Variation of migration routes in the central Asian-breeding Common Cuckoo population influenced by the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
September 2025
Ecological barriers present significant challenges to bird migration by limiting the availability of stopover sites and shelters. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a major migratory barrier located in higher...
Birds of a feather: Comprehensive plumage colour analysis for a revised subspecies classification of the Chestnut-winged Babbler (Cyanoderma erythropterum) species complex
December 2025
Quantitative analysis of colouration is an essential tool for subspecies delimitation but has always posed a challenge in avian taxonomy. In this study on the Chestnut-winged Babbler (Cyanoderma erythropterum)...
A systematic review of avian response to urbanization in China: Research trends, current insights, and future directions
December 2025
Urbanization is one of the most extreme forms of land-use alteration that is advancing across the world with unprecedented speed. As the largest developing country, China has developed a unique path...
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...
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...
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...
Urbanization alters the seasonality of bird communities across China
March 2026
Urbanization has profoundly reshaped biodiversity, yet its impacts on community seasonal changes remain poorly understood. Here, we used citizen science data from 839 bird species in 37 cities and their...
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...
Correlates of avian extinction timing around the world since 1500 CE
2024
Avian extinctions have been relatively well documented in modern history, and in the past millennia, more bird species are known to have gone extinct than species in any other vertebrate class. We examined...
Reconciling Bergmann's rule throughout the annual cycle in two congeneric large-bodied migratory waterbirds
September 2025
Bergmann's rule predicts that the larger of two homeotherm species differing only in size would occur at higher latitudes, or in cooler climates than the smaller, because of relative thermoregulatory...
The predictable HPAI H5 outbreaks in European wild birds
December 2025
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 viruses have caused widespread mortality in wild birds and poultry, with increasing spillover risk into mammals. The recently dominant clade 2.3.4.4b has...
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....
Dynamic evolution of olfactory receptor genes in the Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture
December 2025
Olfactory receptors (ORs), the largest vertebrate multigene family, exhibit wide copy number variation among taxa, ranging from ∼100 to 4000. The ecological importance of smell has been suggested to...
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...
Balancing energy efficiency and avian conservation: divergent nest-site selection responses of Barn Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows to attached sunspaces in cold rural landscapes
March 2026
Human-modified landscapes serve as ecological filters, determining species distributions and persistence. Energy-efficient technologies, while crucial for climate change mitigation, represent novel...
Chinese provincial-level new records for 96 resident bird species reveal poleward range shifts
December 2025
Anthropogenic climate change is altering species distributions globally. While species distributions are expected to shift to higher latitudes and elevations under global warming, empirical evidence...
How many birds are there in Guangdong Province, China?
December 2025
Estimating bird abundance is key to assess threats, and to prioritize conservation actions. However, few studies focus on this topic, particularly in developing countries, which may hamper conservation...
Quantifying avian wing shapes: Evaluating indices, their relationships, and ecological correlates
December 2025
Avian wings are central to their remarkable flight ability and diverse life history strategies, including behaviors such as fighting and mating. These multifaceted functions are intricately tied to...
More than a simple egg: Underlying mechanisms of cold tolerance in avian embryos
2023
Avian embryos, which develop within eggs, exhibit remarkable tolerance to extremely low temperatures. Despite being a common trait among all birds, the mechanisms underlying this cold tolerance in avian...
Bird species present in urban parks are more colorful than urban avoiders: A test in the Argentinian Pampas
2024
Bird plumage color has been assessed as a possible trait driving the presence of bird species in urban areas. Although some species can see the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, the mentioned studies did not...
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...
Waterbird image recognition using lightweight deep learning in wetland environment
December 2025
Wetland waterbirds serve as key ecological indicators for assessing habitat quality and biodiversity. Accurate identification of waterbird species is a cornerstone of long-term ecological monitoring....
Patterns and drivers of beta diversity in bird communities associated with blue-green infrastructure in rapidly urbanizing landscapes
March 2026
Habitat loss driven by land-use change is a major factor shaping the dynamics of urban bird community structures. However, the potential mechanisms by which the spatial configuration and composition...
Escape behavior and refuge selection preferences by two common urban birds
March 2026
Urbanization destroys wildlife habitats, fragmenting them into small patches with poor connectivity, leading to population declines in species sensitive to such changes. Escape is the most common anti-predator...
Modeling the effects of urban park 3D environmental features on bird diversity with interpretable machine learning: A case study of Harbin, northeastern China
December 2025
Urban parks are essential habitats for birds in densely built environments. However, most studies focus only on horizontal features, overlooking the role of integrated vertical structures. Using bird...