Profile of Selected Mineral Elements in Tibiotarsal Bone of the White-Tailed Sea Eagle in Its Natural Habitat.

Mineral bone composition (dry matter, bones ash, P, Ca, Zn, Mn, Mg, and Cu) and Pb levels of tibiotarsi of seven White-Tailed Sea Eagles were assessed. Lead intoxication in different bird species including waterfowl and raptors is being studied worldwide. The bones were analyzed for Pb by mass spectrometry with excitation in inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS Elan DRC II) and for bone composition by Atomic Emission Spectrometer (Agilent 4100 Microwave Plasma).

Energy crops affecting farmland birds in Central Europe: insights from a miscanthus-dominated landscape.

The expansion of energy crops such as miscanthus has changed the habitat of European farmland birds. However, most studies on the subject are based in Western Europe. We surveyed the avian community in a sample bioenergy landscape in Poland to investigate the pattern of use of the crop by birds in Central Europe.

Habitat preferences of two sparrow species are modified by abundances of other birds in an urban environment.

Every species has certain habitat requirements, which may be altered by interactions with other co-occurring species. These interactions are mostly ignored in predictive models trying to identify key habitat variables correlated with species population abundance/occurrence. We investigated how the structure of the urban landscape, food resources, potential competitors, predators, and interaction between these factors influence the abundance of house sparrow and the tree sparrow in sixty 25 ha plots distributed randomly across residential areas of the city of Poznań (Poland).

Synchrony in the phenology of a culturally iconic spring flower.

We examine the flowering phenology of the cultural iconic Spring Snowflake Leucojum vernum, a considerable tourist attraction, recorded from two sites in western Poland. Flowering dates at the two sites were closely correlated but about 6 days later at the more natural area. The end of flowering was associated with the start of canopy leafing.

Pinching off syndrome in free-ranging white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Europe: frequency and geographic distribution of a generalized feather abnormality.

Generalized feather abnormalities are rarely documented in free-living birds. Pinching off syndrome (POS) is a feather abnormality in which all remiges and retrices become malformed and are lost during the nestling stage, rendering the bird unable to fly. To determine the frequency of occurrence and geographic distribution of this syndrome in white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Europe, we sent questionnaires to ornithologists in 19 countries within the European range of this species.