Indirect fitness benefits of cognitive investment: Head size predicts adaptive nest-site selection in Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica)
September 2026
Cognitive traits such as brain size are hypothesized to influence avian reproductive strategies, yet the ecological mechanisms linking neural investment to fitness under natural conditions remain underexplored....
Climate driven rapid northward expansion of a songbird from subtropical to warm temperate zones: Dispersal corridors and future suitable habitat
September 2026
While it is well established that climate change is driving species toward higher latitudes, the spatiotemporal dynamics of dispersal—particularly from subtropical to warm-temperate zones—remain poorly...
Migration of Brown-headed Gulls on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Potential transmission routes for highly pathogenic H5Nx virus
September 2026
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau serves as a critical hub along the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and a recognized hotspot for the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. Despite recurrent...
Penguins at the freshwater–marine boundary: Overlooked ecological linkages and climate-change risks
September 2026
Penguins are usually framed as marine predators, yet freshwater can strongly alter the environments in which they forage, breed and survive. This narrative mini review synthesises evidence for how river...
Like father, like son? Similarity of syllable repertoires and structures in the songs of first-year male Tree Pipits and their potential tutors
September 2026
Birdsong in oscine passerines is socially learned, but the relative influence of different tutors in the wild remains unclear for many species. We examined song acquisition in the Tree Pipit (Anthus...
Behavioral innovation correlates with broader climatic niche breadths in birds
September 2026
Behavioral innovation, defined as the ability to exhibit novel behaviors that may contribute to problem-solving and adaptability, has been increasingly recognized as a key factor in species’ resilience...
Mechanisms of egg recognition in two cuckoo bunting hosts
September 2026
Recognition and rejection of parasitic eggs are crucial host defenses against brood parasitism. Template-based recognition and recognition by discordancy are two main mechanisms of egg recognition used...
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...
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,...
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...
Inherited biases reveal call-type-specific conspecific alarm responses in tits
September 2026
Eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm signals provides critical predator information, yet whether recognition is driven by innate phylogenetic biases or learning and ecology remains unclear. We hypothesize...
Why are some White Eared Pheasants (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) grey? Investigating plumage divergence through habitat modeling
September 2026
Plumage coloration plays a crucial role in ecology, often reflecting adaptive responses to environmental heterogeneity. According to Gloger's rule, animals in warm and humid regions are expected to...
Conserving waterbird diversity in fragmented agricultural wetlands: The roles of habitat heterogeneity and positive species associations in community persistence
Available online 2 July 2026
Agricultural expansion has caused rapid wetland loss globally, yet small isolated lakes within farmland remain critical but undervalued habitats for migratory waterbirds. Understanding how communities...
Metagenomic analysis of vitamins B and K2 biosynthesis by gut microbiota in wild birds
June 2026
The role of gut microbiota in vitamin biosynthesis in wild birds, which is essential for understanding avian health and ecological adaptation, remains largely unexplored. In this study, metagenomic...
Patterns and drivers of waterbird alpha and beta diversity are different between arid and humid regions of China
June 2026
Waterbirds are vital for wetland ecosystems, but climate change and human activities are harming these habitats globally, reducing biodiversity and threatening waterbird survival. In China, wetlands...
Estradiol acutely modifies singing patterns via modulating the synaptic activity of RA in Zebra Finches
June 2026
Songbirds serve as an appealing animal model for evaluating the hormonal influences on the regulation of fine motor skills, particularly in relation to vocal production. The influence of estrogens on...
Unraveling the spatial patterns and driving mechanisms of avian functional assemblages in the agro-pastoral ecosystems of the Tibetan Plateau
June 2026
China's new national park system prioritizes the conservation of large-scale ecosystems to maintain ecological integrity, exemplified by Qilian Mountain National Park (QMNP) in northwestern China. QMNP...
Precisely targeting host activity for parasitism by Common Cuckoos
June 2026
The evolution of parasitic strategies through tracking host life-history patterns represents a key adaptive trait in avian brood parasites. However, when hosts successfully exploit human-modified environments—such...
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...
A novel machine learning model for the prediction of avian haemosporidian infection from morphological data
June 2026
Avian haemosporidians are a group of widespread protozoan parasites that often impose significant physiological burdens and reduce host fitness; therefore, an increasing number of studies on these parasites...
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,...
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...
Global patterns and data gaps in avian genetic diversity based on mitochondrial Cyt b and COI sequences
June 2026
Genetic diversity is a fundamental component of biodiversity, with far-reaching implications for the stability and resilience of ecosystems. Despite the growing recognition of the importance of genetic...
Removing non-avian sounds enhances correlations between acoustic indices and bird vocal activity in urban environments
June 2026
Acoustic indices have been increasingly explored as possible proxies for biodiversity, yet in complex environments non-avian sounds often mask bird vocalizations, compromising assessment accuracy and...
Determinants of secondary school students' conservation willingness toward the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in riparian cities along the Yellow River in Henan Province, China
June 2026
Understanding public conservation willingness is crucial for mitigating the global decline in avian diversity. Secondary school students, as key future actors and stakeholders in biodiversity conservation,...
