Regional differences in wintering habitat selection strategies of Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) and ecological network construction of key wintering areas
September 2025
Poyang Lake (PYL) and the Yellow River Delta (YRD) are two critical wintering areas for the Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway in China. Based on nearly...
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Trait-mediated responses and co-occurrence patterns of breeding steppe birds under human footprint in Inner Mongolia
September 2025
Grasslands are among the world's most threatened ecosystems, and steppe birds face increasing risks from human activities. This study investigates how human impacts affect the distribution and community...
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Nest attentiveness does not impact incubation duration across different bird species
September 2025
Avian incubation is characterised by the contact between the eggs and the bird's skin to transfer heat to increase egg temperature above ambient conditions. Birds can be attentive to the clutch all...
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Non-selective waterbird hunting in a Natura 2000 site results in killing of protected species: A case study from western Poland
September 2025
Non-selective hunting of waterbirds poses a significant challenge in biodiversity-rich areas such as Important Bird Areas (IBAs), where protected and game species congregate. Here, we present evidence...
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Mammal-rich diet associated with reproductive success of Saker Falcons in Mongolia
September 2025
Understanding how diet influences the breeding success of Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) is key to assessing the role of food supply in population dynamics and informing conservation strategies. Through...
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Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient
September 2025
Understanding the evolutionary processes that influence the distribution of genetic diversity in natural populations is a key issue in evolutionary biology. Both species' distribution ranges and environmental...
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Reproductive resilience and trade-offs: Egg component allocation under nutritional constraints in Japanese Quail
September 2025
Under natural conditions, organisms regularly experience seasonal or unpredictable fluctuations in their diet that may shape the quantity and quality of their reproduction. While these dietary shifts...
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Rapid male plumage evolution drives sexual dichromatism in Ficedula flycatchers
Available online 8 August 2025
Sexual dichromatism represents a major form of phenotypic differentiation between the sexes in birds, and its evolution is likely shaped by the interplay between sexual and natural selection. The genus...
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Avian phylogenetic and functional diversity and their influencing factors in urban parks of Nanjing, China
Available online 7 August 2025
The acceleration of global urbanization has caused habitat loss, fragmentation, and decrease of habitat quality, often leading to a decline in biodiversity. However, most previous urbanization studies...
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Strengthening flyway conservation through NGOs' engagement: Case of Hanns Seidel Foundation
Available online 7 August 2025
Migratory birds are crucial to transboundary ecosystems, and the conservation of their habitats plays a vital role in maintaining global biodiversity. However, climate change, habitat degradation and...
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Effects of individual and group factors on the social relationships of Budgerigars
Available online 6 August 2025
Social animals often form dynamic relationships with group members, which have been associated with increased social learning, survival and reproductive success. Social relationships can be shaped by...
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Dynamic evolution of olfactory receptor genes in the Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture
Available online 5 August 2025
Olfactory receptors (ORs), the largest vertebrate multigene family, exhibit wide copy number variation among taxa, ranging from ∼100–4000. The ecological importance of smell has been suggested to positively...
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Quantifying avian wing shapes: evaluating indices, their relationships, and ecological correlates
Available online 25 July 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...
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Chinese Blackbirds (Turdus mandarinus) mimic electric moped sounds with lower consistency and frequencies
June 2025
Passerine mimics often imitate various vocalizations from other bird species and incorporate these sounds into their song repertoires. While a few anecdotes reported that wild songbirds imitated human-associated...
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Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance and virulence characteristics in Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis isolates from dead Crested Ibis embryos at the artificial breeding base
June 2025
Bacterial infections of avian embryos can lead to an increase in embryo mortality, and the proliferation of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria aggravates the situation. A low hatching rate also poses...
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eDNA enhances detection efficiency but reveals lower waterbird diversity: A comparison with point counting method
June 2025
Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods have emerged as a promising tool for studying a broad spectrum of biological taxa. However, metabarcoding studies of avian biodiversity using eDNA have received little...
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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...
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Impacts of free-ranging yaks on habitat occupancy and population density of a high-mountain rare pheasant species
June 2025
Free-ranging yak grazing is a regime specially adapted to high-elevation environments across the Pan-Tibetan Highlands, yet its impacts on alpine birds remain poorly understood. The Chinese Monal (Lophophorus...
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Moving away from home: Early life movements and space use in juvenile Montagu’s Harriers (Circus pygargus) from central Italy
June 2025
Assessing individual differences and variability in animal movement patterns is essential to improve our understanding of the evolution and ontogeny of migratory strategies. In long-distance migratory...
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Crown saturation and intrasexual dominance: Evidence of a negatively correlated handicap in male Saffron Finches
June 2025
Carotenoid-based plumage coloration may signal individuals’ overall body condition, influencing reproduction and survival of birds. In tropical species, little is known about the influence of color...
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Comparative analysis of female bubbling calls: Within- and between-species variation among the four species of Cuculus cuckoos
June 2025
In brood-parasitic Cuculus cuckoos, male vocalizations are species-specific and easily distinguishable, whereas female calls are remarkably similar across species, making species identification challenging....
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Impacts of China's natural forest protection project on habitat distribution of key protected birds in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
June 2025
The Natural Forest Protection Project (NFPP), initiated by the Chinese government in 2000, is a crucial ecological construction project that has played a significant role in forest restoration in China....
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Habitat suitability and influencing factors of a threatened highland flagship species, the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)
June 2025
Evaluating the habitat suitability of flagship species and its key influencing factors is vital for understanding potential conservation issues and developing coping strategies. We surveyed the wintering...
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Size of the ulna and taxonomic order affect vane dimensions of secondary remiges in birds
June 2025
The number of secondary feathers varies among orders of birds with some orders exhibiting a positive relationship with ulna length, whereas in other orders secondary number is invariant. This difference...
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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...
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