Conservation of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor ? management lessons for a threatened migratory species

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Saunders ◽  
Raymond Brereton ◽  
Chris Tzaros ◽  
Mark Holdsworth ◽  
Rob Price
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Broad Distribution ◽  
Large Numbers

Conserving habitat for wide-ranging fauna species provides a challenge because impacts on these species tend to be dismissed based on the assumption that there is sufficient habitat in other areas of its range. This incremental loss of habitat is a serious conservation issue for a diversity of bird species. As knowledge of wide-ranging and migratory bird species increases, it often becomes evident that they select specific sites on a regular basis (i.e., the species exhibit site fidelity). Gaining a better understanding of site fidelity and selective habitat use for wide-ranging species is clearly important, but also extremely challenging. In this paper, challenges associated with conservation of the migratory and wide-ranging Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor are discussed as an example of how a recovery programme has aimed to address such conservation and management challenges. Despite the small population size (less than 2 500 birds), broad distribution (1 250 000 km2) and often cryptic nature, the implementation of the national recovery programme has been successful in the identification and protection of important habitats. This has been made possible by involving large numbers of volunteers who collect long-term sighting and habitat data over large areas, together with more detailed ecological research. This information is then used to inform the conservation assessment process and to improve habitat conservation throughout the range of the species.

scholarly journals Year-round spatial distribution and migration phenology of a rapidly declining trans-Saharan migrant—evidence of winter movements and breeding site fidelity in European turtle doves

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne R. Schumm ◽  
Benjamin Metzger ◽  
Eric Neuling ◽  
Martin Austad ◽  
Nicholas Galea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Tracking Data ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Satellite Transmitters ◽  
Migration Strategies

Abstract Populations of migratory bird species have suffered a sustained and severe decline for several decades. Contrary to non-migratory species, understanding the causal mechanisms proves difficult (for migratory bird species) as underlying processes may operate across broad geographic ranges and stages of the annual cycle. Therefore, the identification of migration routes, wintering grounds, and stopover sites is crucial for the development of relevant conservation strategies for declining migrant bird species. We still lack fundamental data of the non-breeding movements for many migratory species, such as European turtle doves Streptopelia turtur, a trans-Saharan migrant. For this species, knowledge of non-breeding movements is mainly based on ringing data that are limited by a low recovery rate in Africa, and tracking studies with a strong bias towards individuals breeding in France. We used Argos satellite transmitters to obtain detailed year-round tracks and provide new insights on migration strategies and winter quarters, of turtle doves breeding in Central and Eastern Europe. The tracking data along with analysis of land cover data confirm previously assumed use of multiple wintering sites and the use of a wide range of forest and agricultural landscapes at the breeding grounds. Tracking data in combination with environmental parameters demonstrated that most environmental parameters and niche breadth differed between breeding and wintering grounds. “Niche tracking” was only observed regarding night-time temperatures. Furthermore, we provide evidence for breeding site fidelity of adult individuals and for home range size to increase with an increasing proportion of agricultural used areas. Significance statement The European turtle dove, a Palearctic-African migrant species, is one of the fastest declining birds in Europe. The rapid decline is presumed to be caused mainly by habitat modification and agricultural changes. Here, we represent data on migration strategies, flyways, and behavior on European breeding and African non-breeding sites of turtle doves breeding in Central and Eastern Europe equipped with satellite transmitters. Our results confirm the use of different migration flyways and reveal an indication for “niche switching” behavior in terms of environmental factors during the different annual phases. The migratory behaviors revealed by the tracking approach, e.g., prolonged stopovers during autumn migration in Europe overlapping with time of hunting activities, stopovers in North Africa during spring migration, or evidence for loop migration, are important protection-relevant findings, particularly for the Central-Eastern flyway, for which no tracking data has been analyzed prior to our study.

scholarly journals Observed heterospecific clutch size can affect offspring investment decisions

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka T. Forsman ◽  
Janne-Tuomas Seppänen ◽  
Inka L. Nykänen
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Optimal Investment ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Fine Tune

Optimal investment in offspring is important in maximizing lifetime reproductive success. Yet, very little is known how animals gather and integrate information about environmental factors to fine tune investment. Observing the decisions and success of other individuals, particularly when those individuals initiate breeding earlier, may provide a way for animals to quickly arrive at better breeding investment decisions. Here we show, with a field experiment using artificial nests appearing similar to resident tit nests with completed clutches, that a migratory bird can use the observed high and low clutch size of a resident competing bird species to increase and decrease clutch size and egg mass, accordingly. Our results demonstrate that songbirds can discriminate between high and low quantity of heterospecific eggs, and that social information can have long-term physiological consequences affecting reproductive strategies. Such behaviour may help animals to better adapt to changing environments and lead to convergent traits with competitors.

scholarly journals MIGRATORY WETLAND BIRDS DIVERSITY IN LOWER CHOTA NAGPUR PLATEAU WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PURULIA DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 357-367
Author(s):  
Soham Chowdhury ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Season ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Wetland Birds ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Tufted Duck ◽  
Aquatic Flora ◽  
Purulia District

Lower Chota Nagpur Plateau has several large and small water bodies having diverse aquatic flora and fauna. These wetlands not only provide suitable habitat for resident and as well as migratory avian species but also contribute much to the biodiversity. The present study deals with the diversity, abundance and variations of avian migratory species at wetlands of Purulia district. The study reflects that there are 43 migratory bird species in number in these wetland regions belonging to 8 orders and 12 families. Red-crested Pochard, Tufted Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Coot etc. are found in large number in winter season in these wetlands.

scholarly journals Checklist of bird species in dharmadam estuary in kannur district of kerala

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-7
Author(s):  
Santhwana A ◽  
Venkitachalam R ◽  
Sridhu Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Near Threatened

A total of 20 bird species belongs to 7 orders and 11 families were recorded in Dharmadam estuary in Kannur district. The record of migratory bird Eurasian Curlew and two species near threatened birds within a short period of study and this record indicate that Dharmadam estuary may be attracting more number of migratory bird species. A long-term study is needed to understand the seasonal variation of the bird species in Dharmadam estuary in Kannur district.

scholarly journals Waders in winter: long-term changes of migratory bird assemblages facing climate change

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 714-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Godet ◽  
Mikaël Jaffré ◽  
Vincent Devictor
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Temporal Trend ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Profound Change ◽  
Temperature Index ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
Wintering Areas

Effects of climate change on species occupying distinct areas during their life cycle are still unclear. Moreover, although effects of climate change have widely been studied at the species level, less is known about community responses. Here, we test whether and how the composition of wader (Charadrii) assemblages, breeding in high latitude and wintering from Europe to Africa, is affected by climate change over 33 years. We calculated the temporal trend in the community temperature index (CTI), which measures the balance between cold and hot dwellers present in species assemblages. We found a steep increase in the CTI, which reflects a profound change in assemblage composition in response to recent climate change. This study provides, to our knowledge, the first evidence of a strong community response of migratory species to climate change in their wintering areas.

scholarly journals Influence of age and sex on winter site fidelity of sanderlingsCalidris alba

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro M. Lourenço ◽  
José A. Alves ◽  
Jeroen Reneerkens ◽  
AH Jelle Loonstra ◽  
Peter M. Potts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Sexual Difference ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Beach Erosion ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Large Set ◽  
The Individual

Many migratory bird species show high levels of site fidelity to their wintering sites, which confers advantages due to prior knowledge, but may also limit the ability of the individual to move away from degrading sites or to detect alternative foraging opportunities. Winter site fidelity often varies among age groups, but sexual differences have seldom been recorded in birds. We studied a population of individually colour-marked sanderlings wintering in and around the Tejo estuary, a large estuarine wetland on the western coast of Portugal. For 160 individuals, sighted a total of 1,249 times between November 2009 and March 2013, we calculated the probability that they moved among five distinct wintering sites and how this probability is affected by distance between them. To compare site fidelity among age classes and sexes, as well as within the same winter and over multiple winters, we used a Site Fidelity Index (SFI). Birds were sexed using a discriminant function based on biometrics of a large set of molecularly sexed sanderlings (n= 990). The vast majority of birds were observed at one site only, and the probability of the few detected movements between sites was negatively correlated with the distance among each pair of sites. Hardly any movements were recorded over more than 15 km, suggesting small home ranges. SFI values indicated that juveniles were less site-faithful than adults which may reflect the accumulated knowledge and/or dominance of older animals. Among adults, females were significantly less site faithful than males. A sexual difference in winter site fidelity is unusual in shorebirds. SFI values show site-faithfulness is lower when multiple winters were considered, and most birds seem to chose a wintering site early in the season and use that site throughout the winter. Sanderlings show a very limited tendency to explore alternative wintering options, which might have implications for their survival when facing habitat change or loss (e.g., like severe beach erosion as can be the case at one of the study sites).

scholarly journals Light enough to travel: migratory bats have smaller brains, but not larger hippocampi, than sedentary species

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam P. McGuire ◽  
John M. Ratcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Brain Size ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Behavioural Flexibility ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Phylogenetically Independent Contrasts ◽  
Energy Trade ◽  
Hippocampus Volume

Migratory bird species have smaller brains than non-migratory species. The behavioural flexibility/migratory precursor hypothesis suggests that sedentary birds have larger brains to allow the behavioural flexibility required in a seasonally variable habitat. The energy trade-off hypothesis proposes that brains are heavy, energetically expensive and therefore, incompatible with migration. Here, we compared relative brain, neocortex and hippocampus volume between migratory and sedentary bats at the species-level and using phylogenetically independent contrasts. We found that migratory bats had relatively smaller brains and neocortices than sedentary species. Our results support the energy trade-off hypothesis because bats do not exhibit the same degree of flexibility in diet selection as sedentary birds. Our results also suggest that bat brain size differences are subtler than those found in birds, perhaps owing to bats' shorter migration distances. Conversely, we found no difference in relative hippocampus volume between migratory and sedentary species, underscoring our limited understanding of the role of the hippocampus in bats.

Dispersal capacities of anadromous Allis shad population inferred from a coupled genetic and otolith approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 991-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Martin ◽  
Quentin Rougemont ◽  
Hilaire Drouineau ◽  
Sophie Launey ◽  
Philippe Jatteau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Model ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Sampling Location ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dispersal Capacity ◽  
Allis Shad ◽  
Alosa Alosa ◽  
High Level

Understanding dispersal capacities for migratory species is crucial for their management. By coupling otolith microchemistry and microsatellite genetic analyses, we provided information on snapshot and long-term dispersal capacity of Allis shad (Alosa alosa), an anadromous clupeid in decline throughout its distribution range. The allocation of natal origin was obtained from water chemistry and signatures in otoliths of juveniles and spawners within a Bayesian model. The majority of adults were assigned to a source river with high degrees of confidence; only 4% were undetermined. Otolith natal origins were used to define a population baseline by grouping individuals from the same natal river and not from the same sampling location as usually done. While A. alosa exhibited a high level of natal site fidelity, this species showed weak genetic structure, which supported the evidence of a substantial flow of strayers between river basins in the vicinity or at longer distances. However, long distance straying was probable but not frequent. In a context of global change, straying would be a key mechanism to drive dispersal and allow resilience of Allis shad populations.

Computer Analyses in Preventive Health Research

1967 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 8-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. F. Collen
Keyword(s):  
Medical Research ◽  
Preventive Medicine ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
New Era ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Normal Test ◽  
Computer Analyses

The utilization of an automated multitest laboratory as a data acquisition center and of a computer for trie data processing and analysis permits large scale preventive medical research previously not feasible. Normal test values are easily generated for the particular population studied. Long-term epidemiological research on large numbers of persons becomes practical. It is our belief that the advent of automation and computers has introduced a new era of preventive medicine.

Three hundred years of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) persecution in Germany

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. SEITZ
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
World War ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Second World

Modernization of agriculture, economic development and population increase after the end of the Thirty Years' War caused authorities in many parts of Germany to decree the eradication of so-called pest animals, including the House Sparrow. Farmers were given targets, and had to deliver the heads of sparrows in proportion to the size of their farms or pay fines. At the end of the eighteenth century German ornithologists argued against the eradication of the sparrows. During the mid-nineteenth century, C. L. Gloger, the pioneer of bird protection in Germany, emphasized the value of the House Sparrow in controlling insect plagues. Many decrees were abolished because either they had not been obeyed, or had resulted in people protecting sparrows so that they always had enough for their “deliveries”. Surprisingly, various ornithologists, including Ernst Hartert and the most famous German bird conservationist Freiherr Berlepsch, joined in the war against sparrows at the beginning of the twentieth century, because sparrows were regarded as competitors of more useful bird species. After the Second World War, sparrows were poisoned in large numbers. Persecution of sparrows ended in Germany in the 1970s. The long period of persecution had a significant but not long-lasting impact on House Sparrow populations, and therefore cannot be regarded as a factor in the recent decline of this species in urban and rural areas of western and central Europe.

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