River Birds Research Articles

Illegal shooting of protected nongame birds along power lines coincides with places and times of peak legal recreational shooting

Abstract Illegal killing of protected nongame birds is pervasive and can be demographically relevant. In 2021 and 2022, we evaluated spatial and temporal patterns in illegal killing of birds along 69.7 km of power lines in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho, USA, to provide insight into potential drivers behind the activity and key information to manage this threat across the American west. The illegal shooting of 8 species of raptors and corvids we documented was clumped both temporally and spatially, as opposed to being randomly distributed across the year and landscape. We found 72 illegally shot birds, most killed during spring months (March to May), coincident with peak time periods of legal recreational shooting activity, and in places with high levels of recreational shooting. We also found evidence of targeted killing of raptors in the conservation area in areas not associated with recreational shooting. Given the numbers of nesting pairs of some local raptor species, this shooting is likely demographically relevant for some but not all local populations. Likewise, with the prevalence of recreational shooting across the American west, the inference we draw is broadly relevant beyond our Idaho study area. The insight our work provides can enable owners of power lines, law enforcement agencies, and resource managers to coordinate in outreach, regulatory, and law enforcement action to manage a threat that may have widespread impacts for some avian species.

Ecological niche modelling of two water-dependant birds informs the conservation needs of riverine ecosystems outside protected area network in the Eastern Himalaya, India.

Common species often play vital roles in ecosystem functions and processes. Globally, conservation strategies are mostly focused on threatened species and rarely explored the potential of using common species as indicators of critical ecosystems. The Himalayan mountains have unique riverine ecosystems harbouring high diversity of specialist river birds. Ecological niche modelling provides effective tools to predict suitable habitats of a species and identify habitats for conservation. We used two common water-dependent bird species, Blue Whistling Thrush and White-capped Water Redstart as indicators of riverine ecosystems within the Sikkim Himalayan region and predicted their suitable habitats using an ensemble modelling approach. We selected six predictor variables for the final model including three bioclimatic and three topographic variables. For both species, bioclimatic variables such as mean annual temperature and precipitation were the most important factors compared to topographic variables. At least 70 percent of the most suitable habitats are distributed below 2000 m elevation alongside major drainages. Also, most of their potential habitats are distributed outside the protected area networks in the region. This habitat suitability pattern may be applied to other sympatric species in the region. Since major water bodies in Sikkim are largely affected by developmental activities and climate change, these riverine birds might face threats of losing suitable habitats. We recommend a dynamic approach to evaluate the habitat quality of riverine birds, especially outside protected area networks in the region to plan conservation strategies. This approach will ensure habitat conservation of many water-dependent birds and other taxa associated with the riverine ecosystems of the Eastern Himalaya.

Green Kingfishers as Sentinel Species for Mercury Contamination in Amazon.

Mercury is a global contaminant found in the Amazon; it can be biomagnified in the aquatic trophic chain. The use of piscivorous birds for biomonitoring of mercury contamination is increasing, mainly due to the non-mobility of mercury in bird feathers. We examined the concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury in different tissues of the green kingfisher, Chloroceryle americana collected from the Teles Pires and Juruena Rivers in the southern Brazilian Amazon. We also evaluated total mercury in small Characidae fish (potential C. americana food) in the same areas. The results indicate contamination of the birds with high concentrations, on average two-times higher in the green kingfishers from the Teles Pires River compared to the Juruena River; the same results were found for the fish specimens. Fifty-eight per cent of the feather samples from the Juruena River and 90% from the Teles Pires River had total mercury concentrations above 5µg/g, a level previously associated with adverse effects related to bird breeding. The methylmercury concentration was lowest in the liver, followed by feathers and highest in muscle. Although Juruena River bird feathers had a lower total mercury concentration, > 96% of the total mercury was methylmercury, the highest amount for specimens from both rivers. Although the concentration of Hg in the muscle of the green kingfisher is higher when compared to the feather and liver, the non-invasive monitoring through analysis of samples of feathers is an efficient biomonitoring tool for evaluation of mercury contamination in tropical birds.

Assessing Effects of Multi-Scale Landscape Pattern and Habitats Attributes on Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Urban River Birds

Several studies have revealed that urban rivers with relatively complete habitat structures can support a high level of biodiversity in urban areas. However, few studies have analyzed the impact of the plan, design, and management of multi-scale urban riverside green space on bird communities by assessing several aspects of diversity (e.g., taxonomic and functional). In this study, we explored bird community variation (taxonomic and functional) among three rivers (28 sampling sites) with different levels of human disturbance along the urban development gradient in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, during an annual cycle. This study related bird species richness and functional diversity to environmental variables at three spatial scales: landscape metrics at two different landscape scales (500 and 100 m radius) and vegetation structure at patch scales (20 m radius). Using partial least squares regression (PLSR) and multiple linear regression, we found that bird species richness and functional diversity were strongly related to various landscape- and patch-level variables. Multiple linear regression models revealed that, compared with the richness influenced by explanatory variables on three spatial scales (500, 100, and 20 m), the functional diversity was significantly influenced by explanatory variables on the 100 and 20 m scales. Tree cover at the 20 m scale had significantly positive impacts on bird species richness and functional diversity. Forest land in the 100 m scale had a significantly positive effect on bird species richness and functional diversity, while construction land in the two landscape scales (the 500- and 100 m scales) had a significantly negative effect on species richness. Accordingly, we suggest that urban riverside green space should be planned and managed at multiple scales.

Recognition of Aras Bird Species From Their Voices With Deep Learning Methods

Bu çalışmada Iğdır Aras Nehri Kuş Cenneti'nde sıklıkla görülen kuş türlerinin seslerinden tanınması üzerinde durulmuştur. Bu amaçla derin öğrenme yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Biyolojik çeşitliliğin incelenmesi ve analiz edilmesi için akustik gözetleme çalışmaları yapılmaktadır. Bu iş için pasif dinleyici/kaydedici adındaki aygıtlar kullanılmaktadır. Genel olarak bu kaydedici aygıtlarla toplanan ham ses kayıtlarının üzerinde çeşitli analizler gerçekleştirilir. Bu çalışmada, kuşlardan elde edilen ham ses kayıtları tarafımızca geliştirilen yöntemlerle işlenmiş ve daha sonra derin öğrenme mimarileriyle kuş türleri sınıflandırılmıştır. Sınıflandırma çalışmaları, Aras Kuş Cenneti’nde çokça görülen 22 kuş türü üzerinde yapılmıştır. Ses kayıtları 10 saniyelik klipler haline getirilmiş daha sonra bunlar birer saniyelik log mel spektrogramlara çevrilmiştir. Sınıflandırma yöntemi olarak derin öğrenme mimarilerinden Evrişimsel Sinir Ağları (CNN) ve Uzun Kısa-Dönemli Bellek Sinir Ağları (LSTM) kullanılmıştır. Ayrıca bu iki modelin yanında Öğrenme Aktarımı yöntemi de kullanılmıştır. Öğrenme aktarımı için kullanılan ön-eğitimli evrişimsel sinir ağlarından VGGish ve YAMNet modelleriyle seslerin yüksek seviyeli öznitelik vektörleri çıkarılmıştır. Çıkarılan bu vektörler sınıflandırıcıların giriş katmanlarını oluşturmuştur. Yapılan deneylerle dört farklı mimarinin ses kayıtları üzerindeki doğruluk oranları ve F1 skorları bulunmuştur. Buna göre en yüksek doğruluk oranı (acc) ve F1 skoru sırasıyla %94.2 ve %92.8 ile VGGish modelinin kullanıldığı sınıflandırıcıyla elde edilmiştir.

Birds and habitats recorded in the lower Mai Valley Important Bird and Biodiversity Area

A bird survey was carried out in the lower Mai Valley Forests (MVF) Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) in far eastern Nepal, between 180 m and 2200 m from 01 to 10 March 2022. An assessment was also made of the environmental conditions of forest and river habitats, and type and extent of agriculture. A comparison was made with a March 1981 visit. Observations were noted during a ten-day trek from Ilam (1205 m) up to Hangetham (2200 m) and down to Sukhani (180 m). The large number of 256 bird species was recorded, including one globally threatened and five globally near-threatened species, five restricted-range species, 20 nationally threatened and eight nationally near-threatened species. One new species for Nepal, black-breasted thrush Turdus dissimilis and three rare Nepal species not found in the IBA for at least 20 years, were also recorded. Extensive intact areas of semi-evergreen subtropical and lower temperate mixed broadleaved forests valuable for birds still remain. Tropical forests have been fragmented and mainly replaced by tea and rubber plantations, and also by the spread of agriculture. However, Sukhani still comprises a substantial semi-evergreen broadleaved forest important for birds, although it is highly threatened. Hunting is probably a significant threat to bird species in MVF. Despite loss and degradation of some forests, especially in the tropical zone, MVF still qualify as an IBA. The Mai Khola habitat has been severely damaged by the Mai Khola Hydroelectric Project, which became operational in 2015, resulting in serious declines in river birds. MVF remain outside the existing protected area network. Including MVF in Nepal’s protected area system would ensure conservation of the species-rich semi-evergreen mixed broadleaved tropical and subtropical forests that are currently an important omission. Further bird surveys are recommended at all elevations and in tropical and subtropical forests that have so far not been covered.

Community assembly, functional traits, and phylogeny in Himalayan river birds.

Heterogeneity in riverine habitats acts as a template for species evolution that influences river communities at different spatio‐temporal scales. Although birds are conspicuous elements of these communities, the roles of phylogeny, functional traits, and habitat character in their niche use or species' assembly have seldom been investigated. We explored these themes by surveying multiple headwaters over 3000 m of elevation in the Himalayan Mountains of India where the specialist birds of montane rivers reach their greatest diversity on Earth. After ordinating community composition, species traits, and habitat character, we investigated whether river bird traits varied with elevation in ways that were constrained or independent of phylogeny, hypothesizing that trait patterns reflect environmental filtering. Community composition and trait representation varied strongly with increasing elevation and river naturalness as species that foraged in the river/riparian ecotone gave way to small insectivores with direct trophic dependence on the river or its immediate channel. These trends were influenced strongly by phylogeny as communities became more clustered by functional traits at a higher elevation. Phylogenetic signals varied among traits, however, and were reflected in body mass, bill size, and tarsus length more than in body size, tail length, and breeding strategy. These variations imply that community assembly in high‐altitude river birds reflects a blend of phylogenetic constraint and habitat filtering coupled with some proximate niche‐based moulding of trait character. We suggest that the regional co‐existence of river birds in the Himalaya is facilitated by this same array of factors that together reflect the highly heterogeneous template of river habitats provided by these mountain headwaters.

Drivers of Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, and Functional Beta Diversity of Himalayan Riverine Birds

Abiotic and biotic factors drive compositional differences among local species assemblages. Determining the influence of different drivers on beta diversity patterns can provide insights into processes governing community organization. Examining beta diversity patterns along taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional dimensions enables a nuanced understanding of underlying processes that govern community assembly and dynamics. The dynamic and complex riparian habitats in the Himalaya, and the hyper-diverse riverine bird community offer a fascinating setup to examine the role of environmental factors in influencing community structuring. Using a large dataset on river bird communities from field census across multiple drainages in the Indian Himalaya, we aimed at discerning processes that structure these communities through an understanding of pair-wise dissimilarities in species composition across sites. We determined the relative contributions of turnover and nestedness in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional beta diversity patterns in the Eastern and Western Himalaya that differ in species richness. Generalized Dissimilarity Modeling was used to examine the relative contributions of climatic, geographic, and anthropogenic factors toward explaining different metrics of beta diversity. The riverine bird communities in the drier and seasonal Western Himalaya were poorer in species richness, more phylogenetically and functionally clustered than that in the Eastern Himalaya. The contribution of the turnover component to the overall beta diversity was higher than the nestedness component in river bird communities, particularly in the Eastern Himalaya. Habitat and climatic factors differentially influenced the beta diversity patterns in both Eastern and Western Himalaya, with river width consistently explaining a large variation in beta diversity in the east and the west. The results show that environmental filtering plays a crucial role in structuring riverine bird communities in the Himalayan headwaters, highlighting the need to ameliorate the threats posed by the slew of hydroelectric projects and forest loss in the region.

Migration routes, behavior and protection status of Eurasian Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) wintering in China

BackgroundThe Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) occurs throughout Eurasia and North and sub-Saharan Africa, with three recognized subspecies and six geographically distributed populations. However, in China, we knew almost nothing about migration routes, habitat use and effectiveness of current site protection measures for this species.MethodsWe deployed Global Positioning System/Global System for Mobile Communications (GPS/GSM) satellite trackers on 29 Eurasian Spoonbills captured in summer in Mongolia and northeastern China, to obtain complete migration routes data from 10 individuals from 19 complete migration episodes.ResultsTracking data showed no geographical overlap during the annual cycle in Eurasian Spoonbills marked in the two main summering areas. Birds marked in the Naoli River Basin in Heilongjiang Province, China, wintered along the Jiangsu coastline in China, while Eurasian Spoonbills from two discrete summering areas (in Inner and western Mongolia) overwintered inland in the Yangtze River floodplain of China. Excluding the single Inner Mongolian bird, spring migration was significantly faster than autumn migration in the other two groups of birds. Eurasian Spoonbills mainly used water, wetland and grassland habitats in summer, but almost exclusively water in winter. Lack of protection of staging sites used by all the birds in spring and poor levels of protection throughout the annual cycle for western Mongolian birds (5–22%) gives considerable cause for concern, although sites used in other time by East Mongolian and Naoli River birds in the rest of their annual life cycle enjoyed good levels of protection (49–95%).ConclusionsThese results revealed previously unknown relationships between summering and wintering areas, migration routes and stopover sites for Eurasian Spoonbills wintering in China, suggesting the existence of discrete biogeographical population units. They also identified winter habitat use of Eurasian Spoonbills in China, confirming open water habitats as being critical throughout the annual cycle, although based on small sample size, gaps in current site safeguard networks for these populations.

Optimal sampling design to survey riparian bird populations with low detection probability

ABSTRACT Capsule: Linear censusing and occupancy models based on fixed sampling points are alternative widely used techniques to determine bird densities in riparian ecosystems, although it cannot be always properly executed. Aims: The aim is to assess the survey efficiency for river birds using occupancy models in contexts of impaired visibility owing to dense vegetation along the banks. Methods: We tested whether increasing sampling periods within each survey unit (point) at occupancy models would result in increasing detection probability values. We used two approaches in order to identify the ‘best’ design for White-throated Dippers Cinclus cinclus along forested river stretches: minimizing survey effort of standard single-season site occupancy modelling and exploratory power analysis. Results: With a detection probability of 0.26 (i.e. much lower than in previous studies), a design with 60 sites surveyed 10 min 6 times a year would be the option to survey White-throated Dippers in forested habitats if an acceptable power is required. Simulations further revealed the consistency of the results. Conclusion: We provide guidelines to establish a cost-effective survey design for any long-term monitoring citizen-based programme of a White-throated Dipper population when detection probabilities are low. A strength and novelty of the method is to take advantage of advanced probabilistic approaches (e.g. GRTS) to select the survey sites providing, among other major interests, a spatially balanced geographic coverage.

Turning a tragedy into large-scale barrier island restoration in Louisiana: A three-project case study

Louisiana has successfully utilized the proceeds from the fines imposed for the Deepwater Horizon incident to significantly jump start barrier island restoration as identified in the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) of Louisiana Coastal Master Plan (CPRA 2017). The Riverine Sand Mining/ Scofield Island Restoration (BA-40) project was the first to be implemented through a commitment of remaining funds in the initial emergency protective berms’ construction budget formulated into the Berms to Barrier Islands plan. The berm/ restoration conversion at Scofield Island was the first to utilize this funding mechanism. The Caminada Headland Beach and Dune Restoration–Increment II (BA-143) project was funded through the National Fish and Wildlife (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund and capitalized on a prior project constructed to the west completing the beach and dune restoration of the entire headland. Lastly, the Caillou Lake Headlands Restoration (TE-100) project was funded through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). The TE-100 project restored the entire degraded beach and dune system backed by a created marsh habitat to complement a prior restoration effort. Scofield Island is located west of the active Mississippi River bird’s foot delta in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. A primary objective of this project was the excavation and delivery of Mississippi riverine sand for beach and dune restoration; a first in our nation’s history. Multiple design and construction challenges arose requiring the CPRA, consulting team, and construction contractor to adapt. Construction of the beach and dune component of this project required approximately 22 miles (mi) of pipeline and four booster pumps along a sediment pipeline corridor that crossed two hurricane protection levees, went underneath two highways and a navigation channel, traversed the Empire Waterway, crossed Pelican Island, entered the Gulf of Mexico, and extended to Scofield Island. The restoration footprint length was approximately 2.4 mi, total volume placed was approximately 3.5 million cubic yards (MCY), and the benefit equaled 510 restored acres (CEC 2014). The pipeline corridor has subsequently been utilized for two other restoration projects, Shell Island East Berm Barrier Island Restoration (BA-110) and Shell Island West NRDA Restoration (BA-111). As a first in Louisiana’s restoration history, the Caminada Headland Beach and Dune Restoration–Increments I and II (BA-45 and BA-143) utilized sand dredged from Ship Shoal, an Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sand resource located approximately 26-38 mi from the restoration areas. The 13.3 mi long headland was restored with approximately 3.7 MCY for BA-45 and 5.5 MCY for BA-143 from the borrow area (CEC 2015 and CEC 2017). A combination of cutterhead dredge/scow barges and hopper dredges were used to construct the project. A key goal of this project was restoring and protecting the fragile ecosystem which provides critical habitat for nesting shorebirds. The headland is of critical importance in serving as a defense of our national energy infrastructure. The western portion of the headland directly protects Port Fourchon, one of the nation’s most important energy ports. Caillou Lake Headlands (TE-100), known locally as Whiskey Island, is centrally located in the Isle Dernieres chain and it is a remnant of the single, larger Isle Dernieres (Last Island), which was segmented into multiple smaller islands by a major hurricane in 1856. The project included restoring the beach and dune along approximately 4.5 mi while simultaneously creating a marsh platform along approximately 5,500 feet (ft) utilizing 10.4 MCY of sand from the borrow area (CEC 2018). The borrow area lies within Ship Shoal OCS Lease Block 88 located over 10 mi along the conveyance corridor offshore of Whiskey Island. This project represents the largest barrier island restoration project to date in terms of volume per linear foot of shoreline with an average density of over 441 cubic yards per linear foot (CEC 2018).

Environment and food web structure interact to alter the trophic magnification of persistent chemicals across river ecosystems

Legacy organic pollutants persist in freshwater environments, but there is limited understanding of how their trophic transfer and effects vary across riverine ecosystems with different land use, biological communities and food webs. Here, we investigated the trophic magnification of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and a suite of organochlorines (OCs) across nine riverine food webs in contrasting hydrological catchments across South Wales (United Kingdom). Pollutants biomagnified through the food webs in all catchments studied, in some cases reaching levels sufficient for biological effects on invertebrates, fish and river birds such as the Dipper (Cinclus cinclus). Trophic magnification differed across food webs depending on pollutant characteristics (e.g. octanol-water partitioning coefficient) and site-specific environmental conditions (e.g. land use, water chemistry and basal resource composition). The trophic magnification of PBDEs, PCBs and OCs also reflected food-web structure, with greater accumulation in more connected food webs with more generalist taxa. These data highlight interactions between pollutant properties, environmental conditions and biological network structure in the transfer and biomagnification of POPs in river ecosystems. We advocate the need for further investigations of system-specific transfers of contaminants through aquatic food webs as these factors appear to have important implications for risk assessment.

An assessment of run-of-river hydroelectric dams on mountain stream ecosystems using the American dipper as an avian indicator

Rivers provide numerous ecological and cultural services for humans and wildlife that are vulnerable to increasing demands for freshwater and renewable energy production. Run-of-river (RoR) dams are becoming a common energy production alternative on coastal mountain streams throughout the world, but their ecological impacts remain poorly understood. A well-described indicator of water quality sharing steep mountain stream habitat with RoR developments, the American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) river bird is an ideal species for studying potential eco-hydrological impacts of RoR dams. We monitored American dipper populations over two years at stream sites with and without RoR dams across three watersheds in coastal British Columbia, Canada. We found that dippers selected regulated streams across seasons, with the headpond and diversion reach frequently used for foraging. Regulated streams also had higher dipper densities in the slow-flowing habitats, a higher occupancy rate of banded dippers, a higher rate of confirmed year-round residents, and a greater proportion of adults; however, fewer hatch-year dippers were recorded on regulated streams, which may indicate lower reproductive potential or juvenile survival. RoR reaches modified by flow abstraction may offer an opportunity for altitudinal migrant dippers to exploit a consistent food resource closer to their high elevation breeding territory, enabling them to take on a “resident strategy” that is more typical of low elevation river habitats. However, the long-term consequences of year-round occupancy and foraging in headponds requires further investigation, as it could have positive or negative impacts on dippers and their associated foodweb. Collectively, our data suggest that high elevation, RoR-regulated streams provide stable year-round habitat for the American dipper and that presence and density of this species can be used to accurately track changes in stream flow and condition following dam installation.

Examination of Pesticide Exposure In Burrowing Owls Nesting In Agricultural And Nonagricultural Areas In the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, Idaho

Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) frequently nest near agricultural lands. In southwestern Idaho, greater population density in agricultural landscapes appears to be driven in part by reliable and abundant prey populations. However, these potential benefits may be offset if agricultural land use increases pesticide exposure, especially during the sensitive reproduction period. Thus, we investigated the extent to which Burrowing Owls nesting near croplands within the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA), Idaho, were exposed to organophosphate (OP), carbamate (CB), and/or organochlorine (OC) pesticides. We examined plasma cholinesterase activity, OP and CB residues in foot-wash samples, and OCs in soils and whole egg contents collected from owls and their nests along a distance gradient from agricultural fields. We further measured eggshell thickness to assess potential for thinning from OC exposure. There was no inhibition of cholinesterase activities in adult or nestling owls near agriculture, and foot-wash samples from adults tested negative for OP and CB pesticides. The OC p,p′-DDE, a metabolite of DDT, occurred in eggs at 27 of 58 nests, but there was some evidence that concentrations increased with increasing distance from agriculture. Concentrations of p,p′-DDE in eggs were relatively low compared to harmful levels in other avian species, were not correlated with eggshell thickness, and did not appear to reduce nesting success. Neither DDT, its metabolites, nor any other OCs were detected in soil samples from local owl breeding areas. These results indicate that p,p′-DDE, organophosphate, and carbamate exposure were not causing toxicity or reproductive impairment of Burrowing Owls in the NCA during our study years.

New insights into the phylogenetics and population structure of the prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus)

BackgroundManagement requires a robust understanding of between- and within-species genetic variability, however such data are still lacking in many species. For example, although multiple population genetics studies of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) have been conducted, no similar studies have been done of the closely-related prairie falcon (F. mexicanus) and it is unclear how much genetic variation and population structure exists across the species’ range. Furthermore, the phylogenetic relationship of F. mexicanus relative to other falcon species is contested. We utilized a genomics approach (i.e., genome sequencing and assembly followed by single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping) to rapidly address these gaps in knowledge.ResultsWe sequenced the genome of a single female prairie falcon and generated a 1.17 Gb (gigabases) draft genome assembly. We generated maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees using complete mitochondrial genomes as well as nuclear protein-coding genes. This process provided evidence that F. mexicanus is an outgroup to the clade that includes the peregrine falcon and members of the subgenus Hierofalco. We annotated > 16,000 genes and almost 600,000 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the nuclear genome, providing the raw material for a SNP assay design featuring > 140 gene-associated markers and a molecular-sexing marker. We subsequently genotyped ~ 100 individuals from California (including the San Francisco East Bay Area, Pinnacles National Park and the Mojave Desert) and Idaho (Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area). We tested for population structure and found evidence that individuals sampled in California and Idaho represent a single panmictic population.ConclusionsOur study illustrates how genomic resources can rapidly shed light on genetic variability in understudied species and resolve phylogenetic relationships. Furthermore, we found evidence of a single, randomly mating population of prairie falcons across our sampling locations. Prairie falcons are highly mobile and relatively rare long-distance dispersal events may promote gene flow throughout the range. As such, California’s prairie falcons might be managed as a single population, indicating that management actions undertaken to benefit the species at the local level have the potential to influence the species as a whole.

Dinoflagellate Cysts Track Eutrophication in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

We examined organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts from one 210Pb-dated sediment core and 39 surface sediment samples from the northern Gulf of Mexico to determine the relationship between nutrient enrichment and cyst assemblages in this region characterized by oxygen deficiency. The core spans from 1962 to 1997 and its sampling location is directly influenced by the Mississippi River plume. Surface sediments were collected in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2014 and represent approximately 1 to 4 years of accumulation. A total of 57 cyst taxa were recorded, and four heterotrophic taxa in particular were found to increase in the top section (1986–1997) of the core—Brigantedinium spp., cysts of Archaeperidinium minutum, cysts of Polykrikos kofoidii, and Quinquecuspis concreta. These taxa show a similar increasing trend with variations in US fertilizer consumption and Mississippi River nitrate concentrations, both of which increased substantially in the 1970s and 1980s. The same four heterotrophic taxa dominated dinoflagellate cyst assemblages collected near the Mississippi River Bird’s Foot Delta where nutrient concentrations were higher, especially in 2014. We propose that these cyst taxa can be used as indicators of eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) supports this proposition. The CCA identified sea-surface nutrient concentrations, sea-surface temperature, and sea-surface salinity as the most important factors influencing the cyst assemblages. In addition, cysts produced by the potentially toxic dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense and Lingulodinium polyedrum were documented, but did not appear to have increased over the past 50 years.

Evaluating the Framework of a New River Bird Survey Method

AbstractRiver bird assemblages can serve as beacons of environmental change associated with restoration or degradation. River birds regularly rely on riverine resources at some point in their life cycle, vary in the scale of temporal and spatial of use and forage at multiple levels of the food web (e.g. fish, aquatic plants, aquatic or emergent insects). We present a novel river bird survey method that is more easily employed and less intrusive than riverbank transect or boat surveys and encompasses a wide suite of species and a year‐round time frame. We evaluate the relative efficacy of different levels of survey duration (20, 15, 10 or 5 min), number of surveys (every 2 weeks in spring and fall and every 3 weeks in summer and winter) and number of sites on the survey's ability to document species richness and bird abundance. We used two statistical approaches, species accumulation curves (for duration, number of surveys and number of sites) and first‐order Jackknifes (for duration). We conclude that a biweekly or triweekly survey, 25 sites in the focal river, and a survey duration of at least 15 min are sufficient to meet our objectives. This logistically efficient survey approach facilitates monitoring complex and long‐term change such as that associated with river restoration and dam removal. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effectiveness of direct payments to increase reproductive success of sandbar-nesting river birds in Cambodia

SummaryDirect payments to communities or individuals have gained traction as a tool for species conservation; however, few studies have evaluated their effectiveness. From 2010 to 2014, we monitored nests and implemented a direct payment nest protection programme for six sandbar-nesting bird species on the Mekong River, Cambodia, and tested if nest protection improved reproductive success. Nests were guarded by community members; additionally, exclosures were used to protect nests of River Tern Sterna aurantia, the species of highest conservation concern. We investigated factors affecting nest and chick survival, and probability of nest failure due to egg harvest or predation. Nesting later in the season generally resulted in lower nest and chick survival. Nest protection improved survival rates of River Tern nests and chicks, and Small Pratincole Glareola lactea nests. River Tern nest success was 60% for exclosed (and guarded) nests, 29% for guarded (but unexclosed) nests, and 5% for unprotected nests. River Tern fledging success was 82% for exclosed chicks, 40% for chicks that were guarded only, and 2% for unprotected chicks. Small Pratincole nest success was 21% for guarded and 6% for unguarded nests. Egg harvest by humans was lower among protected nests and declined during the study. Nest predation by animals increased during the study despite nest guarding; however, predator exclosures effectively protected nests and chicks. Additional predator control measures could further improve reproductive success of sandbar-nesting birds. Overall, nest protection involving direct payments was highly effective, but required diligent use of nest exclosures, frequent monitoring, and strong community relationships.

On the Way to a Goddess’s Mountain: Rain and My Emotions, and: A Drawn Crane, and; A Poem for Hweng Dang, and: After a Poem by Yoon Sŏ-joong

On the Way to a Goddess’s Mountain: Rain and My Emotions, and: A Drawn Crane, and; A Poem for Hweng Dang, and: After a Poem by Yoon Sŏ-joong Yi Tal (bio) Translated by Ian Haight (bio) and T’ae-yong Hŏ (bio) On the Way to a Goddess’s Mountain: Rain and My Emotions Tall trees and weather-worn peaks embrace the slanting sunset—on a curving road up a mountain, I ride a horse.The goddess knows this poet-guest comes—alive in the rain, she drenches my clothes. A Drawn Crane A lone crane looks into the sky’s distance,raises a leg in the chill of night.West wind cools the bamboo forest—the crane, wet with autumn’s frost. A Poem for Hweng Dang i My home is in Hweng Dang, near the south bank’s shores—with my girlfriends, I always pick the new lotuses. I met a man,and we planned a rendezvous. I told him my room has embroidered curtainsand carved window frames; the house, behind mist-enshrouded willows. [End Page 18] ii Your house is near Hweng Dang’s gates—river birds alight on the shores every evening.I’ve waited a year, and now another spring brings pleasant weather—wearily, beyond my blinds, I see the summer blooms of castor. After a Poem by Yoon Sŏ-joong You, a traveler strolling Seoul—where among cloud-covered mountains is your home?Thin mist rises from a bamboo path—drizzling rain falls upon blossoms of a vine. [End Page 19] Yi Tal Yi Tal (1561–1618) was one of three chief promulgators of the T’ang style in Korean poetry. The simplicity and straightforwardness of his poetry proved a powerful influence on his students, two of whom would later be remembered as among the most important classical writers in Korean literature (Nansŏrhŏn and Kyun Hŏ). Despite his intelligence, Yi was denied any meaningful position or service because he was the son of a concubine. He spent his days wandering the Korean peninsula and visiting friends, mostly living in poverty. Ian Haight Ian Haight’s collection of poetry, Celadon, won the Unicorn Press First Book Prize and is scheduled for release in the fall of 2017. He is the editor of Zen Questions and Answers from Korea, and with T’ae-yong Hŏ, he is the cotranslator of Borderland Roads: Selected Poems of Kyun Hŏ and Magnolia and Lotus: Selected Poems of Hyesim—finalist for ALTA’s Stryk Prize—all from White Pine Press. Other awards include the Ninth Letter Literary Award in Translation and grants from the Daesan Foundation, Korea Literary Translation Institute, and Baroboin Buddhist Foundation. Visit www.ianhaight.com. T’ae-yong Hŏ T’ae-yong Hŏ has won the Ninth Letter Literary Award in Translation and has been awarded translation grants from the Daesan Foundation and Korea Literature Translation Institute. With Ian Haight, he is the translator of Borderland Roads: Selected Poems of Kyun Hŏ and Magnolia and Lotus: Selected Poems of Hyesim. Working from the original hansi, T’ae-yong’s translations of Korean poetry have appeared in Runes, New Orleans Review, and Asymptote. Copyright © 2017 University of Nebraska Press

DNA Barcoding of Birds at a Migratory Hotspot in Eastern Turkey Highlights Continental Phylogeographic Relationships.

The combination of habitat loss, climate change, direct persecution, introduced species and other components of the global environmental crisis has resulted in a rapid loss of biodiversity, including species, population and genetic diversity. Birds, which inhabit a wide spectrum of different habitat types, are particularly sensitive to and indicative of environmental changes. The Caucasus endemic bird area, part of which covers northeastern Turkey, is one of the world’s key regions harboring a unique bird community threatened with habitat loss. More than 75% of all bird species native to Turkey have been recorded in this region, in particular along the Kars-Iğdır migratory corridor, stopover, wintering and breeding sites along the Aras River, whose wetlands harbor at least 264 bird species. In this study, DNA barcoding technique was used for evaluating the genetic diversity of land bird species of Aras River Bird Paradise at the confluence of Aras River and Iğdır Plains key biodiversity areas. Seventy three COI sequences from 33 common species and 26 different genera were newly generated and used along with 301 sequences that were retrieved from the Barcoding of Life Database (BOLD). Using the sequences obtained in this study, we made global phylogeographic comparisons to define four categories of species, based on barcoding suitability, intraspecific divergence and taxonomy. Our findings indicate that the landbird community of northeastern Turkey has a genetical signature mostly typical of northern Palearctic bird communities while harboring some unique variations. The study also provides a good example of how DNA barcoding can build upon its primary mission of species identification and use available data to integrate genetic variation investigated at the local scale into a global framework. However, the rich bird community of the Aras River wetlands is highly threatened with the imminent construction of the Tuzluca Dam by the government.