The simplification and homogenisation of agricultural landscapes has led to dramatic losses of farmland biodiversity. This decline includes passerine populations and one of the mechanisms that may be contributing toward this may be increased nest predation. Ground covers are agri-environmental measures whose objective is to halt the loss of biodiversity by creating high-quality habitat patches embedded in a homogeneous landscape by maintaining herbaceous ground cover within crops. However, although such patches are selected by breeding birds, they may also attract predators, and an increased nest density in small habitat patches would thus result in increased predation rates. We have therefore performed nest predation experiments with artificial nests in order to investigate whether the effect of ground cover on nest predation is density dependent. The experiments were carried out during the breeding season in 2014, in two areas of olive groves in southern Spain. We used two nest density levels, both in olive groves with ground cover and in those where the ground was bare. A total of 420 nests were placed, 226 of which (53.81%) suffered predation. Our results showed that 1) nest predation was density dependent in olive groves with ground cover only with respect to tree nests, while there was no density-dependent predation in bare-ground olive groves of either ground-based or tree nests, and 2) artificial nests placed on the ground were more frequently depredated (65%) than those placed in trees (29%), irrespective of either the presence of vegetation cover or nest density. This study suggests that variations in patterns of nest predation are determined by the identity of nest predators and their specific foraging behaviours in different landscapes and habitats. It also underscores the need to implement agri-environmental measures aimed at the conservation of farmland birds.

Suboptimal temperatures may exert negative effects on altricial nestlings, especially during their first days of life, when thermoregulation is not yet fully developed. We experimentally lowered nest temperatures by a mean of 4.5 °C during early development of great tit Parus major nestlings from the Mediterranean region. The thermal treatment only affected nestling size, as cooled nestlings had smaller tarsi by day 15 than controls. Female brooding constancy remained unaltered and female body condition was not negatively affected, so females did not incur additional energetic costs to ameliorate thermal conditions for nestlings. In conclusion, we found that colder nest microclimates may impair nestling growth, which may have negative consequences on future survival.

Many bird families, including the Rallidae, are characterised by a lack of plumage sexual dimorphism and reduced sexual size dimorphism. In such cases, biometry may still allow the sex of captured birds to be determined. We investigated this possibility in the purple swamphen, a species for which biometric and moult data from southern Europe are scarce. We studied and measured a large sample of wild birds in order: 1) to assess the extent of sexual size dimorphism in adult and immature birds; 2) to determine the period during which plumage characteristics can be reliably used for ageing; and 3) to develop a discriminant function that allows purple swamphens to be sexed using a set of morphometric measurements. Ten biometric traits were measured for 421 wild birds that were also sexed molecularly. We used body and wing photographs from 425 and 232 birds, respectively, in order to classify bird age (adult versus immature, based on the evidence of immature plumage). For most measurements the overall size ranking was as follows: adult males > immature males > adult females > immature females. However, this ranking did not apply to culmen and shield width, because these were bigger in adult females than in immature males. Immature birds moulted gradually during the first winter. The best ageing criterion for immature birds was the presence of median underwingcoverts with whitish tips before the first complete summer moult (second-year birds). This extends the ageing period by another six months relative to prior knowledge. The discriminant analyses using six different biometric traits correctly assigned sex in 88% and 95% of immature and adult birds, respectively. Using only two variables (culmen and body mass) reduced correct sexing to 80%–92%. These equations are a simple and inexpensive way to sex purple swamphens of known or unknown age. Although some caution is necessary, these equations can be useful for sexing birds from other southern European populations.

Muchas familias de aves, como la Rallidae, se caracterizan por carecer de dimorfismo sexual en el plumaje y presentar un escaso dimorfismo en el tamaño. En estos casos, las aves capturadas pueden sexarse por medio de su biometría. Investigamos esta posibilidad en el caso del calamón común, una especie para la cual los datos de biometría y muda son escasos en el sur de Europa. Estudiamos una amplia muestra de aves capturadas con el fin de determinar (1) el grado de dimorfismo sexual en inmaduros y adultos, (2) el período en que el plumaje permite diferenciarlos y (3) desarrollar funciones discriminantes para sexarlos. En 421 individuos se tomaron 10 medidas morfométricas y se sexaron molecularmente. A partir de las fotos del cuerpo de 425 individuos y del ala de 232 se determinó la edad según la presencia de plumaje de inmaduro. Para la mayor parte de medidas las relaciones de tamaño fueron: machos adultos > machos inmaduros > hembras adultas > hembras inmaduras. Esta relación no se cumplió para el culmen y el ancho de la placa, ya que las hembras adultas presentaron tamaños superiores a los machos inmaduros. Los inmaduros mudaron gradualmente en el primer invierno las plumas del cuerpo. El mejor criterio para datar a los inmaduros fue la presencia de plumas con márgenes blancos en las infra-cobertoras medianas del ala, carácter que retuvieron hasta la primera muda total de verano (segundo año calendario). Esto permite alargar el período de determinación de la edad en seis meses más. Usando seis medidas en la función discriminante se obtuvieron entre un 88% y 95% de asignaciones de sexo correctas según la edad (inmaduros y adultos, respectivamente). Usando solo dos medidas (culmen y peso) el porcentaje de asignaciones correctas se redujo a 80%–92%. Estas ecuaciones son una forma sencilla y económica de determinar el sexo de individuos tanto de edad conocida como desconocida. Aunque se deben tomar precauciones,

We assessed bird sensitivity to forest fragmentation in two adjacent landscapes in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil. One landscape is naturally fragmented and has high connectivity, whereas the other is human-fragmented and has low connectivity. We tested whether the sensitivity of bird species to fragmentation depends more on the intrinsic characteristics of the birds than on landscape connectivity. Point counts were used to sample small and large forest remnants in each landscape. The abundance of each species in these remnants was used as a proxy for sensitivity. To test whether the two landscapes differ in connectivity, we compared the following landscape metrics: landscape shape index (LSI), proximity index (PROX) and connectance index (CONNECT). We analysed the sensitivity of 85 species, 51 of which occurred exclusively in one of the two landscapes. In the landscape with low connectivity we recorded a large number of sensitive species. Among the 34 species that occurred in both landscapes, 24 species (18 non-sensitive and six sensitive) had the same sensitivity. Landscape connectivity seems to be more significant when we focus on the bird communities as a whole. However, when we focus on the same bird species in different landscapes, intrinsic characteristics of species seem to affect their sensitivity to fragmentation more than does landscape connectivity, especially for bird species with lower sensitivity. Therefore, our results show that increasing landscape connectivity may not be the best tool for bird conservation in naturally fragmented landscapes. Nevertheless, it will be important to test further whether forest bird species are more sensitive to environmental degradation in naturally fragmented landscapes than in human-fragmented landscapes.

Since 2005, Morocco has designated many Ramsar wetlands, yet little is known about factors determining their occupation by waterbird communities. In this study, we assessed the relationship between the occupation of Moroccan Ramsar wetlands during the breeding season by two globally threatened waterbirds, the marbled teal Marmaronetta angustirostris and the ferruginous duck Aythya nyroca, and geographical, topographical and macrohabitat factors. Habitat-based statistical models showed that the presence of these two threatened waterfowl species at Moroccan wetlands was positively correlated with the number of emergent vegetation species, and negatively correlated with altitude and the distance to the nearest coastline. These results highlighted previous findings regarding the significant and positive relationship between the number of plant taxa and the number of threatened waterbird species at Moroccan wetlands. Further investigations should be conducted at regional (Maghreb region) and international (Mediterranean area) levels (i) to allow a global analysis and benchmarking between regions, (ii) to improve the provision of information to support sound management interventions, and (iii) to contribute to conservation management planning for these threatened waterfowl species.

As a result of convergent evolution, sandgrouse share similarities with some other precocial landbirds, namely Galliformes and precocial waders (Charadriiformes). They are birds of arid lands and hence their chicks face problems of predation risk and shortage of food and water, exacerbated by the patchy and unpredictable distribution of these resources. We therefore hypothesised that sandgrouse would be more precocious at hatching than precocial galliformes and charadriiformes living in more favourable habitats. Patterns of growth for body mass, wing, leg and sternum were described for the black-bellied sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis by a logistic model. Post-hatching development was characterised by the ratio of exponential growth rate (EGR) to relative size (Ln(W/A)) (W: Weight and A: Asymptotic size) at a given age. Developmental trajectories, indicating the degree of the development of precocity, were derived from these relationships as the slopes of least square regression of EGR on relative size. We also characterised the post-hatching development of body size in terms of maturation time. Growth parameters were compared to those of the Galliformes and precocial Charadriiformes using interspecific allometric relationships. Black-bellied sandgrouse hatched with relatively well developed body mass and legs, which accords with their faster post-hatching maturation. The development of body mass and wing reached their asymptotic sizes on steeper developmental trajectories than did the leg. The mean growth rate constant for the wing was the highest compared to those of the sternum and leg which were similar. In contrast to the leg, wing and sternum showed biphasic growth patterns. The black-bellied sandgrouse shows growth rates and a maturation degree at hatching that are intermediate between their convergent Galliformes and precocial Charadriiformes. It exhibits a developmental strategy in which both precocial legs and wings allow early development of either walking or flying. This constitutes an adaptive strategy to arid environments with low and unpredictable resource availability and high predation risk.

In the Pampa ecoregion of South America, the replacement of semi-natural ecosystems by agroecosystems is a major cause of biodiversity decline. Agricultural intensification has led to the almost total disappearance of pristine wetland vegetation and the decline of bird assemblages. Relicts of saline wetlands and modified surrounding habitats were chosen to explore differences and similarities in the assemblage structure of birds inhabiting the habitat spectrum from natural relicts to new agricultural ecosystems, in central Argentina. The study area is in the Pampa region, in the sector known as Flat Inland Pampa. Specifically, it is located in Marcos Juárez department, southeastern Córdoba province, Argentina. We identified eight habitats with contrasting floristic compositions and structures and three bird count surveys were conducted during an annual cycle: January-February, July-August, and October 2013. Fixed-radius survey stations were established in each habitat. Sixty bird species, from 21 families, were recorded. The results in terms of species diversity and trophic guilds indicate that bird species assemblages are associated differentially with different vegetation communities. The highest values of bird richness and guild numbers were recorded in structurally complex natural vegetation environments. The structurally simpler habitats modified by human activities were poorer in their bird assemblages. We conclude that the promotion and conservation of the patchiness of the landscape of natural saline wetlands (mixed grassland-shrubland) as the main physiognomies of the vegetation should have high priority in future agendas for conserving the integrity and diversity of bird populations of the remaining natural habitats in the Pampa ecoregion.

The Iberian Peninsula is a wintering area for an estimated 300 million birds. Most insectivorous birds winter in the southern half of the Peninsula, where mild mid-winter temperatures ensure the availability of insects. However, case studies of habitat use by specific species during winter are still rare. A species of particular interest is the Eurasian wryneck Jynx torquilla, the only long-distance migratory woodpecker in Europe that feeds almost exclusively on ants. Its European populations have declined throughout Europe over recent decades. Wrynecks are known to winter in the Iberian Peninsula but it has only recently been shown that at least some of these birds originate from Central European breeding populations. Hitherto, the habitats they select in winter have remained unknown although it is plausible to think that they are habitat specific given the birds' strong reliance on ants as their main food source. We studied the wintering habitat selection by wrynecks in northern Extremadura, Spain, with MaxEnt models. We found that they chose diverse, extensive, agricultural (irrigated) croplands. Our findings highlight the importance of these threatened landscapes for wintering birds.

La península Ibérica es una conocida área de invernada con unos 300 millones de aves que pasan el invierno cada año. La mayor parte de las aves insectívoras invernan en la parte sur de la Península, donde unas temperaturas suaves e inviernos benignos aseguran la disponibilidad de los insectos. Sin embargo, los estudios sobre uso del hábitat en invierno específicos para una determinada especie son todavía raros. Una especie de particular interés es el torcecuello eurasiático Jynx torquilla. Es el único pájaro carpintero migrador de Europa que se alimenta casi exclusivamente de hormigas y ha sufrido declives poblacionales en toda Europa durante las últimas décadas. Se conoce que los torcecuellos invernan en la península Ibérica, pero solo recientemente se ha demostrado que al menos algunas de estas aves proceden de poblaciones reproductoras centroeuropeas. Aún así, se desconoce exactamente qué habitats prefieren estas aves durante el invierno, aunque es plausible plantear que deben ser específicos dada su fuerte preferencia por las hormigas como principal fuente de alimento. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar las preferencias de hábitat de los torcecuellos en el oeste de la península Ibérica durante el invierno con modelos MaxEnt. Nuestros resultados muestran que los torcecuellos seleccionaron heterogeneos y extensivos cultivos de regadío. Los resultados subrayan la importancia de preservar este mosaico paisajístico, hoy en día en retroceso, para las aves invernantes.

Information on the diet of some species of tropical parrots is still scarce. We present data on the feeding ecology of the red-eared parakeet Pyrrhura hoematotis, an endemic and poorly known species of Venezuelan montane forests. Additionally, we describe other observations on the diet of the Venezuelan parakeet Pyrrhura emma, scarlet-fronted parakeet Psittacara wagleri and lilac-tailed parrotlet Touit batavicus. Red-eared parakeets used thirteen species of plants and their diet consisted principally of arillate seeds, but also included fleshy fruits and flowers. Tree species of Euphorbiaceae were main items in the diet of red-eared and scarlet-fronted parakeets. Leaves and resin of Clusia alata trees are reported for the first time in the diet of the lilac-tailed parrotlet. Our results add basic natural history data that can be useful for the conservation of these restricted distribution parrot species that are threatened by the habitat loss.

We describe red kite Milvus milvus nesting habitat in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, northern Spain), a region under high human pressure where the traditional countryside has been extensively substituted by Monterey pine Pinus radiata plantations. All nests were 10–30 m up in Monterey pine stands 20–40 m tall. Forest patches were mono-specific and most comprised from 100 to over 1,000 trees. Vegetation cover around the nests was typical of the region, with a mosaic of meadows and forests, including exotic tree timber plantations. The fact that the red kite in Gipuzkoa breeds in Monterey pine plantations does not mean that this habitat constitutes a priority for its long-term conservation. However, its replacement by native forest should entail a gradual substitution of the old pine stands to guarantee the availability of sufficient tall, mature trees offering good conditions for red kite nests.

We studied the movements of little egrets Egretta garzetta from breeding colonies in northern Spanish Atlantic estuaries using sighting data of colour-ringed birds. Data on 304 resightings of 95 out of 457 little egrets ringed as chicks in two colonies on the southern Bay of Biscay were analysed. Most egrets (68.9%) were observed less than 50 km from their natal colonies and thus exhibited low dispersal, supporting the view that these birds belong to a resident population breeding along the coasts of the Bay of Biscay. Nearly all resightings (95.5%) occurred in estuaries across an east-west axis corresponding to the Atlantic coast of northern Spain and had a west-biased dispersal direction. We suggest that the recently formed northern Atlantic Spanish population is a consequence of a westward colonisation pattern originating in the French Atlantic colonies.

In wild bird populations nestlings are commonly infested by ectoparasites. The effects that ectoparasites exert on host fitness usually become evident after the complete elimination of parasites or a substantial reduction in their abundance. Among the most common elimination methods in ecological studies, the use of chemical insecticides is traditionally preferred. However, the application of several doses is usually needed because the efficiency of insecticides decreases over time. This results in increasing toxicity effects and disturbance of both parents and nestlings. In the present study, we tested the efficacy of Inesfly, a new insecticidal paint. Inesfly acts by releasing active water-soluble compounds progressively over a period, therefore having a longer-lasting effect than other insecticides. By applying this insecticidal paint inside nest-boxes used by blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus during the breeding season, we investigated its effect on the abundance of blackfly (Simuliidae), biting midge (Culicidae), flea (Ceratophyllidae), mite (Dermanyssidae) and blowfly (Calliphoridae) larvae. The insecticide significantly reduced the abundance of Protocalliphora azurea blowflies, while other parasites remained unaffected. Our results show that Inesfly was ineffective against ectoparasites infesting blue tit nest-boxes, blowflies excepted, at least at the dose applied. Finally, no negative effects on nestlings were reported following the use of this insecticide.

Estimating the productivity of colonial waterbirds can have important conservation and management implications. For tree-nesters, investigators must climb nest trees to obtain productivity data. In this study, we employed indirect inspection of nest status by using a pole-mounted camcorder at 77 nests in five colonies of tree-nesting grey herons Ardea cinerea in northern Poland. We found no significant relationship between the time spent recording per nest and the age or height of the inspected trees. We found that nestlings did not react to the presence of the climber manipulating the polemounted camcorder. However, we did record visible reactions from small chicks (< 4 weeks old) to the presence of cameras close to the nest, including threat poses and upright, forward and snap displays. For older nestlings (≥ 4 weeks old) we recorded only threat postures. This novel method allows the collection of ecological and/or behavioural data that cannot be obtained by observation from the ground, for example, the presence of eggs and small chicks, food or dead nestlings. Our study demonstrates that pole-mounted camcorders are a good alternative to nest climbing if there is no need for direct contact with nestlings. This method also reduces the duration of disturbance and is also safer for the climber.

La Sección Bibliográfica de Ardeola publica reseñas breves de publicaciones recibidas en la biblioteca de SEO/BirdLife. Estas reseñas se realizan desinteresadamente por un conjunto de colaboradores. Las reseñas son normalmente solicitadas por los editores a los colaboradores, aunque otras adicionales pueden ser consideradas para su publicación.

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The Books Reviews section of Ardeola publishes reviews of the publications received and deposited in the library of SEO/BirdLife. Most reviews are solicited by editors to individual contributors, but additional reviews are always most welcome.

Reviews express the opinions of the individual reviewer. As such, they are subjetive assessments and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or any official policy of SEO/BirdLife.

Se incluye información recopilada de 153 especies que se reparten por toda la geografía nacional, siguiendo la secuencia taxonómica y los nombres según la Lista de las Aves de España (Gutiérrez et al., 2012). Como principal novedad, se recomienda consultar la lista de especies nuevas que dejan de ser consideradas como rarezas y las que pasan a ser especies cuyas citas debe ser homologadas por el Comité de Rarezas de SEO/BirdLife (Copete et al., 2015). Para aquellas especies que dejan de estar en la categoría de “Aves raras en españa” se recomienda seguir remitiendo las observaciones como se venía haciendo hasta el momento para su homologación, y su envío a la dirección noticiario@seo.org, donde se publicarán de forma preferente con el fin de continuar documentando su patrón de distribución en el país. Por otro lado, recordar que para registrar datos en línea y desde telefonía móvil o consultas de los datos del Noticiario Ornitológico, aves exóticas o de aves raras está disponible la aplicación  www.gruposdetrabajo.seo