Woodland birds

The red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) was once a very common woodpecker. In the mid-1800s, John James Audubon stated that the red-headed woodpecker was the most common woodpecker in North America. He called them semi-domesticated because they weren’t afraid of people. He stated that they were camp robbers and also a pest. According to the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count data, between the 1950s and the year 2010, the population of red-headed woodpeckers dropped dramatically. Over 80 percent of the population died out in just over 50 years.

Wo sind all die Grünfinken (Chloris chloris, Syn.: Carduelis chloris) geblieben? 2012 rangierte der possierliche Singvogel, der als einziger sogar in Thujenhecken nistet, mit 230.000 Brutpaaren noch auf Platz vier der häufigsten Vogelarten. Doch jetzt geht es mit ihm rapide bergab. "Seine Bestände haben sich mehr als halbiert", sagt Susanne Schreiner von BirdLife. Schuld ist der Einzeller "Trichomonas gallinae", der im Kropf schwere Entzündungen auslöst. Zwar hat er es auch auf andere Vogelarten abgesehen. Todbringend ist er aber fast nur für Grünfinken.

THE latest results from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) show that everything might not be as it seems, with many of our woodland birds in trouble. The BBS report, published by the British Trust for Ornithology in partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the RSPB shows trends for 111 species in the UK and makes interesting reading. Being a woodland bird in the UK is a bit of a rollercoaster ride, depending on which species you are.

Anfang dieser Woche hat Holger Sticht eine kleine Exkursion in die Wahner Heide unternommen. Dort ist Sticht häufiger unterwegs, denn der 45-Jährige ist Landesvorsitzender des Bundes für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) im Land und Hobby-Ornithologe. Einen alten Bekannten aber, den er in der Vergangenheit in dem zweitgrößten und artenreichsten Naturschutzgebiet Nordrhein-Westfalens, das nahe Köln gelegen ist, hat er diesmal weder gehört noch gesehen: den Waldlaubsänger (Phylloscopus sibilatrix).

The red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythocephalus) was once a very common woodpecker. These birds fly to catch insects in the air or on the ground, forage on trees or gather and store nuts. They are omnivorous, eating insects, seeds, fruits, berries, nuts, and occasionally even the eggs of other birds. In the mid-1800s, John James Audubon stated that the red-headed woodpecker was the most common woodpecker in North America. He called them semi-domesticated because they weren’t afraid of people. He stated that they were camp robbers and also a pest.

A new study, carried out by RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), estimates that there are just 1,114 Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) left in Scotland, making it one of the country’s rarest birds. Capercaillie – the world’s biggest grouse species – is Red Listed as a Bird of Conservation Concern and is at real risk of extirpation in Britain, according the RSPB. It is found in mature pine woodlands in parts of the Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire, with Strathspey holding around 83 per cent of the remaining population.

In Hawaii's Kauai island, the native forest birds are in peril. Once considered a paradise for the colorful songbirds, the island has lost more than half of those native species. Of the eight forest bird species on the island, three are listed as endangered. Among them is the puaiohi. The small gray and brown bird with pink feet now numbers less than 500. It feeds on the fruits of native plants and plays a vital role in seed dispersal.

The extremely rare green peafowl (Pavo muticus) is a close cousin of the more common blue peacock (Pavo cristatus) found across the Indian subcontinent. The green peafowl, too, was once widespread, but less than 20,000 individuals remain in the world today, mostly scattered across Southeast Asia. The green peafowl’s populations are in serious decline and the species is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. China is home to about 500 of these birds, all of which are known to occur only in the Yunnan province.

The Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang) is a small, insectivorous woodland bird whose male population sports a bright red breast and a white cap. Many are lucky enough to still see them around paddocks and homesteads in the cooler months. However, they are a species in serious decline. It has been determined by the NSW Scientific Committee that the Scarlet Robin is facing a high risk of extinction in NSW in the medium-term future. The ‘Save Our Scarlet Robin’ project is funded by the NSW Government via its Environmental Trust and will run for 10 years (to 2026) in the south east of NSW.

Some species of North American hummingbirds are in severe decline and a British Columbia research scientist says one possible cause might be the same insecticide affecting honey bees. Christine Bishop with Environment and Climate Change Canada said researchers started looking at a variety of factors that may be responsible, ranging from habitat loss to changes when plants bloom. To try and find some answers, researchers began collecting urine and feces from the birds for testing.