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Results from long-term monitoring efforts show that Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) population declines in the Klamath Basin are higher than declines previously documented for continental and regional populations. Results from a 10 year study conducted by Klamath Bird Observatory show a steady, sharp decline in numbers of Black Terns in the wetlands and open waters of Agency Lake and Upper Klamath Lake. According to a Black Tern conservation plan created in 2006, the desired population objective within the Great Basin — which includes the Klamath Basin — is 10,000 individuals.

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.

Flupyradifurone (PC Code 122304, 2(5H-(furanone), 4-{{(6-chloro-3-pyridinyl)methyl](2,2-difluoroethyl)amino]-, also known as BYI 02960) is a new active ingredient proposed for use as a systemic insecticide. The chemical belongs to the butenolide class of insecticides and the insecticidal activity of flupyradifurone is similar to the neonicotinoids with agonist activity in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, making it a member of the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) Group 4 insecticide class.

We tested the effects of acute or chronic exposure to thiamethoxam on the flight ability of foragers in flight mills. Within 1 h of consuming a single sublethal dose (1.34 ng/bee), foragers showed excitation and significantly increased flight duration (+78%) and distance (+72%). Chronic exposure significantly decreased flight duration (−54%), distance (−56%), and average velocity (−7%) after either one or two days of continuous exposure that resulted in bees ingesting field-relevant thiamethoxam doses of 1.96–2.90 ng/bee/day.

Neonicotinoids act as neurotoxins. Whether the interactions of imidacloprid with its target site in the nervous system – the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor - is reversible or not is an academic controversy which has practical implications for the risk assessment of neonicotinoids. Some scientists argue that imidacloprid irreversibly blocks the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Indeed, the lethality of imidacloprid to insects appears to be dependent on the time of exposure: the longer the exposure time, the less amount of total chemical is needed to kill honeybees.

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.

After the construction of the storm surge barrier in 1986 a small population of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) seem to have been established in the Eastern Scheldt estuary in the last decades. But since 2009 the number of stranded porpoises found on the Eastern Scheldt shore increased every year, reaching highest level in 2011. In the same year the largest number of harbour porpoises was counted. Considering the number of alive animals counted by annual surveys, the number of stranded individuals is surprisingly high in the last 4 years.