Correlates of avian extinction timing around the world since 1500 CE
2024
Avian extinctions have been relatively well documented in modern history, and in the past millennia, more bird species are known to have gone extinct than species in any other vertebrate class. We examined...
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Negative effects of artificial nest boxes on birds: A review
2023
Artificial nest boxes are placed to attract birds to nest and breed in a specific location, and they are widely used in avian ecology research and in the attraction of insectivorous birds. There is...
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Vultures as a model for testing molecular adaptations of dietary specialization in birds
2023
Vultures are the only obligate scavengers among extant vertebrates. They provide valuable ecological services in ecosystems through removing carcasses, thus preventing the growth of other scavenger...
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Migration pattern of a population of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) breeding in East Asian tropical region
2024
Birds exhibit a high degree of migratory diversity, which is influenced by various ecological factors and life history strategies. Conducting studies on tropical bird migration, of which research is...
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Phylogenetic definitions for 25 higher-level clade names of birds
2022
Knowledge of the higher-level phylogenetic relationships of birds has grown substantially during the past two decades due to the application of genomic data. However, the nomenclature of higher-level...
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Visual cognition of birds and its underlying neural mechanism: A review
2022
Birds have acute vision and many remarkable visual cognition abilities, due to their unique living environment. The underlying neural mechanisms have also attracted interests of researchers in neuroscience....
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Achievements, challenges, and recommendations for waterbird conservation in China's coastal wetlands
2023
China's coastal wetlands provide breeding, migration stopover, and wintering habitats for about 230 waterbird species, which is more than a quarter of all waterbirds in the world. Large-scale and high...
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Impact of agricultural landscape structure on the patterns of bird species diversity at a regional scale
2023
The loss of bird species diversity is a crucial problem in the European agricultural landscape. Change in the area coverage of major land cover types has been mentioned as one of the main factors responsible...
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More than a simple egg: Underlying mechanisms of cold tolerance in avian embryos
2023
Avian embryos, which develop within eggs, exhibit remarkable tolerance to extremely low temperatures. Despite being a common trait among all birds, the mechanisms underlying this cold tolerance in avian...
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Avian hippocampus: Recent advances in anatomy and physiological functions
2024
The avian hippocampus, akin to its mammalian counterpart, plays a critical role in cognitive and physiological processes despite notable structural differences. Initially thought to be less developed,...
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Most bird species remain poorly studied but threated status promotes research effort
2024
To halt biodiversity loss, threatened species are often selected as targets for conservation actions. However, whether most threatened species receive sufficient research effort remains unknown. Low...
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Seed dispersal by wintering ducks in a coastal wetland of eastern China
2024
Duck species are important vectors for seed dispersal of many plants, contributing significantly to the regeneration of wetland plant communities. However, research on the temporal changes in diet and...
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Population genomic data reveal low genetic diversity, divergence and local adaptation among threatened Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)
2024
Population genomic data could provide valuable information for conservation efforts; however, limited studies have been conducted to investigate the genetic status of threatened pheasants. Reeves's...
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Anthropogenic nesting materials and reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls (Pycnonotus sinensis) along the urbanization gradient in Hangzhou, China
2024
Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife. One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces, which has discernible...
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Combining video and GPS-tracking to study the spatial foraging distribution of a single-prey loading seabird
2024
Seabirds are valuable indicators of marine ecosystem processes and studying seabird diets can shed light on natural or human-induced variability in food-web composition. Specifically single-prey loading...
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Litter buffet: On the use of trash bins by birds in six boreal urban settlements
2023
Unintentional food resources in urban areas (street litter, food leftovers, overflowing trash bins) are dietary components of some urban-exploiter bird species. In this study, we report on 13 bird species...
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Nestlings of two parrotbill species can independently evaluate the presence of predators based on acoustic cues
March 2025
Nest predation is the leading cause of reproductive failure in birds and a major driving force in the evolution of anti-predation strategies. Current studies on the anti-predation strategies of birds...
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Habitat-dependent breeding biology of the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) across a continuous and heterogeneous Mediterranean woodland
2023
Mediterranean woodland environments are characterised by high spatial and temporal heterogeneity, which means the inhabiting species face a wide variety of selective pressures. Species may respond differently...
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Feeding ecology and interactions with mammal hosts in a symbiotic genus of birds (Buphagus spp.) in Namibia
2024
As the sole obligate symbiotic birds in Africa, oxpeckers offer a unique model for studying symbiotic relationships. Due to the multitrophic level they occupy and the context dependent foraging behavior...
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Variation of parental and chick diet in opportunistic insectivorous European Bee-eaters
2024
Insectivorous Palaearctic bird species associated with open habitats rely on high prey abundances, which are currently declining due to habitat loss and intensive agricultural practices. The European...
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Systematics of the avian family Alaudidae using multilocus and genomic data
2023
The family Alaudidae, larks, comprises 93–100 species (depending on taxonomy) that are widely distributed across Africa and Eurasia, with single species extending their ranges to North and northernmost...
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Endochondral ossification of hindlimbs in embryonic development of Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)
2024
The endochondral ossification of hindlimb is essential to a bird's ability to stand, walk and fly. Most hindlimb is ossified in the embryos before hatching in precocial birds. However, the molecular...
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Detecting the distribution of and public attitudes to charismatic alien species based on media coverage
2024
Charismatic species are often reported by the media, providing information for detecting population status and public perception. To identify the number and distribution of free-living Black Swan (Cygnus...
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Deterministic processes drive turnover-dominated beta diversity of breeding birds along the central Himalayan elevation gradient
2024
Beta diversity, the variation of community composition among sites, bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or...
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Inability of recognizing offspring underlies parental errors in the selection of offspring
March 2025
Inclusive fitness theory posits that altruistic behaviors, which are directed more likely towards relatives, should be favored by natural selection. However, the prevalence of alternative parenting...
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