Implications of captive breeding for the reintroduction of the Saker falcon (Falco cherrug) in Bulgaria

The Saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a globally endangered species recovered in 2018 in Bulgaria. The only known active pair currently breeding in the wild in the country is made up of captive-bred and released birds, part of the first reintroduction programme for the species in Bulgaria and globally. As part of the project, sourced Saker falcons of known European origin are bred ex situ, the juveniles are parent-reared and released in the wild by means of the hacking method. The aim of this study was to evaluate the success and effectiveness of the captive breeding and rearing methods. The objective of the study was to investigate, compare and assess the results from fertilization, hatching, survival and hacking of captive bred Saker falcons registered over a 10-year period (2011-2021) at the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre (WRBC) Green Balkans, with a more detailed comparison of the breeding activities carried out in 2020 and 2021 (as the reintroduction programme was restarted in 2020). The results show more than threefold increase in output of laid eggs with the employment of the double clutching method in 2020 and 2021, and an overall 65% release rate of the hatched in the WRBC Saker falcons, for the investigated period.

Avian-power line interactions in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia: are mitigation actions effective?

Background Electrocution and collisions on power lines are among the leading causes of non-natural mortality for birds. Power lines are exponentially increasing, particularly in developing countries, but mitigation strategies to prevent bird mortality are questionable. Mongolia combines a recently increased power line network, an abundant raptor population, a dangerous crossarm configuration and a habitat with no natural perches, producing many bird-power line interactions. Our aim is to assess the bird mortality caused by power lines in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, to determine the factors increasing the risk of bird electrocution, and to evaluate the effectiveness of used retrofitting measures. Methods In July 2019 we covered 132.9 km of 15 kV power lines checking 1092 poles. We also conducted bird transects to record raptor and corvid richness and abundance, to assess species vulnerability to electrocution. Results We recorded 76 electrocuted birds of 7 species. Electrocution rate was 6.96 birds/100 poles. The most affected species were Common Raven (Corvus corax) and Upland Buzzard (Buteo hemilasius), highlighting the electrocution of 5 endangered Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug). By contrast, we only recorded 8 individuals of 5 species colliding with wires, the most affected being Pallas’s Sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus). About 76.1% of sampled poles had some mitigation measure. Of these, 96.6% were brush perch deflectors and 3.4% rotating-mirrors perch deterrents. We found differences in electrocution rates among crossarm configurations, with the strain insulator with one jumper being the most lethal. Additionally, we found no correlation between bird abundance and electrocution rates, suggesting that some species are more sensitive to electrocution. Although no differences in total bird electrocution rates were detected between poles with and without perch deterrents, when bird size is considered, deterrents reduced the mortality rate of small birds, while they were ineffective for medium-sized birds. Conclusions Despite the widespread use of perch deterrents in the Mongolian power line network, there is still an alarming electrocution rate. This strategy is ineffective and some mechanisms, such as brush perch deflectors, may increase the electrocution rate for some medium-sized birds. Finally, we propose strategies to minimize the avian electrocution rate in the Gobi Desert.

Re-introduction of the Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) in Bulgaria - preliminary results from the ongoing establishment phase by 2020

Considered extinct as breeding species in the early 2000s, the Saker Falcon was recovered when the first active nest from the new history of the species in Bulgaria was discovered in 2018, formed of two birds that were re-introduced back in 2015. Currently, there is only one confirmed wild breeding pair in the country - the male from 2015 with a female changed in 2020, released again as a part of the programme, in 2016. This is a report on the preliminary results and analysis of the ongoing establishment phase of the re-introduction of the Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) in Bulgaria - first ever performed for this species in the country and globally. The period studied is 2015-2020. Following the re-introduction activities started in 2011, the current phase is defined by standardised methodology and a unified approach. Analysed and presented are methods for captive breeding and hacking, the breeding performance of the falcons, the number of released individuals, data from the post-fledging dependence period and a model of population growth.

Perkembangan Terkini Investigasi Gen Leptin pada Ayam: Ulasan

Perkembangan investigasi gen pengkode leptin (LEP) pada beberapa spesies golongan aves telah dilakukan secara mendalam selama kurun waktu 20 tahun. Ekspresi gen LEP pada genom beberapa spesies aves telah teridentifikasi diantaranya Falco peregrinus dan Falco cherrug, Pseudopodoces humilis, Taeniopygia guttata, Columba livia, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Picoides pubescens, dan Melopsittacus undulatus. Namun identifikasi genetika molekuler gen LEP pada ayam (G. gallus gallus) masih diperdebatkan. Perkembangan industri peternakan ayam lokal asli Indonesia tergolong pesat, namun masih memiliki beberapa keterbatasan salah satunya produktivitas ternak ayam lokal asli Indonesia. Pemenuhan kebutuhan pangan nasional salah satunya berasal dari sektor peternakan unggas khususnya ayam lokal asli Indonesia dengan kontribusi sebesar 23% per tahun. Peningkatan produktivitas peternakan ayam lokal asli Indonesia dapat dicapai dengan persilangan selektif. Persilangan selektif berupaya dalam meningkatkan mutu genetik ternak ayam lokal asli Indonesia dengan memberdayakan plasma nutfah ayam lokal asli Indonesia. Persilangan selektif memungkinkan dihasilkannya hibrida ayam pedaging dan petelur dengan karakteristik unggul sesuai dengan rancangan pola persilangan yang ditetapkan. Dalam proses persilangan selektif dibutuhkan penerapan genetika Mendelian dan molekuler sebagai panduan dan evaluasi arah seleksi guna meningkatkan efektivitas persilangan. Beberapa gen yang berpengaruh signifikan terhadap produktivitas ayam telah berhasil diidentifikasi, namun beberapa kandidat gen penting lainnya seperti gen LEP masih membutuhkan riset yang mendalam. Ulasan ini mengintegrasikan riset gen LEP pada ayam dari awal penemuan hingga terobosan terkini.