New World parrots are declining throughout their range. Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna was extirpated from the island of Trinidad in the late 1960s through anthropogenic processes. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is assisting the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, Trinidad on a mission to restore the species into its historical range within the Bush-Bush Sanctuary in the Nariva Swamp. The Sanctuary has been protected by the government of Trinidad and is the home of the endangered Red-bellied Macaw Ara manilata and West Indian Manatee Trichechus manatus. Zoo and Wildlife personnel participated in three separate releases, beginning in December 1999 through to March 2000. The initial release consisted of an identical sex group of macaws followed by two additional releases of pairs/groups of birds. Of 18 Blue and Gold Macaws, 14 were released into the Nariva Swamp and are currently being monitored by the Wildlife Section, Zoo personnel and surrounding community. Translocation of wild populations of parrots has proven to be a viable solution to restocking wild populations that have been regionally extirpated.

Afromontane forest is the most localised and threatened habitat type in Angola. For the past 40 years the estimate of the area covered by this habitat in Angola has been c.200 ha. At present, 85 ha remain at Mt Moco, the most important known site to date. This habitat holds 20 bird taxa of conservation significance but some are now rare or absent at Mt Moco. Given the small extent of forest, its high conservation value and the severe human impacts on it, finding new areas of Afromontane forest is a high conservation priority. With this objective, we visited the Namba mountains in July 2010, where c.100 ha was thought to remain in the 1970s, to establish the extent and condition of forest there and to conduct bird surveys. We found closed-canopy Afromontane forest with an abundance of Podocarpus latifolius and little human disturbance. We recorded 89 bird species, 56 in or adjacent to forest and including all 20 priority taxa and a significant population of the Endangered Swierstra’s Francolin Pternistis swierstrai. On-screen digitising of forest patches using Google Earth indicates that the larger patches are an order of magnitude larger than at Mt Moco and that there is currently > 590 ha of forest in the Namba mountains, more than trebling the previous national estimate. The site qualifies as a new Important Bird Area and is a high priority for inclusion in Angola’s protected area network.

The Socorro Mockingbird Mimodes graysoni is endemic to Socorro Island, Mexico, and has declined dramatically in this century. Study of its population size, distribution, and structure is currently under way to help assess its conservation status. In 1993 and 1994 215 Socorro Mockingbirds were ringed; a modified Lincoln index yielded a population estimate of 353 ± 66 individuals in 1994. Most of the birds observed occupied a small region at high elevation that covered less than 10% of the island's area. Average territory size was 1.48 ± 0.71 ha, n = 11. Of the 86 birds banded in 1993 67% were adults and 33% subadults. Of the 170 birds detected in 1994, including new captures and ringed individuals from the previous year, 44% were adults and 56% subadults. In 1993 62% were male and 38% female; in 1994 56% were male and 44% were female. The sex ratio of the population was similar to that of other undisturbed Mimid populations, which argues against the possibility that cats might prey disproportionately on incubating females. Moreover, the presence of young birds in both years indicates that successful reproduction was occurring and that the population was not suffering catastrophic nest failure, as might be caused by cat predation on nestlings or fledglings. Northern Mockingbirds Mimus polyglottos, which first arrived on Socorro in the 1970s, occupied mainly open areas produced by sheep grazing, which suggests that the Socorro Mockingbird is not being competitively displaced. Our observations indicate that habitat degradation by sheep is the most probable cause of the Socorro Mockingbird's decline.

Codfish Island is the southernmost breeding location for Cook's Petrel (Pterodroma cookii), endemic to the New Zealand archipelago. To provide a population estimate and indication of population growth following introduced predator eradications we conducted an island-wide survey of Codfish Island within two a priori defined strata. Plot surveys revealed only five burrows within forest habitats from 175 plots surveyed and the locations of these and other burrows observed incidentally were used to identify three key areas of Cook's Petrel breeding activity that were subsequently surveyed using line transects. Within these areas, 42 burrows were counted with burrow densities ranging from 0.0003 to 0.002 burrows m−2. Burrow densities in conjunction with the three-dimensional surface areas of the surveyed locations suggested a minimum of 6,194 ± 956 burrows present and equated to approximately 5,000 (95% CI 3,000–6,000) breeding pairs, using a burrow occupancy estimate of 80%. The Cook's Petrel population on Codfish Island appears to have increased markedly since Weka (Gallirallis australis ) and Pacific Rat (Rattus exulans) were eradicated in 1980 and 1998 and is consistent with a recent upwards revision of the species' world population size of approximately 1,300,000 (900,000–1,800,000) individuals. Revised population data, and ongoing protection of Cook's Petrel's major breeding sites may now qualify the species for a revised conservation status moving from Endangered to Vulnerable under IUCN criteria.

Many bird species of conservation importance inhabit the grasslands of the Hungarian Great Plain. Although extensive grazing management usually supports more bird species than intensive management, the conservation priority is to protect rare or declining species. Therefore, the conservation status of species must also be included in assessments of the value of different habitats. We used territory mapping to count birds in 21 extensively and intensively grazed field pairs on the Hungarian Great Plain, and subsequently adjusted site scores depending on which species appeared on various lists of priority taxa. We investigated differences in conservation scores of two global conservation lists (the Bonn Convention and another based on values of eight biological characteristics), two West Europe based lists (Bird Directive and CORINE), three continental lists (European Threat Status, SPEC and Bern Convention) and two Hungarian lists (protected species of Hungary and an alternative based on the specifics of Hungarian populations). Extensively managed fields had higher conservation values under seven of the nine priority lists: only the two West Europe based lists showed opposite trends in more than half the study areas. Since both West Europe based lists cover many central and eastern European countries, there is an urgent need to revise these lists, especially the Bird Directive list that gives serious legal responsibilities to countries.

The trade in laughingthrush species native to Indonesia is not carried out in accordance with Indonesian legislation and regulations. During 65 surveys carried out in bird markets in 1997–2008, more than 11,000 laughingthrushes representing 10 species were observed, including all five species native to Indonesia. Bird dealers claim that these species are becoming increasingly scarce in Indonesia due to over-harvesting for trade, especially the Sumatran endemic Black-and-white Laughingthrush G. bicolor and the Javan endemic Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush G. rufifrons. Indonesia has legislation in place to protect these species from over-exploitation, yet the illegal trade continues on a large scale, carried out openly in city bird markets. Enforcement of this legislation is critical in order to prevent these species from becoming perilously threatened.

Wintering Nearctic migrants constitute a high proportion of the birds present in many terrestrial habitats in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles, but their proportions decline southward through the Lesser Antilles. Many migrants winter on densely populated islands which have been extensively deforested. Current estimates show that only 21% of the land area, or approximately five million hectares, remain in forest on Caribbean and Bahamian islands, indicating that most of the major deforestation has already occurred. Although reforestation is under way on a few islands, many remnant forest fragments are threatened by humans or natural disturbances such as drought or hurricanes. Thus wintering migrants requiring closed-canopy forest are at greatest risk to habitat loss, whereas species requiring early successional habitats are not currently threatened, assuming that pesticide use does not increase. Policies which protect forests, particularly mangroves, wet limestone and montane broadleaf forests in the Greater Antilles, and broadleaf scrub (“coppice”) in the Bahamas, will be beneficial to migrants and endemic species.

The practice of trapping migratory sparrowhawks Accipiter spp. for falconry and the indiscriminate hunting of other migratory raptors, together with an alleged trade in raptors, were investigated in the eastern Black Sea coastal region of the Republic of Georgia in 1998. Falconry and hunting are deeply rooted in Georgian tradition, exacerbated by the current socioeconomic crisis, and result in significant mortality of migratory raptors during the autumn migration along strategic bottlenecks in the Kolkheti Lowland and along the Atchara-Imereti mountain range. The mortality of migratory raptors resulting directly from hunting and trapping ranges between 1,500 and 3,000 birds during the autumn migration. Education of trappers and hunters through constructive dialogue and advocating best practice is practicable and imperative to reduce the magnitude of raptors killed.

This study analyses whether effective conservation of Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa breeding populations in the Netherlands can be achieved through the EU network of Special Protection Areas (SPAs). An internationally important number of pairs of Black-tailed Godwit breeds in the Netherlands but the breeding population is declining steeply and is, in effect, unprotected, as the Netherlands has not designated SPAs for it. To contribute to firmer and more efficient protection of the Black-tailed Godwit, we set out to identify the core areas in the Netherlands where this species is expected to breed in 2020. On the basis of an optimal combination of three main habitat requirements (groundwater level, land-use and openness of the landscape) we identified five core areas in lower-lying (western) Netherlands: Zuidwest Friesland, Waterland, the IJssel delta area, Arkemheen and Eem polders, and Groene Hart. Because these areas are currently not designated for the breeding period of Black-tailed Godwit within the SPA network, the protection of this flagship species of Dutch meadows could be at risk. It seems likely that the Black-tailed Godwit population will continue to decline, with the result that the Netherlands will breach several policy commitments for the conservation of this species.

Although the population of Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus is significantly increasing in Europe, in Italy the species is still on the Red List as ‘Critically Endangered’, with the last natural population persisting on the island of Sardinia. Several episodes of poisoning hampered the success of conservation actions implemented in the years 1987–1995. In 2005 there were estimated to be only 31–32 territorial pairs, with the population occupying the territories of Alghero and Bosa. We used a long-term dataset of reproductive records from the Sardinian Griffon Vulture populations to run a population viability analysis (PVA) to evaluate the extinction risk using the Vortex simulation software. The model estimated the probability of extinction over the next five generations (estimated generation time: 11 years, simulation time used: 55 years) as 96.4% for the Alghero population, and near-zero for the Bosa population. We used sensitivity analyses to understand how uncertainty about parameter values affect model outcomes. Population projections were evaluated under different management scenarios tackling the main threats (poisoning and human disturbance) and implementing conservation actions (supplementary feeding and restocking). Our results showed that population size is a critical factor in affecting the projections of population dynamics of Griffon Vultures. Sensitivity analyses highlighted the importance of poisoning events to population persistence and showed that juvenile and adult mortality rates had a secondary impact on population viability. The only conservation measure effective in significantly increasing stochastic growth rates in the Alghero population, whose initial population was set at five individuals, was the complete removal of poisoning events. When targeting the Bosa population (initial population size 94 individuals), supplementary feeding, mitigation of the risk of poisoning episodes, restocking, and mitigation of human disturbance in the reproductive sites significantly increased stochastic growth rate. A cost-effectiveness analysis should be performed to prioritise interventions.

Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands (Pilón Lajas) ranges from 300 m to 1,400 m altitude in the departments of Beni and La Paz, Bolivia. It is located in the Bolivian and Peruvian lower yungas Endemic Bird Area (054) and within one of the regions of highest conservation priority in the Neotropics. Pilón Lajas includes primary evergreen tropical lowland forest, foothill forest, and lower montane forest. Vegetation heterogeneity forms the basis for the high species richness of the area. A population of approximately 600 Chiman, Moseten and Tacana indigenous people live within the reserve. Little has been published regarding the avifauna of Pilón Lajas. Here we present the results of visual observations and tape recordings of 22 ornithological surveys, recording 502 bird species. Serranía Pilón is the most intensively studied and species-rich mountain range with 332 species, 48 of which have been recorded only in this area within Pilón Lajas. We present 26 new departmental records and evidence of breeding for 42 species. The reserve protects three globally Vulnerable and three globally Near Threatened species, four species of High Conservation Priority and 32 of Medium Conservation Priority. Together with Madidi National Park and the adjacent Bahuaja Sonene National Park in south-eastern Peru, Pilón Lajas forms a unique protected area system of more than 3.5 million ha and plays an important role in the establishment of biological corridors along the eastern Andean slope in Bolivia.

The islands of Wallacea were surveyed most intensely by field ornithologists in the nineteenth century, and again in the 1990s. However, the status and habitat use of bird species on many islands remains unknown. This study examined birds in several natural and disturbed habitats on Lembata (also known as Lomblen) Island, Indonesia. A total of 78 bird species were recorded including six endemic to the Lesser Sundas, an additional three Wallacean endemics and a total of 27 resident forest species. Including published records, 91 bird species have been recorded for Lembata. Extrapolation from the cumulative number of new species in the 45 samples gave an expected Total Bird Richness of 103.4 species. The frequency of occurrence of Lesser Sundas endemic bird species, all Wallacean endemics and Lesser Sundas endemic subspecies, forest-dependent species and frugivores was greatest in closed canopy forest (at higher elevations). Conversely, generalist “Australo-Papuan” species, granivores and nectarivores occurred more frequently in lowlands (including human-modified habitats). Protected area proposals were made in 1982, but there has been no management of natural areas for biological conservation on Lembata. Conservation activities aiming to stem forest loss and fragmentation in an Important Bird Area in southern Lembata, which includes significant populations of the Flores Green Pigeon Treron floris (Globally Vulnerable), may be an important step. Merits of the “Species list” survey method are discussed.

The Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps has two separate and genetically distinct populations, one sedentary that inhabits the Malvinas/Falklands Islands and another migratory, which inhabits continental southern South America. New information suggests that these populations should be considered as different evolutionarily significant units. The latter population breeds in Austral Patagonia (Argentina and Chile) and overwinters in Central Argentina. It was a very common species in Austral Magellanic steppe grasslands before 1931, when it was declared an “agricultural pest” by the Argentinian government, together with other sheldgeese species. Since then, the continental Ruddy-headed Goose population has declined becoming one of the scarcest species in Austral Magellanic steppe. Nowadays, its population is categorised as critically endangered in Argentina and endangered in Chile. We present data from six road censuses conducted in the breeding areas of Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego provinces, Argentina, during 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 (>4600 km, 70 days) and review population trends of the Ruddy-headed Goose since the early 1900s. We counted a maximum of 19 individuals in Santa Cruz and 49 in Tierra del Fuego throughout the breeding season. A literature review indicates that during the last 40 years the size of continental population of Ruddy-headed Goose has been < 800 individuals, approximately 10% of the estimated population in the 1900s. This decline matches the period following the application of control techniques and the introduction of exotic predator species in the breeding grounds of Tierra del Fuego. We review and discuss formerly proposed conservation actions that may have a positive and rapid effect on sheldgoose numbers recovery. We suggest that the continental population of Ruddy-headed Goose should on a precautionary basis be treated as a critically endangered population until genetic studies determine whether we are in the presence of a new ‘Critically Endangered’ species.

Direct 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.

The number of vultures is declining in many parts of the world due to numerous threats, such as poisoning and collisions with power-lines as well as the lack of adequate food sources. Vulture restaurants, i.e. supplementary feeding stations, have become a widespread conservation tool aimed at supporting vulture colonies. However, it is poorly understood how vulture restaurants influence population dynamics and whether they affect breeding success of vulture populations. We used a 12-year dataset from a breeding colony of the Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres and a nearby vulture restaurant in South Africa to investigate the effect of supplementary food on population dynamics and breeding success. We found a significantly positive effect of supplementary food during the nest-building stage on the number of breeding pairs. However, breeding success, i.e. the proportion of successful nests, did not depend on supplementary food during the incubation and rearing stage. Especially during the critical rearing stage, the amount of food supplied might not have been sufficient to meet food demands of the colony. Still, our results indicate that carefully managed vulture restaurants might stabilise vulture colonies and can therefore aid vulture conservation.

The Reed Parrotbill Paradoxornis heudei is an endemic reedbed-inhabiting passerine of east Asia. In the Shanghai municipality, which harbours significant populations of this species, almost all reedbed surfaces are annually harvested. Furthermore, the reedbeds are being invaded by Smooth Cordgrass Spartina alterniflora, an introduced species that can outcompete the native Common Reed Phragmites australis. In this paper, we have shown that Reed Parrotbills do not nest in areas dominated by Smooth Cordgrass and avoid using them. In the areas that are primarily composed of Common Reed, the densities of birds are higher in the unharvested sections. The birds appear to select nesting sites with low Smooth Cordgrass densities, tall reed stems, and relatively equal densities of both dry and green stems. Reed harvesting activity results in vegetation that is too low for bird nesting. However, no nests were found in areas where the reeds had not been harvested for several years and had high densities of dry reed stems; these results could be attributed to the fact that the high density of broken stems reduced the vegetation cover. On the basis of our results, we recommend implementation of four years harvesting-cycle rotation and avoidance of reclamation in reedbeds which have not been invaded by Smooth Cordgrass.

Farmland birds represent a large proportion of European avifauna, and the populations of several species have suffered a dramatic decline in recent decades. Among these species, the European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur has undergone rapid decline in much of its European range. Therefore, the main aims of this research are to estimate the population density of the Turtle Dove and to investigate its habitat use at home range scale in an intensively cultivated agroecosystem in northern Italy. In the 2015 breeding season we carried out turtle dove counts from 372 point-counts, randomly allocated following a stratified cluster sampling design. The density was estimated by distance sampling, whereas the habitat suitability was assessed by Resource Selection Probability Function. In particular, we followed a presence vs availability approach, using binary logistic regression and the Information-Theoretic approach. During fieldwork, 76 observations of Turtle Dove were collected and a density of 5.0 pairs/km2 was estimated. The Turtle Dove inhabits areas with high tree cover, either semi-natural forests or tree plantations, as well as areas with many shrubs and hedgerows. On the other hand, areas with a high proportion of crops, such as paddyfields, maize, and winter cereals are avoided. For the species’ conservation, it is necessary to maintain a combination of habitat features with suitable nesting and feeding areas, as the degradation of either of these may reduce Turtle Dove populations.

Many island endemics are of great conservation concern due to small range and population sizes. The Montserrat Oriole Icterus oberi is a forest passerine endemic to the Caribbean island of Montserrat, where recent volcanic activity has destroyed a large proportion of suitable forest habitat. From 1997 to 2000 the Montserrat Oriole population declined dramatically even in the remaining forest habitat, leading to its classification as ‘Critically Endangered’. We present trend estimates of the Montserrat Oriole population from 2000 to 2013, and estimate the world population size in 2012 based on repeat point counts and beta-binomial mixture models. Montserrat Orioles recovered between 2003 and 2005, and we found no evidence for a continuing population decline. However, there was large uncertainty around trend estimates, and the power to detect a shallow negative trend was very low. Based on the comparison of count data at 42 points, the Montserrat Oriole population in 2013 was less than half as large as in 1998. To improve future trend estimates a new monitoring design was introduced in 2011, and applied to all subpopulations of the species in 2012. The world population in 2012 was estimated to hold between 307 (95% credible interval 212–503) and 690 birds (476–1131) birds in the two forest fragments on Montserrat, depending on whether the sampling area around each point count was assumed to encompass 100 m or 150 m. Based on these estimates, the Montserrat Oriole currently does not meet the IUCN criteria for ‘Critically Endangered’, and we recommend a revision of the species’ conservation status.

The Maleo Conservation Project Phase II surveyed the distribution and status of Maleonesting grounds in and around Dumoga-Bone National Park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 1990–1991. The number of known nesting grounds is now 83, 35 inland and 48 coastal, while 18 sites require confirmation. Most sites along this coast are now abandoned or severely threatened (many now being cut off from adjacent forest), and the population there is estimated at only 335–740 pairs. The region's inland nesting grounds, used by putatively 2,000 pairs, are also increasingly threatened, notably through egg exploitation. An average of 5·45 birds per day visited one inland nesting ground, Tambun, over a 10-month period, indicating usage by 160 pairs altogether.

Climate change can cause geographic displacement of the ecological niche of a species, so that similar species that previously did not coexist could begin to face new interactions. Such geographic displacement and increased competition can also be exacerbated by anthropic intervention. Until less than 100 years ago, Vultur gryphus and Coragyps atratus did not coexist. Nowadays, possibly as a result of climate change, changes in the distributions of both species created areas where they are now sympatric. Through ecological niche modeling, we evaluated the possible effects that future scenarios of climate change and human influence would have on the distribution and sympatry between the two species. Our models predict that the current distribution of V. gryphus will be reduced between 18% and 24% by 2050 and between 21% and 32% by 2070. Additionally, they predict that the distribution of C. atratus will be reduced by 31–52% by the year 2050 and 15–60% by 2070. The two algorithms predict a reduction in the areas of sympatry. However, for the northern Andes the overlap between the two species will increase, reaching up to 70% in the year 2070. The distribution of C. atratus will move towards higher areas in the altitudinal gradient, and this will generate an increase in the current sympatry between both species. No clear trend was observed on the effect of human influences on the areas of overlap between the scenarios evaluated. The possible effects of climate change and anthropic intervention in future scenarios found in this study highlight the need to include these effects in future analyses and conservation programs of V. gryphus and other threatened vultures.