Tag: birds

Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Is hunting of migratory birds in Europe sustainable? A science-based assessment

Hunting can affect bird populations both by reducing their numbers and by changing how they behave. In Europe, many bird species that can legally be hunted are already in poor conservation status. Under the EU Birds Directive, hunting these species should only take place as part of a management plan that supports their recovery. To do this, it is important to know whether current hunting … Continue reading Is hunting of migratory birds in Europe sustainable? A science-based assessment

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Forests, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Why forest cover around your coffee farm matters? Scaling up bird conservation in Colombia

Whenever you walk through a shade-grown coffee farm in the Colombian Andes, it is easy to feel optimistic about biodiversity. Tall trees form a canopy above the coffee shrubs, birds call from every direction, and the system looks far more “natural” than a monoculture field. For years, this kind of agroforestry has been promoted as a win–win solution for farmers and biodiversity. But how much … Continue reading Why forest cover around your coffee farm matters? Scaling up bird conservation in Colombia

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Stable bird totals can hide changing conservation needs

When conservation managers count birds, a stable total can look like good news. But in places used by many species, the total number can hide important changes. Some species may be declining while others are increasing, so the overall number stays similar even though the needs of individual species are changing. We studied this problem using nine years of spring shorebird counts from six important … Continue reading Stable bird totals can hide changing conservation needs

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Young owls stealing food from neighbors reduces chick survival

We sought to understand whether adding many nest boxes for barn owls, a common way to help control rodents on farms, might have hidden drawbacks. While more nest boxes can boost owl numbers, it is not always clear if this improves the survival of young birds. We studied barn owls in northern Israel using small electronic tags that recorded each time a bird entered a … Continue reading Young owls stealing food from neighbors reduces chick survival

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Careers, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Akshay Bharadwaj: Microclimatic niche shifts predict long-term survival and body mass declines in a warmer and more degraded world

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview The eastern Himalaya is a global biodiversity hotspot housing nearly 10% of the world’s bird diversity. In recent years, the region has experienced rapid climate warming (three times faster than the global average), which is further compounded by habitat degradation. The determinants of how various bird species respond physiologically and demographically to these synergistic changes is … Continue reading Akshay Bharadwaj: Microclimatic niche shifts predict long-term survival and body mass declines in a warmer and more degraded world

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Research summaries, Careers, Monitoring and methods

Taylor Craft: Remote sensing and GPS tracking reveal temporal shifts in habitat use in nonbreeding Black-tailed Godwits

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview For decades, research has focused on the breeding grounds of migratory shorebirds in Northwest Europe. Yet much of their annual cycle is elsewhere along the East Atlantic Flyway, particularly in West Africa. Using tracking data from black-tailed godwits alongside field data from a key nonbreeding site, the Senegal Delta, we examined how different habitats support godwits … Continue reading Taylor Craft: Remote sensing and GPS tracking reveal temporal shifts in habitat use in nonbreeding Black-tailed Godwits

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Research summaries

The impact of downhill skiing on birds

Mattia Brambilla & Francesca Roseo share their experience researching the impact of skiing on biodiversity. Up and down mountains, along with their winged inhabitants For many years, both of us have been passionate skiers. We engaged in ski competitions in our youth and deeply enjoyed downhill skiing, along with the other various outdoor activities in the mountains. But then something changed along the way. Ski … Continue reading The impact of downhill skiing on birds

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Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Revealing the hidden lives of non-breeding Black-tailed Godwits

In this blog post, Taylor Craft discusses the use of GPS tracking and satellite imagery to uncover the lives of Black-tailed Godwits in the Senegal Delta. You can read their latest study, published alongside co-authors, here. A pressing challenge The landscapes of the endangered continental Black-tailed Godwit face increasing pressures at nearly every key site along their migratory route. With poor recruitment limiting population growth, … Continue reading Revealing the hidden lives of non-breeding Black-tailed Godwits

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Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Beneath the Waves: Estimating Marine Bird Abundances Outside the Breeding Season

Ruth Dunn shares insights on her latest study where, alongside her colleagues, she investigated the number of marine birds, outside of their breeding seasons, that may be undetectable when underwater during at-sea surveys. Investing in renewable energy developments, as opposed to burning fossil fuels, has been hailed as a route through which humans might be able to counteract anthropogenic-induced climate change. Within western Europe, it … Continue reading Beneath the Waves: Estimating Marine Bird Abundances Outside the Breeding Season

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Agriculture, Research summaries

The landscape of fear in cattle farms? How the presence of barn swallow influences the activity of pest flies

Authors of a research article recently published in Journal of Applied Ecology talk us through how barn swallows are effective biological control agents for lowering pest fly activity in livestock farms. Preamble: Farmland birds, filth flies and the landscape of fear Birds are key suppliers of crucial ecosystem services worldwide, and insectivorous species can consume up to 400 – 500 million tons of prey each … Continue reading The landscape of fear in cattle farms? How the presence of barn swallow influences the activity of pest flies

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