Woodland birds

Es ist meistens eine zweifelhafte Ehre, wenn eine Art für die Auszeichnung Tiere und Pflanzen des Jahres nominiert wird. 2016 sind das unter anderem der Hecht, der Stieglitz oder die Wiesenschlüsselblume. Klingt nach Allerweltsarten, die jeder kennt und die weit verbreitet sind. Aber es handelt sich um Tiere und Pflanzen, deren Lebensräume sich auch im Landkreis München verändern, was dazu führt, dass die Populationen abnehmen. Der Stieglitz (Carduelis carduelis) zum Beispiel. Bundesweit ist der Bestand der Stieglitze seit 1990 um knapp 50 Prozent zurückgegangen.

Embraced by kings and freedom fighters alike, Myanmar's peacocks have long been a national symbol of pride and resistance—but they are becoming ever harder to spot in the wild. Ornithologist Thet Zaw Naing is worried. Every year that goes by, Myanmar's national bird becomes a less familiar sight.

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.

A NEW strategic conservation plan to stop the decline of black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) in southern Scotland has been launched. The new plan has been funded by project partners the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Lammermuirs Moorland Group, Scottish Borders Council and RSPB Scotland. The long term decline of black grouse in the region has accelerated in recent decades, with numbers falling by 49% and 69% in south west and south east Scotland respectively between 1995/6 and 2005, to an estimated 807 and 257 males.

Evening grosbeaks (Coccothraustes vespertinus) are Western birds and were once rare east of the Rocky Mountains. But during the late 1800s, each successive winter found them a little farther east. By 1910 they had reached Rhode Island. For many years evening grosbeaks enjoyed prosperity in the East. However, over the past 50 years evening grosbeak numbers have declined. Scientists have documented a 97 percent decline in Eastern populations. They mostly forage at the tops of tall coniferous trees looking for insects.

The number of nests of Indian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) has registered a decline in Kajligarh forest area where they had been reported in abundant earlier. In a particular stretch of five kilometres in Kajliigarh forest near a flowing water body, more than 10-12 nests of state bird had been reported from several years. However, this year only 4-5 nests were spotted. "These birds are known for making their nests on the same trees, many a times even on the same branches, the decrease in the number of nests shows a change in behaviour," said Ajay Gadikar, ornithologist.

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.

Estimates on the total number of spotted owls (Strix occidentalis) in Washington state are, like the bird itself, elusive, but spotted-owl study areas indicate the scope of their demise. In the three study areas in Washington actively monitored by state and federal agencies, spotted-owl populations have declined between 4.7 percent and 8.4 percent a year over the past 20 years. In one Cle Elum study area, of 77 historical spotted-owl territories only 11 were found occupied in 2015.