Post-glacial expansion and migration-drift balance shape the genetic structure of the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) across its range
September 2026
Understanding range-wide genetic diversity, population structure and connectivity is fundamental for evaluating the evolutionary potential and conservation needs of a species. The Dalmatian Pelican...
Temporal responses of the wintering waterbird communities in Shengjin Lake to environmental factors revealed by high-frequency intelligent monitoring system
September 2026
Exploring dynamic responses of wildlife to habitat changes is vital to inform conservation strategies. However, monitoring frequency is often limited for wild animals, impeding fine-grained understanding...
Seasonal assembly mechanisms of wintering waterbird communities in isolated lakes within an intensive agricultural landscape
September 2026
Understanding how community assembly vary across seasons is critical for wetland biodiversity conservation, especially in fragmented, human-dominated landscapes. Yet, most studies overlook fine-scale...
Migratory birds shape potential haemosporidian transmission through a parasite-sharing network
September 2026
Migration is one typical behavior that can affect parasite composition and transmission in local host communities, as migratory hosts are often heavily infected and may serve as a ‘vehicle’ to transmit...
Habitat types and functional traits mediate differentiated response of birds assemblage to super typhoon
September 2026
The proportion of intense tropical cyclones is projected to increase under climate change, posing growing threats to global biodiversity. However, most existing research has been conducted in the North...
Evolutionary and ecological processes drive the global diversity of the avian family Paridae
September 2026
Understanding how biodiversity is formed and maintained, is a key topic in both ecology and conservation biology. Both ecological and evolutionary processes jointly shape community assembly and maintain...
Building and assessing the ecological networks of a cold-region city: A resilience perspective using “urban avoiders” as indicators
September 2026
Rapid urbanization has accelerated biodiversity loss and ecosystem instability, particularly in ecologically fragile cold-region cities. As a critical node along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway,...
Nanostructural determinants of angle-dependent iridescent coloration in two peafowl species
September 2026
Structural colors arise from light interacting with nanoscale architectures, yet the relationships between multiple nanostructural features and their optical properties remain poorly understood. Peafowl...
Automated bird sound recognition in ecology: A methodological review and application framework
September 2026
Automated bird sound recognition (ABSR) has emerged as a transformative tool for avian ecology and conservation, offering an unprecedented ability to monitor biodiversity non-invasively across vast...
Indirect fitness benefits of cognitive investment: Head size predicts adaptive nest-site selection in Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica)
September 2026
Cognitive traits such as brain size are hypothesized to influence avian reproductive strategies, yet the ecological mechanisms linking neural investment to fitness under natural conditions remain underexplored....
Climate driven rapid northward expansion of a songbird from subtropical to warm temperate zones: Dispersal corridors and future suitable habitat
September 2026
While it is well established that climate change is driving species toward higher latitudes, the spatiotemporal dynamics of dispersal—particularly from subtropical to warm-temperate zones—remain poorly...
Migration of Brown-headed Gulls on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Potential transmission routes for highly pathogenic H5Nx virus
September 2026
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau serves as a critical hub along the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and a recognized hotspot for the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. Despite recurrent...
Penguins at the freshwater–marine boundary: Overlooked ecological linkages and climate-change risks
September 2026
Penguins are usually framed as marine predators, yet freshwater can strongly alter the environments in which they forage, breed and survive. This narrative mini review synthesises evidence for how river...
Like father, like son? Similarity of syllable repertoires and structures in the songs of first-year male Tree Pipits and their potential tutors
September 2026
Birdsong in oscine passerines is socially learned, but the relative influence of different tutors in the wild remains unclear for many species. We examined song acquisition in the Tree Pipit (Anthus...
Behavioral innovation correlates with broader climatic niche breadths in birds
September 2026
Behavioral innovation, defined as the ability to exhibit novel behaviors that may contribute to problem-solving and adaptability, has been increasingly recognized as a key factor in species’ resilience...
Mechanisms of egg recognition in two cuckoo bunting hosts
September 2026
Recognition and rejection of parasitic eggs are crucial host defenses against brood parasitism. Template-based recognition and recognition by discordancy are two main mechanisms of egg recognition used...
Toxicological impacts of persistent organic pollutants on avian physiology: A scientometric and systematic analysis
September 2026
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), primarily from industrial and agricultural sources, pose significant risks to birds due to their environmental pervasiveness, bioaccumulation, and toxicological...
Migratory birds as global vectors and evolutionary incubators of antibiotic resistance genes
September 2026
The global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, fueled by the cross-border dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), poses a critical and escalating threat to public health. Migratory birds,...
Migratory birds as global pathogen vectors: Ecological roles, transmission pathways, and emerging zoonotic risks
September 2026
Migratory birds have emerged as primary vectors of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, vector-borne pathogens, and fungal pathogens, posing a considerable and geographically unrestricted...
Inherited biases reveal call-type-specific conspecific alarm responses in tits
September 2026
Eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm signals provides critical predator information, yet whether recognition is driven by innate phylogenetic biases or learning and ecology remains unclear. We hypothesize...
Why are some White Eared Pheasants (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) grey? Investigating plumage divergence through habitat modeling
September 2026
Plumage coloration plays a crucial role in ecology, often reflecting adaptive responses to environmental heterogeneity. According to Gloger's rule, animals in warm and humid regions are expected to...
Migratory birds at the intersection of ecology and public health: Disseminating critical antimicrobial resistance genes across the globe
Available online 4 August 2026
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health threat, and migratory birds have emerged as unexpected yet key players in its ecology and dissemination. acting as both reservoirs and long-distance...
Mimetic birdsong affects automated bioacoustic species classification: A case study using the Northern Mockingbird, a ubiquitous North American mimic
Available online 31 July 2026
While automated bioacoustic species classifiers play a growing role in avian population monitoring, they can produce false positive misclassifications by conflating acoustically similar sounds, including...
Identifying biases in avian leucocyte profiles arising from blood sampling regime: The effects of capture stress and repeated sampling
Available online 30 July 2026
Physiological biomarkers offer valuable insights into the relationships between physiological responses and ecological conditions, serving as powerful tools to assess the health and resilience of wild...
Functional convergence and spatial turnover shape riparian bird diversity across temperate and boreal biomes of North America: A systematic review
Available online 30 July 2026
Riparian forests occupy a small fraction of terrestrial landscapes yet they support disproportionately high biodiversity and provide ecosystem services of global significance. Birds are especially responsive...