Bird tolerance to humans in open tropical ecosystems

AbstractAnimal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife–human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards humans was lower (i.e., escape distance was longer) in rural rather than urban populations and in populations exposed to lower human disturbance (measured as human footprint index). In addition, larger species and species with larger clutches and enhanced flight ability are less tolerant to human approaches and escape distances increase when birds were approached during the wet season compared to the dry season and from longer starting distances. Identification of key factors affecting animal tolerance towards humans across large spatial and taxonomic scales may help us to better understand and predict the patterns of species distributions in the Anthropocene.</jats:p

The occurrence of the Asian subspecies of the Gull-billed Tern (\u27Gelochelidon nilotica affinis\u27) in the Darwin region, Northern Territory

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An artificial site provides valuable additional habitat to migratory shorebirds in a tropical harbour

Migratory shorebirds are declining in all transequatorial flyways, most rapidly in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Population trends for shorebirds have been derived at a flyway and continental scale, but changes at the local scale are less well understood. Here we compare trends in migratory shorebird populations using natural and artificial roost sites within a tropical harbour, examine possible drivers of change, and identify appropriate conservation management responses. Counts of 19 migratory shorebird species from 2010 and 2018 showed that total abundance increased at an average annual rate of 3.3% (95% CI = 1.3-5.4%,P = 0.001) across five natural roost sites. This was driven largely by increases in great knot, with most other species declining. At an artificial site in an adjacent shorebird area, total abundance increased at an average annual rate of 14.5% (95% CI = 10.5-18.6%,

Phenology of southward migration of shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and inferences about stop-over strategies

The southward migration strategies of shorebirds remain poorly understood in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, yet understanding such strategies is critical to shorebird conservation. We estimate passage dates of 28 species of shorebird from count data at 15 sites to infer their migration strategies, using Thompson’s modelling approach. Our estimates of passage dates were consistent with available tracking data, giving us confidence that the modelled estimates were accurate. For large-bodied shorebirds, modelled departure dates from the northern Yellow Sea were similar to arrival dates throughout Australia, and their arrival dates in different regions in Australia were also similar, suggesting they flew directly from Asian staging areas to Australian non-breeding areas, or stopped only very briefly on the way. In contrast, small-bodied species apparently made multiple stops, especially in northern Australia, during their migration to their final non-breeding destinations. These differing patterns suggest that larger species in this Flyway depend on a small number of staging sites, whereas smaller species migrate in shorter steps and require additional staging sites between the northern Yellow Sea and Australasia. It is likely that some of these sites have not as yet been discovered, and that conservation of small shorebird species requires a more complete accounting of unknown and understudied staging sites

Monitoring threats to Australian threatened birds: climate change was the biggest threat in 2020 with minimal progress on its management

Most biodiversity monitoring globally tends to concentrate on trends in species’ populations and ranges rather than on threats and their management. Here we review the estimated impact of threats and the extent to which their management is understood and implemented for all threats to all Australian threatened bird taxa. The assessment reports the situation in 2020 and how this differs from 2010. The most marked finding was that the impact of climate change has increased greatly over the last decade, and now surpasses invasive species as the threat imposing the heaviest threat load. Climate change has driven recent massive population declines from increased temperatures in tropical montane rainforests and from fire. For both direct climate change impacts and fire management, progress in understanding how to relieve the threats has been slow and patchy. Consequently, little effective management has occurred. By comparison, our analysis showed that the single successful campaign to eradicate introduced mammals from Macquarie Island relieved the total threat load on Australian threatened birds by 5%, and more than halved the load on the birds from oceanic islands. Protection or rehabilitation of habitat, particularly on islands, has also delivered measurable benefit as have, in the longer term, controls on longline fishing. Our approach can be used with other taxonomic groups to understand progress in research and management and to allow quantification of potential benefits from proposed actions, such as the national threatened species plan. Climate change is now the biggest threat to Australian threatened birds, but almost no research or management to mitigate this threat has been undertaken.Most successful threatened species management has been on small islands with invasive species eradication, habitat protection and restoration providing substantial benefits.The approach taken can be used to quantify the benefits of both past conservation interventions and potential interventions.Monitoring trends in threat load complements indices assessing trends in population size and extinction risk. Climate change is now the biggest threat to Australian threatened birds, but almost no research or management to mitigate this threat has been undertaken. Most successful threatened species management has been on small islands with invasive species eradication, habitat protection and restoration providing substantial benefits. The approach taken can be used to quantify the benefits of both past conservation interventions and potential interventions. Monitoring trends in threat load complements indices assessing trends in population size and extinction risk.</p

Bird tolerance to humans in open tropical ecosystems

Animal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife-human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards humans was lower (i.e., escape distance was longer) in rural rather than urban populations and in populations exposed to lower human disturbance (measured as human footprint index). In addition, larger species and species with larger clutches and enhanced flight ability are less tolerant to human approaches and escape distances increase when birds were approached during the wet season compared to the dry season and from longer starting distances. Identification of key factors affecting animal tolerance towards humans across large spatial and taxonomic scales may help us to better understand and predict the patterns of species distributions in the Anthropocene