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\"Parrots comprise one of the most endangered groups of birds, with a growing number of species nearing extinction. The purpose of this book is to bring together information on species that have become extinct in historical times with information on species that are in danger of becoming extinct so that public awareness of the plight of these magnificent birds may be increased. The main text will comprise species accounts with accompanying illustrations. Vivid color plates will draw attention to the spectacular species that we have lost or that could be lost. There will be a comprehensive Introduction focusing on the three major regions of distribution, namely the Australasian distribution, the Afro-Asian distribution and the Neotropical distribution. The status of parrots in each of these distributions will be discussed, with particular attention given to threats that caused the extinction of species or are endangering extant species, as well as conservation measures being implemented or that should be implemented. Additionally, there will be an appendix with brief accounts of eight species with endangered subspecies. This will have a full-page color plate depicting these subspecies in field guide style illustrations\"-- Provided by publisher.

Rare Birds of North Americais the first comprehensive illustrated guide to the vagrant birds that occur throughout the United States and Canada. Featuring 275 stunning color plates, this book covers 262 species originating from three very different regions--the Old World, the New World tropics, and the world's oceans. It explains the causes of avian vagrancy and breaks down patterns of occurrence by region and season, enabling readers to see where, when, and why each species occurs in North America. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, taxonomy, age, sex, distribution, and status. Rare Birds of North Americaprovides unparalleled insights into vagrancy and avian migration, and will enrich the birding experience of anyone interested in finding and observing rare birds. Covers 262 species of vagrant birds found in the United States and CanadaFeatures 275 stunning color plates that depict every speciesExplains patterns of occurrence by region and seasonProvides an invaluable overview of vagrancy patterns and migrationIncludes detailed species accounts and cutting-edge identification tips

Enantiornithines were the most diverse group of birds during the Cretaceous, comprising over half of all known species from this period. The fossil record and subsequently our knowledge of this clade is heavily skewed by the wealth of material from Lower Cretaceous deposits in China. In contrast, specimens from Upper Cretaceous deposits are rare and typically fragmentary, yet critical for understanding the extinction of this clade across the K-Pg boundary. The most complete North American Late Cretaceous enantiornithine is Mirarce eatoni , a member of the diverse clade Avisauridae. Except for Mirarce , avisaurids are known only from isolated hindlimb elements from North and South America. Here we describe three new enantiornithines from the Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation, two of which represent new avisaurid taxa. These materials represent a substantial increase in the known diversity of Enantiornithes in the latest Cretaceous. Re-examination of material referred to Avisauridae through phylogenetic analysis provides strong support for a more exclusive Avisauridae consisting of six taxa. Exploration of the functional morphology of the avisaurid tarsometatarsus indicates potential strong constriction and raptorial attributes. The lower aspect ratio of the tarsometatarsus facilitates a more biomechanically efficient lever system which in extant birds of prey equates to lifting proportionally heavier prey items. In addition, the proportional size and distal position of the m . tibialis cranialis tubercle of the tarsometatarsus is similar to the morphology seen in extant birds of prey. Together with the deeply-grooved metatarsal trochlea facilitating robust and likely powerful pedal digits, morphologies of the hindlimb suggest avisaurids as Late Cretaceous birds of prey.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Redlist assessments rely on published data and expert inputs, and biases can be introduced where underlying definitions and concepts are ambiguous. Consideration of climate change threat is no exception, and recently numerous approaches to assessing the threat of climate change to species have been developed. We explored IUCN Red List assessments of amphibians and birds to determine whether species listed as threatened by climate change display distinct patterns in terms of habitat occupied and additional nonclimatic threats faced. We compared IUCN Red List data with a published data set of species' biological and ecological traits believed to infer high vulnerability to climate change and determined whether distributions of climate change-threatened species on the IUCN Red List concur with those of climate change-threatened species identified with the trait-based approach and whether species possessing these traits are more likely to have climate change listed as a threat on the IUCN Red List. Species in some ecosystems (e.g., grassland, shrubland) and subject to particular threats (e.g., invasive species) were more likely to have climate change as a listed threat. Geographical patterns of climate change-threatened amphibians and birds on the IUCN Red List were incongruent with patterns of global species richness and patterns identified using trait-based approaches. Certain traits were linked to increases or decreases in the likelihood of a species being threatened by climate change. Broad temperature tolerance of a species was consistently related to an increased likelihood of climate change threat, indicating counterintuitive relationships in IUCN assessments. To improve the robustness of species assessments of the vulnerability or extinction risk associated with climate change, we suggest IUCN adopt a more cohesive approach whereby specific traits highlighted by our results are considered in Red List assessments. To achieve this and to strengthen the climate change-vulnerability assessments approach, it is necessary to identify and implement logical avenues for further research into traits that make species vulnerable to climate change (including population-level threats). Las evaluaciones de la Lista Roja de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (IUCN) dependen de datos publicados contribuciones de expertos, y los sesgos pueden introducirse en donde los conceptos y definiciones subyacentes son ambiguos. La consideración de la amenaza del cambio climático no es una excepción, y recientemente se han desarrollado numerosas estrategias para evaluar esta amenaza hacia las especies. Exploramos las evaluaciones de la Lista Roja de la IUCN de anfibios y aves para determinar si las especies enlistadas como amenazadas por el cambio climático muestran patrones marcados en términos del habitat ocupado y las amenazas no-climáticas adicionales que enfrentan. Comparamos los datos de la Lista Roja de la IUCN con un conjunto de datos publicados sobre las características biológicas y ecológicas de las especies que se creen infieren una alta vulnerabilidad ante el cambio climático y determinamos si la distribución de las especies amenazadas por el cambio climático en la Lista Roja coincide con aquellas especies amenazadas por el cambio climático identificadas con la estrategia basada en las características y si las especies que poseen estos rasgos tienen mayor probabilidad de tener al cambio climático enlistado como una amenaza en la Lista Roja. Las especies de algunos ecosistemas (p. ej.:pastizal, matorral) y sujetas a amenazas particulares (p. ej.: especies invasor as) tuvieron mayor probabilidad de tener al cambio climático enlistado como amenaza. Los patrones geográficos de los anfibios y aves amenazados por el cambio climático en la Lista Roja fueron incongruentes con los patrones de la riqueza global de especies y los patrones identificados con el uso de estrategias basadas en las características. Ciertas características estuvieron relacionadas con los incrementos y disminuciones en la probabilidad de que una especie estuviera amenazada por el cambio climático. La tolerancia térmica general de las especies estuvo relacionada constantemente con una mayor probabilidad de amenaza por el cambio climático, lo que indica relaciones contradictorias en las evaluaciones de la LUCN. Para mejorar la robustez de las evaluaciones de la vulnerabilidad o el riesgo de extinción de las especies asociados con el cambio climático, sugerimos que la LUCN adopte una estrategia más cohesiva en la que las características específicas resaltadas por nuestros resultados sean consideradas en las evaluaciones de lista roja. Para obtener esto y para fortalecer la estrategia de evaluaciones de vulnerabilidad por cambio climático, es necesario identificar e implementar vías lógicas para las futuras investigaciones sobre los caracteres que hacen que las especies sean vulnerables al cambio climático (incluyendo amenazas a nivel poblacional).

Although rare, hybrids are more common in broadly sympatric waterfowl than in any other avian family; yet, the behavioral ecology explaining their generation has remained controversial. Leading hypotheses are forced interspecific copulations, mis-imprinting caused by mixed broods, and scarcity of conspecific mates. Using a large sample of hybrid ducks solicited from North American hunters we evaluated these hypotheses by genetically determining the mother and father species of F 1 hybrids. Based on abundances in areas where their breeding ranges overlap, the frequency of hybrids varied greatly from expectations, with hybrids between species within recently derived clades being much more frequent than those between more divergent clades. Forced copulations, as measured by large phallus-length asymmetries between parentals, strongly predicted the father species of most F 1 hybrids. Thus, most Anas acuta x A . platyrhynchos (Northern Pintail x Mallard) F 1 s were sired by A . acuta , and most A . platyrhynchos x Mareca strepera (Mallard x Gadwall) F 1 s were sired by A . platyrhynchos . Siring asymmetries were consistent with phallus length asymmetries in five additional parental combinations, but none had samples large enough to be individually statistically significant. The exception to this trend was our sample of nine A . platyrhynchos x Mareca americana (Mallard x Gadwall) F 1 s, for which a large phallus asymmetry failed to predict the father species. Hybrids were rare in brood parasitic species, suggesting mis-imprinting to be an unlikely cause of most hybrids; however, our samples of hybrids from regular brood parasites were inadequate to strongly address this hypothesis. We could test the scarcity of mates hypothesis for only a single hybrid combination and it contradicted our prediction: most F 1 M . Penelope x M . americana (Eurasian x American Wigeon) were sired by M . penelope , strongly contradicting our prediction that female M . penelope wintering in enormous flocks of M . americana (American Wigeon) on the west coast of North America would have difficulty finding conspecific mates. In general, our results support interspecific forced copulations as the predominant behavioral mechanism generating hybrids in North temperate waterfowl.

DNA-barcoding is a rapidly developing method for efficiently identifying samples to species level by means of short standard DNA sequences. However, reliable species assignment requires the availability of a comprehensive DNA barcode reference library, and hence numerous initiatives aim at generating such barcode databases for particular taxa or geographic regions. Historical museum collections represent a potentially invaluable source for the DNA-barcoding of many taxa. This is particularly true for birds and mammals, for which collecting fresh (voucher) material is often very difficult to (nearly) impossible due to the special animal welfare and conservation regulations that apply to vertebrates in general, and birds and mammals in particular. Moreover, even great efforts might not guarantee sufficiently complete sampling of fresh material in a short period of time. DNA extracted from historical samples is usually degraded, such that only short fragments can be amplified, rendering the recovery of the barcoding region as a single fragment impossible. Here, we present a new set of primers that allows the efficient amplification and sequencing of the entire barcoding region in most higher taxa of Central European birds and mammals in six overlapping fragments, thus greatly increasing the value of historical museum collections for generating DNA barcode reference libraries. Applying our new primer set in recently established NGS protocols promises to further increase the efficiency of barcoding old bird and mammal specimens.

Small wetlands are essential for preserving global biodiversity, yet they are frequently neglected in conservation strategies due to vague definitions and a lack of research attention. In this study, we conducted thirty-six surveys via the point count method in the Xiaohongxiang Wetland, Anning City, Yunnan Province, China, from November 2023 to June 2024. We aimed to evaluate the impact of various habitats surrounding Xiaohongxiang Wetland (wetlands, villages, farmlands, cherry plantations and pine forests) on the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of avian species and investigate the significance of these habitats for ecological conservation and restoration efforts. A total of 62 species were recorded. Small wetlands are vital for supporting common waterbirds, but may not safeguard rare species effectively. While cherry plantations and pine forests enhance avian diversity near wetlands, their low functional diversity could limit the ecological niches available to birds. This indicates that monoculture plantations might restrict the habitat variety needed for a diverse bird community. Our study found no clear phylogenetic clustering or overdispersion amongst bird species across habitats, suggesting that community assembly is shaped by competitive exclusion, habitat filtering and neutral processes. Despite a limited sample size, our results highlight a gap between taxonomic and functional diversity, indicating that multidimensional biodiversity metrics are essential for thoroughly evaluating wetland restoration and habitat impacts on bird diversity.

The combined impacts of rapid urbanization and climate change pose significant threats to global biodiversity. To counter these threats, the establishment of appropriate habitats is becoming pivotal for species preservation. Due to positive ecological interventions, Baer’s Pochard (Aythya baeri), a critically endangered avian species per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classification, has made a remarkable resurgence in the wetlands of Baiyangdian (BYD). BYD, located in Xiong’an New Area, central North China, is the largest wetland and an ideal habitat for rare bird species. Our study focuses on identifying ideal habitats within BYD to further its conservation. To this end, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) integrated with GPS functionalities were utilized to collect occurrence data for the species. Furthermore, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) provided access to high-resolution, real-time satellite imagery. Our model exhibited substantial reliability, reflected by area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.917 and 0.934 for breeding and migration periods, respectively. During the breeding phase, the prime habitat for Baer’s Pochard spans 162 km2, predominantly encompassing regions like Xiaobaiyangdian (XBYD), Zhaozadian (ZZD), Damaidian (DMD), and Shaochedian (SCD). Factors such as Distance to towns and Landcover predominantly influence breeding habitat selection. In the migration phase, ideal regions covered an expanse of 124 km2, highlighting areas like northern and eastern SCD, the northwestern side of Datian Village (DTV) and Beitian Village (BTV) Fuhe Wetland (FHW), and Xiaoyihe Wetland (XYHW). The predominant determinants for migration habitat are Distance to towns and Wetness. These insights offer a fundamental foundation for the conservation and management strategies of Baer’s Pochard in BYD, presenting a roadmap for future conservation endeavors.

Roads now penetrate even the most remote parts of much of the world, but the majority of research on the effects of roads on biota has been in less remote temperate environments. The impacts of roads in semi-arid and arid areas may differ from these results in a number of ways. Here, we review the research on the impacts of roads on biodiversity patterns and ecological and evolutionary processes in semi-arid regions. The most obvious effect of roads is mortality or injury through collision. A diversity of scavengers are killed whilst feeding on roadkill, a source of easily accessed food. Noise pollution from roads and traffic interferes with vocal communication by animals, and birds and frogs living along noisy roads compensate for traffic noise by increasing the amplitude or pitch of their calls. Artificial light along roads impacts certain species’ ability to navigate, as well as attracting invertebrates. Animals are in turn attracted to invertebrates at streetlights, and vulnerable to becoming roadkill themselves. Genetics research across taxa confirms a loss of genetic diversity in small populations isolated by roads, but the long-term impact on the fitness of affected populations through a reduction in genetic diversity is not yet clear. Roads may rapidly cause genetic effects, raising conservation concerns about rare and threatened species. We assess mitigation measures and collate methods to identify the impact of roads on wildlife populations and their associated ecosystems, with a particular focus on recent advances.