Demographic History and Inbreeding in Two Declining Sea Duck Species Inferred From Whole-Genome Sequence Data.

Anthropogenic impact has transitioned from threatening already rare species to causing significant declines in once numerous organisms. Long-tailed duck () and velvet scoter () were once important quarry sea duck species in NW Europe, but recent declines resulted in their reclassification as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. We sequenced and assembled genomes for both species and resequenced 15 individuals of each.

Energetic trade-offs in migration decision-making, reproductive effort and subsequent parental care in a long-distance migratory bird.

Migratory species trade-off long-distance movement with survival and reproduction, but the spatio-temporal scales at which these decisions occur are relatively unknown. Technological and statistical advances allow fine-scale study of animal decision-making, improving our understanding of possible causes and therefore conservation management. We quantified effects of reproductive preparation during spring migration on subsequent breeding outcomes, breeding outcomes on autumn migration characteristics and autumn migration characteristics on subsequent parental survival in Greenland white-fronted geese ().

Interactions between stoneworts (Charales) and waterbirds.

Stoneworts (Charales) are green algae that represent an important food resource for many waterbird species in Europe and elsewhere. Browsing avian herbivores (e.g.

Food on a plate: Wild geese maintain higher food intake rates on uniform winter cereals fields versus diverse grasslands.

Spring staging Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons have increasingly shifted from traditional diverse grassland fields to monocultures of winter cereals, causing conflict with farmers. To account for this transition, we tested two key predictions, controlling for goose age effects and sward height. Firstly, that cereal is better quality than grass (based on crude protein content).

Time-varying effects of local weather on behavior and probability of breeding deferral in two Arctic-nesting goose populations.

Arctic-nesting geese face energetic challenges during spring migration, including ecological barriers and weather conditions (e.g., precipitation and temperature), which in long-lived species can lead to a trade-off to defer reproduction in favor of greater survival.

Annual variation in waterbird clutch initiation date in relation to spring thaw in Arctic Russia.

To test for the degree of species-specific variation in clutch initiation date in relation to spring thaw, we recorded first egg dates in 1433 nests of seven large bodied long-distance migratory waterbird species breeding on Ayopechan Island in the Chaun Delta, Chukotka, in the Russian Arctic during 2002-2020. Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica, Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis and Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus all adjusted timing of clutch initiation completely to annual variation in first frost-free dates. First egg dates of Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri also significantly advanced in warmer springs, but the rate of change was significantly less than unity, implying a reduced capacity to accommodate change in vernal thaw that may not be able to keep up with greater change in the future.

Fine-scale movement patterns and habitat selection of little owls (Athene noctua) from two declining populations.

Advances in bio-logging technology for wildlife monitoring have expanded our ability to study space use and behavior of many animal species at increasingly detailed scales. However, such data can be challenging to analyze due to autocorrelation of GPS positions. As a case study, we investigated spatiotemporal movements and habitat selection in the little owl (Athene noctua), a bird species that is declining in central Europe and verges on extinction in Denmark.

Changes in flight paths of large-bodied birds after construction of large terrestrial wind turbines.

The proliferation of ever-larger wind turbines poses risks to wildlife, especially from avian collision, yet avoidance behaviour of large-bodied, long-lived bird species in relation to wind turbines remains little studied away from collision "black spots" and offshore marine environments. Here, three-dimensional flight trajectory data are reported from a laser range-finder study of local movements of large-bodied birds (e.g.

Effectiveness of the European Natura 2000 network to sustain a specialist wintering waterbird population in the face of climate change.

Analysis of coordinated Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) count data from the last 30 years showed a 38.1% decrease in wintering numbers in North-West Europe, from 309,000 during 1988-1991 to c.192,300 individuals during 2015-2018.

Lack of conspicuous sex-biased dispersal patterns at different spatial scales in an Asian endemic goose species breeding in unpredictable steppe wetlands.

Dispersal affects the spatial distribution and population structure of species. Dispersal is often male-biased in mammals while female-biased in birds, with the notable exception of the Anatidae. In this study, we tested genetic evidence for sex-biased dispersal (SBD) in the Swan Goose , an Asian endemic and IUCN vulnerable species, which has been increasingly restricted to breeding on Mongolian steppe wetlands.

Consistent habitat preference underpins the geographically divergent autumn migration of individual Mongolian common shelducks.

While many avian populations follow narrow, well-defined "migratory corridors," individuals from other populations undertake highly divergent individual migration routes, using widely dispersed stopover sites en route between breeding and wintering areas, although the reasons for these differences are rarely investigated. We combined individual GPS-tracked migration data from Mongolian-breeding common shelduck and remote sensing datasets, to investigate habitat selection at inland stopover sites used by these birds during dispersed autumn migration, to explain their divergent migration patterns. We used generalized linear mixed models to investigate population-level resource selection, and generalized linear models to investigate stopover-site-level resource selection.

Lead concentrations in blood from incubating common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in the Baltic Sea.

Here we investigate if lead may be a contributing factor to the observed population decline in a Baltic colony of incubating eiders (Somateria mollissima). Body mass and blood samples were obtained from 50 incubating female eiders at the Baltic breeding colony on Christiansø during spring 2017 (n = 27) and 2018 (n = 23). All the females were sampled twice during early (day 4) and late (day 24) incubation.

Toxic lead gunshot persists accessible to waterbirds after a 33-year ban on their use.

Use of lead shot for hunting was banned under legislation on 26 Ramsar sites in Denmark from 1986, based on evidence of poisoning in waterbirds ingesting lead shot and high lead shot pellet densities in Danish wetland sediments caused by intensive hunting. To assess the fate of lead shot from hunting prior to 1986 and the degree to which such shot remains available to waterbirds, this study replicated the survey of shot pellet densities in substrates in Ringkøbing Fjord undertaken in the late 1970s. 287 shotgun pellets (282 lead, five steel) were recovered from 123 sediment samples at four locations, equivalent to a mean of 127 pellets m in the top 20 cm of the sediment at the four locations, in certain hot spots equating to >250 kg lead ha, broadly similar to densities found in the 1970s.

Status and trends of tundra birds across the circumpolar Arctic.

Tundra-breeding birds face diverse conservation challenges, from accelerated rates of Arctic climate change to threats associated with highly migratory life histories. Here we summarise the status and trends of Arctic terrestrial birds (88 species, 228 subspecies or distinct flyway populations) across guilds/regions, derived from published sources, raw data or, in rare cases, expert opinion. We report long-term trends in vital rates (survival, reproduction) for the handful of species and regions for which these are available.

Annual migratory patterns of Far East Greylag Geese (Anser anser rubrirostris) revealed by GPS tracking.

Twenty Far East Greylag Geese, Anser anser rubrirostris, were captured and fitted with Global Positioning System/Global System for Mobile Communications (GPS/GSM) loggers to identify breeding and wintering areas, migration routes and stopover sites. Telemetry data for the first time showed linkages between their Yangtze River wintering areas, stopover sites in northeastern China, and breeding/molting grounds in eastern Mongolia and northeast China. 10 of the 20 tagged individuals provided sufficient data.

Author Correction: Stochastic simulations reveal few green wave surfing populations among spring migrating herbivorous waterfowl.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Stochastic simulations reveal few green wave surfing populations among spring migrating herbivorous waterfowl.

Tracking seasonally changing resources is regarded as a widespread proximate mechanism underpinning animal migration. Migrating herbivores, for example, are hypothesized to track seasonal foliage dynamics over large spatial scales. Previous investigations of this green wave hypothesis involved few species and limited geographical extent, and used conventional correlation that cannot disentangle alternative correlated effects.

Long-term declines of European insectivorous bird populations and potential causes.

Evidence of declines in insect populations has recently received considerable scientific and societal attention. However, the lack of long-term insect monitoring makes it difficult to assess whether declines are geographically widespread. By contrast, bird populations are well monitored and often used as indicators of environmental change.

The transition to non-lead sporting ammunition and fishing weights: Review of progress and barriers to implementation.

This review presents evidence of lead exposure and toxicity to wildlife and humans from spent shotgun and rifle ammunition and fishing weights, and the barriers and bridges to completing the transition to non-lead products. Despite the international availability of effective non-lead substitutes, and that more jurisdictions are adopting suitable policies and regulations, a broader transition to non-lead alternatives is prevented because resolution remains divided among disparate human user constituencies. Progress has occurred only where evidence is most compelling or where a responsible public authority with statutory powers has managed to change mindsets in the wider public interest.

Effects of ecological and anthropogenic factors on waterbird abundance at a Ramsar Site in the Yangtze River Floodplain.

Continuing declines in abundance of many waterbird species on wetland ecosystems require explanations to support effective management interventions. We used 6 year survey data from Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China, to study the effects of ecological and anthropogenic variables as determinants of waterbird species abundance. Our results showed that effects were guild-dependent, although distance to nearest human settlements had the largest adverse effects on bird abundance across all guilds.

Disentangling the effects of multiple environmental drivers on population changes within communities.

The effects of different environmental drivers on the changes in species' population abundances can be difficult to disentangle as they often act simultaneously. Researchers have built statistical models that include environmental variables (such as annual temperature) or species attributes (such as a species' temperature preference), which are assumed to detect the impacts of specific drivers (such as climate change). However, these approaches are often applied separately or, if combined, not explicitly compared.

The Far East taiga forest: unrecognized inhospitable terrain for migrating Arctic-nesting waterbirds?

The degree of inhospitable terrain encountered by migrating birds can dramatically affect migration strategies and their evolution as well as influence the way we develop our contemporary flyway conservation responses to protect them. We used telemetry data from 44 tagged individuals of four large-bodied, Arctic breeding waterbird species (two geese, a swan and one crane species) to show for the first time that these birds fly non-stop over the Far East taiga forest, despite their differing ecologies and migration routes. This implies a lack of suitable taiga refuelling habitats for these long-distance migrants.