Visual cognition of birds and its underlying neural mechanism: A review
2022
Birds have acute vision and many remarkable visual cognition abilities, due to their unique living environment. The underlying neural mechanisms have also attracted interests of researchers in neuroscience....
Automated bird sound recognition in ecology: A methodological review and application framework
September 2026
Automated bird sound recognition (ABSR) has emerged as a transformative tool for avian ecology and conservation, offering an unprecedented ability to monitor biodiversity non-invasively across vast...
Migratory birds as global pathogen vectors: Ecological roles, transmission pathways, and emerging zoonotic risks
September 2026
Migratory birds have emerged as primary vectors of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, vector-borne pathogens, and fungal pathogens, posing a considerable and geographically unrestricted...
Avian acoustic communication: Understanding of peripheral and central neural systems with ecological adaptations
June 2025
Avian vocal communication represents one of the most intricate forms of animal language, playing a critical role in behavioral interactions. Both peripheral and central auditory-vocal pathways are essential...
Negative effects of artificial nest boxes on birds: A review
2023
Artificial nest boxes are placed to attract birds to nest and breed in a specific location, and they are widely used in avian ecology research and in the attraction of insectivorous birds. There is...
Toxicological impacts of persistent organic pollutants on avian physiology: A scientometric and systematic analysis
September 2026
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), primarily from industrial and agricultural sources, pose significant risks to birds due to their environmental pervasiveness, bioaccumulation, and toxicological...
Post-glacial expansion and migration-drift balance shape the genetic structure of the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) across its range
September 2026
Understanding range-wide genetic diversity, population structure and connectivity is fundamental for evaluating the evolutionary potential and conservation needs of a species. The Dalmatian Pelican...
Evolution of tooth number and size reveals random evolution and weak directional selection of dentition toward independent tooth loss in Mesozoic birds
December 2026
How their toothed jaws evolve into edentulous beaks remains a key puzzle in early birds. Although some studies using discrete data of dentition have rejected the hypotheses of long-term directional...
LiBird: A new universal primer enhancing avian environmental DNA metabarcoding
June 2026
In recent years, global avian diversity has been in continuous decline. Traditional monitoring methods are often constrained by detectability limitations and observational challenges, which makes it...
Bioaccumulation and age-dependent risks of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) in tropical Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) from South China
September 2026
Exposure and risks of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) to juvenile birds are complex due to the transient nature of biological processes when chicks grow. This study quantified the concentrations...
Evolutionary and ecological processes drive the global diversity of the avian family Paridae
September 2026
Understanding how biodiversity is formed and maintained, is a key topic in both ecology and conservation biology. Both ecological and evolutionary processes jointly shape community assembly and maintain...
Spatial movements and habitat use of an opportunistic gull species in relation to their colony sites during the breeding season
September 2026
The Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) is a widespread and opportunistic central-place forager during the breeding season, yet its spatial behavior and habitat use in Adriatic Sea remain poorly...
Vultures as a model for testing molecular adaptations of dietary specialization in birds
2023
Vultures are the only obligate scavengers among extant vertebrates. They provide valuable ecological services in ecosystems through removing carcasses, thus preventing the growth of other scavenger...
A review of eDNA technology in avian monitoring: Current status, challenges and future perspectives
June 2025
In recent years, environmental DNA (eDNA) has garnered significant attention as a novel tool in biodiversity monitoring, recognized for its efficiency, convenience, and non-invasiveness. Despite its...
Bird banding in Asia: Contributions, challenges, and prospects
June 2026
Bird banding is internationally recognized as one of the most useful and cost-effective methods for avian monitoring. While widely adopted in Europe and North America—where it has played a pivotal role...
Adapting to the concrete jungle: Urbanization increases the use of anthropogenic nesting materials by Azure-winged Magpies (Cyanopica cyanus)
September 2026
Rapid urbanization has resulted in a substantial decrease in natural habitats, posing considerable challenges to bird survival. Bird nests, which are temporary structures used for breeding, reflect...
Landscape and habitat effects on functional and phylogenetic diversity and structure of bird communities in fragmented habitats within an urban landscape, Southwest China
June 2026
Understanding how landscape and habitat characteristics shape species diversity and community structure in fragmented habitats offers insights into the impact of fragmentation on biodiversity. However,...
Spatiotemporal patterns of bird strikes at civil airports across China inferred from DNA barcoding (2012–2024)
June 2026
Wildlife strikes, particularly bird strikes, pose a persistent threat to aviation safety worldwide. Although wildlife aircraft collisions in North America and Europe airports have been extensively studied,...
Migration pattern of a population of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) breeding in East Asian tropical region
2024
Birds exhibit a high degree of migratory diversity, which is influenced by various ecological factors and life history strategies. Conducting studies on tropical bird migration, of which research is...
Feeding ecology and interactions with mammal hosts in a symbiotic genus of birds (Buphagus spp.) in Namibia
2024
As the sole obligate symbiotic birds in Africa, oxpeckers offer a unique model for studying symbiotic relationships. Due to the multitrophic level they occupy and the context dependent foraging behavior...
Seasonal dietary shifts in waterbirds modify the dispersal potential for invertebrate resting eggs
September 2026
Waterbirds play a crucial role in endozoochory, facilitating the dispersal of invertebrates through the gut passage of resting eggs. They adjust their digestive processes and tract morphology in response...
Temporal responses of the wintering waterbird communities in Shengjin Lake to environmental factors revealed by high-frequency intelligent monitoring system
September 2026
Exploring dynamic responses of wildlife to habitat changes is vital to inform conservation strategies. However, monitoring frequency is often limited for wild animals, impeding fine-grained understanding...
Seasonal assembly mechanisms of wintering waterbird communities in isolated lakes within an intensive agricultural landscape
September 2026
Understanding how community assembly vary across seasons is critical for wetland biodiversity conservation, especially in fragmented, human-dominated landscapes. Yet, most studies overlook fine-scale...
Phylogenetic definitions for 25 higher-level clade names of birds
2022
Knowledge of the higher-level phylogenetic relationships of birds has grown substantially during the past two decades due to the application of genomic data. However, the nomenclature of higher-level...
Migratory birds as global vectors and evolutionary incubators of antibiotic resistance genes
September 2026
The global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, fueled by the cross-border dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), poses a critical and escalating threat to public health. Migratory birds,...
