bird hummocks) formed through point-centered influence of seabirds. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of bird presence on vegetation and soil properties. This was done by examining how vegetation and soil properties changed with the distance from bird hummocks and the influence of time on that relationship. Total vegetation cover and grass and forb cover were found to be significantly affected by the birds’ presence, as well as the concentration of soil organic matter and pHH2O . These results demonstrate the importance of seabirds as natural fertilizers in primary succession and early soil formation processes.

Biogenic elements in terrestrial substrates, freshwater pools and subice seamples of the Argentine islands – Kyiv peninsula region, the Maritime Antarctic

Aim. The aim was to estimate inflow of nitrogen and phosphorus to the terrestrial substrate, freshwater pools, as well as in the ice core and subglacial waters, from the sea-bird colonies, and locations of non-colonial flying birds, or individual colonial birds activity. Methods. The samples of substrates, fresh waters, ice cores and samples from the subglacial waters collected during the 25th (2019/20) and 26th (2020/21) Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions in the area of the Argentine Islands – Kyiv Peninsula were analyzed by selected indicators of ornithogenic impact – concentration of bioaviable forms of nitrogen and phosphorus. Results. The concentration for nitrogen and phosphorus are shown to be ornitogenic in samples from all explored locations. High concentrations of ornithogenic compounds were detected not only inflowing from birds colonies, in particular penguins, but also in samples without their influence. Conclusions. The obtained data confirm the high level of influence of both colonial and non-colonial birds on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems of the Argentine Islands-Kyiv Peninsula. It is shown that the edifying effect and inflow of significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus occurs not only in large penguin colonies, but also in single nesting or feeding and resting areas of non-colonial flying birds, or in the presence of individual colonial birds in the study area. However, in the locations of large penguin colonies, easily disolved bioavailable forms of nitrogen and phosphorus are found in much higher, hypertrophic concentrations. Relatively low concentrations of nutrients are currently found only in areas that have recently been released from the glacier and remain uninhabited, unattractive or inaccessible to birds. Such locations are currently marked only on the coast of the Kyiv Peninsula and are associated with the recent retreat of local glaciers. In case of the presence of penguins or the activity of non-colonial or individual colonial birds, all studied freshwater pools were eutrophied to varying extend. The dynamics of organic matter inflow to some of the studied freshwater pools of the region probably indicates the permanent eutrophication. Studies of the ice core of the Galindez Island Glacier and subglacial freshwaters have shown that ornithogenic effects have been observed here for a long time.Key words: eutrophication, seabirds, the Antarctic, substrates, freshwater pools.

Piscivorous Bird Deterrent Device Based on a Direct Digital Synthesis of Acoustic Signals

This paper addresses the development of an acoustic deterrent device for the protection of fishponds and other objects against the unwanted presence of birds. The objective of the paper is not only providing of a deep analysis of available technologies for waveform synthesis and generation, but also building a theoretical base for the design and implementation of acoustic bird deterrent solutions. The paper addresses the synthesis of bird songs and calls using technologies for music, speech, and other types of acoustic signal processing. The second part of the paper is devoted to the unique algorithms and implementation details of the intelligent acoustic deterrence device prototype. The practical applicability of algorithms for bird call record conversion into synthesizer sequences has been analysed and possible issues are highlighted. The effectiveness and ease of practical implementation of the given method in the hardware are briefly discussed.

Study on the daily activity of scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) in the Indonesian rice field

The Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) is known as a common pest in the Indonesian rice field. However, there is no study on the daily activity of this species. This study aims to determine the daily activity of L. punctulata in rice field habitat. The research was conducted on April-May 2021 in Aceh Besar (Sumatera), Wonogiri (Central Java) and Tulungagung (East Java). Sixty-three hours of observations were carried out in seven days using scan sampling and data recorded using the continuous method. Observation time was divided into morning, afternoon, and evening for three hours each time. Data variation was analyzed with ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis, then the correlation between behavior and temperature was analyzed using Pearson and Spearman Correlation Test. Our results show that moving (35.9 – 65.2%) and feeding (16.9–44.69%) are the most frequently observed behaviors. Only sunbathing behavior in the afternoon was significantly different in three locations (p-value < 0.001). Correlation analysis shows that feeding and sunbathing behavior have an inverse correlation with temperature. However, resting behaviors increases with increasing temperature. Temperature affects daily activities due to the bird’s thermoregulatory system. The other factors also influence L. punctulata behavior, such as other bird species presence and bird scaring activities.

Environment in the Islamic City of Termez (Uzbekistan)

The aim of this paper is to understand the ways of life for the inhabitants of Termez (Uzbekistan) and its surrounding environment through the analysis of the zooarchaeological, charcoal, and ceramic material found inside a domestic combustion structure (tannur) dated to the early Islamic period (8th and 9th centuries AD). The tannur was located in a manufacturing area outside the city walls of old Termez, discovered during the 2018–2019 archaeological campaigns of the Uzbek-Spanish team IPAEB. The analysis of the charcoal hints at an abundance of local floral taxa that was used as firewood. The faunal remains indicate the presence of birds, mammals and fish at the site. The zooarchaeological study reveals the exploitation of the fluvial resources through the presence of fish of the Cyprinidae family in the vicinity of the Amu Darya. The scarcity of cut marks on and thermoalteration of the mammalian remains inside the tannur lead us to believe that the presence of the bones inside the container is related to their disposal rather than the use of the oven for cooking. Finally, the ceramic items collected in the tannur belong to the same wares and types identified in the assemblages collected from a workshop area at the site and are typical of the early Islamic period.

Fragmented urban areas: Can plants encourage birds in Jambi City urban space?

This study aims to estimate the extent to which vegetation can encourage the presence of birds in the urban city area. Forest area, urban plantation, grove area, and residential area are The Muhammad Sabki Urban Forest location for bird and plant observed in some circular plots (r=25 m) in the morning and afternoon. Bird directly and identified using a field guide and marked plant species immediately identified using the Plantamor website. The data were analyzed using the Shannon-Wiener Index (H’), The Margalef Index (Dmg), and some using Correlative and regression analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics 28. The results obtained 23 species and a total of 534 individual birds from all observed urban space habitats. All Shannon-Wiener Index (H’) values in each studied habitat type showed a moderate diversity level and low species richness (Dmg). There are 22 plant species that have been identified as places of bird activity. Correlation analysis of the number of plant species on bird species and the number of bird species on bird individuals shows a strong relationship. However, regression analysis shows that the partially analyzed variables have no significant effect, so additional values are needed from other factors.

Bird diversity analysis in the lower mountain forest of mount Bulusaraung to support ecotourism’s activities in Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park

Lower mountain forest in the complex of Mount Bulusaraung Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park, is a one of bird’s habitat in the South Sulawesi. This area is a tourist destination, especially mountain climbing activities. Thus, it is necessary to know the diversity of animals, especially birds on this hiking trail, so that the information can be used to support ecotourism activities. This study aims to analyze the diversity of bird species in the complex of Bulusaraung Mountain, Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park in order to support ecotourism activities. This research was conducted from April to June 2018. Data was collected using the line transect method on three lines, namely the Balleanging, Kattokaddaro and Tompobulu lines. The second and third paths are hiking trails, while the rest are trails leading to community agricultural areas. The geographical position of the transect line was recorded using GPS. The GIS method was used to generate a bird watching trail map. Data analysis was carried out to calculate the individual density and frequency of bird presence. In addition, the species diversity indices, species evenness indices, and species richness indices were also calculated. The results showed that there were 44 species of birds found in the study area, which were 16 species in the Balleanging line, 27 species in the Kattokaddaro line and 37 species in the Tompobulu line. The highest bird species diversity indices value was found on the Tompobulu line (H' = 2.93), while on the Kattokaddaro line it was H' = 2.73 and the Balleanging H' = 2.55. The results of this study will support the management strategy in Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park in order to harmonize the conservation of biological resources through ecotourism activities that involve local communities to increase their economic income.

Effects of Parasitism on the Production and Productivity of caged Oreochromis niloticus in Winam Gulf of L. Victoria

The general objective of this study was to assess the effects of parasitism on the production and productivity of caged Oreochromis niloticus in Winam Gulf of L. Victoria. With the need to increase food production through fish products amid overfishing and pollution stress in the lake, cage farming is seen to have the potential to bridge the fish supply and demand gap continues to widen. Cage culture is a new technology in the offing that needs to be explored to justify its potential. Fish parasites are always a threat in an enclosed culture system and because of this, it is necessary to assess their effects on fish condition factors before recommendation. It is because of this reason that a total of 480 caged Oreochromis niloticus were purchased and examined for parasites using the recommended procedures for parasitological analysis. The class Trematoda which included seven taxa were found to be the most common and prevalent parasites in cages of the Winam Gulf. This was attributed to the presence of piscivorous birds which are definitive hosts seen more often around the culture systems and also overstocking observed and reported during the study period which increases the spread and transmission of parasites from one fish to another. Despite the prevalence, infestation did not affect the fish condition factor in all the study areas as the majority of infected fish recorded between good and excellent body condition factors. This was due to low mean intensities recorded and a shorter period of exposure to parasitic infestation as most farmers were barely 3 years into the system. In conclusion, for the government to explore the blue economy and achieve the Vision 2030 and SDGs on food security and poverty reduction by 2030, efforts to promote commercial cage culture enterprises in the Winam Gulf must be bolstered, provided that cages are located in deep waters with low concentrations in specific areas and low stocking densities to avoid compromising the environment.

Reproductive trade-offs and phenotypic selection change with body condition, but not with predation regime, across island lizard populations.

Trade-offs between reproduction and survival are central to life-history theory and are expected to shape patterns of phenotypic selection, but the ecological factors structuring these trade-offs and resultant patterns of selection are generally unknown. We manipulated reproductive investment and predation regime in island populations of brown anole lizards (Anolis sagrei) to test (1) whether previously documented increases in the survival of experimentally non-reproductive females (OVX=ovariectomy) reflect the greater susceptibility of reproductive females (SHAM=control) to predation and (2) whether phenotypic selection differs as a function of reproductive investment and predation regime. OVX females exceeded SHAM controls in growth, mass gain and body condition, indicating pronounced energetic costs of reproduction. Although mortality was greatest in the presence of bird and snake predators, differences in survival between OVX and SHAM were unrelated to predation regime, as were patterns of natural selection on body size. Instead, we found that body condition at the conclusion of the experiment differed significantly across populations, suggesting that local environments varied in their ability to support mass gain and positive energy balance. As mean body condition improved across populations, the magnitude of the survival cost of reproduction increased, linear selection on body size shifted from positive to negative, and quadratic selection shifted from stabilizing to weakly disruptive. Our results suggest that reproductive trade-offs and patterns of phenotypic selection in female brown anoles are more sensitive to inferred variation in environmental quality than to experimentally induced variation in predation.

Conservation Status of Bird Species on Promasan Hiking Trail, Mount Ungaran, Central Java

Mount Ungaran is one of the dormant volcanoes in Central Java. The condition of the unspoiled forest in the Mount Ungaran area is a good habitat for fauna, including birds. There are several hiking trails traversed by mountain climbers, one of them is the Promasan hiking trail. This study aims to determine the diversity of bird species and identify their conservation status on the Promasan hiking trail. Data were colected by Indices Ponctuels d'Abondance (IPA), Line Transect, and Point Count methods. Bird species diversity was determined by the Shanon index. Determination of bird conservation status based on the IUCN Red List, CITES Appendix, Government Regulation (PP No. 7 of 1999) and Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulation (PERMENLHK RI No. 106, 2018). The results showed that there were 24 bird species belonging to 19 families. The diversity of bird species was classified as moderate (Shanon index = 2.59). There were two species including CITES Appendix II. Based on the IUCN Red List, there was one species in the Endangered (EN) category, 23 species in the Least Concern (LC) category. There was one species that is protected according to Government Regulation (PP No. 7 of 1999). The 3 species include as protected under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulation (PERMENLHK RI No. P.106, 2018). Monitoring the presence of birds in this area must be carried out regularly.

Hybrid bioacoustic and ecoacoustic analyses provide new links between bird assemblages and habitat quality in a winter boreal forest

Resident birds in boreal forests can serve as indicators of habitat quality and are often species of conservation interest, particularly in multifunctional forests also used for timber production. To make informed forest management decisions, we must first understand which structural features provide habitats useful for resident birds. This is particularly true in winter, an understudied and critical season for their survival. The objective of this study was to establish reliable methods for monitoring bird presence and activity during winter, and to use these methods to evaluate the relative importance of stand structural features to make inferences about which features support and increase winter survival potential. Using a hybrid bioacoustic and ecoacoustic approach, we tested the ability of acoustic recordings to identify links between bird diversity and components of structural complexity, and compared these results to those from the traditional point count method. We conducted a vegetation survey, point count surveys and collected acoustic recordings from December 2019–February 2020 in 19 sites in a Swedish boreal forest. First, we compared species richness values derived from point counts and bioacoustic monitoring methods. Bioacoustic species richness was significantly higher than point count richness, although only when the time spent identifying species from recordings exceeded the time spent conducting point counts in the field. Next, we demonstrated that bioacoustic species identification yields additional metrics of bird activity that point counts cannot. We tested the response of these metrics, and point count metrics, to variables of structural heterogeneity and complexity of our sites. Almost all bioacoustic metrics increased significantly with increasing structural complexity, while point count richness and abundance did not, indicating that automated recording is more effective in identifying forest patches of high quality in winter. Lastly, using an ecoacoustic approach, we calculated six of the most common acoustic indices and tested if any could effectively reflect the bird-structure relationships described above. Two indices showed significant positive relationships to bioacoustic metrics, demonstrating their potential as biodiversity assessment proxies that respond to differences in habitat quality. This is the first winter acoustic study to monitor bird assemblages in detail; it employed both bioacoustic and multi-index ecoacoustic approaches, which provided evidence that automated acoustic recording can be an effective and superior method for monitoring resident forest birds. • Winter is a critical period for resident birds of high conservation interest. • We compared point count, bioacoustic and ecoacoustic monitoring methods in winter. • Bioacoustic identification yielded higher bird richness than point counts. • New bioacoustic bird metrics significantly respond to structural heterogeneity. • BIO and ACI acoustic indices reflected bird assemblage metrics.

The summer distribution, habitat associations and abundance of seabirds in the sub-polar frontal zone of the Northwest Atlantic

Biological production in the oceanic zone (i.e. waters beyond the continental shelves) is typically spatially patchy and strongly seasonal. In response, seabirds have adapted to move rapidly within and between ocean basins, making them important pelagic consumers. Studies in the Pacific, Southern and Indian Oceans have shown that seabirds are relatively abundant in major frontal systems, with species composition varying by water mass. In contrast, surprisingly little was known about seabird distribution in the oceanic North Atlantic until recent tracking showed that relative abundance and diversity peak in the Sub-polar Frontal Zone, west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, now proposed as a Marine Protected Area. However, absolute seabird abundance, distribution, age and species composition, and their potential environmental drivers in the oceanic temperate NW Atlantic remain largely unknown. Consequently, we systematically surveyed seabirds and environmental conditions across this area by ship in June 2017, then modelled the density of common species as functions of environmental covariates, validating model predictions against independent tracking data. Medium-sized petrels (99.8%), especially Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis, 63%), accounted for the majority of total avian biomass, which correlated at the macroscale with net primary production and peaked at the sub-polar front. At the mesoscale, the density of each species was associated with sea surface temperature, indicating zonation by water mass. Most species also exhibited scale-dependent associations with eddies and fronts. Approximately 51, 26, 23, 7 and 1 % of the currently estimated Atlantic populations of Cory's Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis), Great Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters (A. grisea), Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and Leach’s Storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) occurred in the area during our survey, many of which were undergoing moult (a vital maintena nce activity). For some species, these estimates are higher than suggested by tracking, probably due to the presence of immatures and birds from untracked populations. Our results support the conclusion that MPA status is warranted and provide a baseline against which future changes can be assessed. Moreover, they indicate potential drivers of seabird abundance and diversity in the oceanic zone of the North Atlantic that should be investigated further.

Wildfire smoke affects detection of birds in Washington State

AbstractWildfire smoke is likely to have direct health effects on birds as well as influence movement, vocalization, and other avian behaviors. These behavioral changes may affect if and how birds are observed in the wild, although research on the effects of wildfire smoke on bird behavior is limited. To evaluate how wildfire smoke affects detection of birds, we combined data from eBird, an online community science program, with data from an extensive network of air quality monitors in the state of Washington over a 4-year period. We assessed how PM2.5, a marker of smoke pollution, affected the probability of observing 71 bird species during the wildfire seasons of 2015–2018 using bird observations from 62,908 eBird checklists. After accounting for habitat, weather conditions, seasonality, and survey effort, we found that PM2.5 affected the probability of observing 37% of study species. The ambient concentration of PM2.5 was negatively associated with the probability of observing 16 species and positively associated with the probability of observing 10 species, indicating that birds exhibit species-specific behavioral changes during wildfire smoke events that influence how they are observed. Our results suggest that wildfire smoke impacts the presence, availability, and/or perceptibility of birds. Impacts of smoke pollution on human observers, such as impaired visibility, may also influence detection of birds. These results provide a foundation for developing mechanistic hypotheses to explain how birds, and our studies of them, are impacted by wildfire smoke. Given the projected increase in large-scale wildfire smoke events under future climate change scenarios, understanding how birds are affected by wildfire smoke—and how air pollution may influence our ability to detect them—are important next steps to inform wildlife research and avian conservation.