Bosvogels

Der Bestand der Potsdamer Nachtigallen (Luscinia megarhynchos) im Stadtgebiet geht kontinuierlich zurück. Das stellt die Fachgruppe Ornithologie des NABU Kreisverbandes Potsdam fest. Die Daten der Nachtigallenzählungen umfassen die Jahre 1965/1966, 2003, 2010 und 2015. Besonders die Erfassungen der beliebten Sänger in den letzten drei Zählungen sind gut vergleichbar und zeichnen diesen Negativtrend deutlich ab. So sind 2003 - 378, 2010 - 368 und 2015 - 313 Reviere dieser relativ leicht zu erfassenden Vogelart ermittelt worden.

Hen harriers (Circus cyaneus) have been virtually wiped out by sporting estates across northeast Scotland, according to a new scientific study. The number of breeding pairs in the Cairngorms National Park, Aberdeenshire and East Moray has plummeted from 28 in the 1990s to just one in 2014 because of “illegal persecution and grouse management practices”, nine experts from the Northeast Scotland Raptor Study Group have concluded. Their conclusions are backed by wildlife campaigners, who are demanding tougher action by Scottish ministers to crack down on offending landowners. But the study has been attacked by a landowning group as a selective attempt “to besmirch grouse moor management.” The study, published in the journal British Birds, identified 118 possible breeding areas for hen harriers in northeast Scotland. “The vast majority were on moorland managed for red grouse sport shooting,” it said. “Peak numbers of at least 28 breeding pairs in the 1990s declined steadily to just three pairs in 2010–12, five in 2013 and one in 2014. Illegal persecution and grouse-management practices are believed to be the main causes of that decline, which occurred despite ample suitable habitat and prey.”

Der nur etwa 25 Zentimeter kleine Raufusskauz (Aegolius funereus) besiedelt in Mitteleuropa hauptsächlich kühle Waldgebiete - in der Schweiz den Jurabogen und die Alpen. Seit dreissig Jahren überwachen Vogelkundler im waadtländischen Jura und im Departement Doubs (F) auf einer Fläche von 125 Quadratkilometern mehr als 600 Raufusskauz-Nester, davon 176 in Spechthöhlen und 425 in Nistkästen. In dieser Zeit nahm dort die Zahl der bebrüteten Nester signifikant ab, der Mittelwert liegt nun bei knapp über zehn Nestern. Über den gesamten Zeitraum variierte die Zahl der Bruten zwischen zwei und 57 mit einem Mittelwert von zwanzig. Die Erhebung führten ehrenamtliche Vogelkundler aus Baulmes VD und Umgebung durch. «Wenn diese Entwicklung so weitergeht, könnte die Art zwischen 2025 und 2035 aus dem Juramassiv verschwunden sein», schreibt der jurassische Ornithologe Pierre-Alain Ravussin in der Fachzeitschrift «Nos Oiseaux».

Here are just a few of the animals that were deemed endangered in 2015. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified the Geometric Tortoise (Psammobates geometricus) as "critically endangered" in 2015. The IUCN cataloged the Splendid Toadfish (Sanopus splendidus) as endangered this year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed both the great green macaw (Ara ambiguus) and the military macaw as endangered in an announcement made in October. The USFWS declared the Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as an endangered species earlier this year. The USFWS announced it was adding the Honduran hummingbird (Amazilia luciae) to the endangered species list this year. The USFWS placed several species of sawfish to the endangered species list this year. The USFWS announced in September that the Slevin's skink (Emoia slevini) would be added to the endangered species list. The IUCN declared the New Zealand Sea Lion (Phocarctos hookeri) to be endangered primarily due to "fishing-related mortality." The IUCN raised the status of the White Headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) from threatened to critically endangered in 2015. The IUCN listed the bokiboky (Mungotictis decemlineata) as endangered this year. The IUCN flagged the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) as endangered this year. The IUCN deemed the Ishikawa's Frog (Odorrana ishikawae) as an endangered species this year. The IUCN classified the the ayumodoki or Kissing Loach (Parabotia curtus), as critically endangered this year. The IUCN once feared the Mahé Boulder Cricket (Phalangacris alluaudi) to be extinct, but after a recent rediscovery, it reclassified it as critically endangered. The IUCN added the Giri Butri Cave Crab (Karstama emdi) to its critically endangered list.

The Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) is in decline across its entire range, and its rate of decline is increasing—that is the conclusion of a major demographic study produced by federal scientists, published Wednesday, December 9, 2015, in the journal “The Condor.” The study examined survey results from monitoring areas across the range of the imperiled owl. This research indicates that since monitoring began in 1985, Spotted Owl populations declined 55-77 percent in Washington, 31-68 percent in Oregon, and 32-55 percent in California. In addition, population declines are now occurring in study areas in southern Oregon and northern California that were previously experiencing little to no detectable decline through 2009. The northern spotted owl is primarily nocturnal. Its diet consists mainly of wood rats (Neotoma sp.) and flying squirrels, although it will also eat other small mammals, reptiles, birds and insects.The Northern Spotted Owl is a rare raptor often associated with the complex features and closed canopy of mature or old-growth forests. Since it is associated with older forests, the owl serves as an “indicator species”—its presence indicates that the forest is healthy and functioning properly.

Carnaby's black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris), also known as Carnaby's cockatoo or short-billed black cockatoo,is a large black cockatoo endemic to south-western Australia. It was described in 1948 by naturalist Ivan Carnaby. The cockatoo feeds primarily on seeds of proteaceous plants such as Banksia, Hakea and Grevillea, and secondarily on seeds from myrtaceous plants such as Eucalyptus and Corymbia. Over fifty native plant species are commonly used for food, either as seed or flowers, and this includes western sheoak, orange wattle, and balga. Invertebrates such as the larvae of wood-boring moths are also eaten. The cockatoos also feed on the seeds of Pinus spp. in the Gnangara pine plantations north of Perth. The sound of a Black Cockatoo's call ringing out before the rain arrives is one of the most evocative and magical sounds of the Australian bush, but sadly, with their number in decline, it's a sound that we are hearing less.

The red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) is a “WOW” bird. True to its name, the entire head is fire-engine red from crown to throat. The showy dome contrasts with a black back and tail, black wings with large white patches and a white belly. These woodpeckers are omnivorous, eating a wide variety of insects, fruit and seeds. Occasionally, they grab mice, raid nests for eggs and chicks, and pounce on smaller birds. They often act like flycatchers, flying out from a perch to grab a bug and then returning. During winter, when the insect supply is limited, they turn to acorns, beechnuts and pecans. Unfortunately, the red-headed woodpecker population has declined by an estimated 70 percent in the last 50 years. Once common throughout the eastern United States, in the Triad it has become a rare treat seen occasionally during non-breeding season and almost never in summer.

Der Habicht (Accipiter gentilis) gilt als Vogel des Jahres 2015. Doch in Sachsen befindet sich diese Art auf dem eher absteigenden Ast. Das haben zumindest verschieden Fachleute festgestellt. Nach Angaben des Dresdner Experten Dr. Rolf Steffens ist der Habicht die vierthäufigste Greifvogelart im Freistaat. Es gebe zwischen 650 und 800 Brutpaare. Diese Zahlen seien während der letzten Kartierung, die bereits rund zehn Jahre zurückliegt, ermittelt worden. Zum Vergleich: In Deutschland gab es im Jahr 2014 zwischen 11 500 und 16 500 Brutpaare.