Avian Ecology

approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Bruce D. Dugger This thesis focuses on the nesting ecology and marine space use of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) during the 2007 and 2008 nesting seasons in and around Port Snettisham, a remote mainland fjord in Southeast Alaska. Marbled Murrelets (murrelets) are a declining species throughout most of their range, and their conservation is a challenging endeavor because they rely on relatively large expanses of terrestrial habitat for nesting and marine habitat for food. Murrelets are especially difficult to study because they place their nests at variable and often considerable distance from the sea in largely inaccessible locations; consequently, we know relatively little about their breeding ecology and overall life history compared to other seabirds. I used radio-telemetry to gather data on reproduction, behavior, and at-sea locations of murrelets. Herein, I describe individual and population-level marine space use, identify nesting habitat, estimate reproductive success, and characterize patterns of nest visits. Mean marine home range size for adult murrelets was significantly larger in 2008 (158.6 ± 103.7 km²) than 2007 (97.8 ± 59.4 km²), suggesting that foraging conditions were relatively poor in 2008. Similarly, mean commuting distance from at-sea location to nest sites was significantly longer in 2008

The eighth international census of Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus wintering in Britain, Ireland and Iceland (also including the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) took place in January 2020, to update the estimates of the size, midwinter distribution, habitat use and breeding success of the Icelandic Whooper Swan population. The total of 43,255 swans counted represented a 27.2% increase in numbers since the previous census in 2015. Overall, 36.8% of the population (15,927 birds) was recorded in England, 33.4% (14,467) in the Republic of Ireland, 11.7% (5,052) in Scotland, 10.7% (4,644) in Northern Ireland and 6.8% (2,923) in Iceland, with < 1% (242) in Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands combined. Despite numbers increasing in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland since 2015, the proportion of the total population in the Republic of Ireland was significantly lower in 2020 and no significant difference was detected for Northern Ireland, whereas proportions in England and Scotland were significantly higher in 2020 and lower in Iceland. Breeding success was not associated with temperatures on either the breeding or wintering grounds. It also showed no clear trend over time, suggesting that increased survival may be the demographic driver of the population growth.

The Siberian spruce grouse (Falcipennis falcipennis) is an endemic species of the Russian Far East associated with late-succession dark conifer taiga forests. The species is listed in the Red Data Book of Russia and possesses a “Near Threatened” category in IUCN Red List.

Literature review and expert knowledge elicitation have been used to create a pilot Habitat Suitability Index Model and to identify potential distribution of the species in the years 1990 and 2000 based on openly available land cover data. Three approaches have been applied to estimate rates and patterns of forest cover change: a) NDVI time-series, b) a variation of transition matrix and c) an analysis of Russian Forest Plans.

In the last decade of the 20th century a reduction in winter habitat has occurred throughout the range. In this period a very high (up to 75%) rate of transformation in mature dark conifer forests has been reviled by the transition matrix. There were both similarities and disagreements in the trends of forest cover change recognised by different approaches. The data from Russian Forest Plans has been found to be weakly correlated to the changes observed from satellite imagery.According to Russian Forest Plans the further development of the Russian Far East is connected to a 1.3-1.7-fold increase in harvested volumes of timber which, provided illegal logging is not combated, poses a serious threat to Siberian grouse’s survival. To improve the accuracy and comparability of HSI model outputs for sequential time steps it is recommended to use spatial data classified consistently and with consideration to the purposes of the research.

The present study deals with the new nesting record of grey heron (Ardea cinerea) from state of Rajasthan, India, This note revealed that the grey heron build up the nest near the water resources for avoiding the shortage of food or to lessen the travel troubles and energy. The human disturbance has an insignificant effect on nesting of grey heron.

SummaryThe north-west European population of Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii declined by 38% between 1995 and 2010 and is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the European Red List of birds. Here, we combined information on food resources within the landscape with long-term data on swan numbers, habitat use, behaviour and two complementary measures of body condition, to examine whether changes in food type and availability have influenced the Bewick’s Swan’s use of their main wintering site in the UK, the Ouse Washes and surrounding fens. Maximum number of Bewick’s Swans rose from 620 in winter 1958/59 to a high of 7,491 in winter 2004/05, before falling to 1,073 birds in winter 2013/14. Between winters 1958/59 and 2014/15 the Ouse Washes supported between 0.5 and 37.9 % of the total population wintering in north-west Europe (mean ± 95 % CI = 18.1 ± 2.4 %). Swans fed on agricultural crops, shifting from post-harvest remains of root crops (e.g. sugar beet and potatoes) in November and...

The Western Ghats are a world renowned Biodiversity Hotspot with high endemic value and an abundance of natural resources. However, the forest habitats have been severely depleted and fragmented resulting in a degraded system of discrete, disconnected primary forest fragments, set in an agricultural landscape with areas of scrubland and secondary forest growth. The modern era of exploitation can be traced back to the colonial years and has been continued in in recent times as urban development and population growth squeeze natural ecosystems into smaller spaces. It has been noted that throughout this era of exploitation there has been a tendency towards management concentrated on discrete forest patches, which lack data and knowledge regarding their ecological communities. As habitats continue to be degraded there is a need to fill these knowledge gaps and improve habitat management towards catchment and landscape-scale thinking. The research presented here focuses on Avian-floristic relationship, nature education and community exploitation of forest resources. It combines mega flora diversity, tree species assemblage and abundance, density, species richness canopy cover and bird diversity along with surveys of village inhabitants. The aim is to understand the quality of different forest types, specifically primary and secondary forests, work with village communities to understand their need to exploit forest resources, and how this exploitation impacts the ecologies of the forests. Finally, suggestions for improved management of forests are offered placing the forest fragments into the context of landscape-scale conservation management. A bark identification key was developed to assist with identifying tree species divided into 9 bark types. It was shown that
Legumenosae followed by Moraceae are dominant tree species in the forests. While the inventory revealed 61 species of trees and 85 bird species within the forests. The results showed the canopy cover structure and Gap Light Analysis (%Canopy openness and %transmitted gap light) interlinked and how these change season by season. The village surveys highlighted a need to develop awareness raising within local communities. However, it was found that poverty and poor resources forced people to exploit the forests. Thus, poverty was a clear driver for accessing the forests for products such as food, firewood and medicinal plants. This direct forest exploitation was further exacerbated by agricultural encroachment, particularly of livestock grazing.
Bird species displayed a clear preference towards primary forests suggesting a richer habitat in both plant and invertebrate species. This highlighted the need to protect primary forests. At the same time it was felt important to recommend extending forest cover through regeneration of trees in plots adjacent to primary forests. Other conservation measures recommended included better management of riparian zones, increased wildlife corridor cover as well as improved resources for the rural poor who are forced to exploit primary forests despite the negative impacts of such exploitation.

The vegetation in the habitats of the endemic montane grassland bird Nilgiri Pipit at Palani Hills and Nilgiri Hills of southern Western Ghats is delineated in this study. Threats to the habitats of the Nilgiri Pipit by invasive plants species is also discussed.

We used radio-telemetry techniques to determine hourly activity patterns of 29 juvenile Lilac-crowned Parrots (Amazona finschi) during 1996–2000 in tropical dry forest of Jalisco, Mexico. Parrots had two peak activity periods—early morning and late afternoon—for both overall activity and local movement. Individuals were generally inactive and did not change location for 5–6 hr during the middle of the day. Parrots were more active in the dry season than in the rainy season, although movements resulting in a change of location did not vary between seasons. Seasonal variations in activity of Lilac-crowned Parrots may be related to variations in food availability or temperature. Activity patterns of parrots need to be considered when evaluating habitat use or survey data.

ECOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS AND EVALUATION OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES IN LAKE AYATA (OUED RIGH VALLEY: NORTHERN ALGERIAN SAHARA).
****
ABSTRACT: Ayata Lake (155 ha) belongs to the complex of wetlands of Oued Righ Valley in Algerian Lower-Sahara. This study conducted between October 2009 and June 2010 has allowed a bioecological characterization of both biotic and abiotic elements of the site.
Flora and fauna Inventories have revealed existence of 13 plant species, 03 fish, 02 amphibians, 06 reptiles, 55 birds and 07 mammals. The flora of the site is mapped then the dynamics of dominant plant species is assessed by GIS software. Bio-ecological Statuses (faunal, trophic, phenological and protection) are attributed to the species surveyed and they are discussed. The spatiotemporal occupation of the lake by birds is mapped and detailed. Furthermore, this study includes a general review on wetlands ecosystems. Wetlands of the Lower-Sahara region (Ziban, Souf, valley of Oued Righ, and Ouargla) are inventoried, classified and mapped. This approach helped to highlight the biological resources of Ayata Lake and determine its actual ecological value. This can lead to propose suggestions for management and conservation close to its socioeconomic status in a sustainable development view.

*****

RÉSUMÉ: Le Lac Ayata (155 ha) appartient au complexe des zones humides de la Vallée d’Oued Righ au Bas-Sahara algérien. L’étude menée entre octobre 2009 et juin 2010 a permis une caractérisation bioécologique des éléments tant biotiques qu’abiotiques du site. Les inventaires de la flore et de la faune ont révélé l’existence de 13 espèces végétales, 03 poissons, 02 amphibiens, 06 reptiles, 55 oiseaux et 07 mammifères. La flore du site est cartographiée et la dynamique saisonnière des espèces dominantes est estimée par un logiciel de SIG. Des statuts bioécologiques (fauniques, trophiques, phénologiques et de protection) sont attribués aux espèces animales inventoriées puis ils sont discutés. L’occupation spatiotemporelle du lac par l’avifaune est cartographiée et détaillée. Par ailleurs, cette étude comporte des connaissances générales sur les des zones humides. Celles-ci sont inventoriées, classifiées puis cartographies dans la région du Bas-Sahara (Ziban, Souf, Vallée d’Oued Righ et Ouargla). Cette approche a permis de mettre en valeur les ressources biologiques du site et de déterminer son importance écologique. Ceci peut aboutir à des suggestions de gestion et de conservation étroites à son état socioéconomique dans une prospection d’un développement durable.

For the past five years I’ve been doing research on the cognitive abilities of African Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), attempting to document not only their remark-able linguistic abilities but also examining the way that they interact with their human caretakers, specifically Greys who have been home-raised and hence exposed to a language-rich environment. Given that literally no work has been done on the linguistic abilities of Greys raised in home environments, the research I’ve carried out to date and which will be discussed in this chapter must be viewed as preliminary, although not necessarily ground-breaking for that term needs to be applied to the outstanding research that Dr. Irene Pepperberg has carried out in her laboratory where she demonstrated the remarkable cognitive abilities of her Greys, Alex, Griffin and Arthur.
Pepperberg’s conclusion—which is accepted by animal behaviourists—is that the cognitive abilities of Greys allow them to be ranked as having reasoning skills equivalent to those of a 2- to 3-year-old human child and in some specific areas the tests showed that a Grey is capable of performing at the level of a 5-year old. Quite surprisingly, leaving aside the outstanding work of Pepperberg and her highly insightful commentaries on the speech production and verbal interactions that her Greys had with her and members of her laboratory staff (Pepperberg 2009), to my knowledge, there still has been no inquiry into how the proven cognitive abilities of these laboratory-trained birds relate to the way that home-raised Greys communicate verbally with humans. While there is a plethora of studies and speculations about how songbirds acquire their songs, no such similar work has been done on Greys in home settings. In any case, Pepperberg’s remarkable research results provide support for the following proposition: that there would be nothing inherently wrong with suggesting complex cognitive interpretations of the verbal performance of home-raised Greys given that the species in question has already been proven to have high intelligence (Waal 2016:41–42).

1-EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Under current highly challenging and competitive business environment most of the companies are looking for innovative solutions to control cost and improve efficiency. Airline companies are striving hard to reduce the supply chain cost and to achieve higher service efficiency and quality.
This paper gives details of complex structure of aviation supply chain process and how it differs from normal industrial supply chain process and what crucial factors can affect the performance of whole supply chain process for an Aviation MRO.
Rapid growth of aviation industry provides critical insight of MRO supply chain performance against their competitors, this study unveils mapping or process of MRO supply chain, corrective measures required to achieve higher performance and cost saving strategies.
This study supported by many pictorial illustrations along with explanation gives deep understanding of MRO supply chain management an executive should be aware of to bring his aviation company in competitive operational status.
Report also illustrates that only focusing on cost cutting can’t help a company in long run and however, focusing on supply chain efficiency can actually turn around a MRO organization’s business growth.
We have also discussed the major SCM elements and their inter relevance in this report. Yet again because of Aviation MRO supply chain being highly complicated process and dependent on many external and internal influential factors, a real life Aviation Supply chain process can be much different than one discussed here. Hence, this report has its limitations.

Ecosystem services are ecosystem processes that directly or indirectly benefit human well-being.
There has been much recent literature identifying different services and the communities and species
that provide them. This is a vital first step towards management and maintenance of these services.
In this review, we specifically address the waterbirds, which play key functional roles in many
aquatic ecosystems, including as predators, herbivores and vectors of seeds, invertebrates and
nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Waterbirds can maintain the diversity of
other organisms, control pests, be effective bioindicators of ecological conditions, and act as
sentinels of potential disease outbreaks. They also provide important provisioning (meat, feathers,
eggs, etc.) and cultural services to both indigenous and westernized societies. We identify key gaps
in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by waterbirds and areas for future research
required to clarify their functional role in ecosystems and the services they provide. We consider
how the economic value of these services could be calculated, giving some examples. Such valuation
will provide powerful arguments for waterbird conservation.

La región caribeña de Guatemala es sin duda uno de los mejores sitios para la observación de aves en Guatemala, y uno de los sitios más interesantes para el estudio de las mismas. El observador o naturalista seguramente gozará de la rica avifauna del sitio, así como de todas sus cualidades naturales. El presente listado también se convierte en indispensable compañero del técnico o técnica de campo en el monitoreo de aves de la región Caribeña. Esperamos que sea de su utilidad.

The edible-nest swiftlets of the genus Aerodramus are amongst the most unusual of birds,
being able to navigate in total darkness aided by echolocation and using their own saliva to construct the
nest. They are a valuable economic resource, the edible nests being much sought after. Knowledge of nesting
and breeding ecology of this species has so far been limited to cave colonies whilst studies focusing on the
house-farmed population are lacking. We studied the roosting and nest building behaviour of the white-nest
swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus (Thunberg) in two separate house-farmed colonies of different age in Miri
Division, Sarawak, from Jun.2010 to Jan.2011 (Site-I) and Feb.2012 to Oct.2012 (Site-II). Two types of infrared
(IR) cameras were used, namely (i) fi xed focal-lens IR to monitor large colony and (ii) Pan-Tilt-Zoom
camera for close-up observation. This paper reports new discovery in which three basic activity sessions
are described; fi rst emergence period (0600–0700 hours), post-emergence period (0700–1000 hours) and
returning period (1800–1900 hours). During the post-emergence period, approximately half of the sampled
colony was observed re-entering the swiftlet house to resume nest construction. Ten ethogram categories
were developed to describe the roosting behaviours of the white-nest swiftlets: proximity fl uttering, random
roosting fl ight, pair switching, parallel shifting, mounting, preening, defaecating, resting, territorial display,
and nest building. Our results also revealed that there is a disparity in sexual contribution in nest building,
where one partner is twice more hardworking and return more frequently during the post-emergence period
to build nest. We hypothesized that it is the male (i.e., Individual-A) that contributes more to nest building,
reasons being (i) Individual-A is the one that mounted Individual-B and not the other way around, (ii)
Individual-A is nearly twice as hardworking in nest building, correlating with the fact that spermatogenesis
is less energy demanding than oogenesis, and (iii) more protective over its partner when their nest reaches
full size, a point of time when copulation is expected.

Es oportuno mencionar que la información "buena" o "mala" suministrada en este trabajo es responsabilidad de la autora, pero para que ello fuera posible fue necesaria la colaboración de muchas personas, de las cuales espero no olvidar sus nombres en estas breves palabras. Sin embargo, si así sucediese apelo a su consideración por la memoria fugaz que me caracteriza (por cierto, excusa que siempre recuerdo).

The present study deals with observational investigations of avian diversity and seasonal abundance in forest habitat of Jeolikote, district Nainital. A total of 131 species of birds belonging to 13 orders and 42 families were recorded in three different seasons (winter, summer, rainy) from February 2017 to March 2018. Species richness and diversity of birds were recorded more in winter season followed by summers and rainy season respectively. Maximum number of individuals were recorded during winter (1516) followed by summer (1193) and 743 in rainy season. The most dominant species recorded are from family Muscicapidae (11 species, 8.39%) and highly dominant trophic guild was insectivore (18.32%) in the study area. In terms of distribution status 76% of avian species are resident, 16% are resident altitudinal migrant, 5% are winter visitor and 3% are summer visitor. During the study period it was recorded that two species, Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) under the 'endangered' category and Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) under the 'near threatened'category (IUCN 2018) spotted in the study site.

The present study was carried out to assess the occurrence of fish species with the relation to some physico-chemical water parameters in Chindwin River between Sonekyin and Waegyi segments, Sagaing Region from January 2018 to December 2018. In this research, a total of 45 species representing 17 families under seven orders were observed. The most dominant order was found to be Siluriformes consisting 43% of the total fish population in Sonekyin segment. It was found that Puntius sophore dominated in Waegyi segment while Parambasis ranga dominated in Sonekyin segment. The dissolved oxygen and pH were found as major influential factors for fish species distribution. The endemic species, Gudusia variegate, Mystus leucophasis and Chaga burmensis were observed. Near-threatened species, Osteobrama belangeri, Ompok bimaculatus, Wallago attu and Bagarius bagarius were also recorded in Chindwin River. The decline of river water quality might be due to impacts of human activities.

Introduction: Banbhore situated at bank of Charo creek and 65km from the Karachi in the district Thatta, Sindh, Pakistan. The main objectives of research were to observe the avian diversity of coastline of Banbhore, Sindh, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: During the research two transects lines were selected; each transects line consists of 1 km long selected. Linear count method was used while direct and indirect methods were applied. For the statistical analysis PAST software was used to find out the diversity indices. Results: A total of 51 avian species and 960 individuals were noted from coastline of Banbhore (Gharo creek), district Thatta, Sindh, Pakistan. Dominance Index (0.03134), Evenness Index (0.7575), Margalef Index (7.268), Simpson diversity Index (0.9687) and Shannon-wiener diversity Index (3.654) were recorded form the study area. Conclusion: 51 avian species were documented from the Banbhore (district Thatta) during the research and is documented that Banbhore (Gharo creek) having rich avian diversity.

Urbanisation is a rapidly growing phenomenon that is affecting global biodiversity, but the integration of conservation goals into urban planning can minimise ecological damage. Conservation planning for birds can be informed by knowledge of species-habitat relationships, but opportunities for studying these relationships before urbanisation occurs are rare. Our study took place in the Molonglo Valley, southeastern Australia, where approximately 30% of the area will be developed for new human settlement over the next 30 years. We surveyed 80 sites for birds and used multiple regression to explore the role that land use, vegetation cover and structure play on total species richness, woodland species richness and prevalence (proportion of total species), and also on the presence of ten woodland species. We found that total species richness was higher in river corridors and eucalypt woodland. Woodland species richness was higher in river corridors and eucalypt woodlands, and when leaf litter was present. Woodland species prevalence was higher in river corridors and when leaf litter and eucalypt regeneration were present. Individual woodland species showed a range of responses to five main structural and compositional categories: (1) land use, (2) tree cover and composition, (3) eucalypt regeneration, (4) shrub cover, and (5) ground cover attributes. We use these data on bird-habitat relationships to develop five recommendations on: (1) eucalypt woodland, (2) high quality riparian areas, (3) scattered trees, (4) eucalypt regeneration, and (5) structurally complex habitats, to aid policy makers, planners and developers to integrate conservation for woodland birds into their urban planning.

This article presents results from a large-scale investigation of bird use in the Scottish Islands. Although avian archaeology has sometimes been overlooked, it has become increasingly clear that birds were a small but often important component of past diets. This is particularly relevant when it is considered that a diverse range of birds, and particularly aquatic birds, thrive in coastal and island locations. Large colonies of gregariously breeding seabirds provided a concentrated resource which could be targeted intensely for both meat and eggs. The use of aquatic birds in the Scottish Islands is therefore integral to holistically understanding diet and resource use in these settings. Aquatic birds would have offered a wide variety of dietary resources to prehistoric populations including meat and eggs, but also oil and fat. The exploitation of seabirds endured throughout Scottish Island prehistoric living from the Mesolithic to the Late Iron Age (and much further beyond), within a picture of resource use that shows both continuity and flexibility in the exploitation of aquatic birds. The acquisition of these resources required the development of several species and habitat-specific fowling techniques that demonstrate in-depth understanding of the avian resources being exploited. Local hunting and targeted fowling trips to more distant locations in the landscape and seascape are indicated by the zooarchaeological data. Exploitation of aquatic birds displays a summer focus but as part of a year-round fowling calendar, whilst preservation for later consumption may provide information on another element of the dietary picture.

Keywords
Birds; Seabirds; Fowling; Scottish Islands; Avian archaeology; Zooarchaeology

The relative fitness of individuals across a population can shape distributions and drive population growth rates. Migratory species often winter over large geographic ranges, and individuals in different locations experience very different environmental conditions, including different migration costs, which can potentially create fitness inequalities. Here we use energetic models to quantify the trade-offs experienced by a migratory shorebird species at locations throughout the non-breeding range, and the associated consequences for migratory performance, survival and breeding habitat quality. Individuals experiencing more favourable winter conditions have higher survival rates, arrive on the breeding grounds earlier and occupy better quality breeding areas, even when migration costs are substantially higher, than individuals from locations where the energetic balance on the wintering grounds is less favourable. The energetic costs and benefits of occupying different winter locations can therefore create fitness inequalities which can shape the distribution and population-wide demography of migratory species.

The offshore islands of the North Atlantic were among some of the last settled places on earth, with humans reaching the Faroes and Iceland in the late Iron Age and Viking period. While older accounts emphasizing deforestation and soil erosion have presented this story of island colonization as yet another social–ecological disaster, recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental research combined with environmental history, environmental humanities, and bioscience is providing a more complex understanding of long-term human ecodynamics in these northern islands. An ongoing interdisciplinary investigation of the management of domestic pigs and wild bird populations in Faroes and Iceland is presented as an example of sustained resource management using local and traditional knowledge to create structures for successful wild fowl management on the millennial scale.

The habitat analysis of stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis Linnaeus, 1766) and pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis Linnaeus, 1758) was done at the Chittagong University Campus, Chittagong, Bangladesh during January 2011 to December 2013. The both kingfisher species used five types of habitat (pond, lake, stream, agricultural land/channel and tree), of which trees were used maximum (43.23%) and agricultural lands/channels were minimum (3.76%) by stork-billed kingfisher; whereas pied kingfisher spent the highest time (40.66%) in the streams and the lowest (11.67%) in the agricultural lands/channels. Four types of perching places (fence, wire, bamboo and tree) were used by both kingfisher species, of which trees were used maximum (68.89%) and wires minimum (2.78%) by stork-billed kingfisher; while pied kingfisher spent the highest (53.43%) time on fences and the lowest (4.78%) on wires.

Flyash is a waste product generated from coal based thermal power plants. Globally, disposal of fly ash is a great challenge for the planners. Dumping the ash in nearby wastelands is most preferred disposal method adopted by the agencies. In India, such depositions are often transformed in to varying sizes of ponds that are known as fly ash ponds. Out of the 8 major thermal power plants of Maharashtra, fly ash ponds associated with Nashik Thermal Power Station were explored as habitats for the faunal diversity. Despite the toxic nature of flyash, these sites harbour significant avian diversity (128 species). Interestingly, these ponds are situated in close proximity with Nandur-Madhyameshwar Bird Sanctuary along the Nandur-Madhyameshwar dam. This in fact encouraged a comparative study of avian diversity of both these man-made wetlands. The analysis based on field observations made during 2007-2011, shows high similarity value (0.75) between these habitats. Nevertheless, flyash ponds remain neglected and devoid of any legal protection. Present study signifies the association of avifauna with these specialized habitats that can be converted into eco parks to protect these sites and introduce alternate livelihood options to the affected community.

The rose-ringed parakeet has been present in the South East of England since at least the 1970s. However, there is little understanding about the impact that this exotic, gregarious bird has on native wildlife and therefore whether anything should or can be done to restrict potential impacts.
The aim of this thesis is to provide an updated census of South East England’s parakeet population size and growth, and investigate any evidence of ecological impacts to help inform policy makers making decisions on mitigation strategies for the rose-ringed parakeet. This has been achieved through using roost counts to regularly survey the population over three years and by carrying out two garden feeding experiments to look at effects of parakeet presence on bird feeding behaviour and on competition for food. I show that the rose-ringed parakeet population is well established in the UK, with over 30,000 individuals, has undergone rapid growth since 1996 but that the core London population appears to have reached capacity. I also show evidence of competition for food between parakeets and native birds, causing negative impacts on native bird foraging behaviour and resulting in a reduction in garden bird species accessing food. The overall findings of this research are that parakeets have the potential to reach high numbers in urban areas and that they do compete for food with native birds, but as yet there is no evidence for population level effects
on native species. This adds to the knowledge of ecological impacts of the rose-ringed parakeet and provides further insight into the behavioural impacts that non-native species can have on native wildlife. I discuss the implications of these findings for future management and policy.

Plants are of fundamental importance to the structure, functioning and service provision of many ecosystems. However, herbivores can have negative ecological and socioeconomic effects on plant communities through consumption, trampling and alteration of nutrient cycles. In this thesis I address a particular herbivore-plant interaction: the grazing of plants in chalk river catchments, principally the submerged macrophyte water crowfoot (Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans (Syne) S.D. Webster) and terrestrial pasture grass species, by flocks of non-breeding mute swans (Cygnus olor Gmelin, 1789). This research was carried out over two years in the River Frome catchment (Dorset, UK).

Based on a meta-analysis of previous waterfowl grazing studies I show that waterfowl biomass density (kg ha-1) rather than individual density (ind. ha-1) is a better predictor of reductions in plant standing crop. Most studies to date have analysed such reductions using only individual densities, despite large between-taxa variation in waterfowl body mass, diet and intake rates.

I quantified the abundance, species richness, evenness, flowering and dominance of the chalk river aquatic plant community in relation to biotic and abiotic factors during the growth-, peak-, and recession-phases of the growth cycle. The relative importance of herbivory, riparian shading, water temperature and distance downstream varied between different phases of the plant growth cycle, highlighting the importance of seasonal patterns in regulation of plant community structure.
The River Frome swan population varied seasonally, being highest in the winter. The population was dominated by non-breeding adults and juveniles that lived in flocks. These flocks exhibited strong seasonal habitat switches between terrestrial pasture in winter and spring, and river in summer and autumn. I provided evidence that this switch was linked to the seasonal decrease in water velocity between spring and summer, which reduced the metabolic costs of river feeding and increased the relative profitability of aquatic food resources.

I used a mathematical population model and an individual-based behavioural model respectively to explore two management options for the alleviation of the swan grazing conflict in chalk rivers: population control and habitat alterations. Population control measures, such as clutch manipulations, fertility control, culling or translocations, were predicted to be unsuccessful except at impractically high levels of management effort, due to the effects of immigration and high survival rates in offsetting removed eggs or individuals. Habitat alterations, in particular the narrowing of river channels to cause a local increase in water velocity and thus swan foraging costs, are more promising management options as they require lower management effort, are less ethically controversial, and address the fundamental reason why swans select their food resources, the rate of net energy gain (‘profitability’).

There are concerns that novel structures might displace protected species, facilitate the spread of non-indigenous species, or modify native habitats. It is also predicted that ocean warming and the associated effects of climate change will significantly increase biodiversity loss within coastal regions. Resilience is to a large extent influenced by the magnitude of dispersal and level of connectivity within and between populations. Therefore it is important to investigate the distribution and ecological significance of novel and artificial habitats, the presence of protected and alien species and potential vectors of propagule dispersal. The legacy of solar salt-making in tropical and warm temperate regions is regionally extensive areas of artificial hypersaline ponds, canals and ditches. Yet the broad-scale contribution of salt-working to a network of benthic biodiversity has not been fully established. Artisanal, abandoned and historic salt-working sites were investigated along the Atlantic coast of Europe between southern England (50 N) and Andalucía, Spain (36 N). Natural lagoons are scarce along this macrotidal coast and are vulnerable to environmental change; however it is suspected that avian propagule dispersal is important in maintaining population connectivity. During bird migration periods, benthic cores were collected for infauna from 70 waterbodies across 21 salt-working sites in 5 coastal regions. Bird ringing data were used to investigate potential avian connectivity between locations. Lagoonal specialist species, some of international conservation importance, were recorded across all regions in the storage reservoirs and evaporation ponds of continental salinas, yet few non-indigenous species were observed. Potential avian propagule transport and connectivity within and between extant salt-working sites is high and these artificial habitats are likely to contribute significantly to a network of coastal lagoon biodiversity in Europe.

RESUMEN Se presenta un listado de 255 referencias bibliográficas sobres aves chilenas de humedal, abarcando desde 1905 hasta el 2010. Palabras Claves: Indice bibliográfico. Aves. Humedal. Chile ABSTRACT It is presented a list of 255 bibliographic cites on wetland birds from 1905 to 2010.

The assessment of feeding conditions and variations in diet composition over the pre-breeding period of birds plays a key-role in the understanding of reproductive performance. Pellets regurgitated by the Little Owl, Athene noctua, were collected from Boulhilet (Batna, northeast Algeria). The analysis of 48 pellets resulted in the identification of 471 prey-items of 38 different species classified into 6 classes, 7 orders, 21 families and 35 genera. The diet of the Little Owl is very diverse (Food Niche Breadth = 14.5, Shannon index = 4.4 bits), a variety of arthropods account for this diversity. Although insects made up 90% of the food consumed, they accounted only for 8% of the total biomass. Seventy two percent of diet biomass consisted of small mammal prey, which constitute a rich source of energy during the pre-breeding period when other prey are not available due to cold conditions. We found no significant change in rodent availability in the diet (number of prey-individuals, biomass, prey-species richness, prey-species occurrence) among study months and years. Meanwhile, the other identified prey-categories, principally invertebrates (characterized by prey frequency, composition, and biomass) showed significant variations between months and/or years of the study. We suggest that these prey categories represent a food supplement when conditions become severe.

This paper details the results of recent reanalysis of the animal remains from the 1960s excavations at Fishbourne Roman Palace, West Sussex. It argues that specimens originally identified as belonging to the great bustard are, in fact, misidentified remains of common crane. This discovery has important connotations. First, these findings need to be reported so that the avian archaeological record can be updated to avoid future syntheses of Romano-British faunal remains incorrectly including great bustard. Secondly, interpretations of the zooarchaeological remains at Fishbourne Palace will alter, due to the differing ecological histories of bustards and cranes.

Northwest Forest Plan of the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land and resource management plans in California, Oregon, and Washington within the range of the Northern Spotted Owl. In addition to establishing new management direction for federal forests, the Record of Decision provided a framework for interagency monitoring. This document reports annual accomplishments of recent and ongoing monitoring and research efforts within the range of the Northern Spotted Owl.

In northwest Europe conflicts have routinely occurred between economic and conservation interests regarding shellfish such as cockles and mussels. The harvest of these species is economically important, but shellfish also constitute the main overwinter food supply of the oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus. In this report we describe attempts to produced a simplified modelling approach to predict the quantities of shellfish which need to be left unharvested in order to ensure high overwinter survival of oystercatcher.
We review oystercatcher diet and prey selection in order to quantify the dependence of this species on shellfish, and determine the size ranges of shellfish which the birds consume. We also review the food requirements of oystercatchers, based on their energetic needs and the nutritional quality of shellfish. In general the data agree well with those used in previous oystercatcher modelling studies. However, there is a possibility that the daily energy requirements, calculated from an all bird allometric equation, may yield an underestimate of oystercatcher food requirements. A comparison of the physiological food requirements, i.e. the quantity directly consumed, and the ecological food requirements, i.e. the quantity required to avoid high mortality, indicated that the ecological food requirement was between 2.0 and 7.8 times greater, with the value depending on the proportion of cockles Cerastoderma edule and mussels Mytilus edulis in a site.  These ratios are calculated from empirical data on oystercatcher survival and the predictions of individual-based models predicting the relationship between mortality rate and the abundance of the food supply. Data from the Burry Inlet indicated that the mean ecological food requirement was 3.3 times greater at this site.
We describe a simplified spreadsheet model, which we used to predict the food requirements of the oystercatcher population of the Burry Inlet, and thus the quantity of shellfish which must be left unharvested in order to maintain low mortality rate. The model is based on parameter values derived from the literature reviews in this study, including the energy requirements of the birds, the energy content of shellfish, the minimum size of cockles and mussels consumed, and the ratio of the ecological and physiological requirements. We describe the assumptions and limitations of the model, and compare the model with more detailed individual-based models that can be used to predict the mortality rate of shorebirds in relation to the amount of food available.