Farmland birds

Biologists have spent 30 years painstakingly nurturing the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) back from the brink of extinction. They are America's largest land bird, with a wing span reaching up to 9 feet. Due to lead poisoning, the majestic birds' population had dropped to just 22 nationwide by 1982. In a desperate gamble to save the birds, federal biologists captured all the remaining wild condors in 1987 and began a breeding program in zoos. The birds' young have been gradually released back into the wild.

Scientists have discovered a new species of colorful songbird in the Galápagos Islands, with one catch: it's extinct. Researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco State University (SFSU), the University of New Mexico (UNM), and the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) used molecular data from samples of museum specimens to determine that two subspecies of Vermilion Flycatchers, both found only in the Galápagos, should be elevated from subspecies to full species status.

The widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides in recent years has led to increasing environmental concern, including impacts to avian populations. In Texas and across their range, Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter bobwhite) habitat frequently overlaps with agricultural areas of known neonicotinoid use.

Die Kreisjägerschaft schlägt Alarm. Viele bodenbrütende Vögel, aber auch Feldhasen, haben kaum noch Chancen, ihren Nachwuchs aufzuziehen. Fliegenschwärme, eine aktuelle Mückenplage – derzeit mag man es kaum glauben, aber: Es gibt tatsächlich zu wenig Insekten, vor allem im Frühjahr. „Die Bodenbrüter benötigen Insekten für ihre Brut“, erläutert Alfred Nimphius. In den ersten beiden Wochen nach dem Schlüpfen brauchen die Küken die eiweißhaltige Kost, fliegende Insekten, aber auch Ameisen und Ameiseneier.

Since 1994, Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) numbers have declined by 57% in Wales. The Yellowhammer is often thought of as a bird of arable farmland, with declines linked to agricultural intensification in this habitat specifically. However, the decline monitored by Breeding Bird Survey volunteers in Wales suggests the problem is a wider issue, as shown in the latest Breeding Bird Survey report.

The latest Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) report, published today, has revealed that Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) numbers have hit a new low, declining by 93% since 1994. This trend is mirrored across Europe, with a decline of 78% between 1980 and 2013. The highest remaining breeding densities occur in eastern and southern England, and they have now disappeared from large areas of the country.

Insect populations are declining dramatically in many parts of the world, recent studies show. Researchers say various factors, from monoculture farming to habitat loss, are to blame for the plight of insects, which are essential to agriculture and ecosystems.

Spain‘s colorful array of birds have made the country a renowned bird watching spot. But it may no longer be a haven for the birds and the people who love them. A new report from SEO/BirdLife Spain says that Spain has lost 64.5 million birds in the past 20 years. Over 1,000 SACRE scientists came together to collect bird data between 1996 and 2015, reports Andrea Small for Audubon. The scientists would go to a spot two times each spring to record the birds that they saw and heard. In total, the scientists collected data from 20,000 stations.

While pesticide companies and some researchers say the tiny Varroa mite is the main culprit in declining honeybee health, new Dutch research concludes that bees are more vulnerable to mites and other stressors because of their constant diet of neonicotinoid insecticides. The debate about what's killing honeybees and other pollinators has continued for several years, with Varroa mites largely taking the blame for colony collapse disorder.