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Biodiversity is under threat due to human-induced changes in land use. While various aspects of biodiversity are increasingly studied in response to these changes, there is limited understanding of their effects on the structure and composition of bird communities in dryland regions. We examined the impacts of land use change on birds in the semi-arid area of the Longxi Loess Plateau by considering taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, and phylogenetic diversity. We analyzed both the α- and β-diversity of avian communities across different dimensions of diversity and calculated functional and phylogenetic structures using the net relatedness index. Our findings revealed that species richness was highest in farmland and abandoned farmland, while artificial mixed forests exhibited the highest number of unique species. Functional and phylogenetic α-diversity was greater in farmland and abandoned farmland when compared to the other four land use types. Moreover, the taxonomic diversity in artificial mixed forests, artificial Caragana korshinskii forests, and artificial Platycladus orientalis forests surpassed that in typical grasslands, but no differences were observed in functional and phylogenetic diversity. Regarding β-diversity, turnover patterns dominated multidimensional dissimilarity, with taxonomic turnover and total dissimilarity lower than their functional counterparts but higher than phylogenetic counterparts. Based on the present findings, we emphasize the long-term cessation of ongoing silvicultural initiatives to safeguard bird diversity in the semi-arid region of the Longxi Loess Plateau. This is crucial for narrowly distributed species such as Alectoris magna, as they face heightened vulnerability to losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The edge is a meeting place between two ecosystems, or it can also be interpreted as a boundary where two habitats meet and interact. The presence of edges can create an edge effect and increase richness and species abundance. In the present study, we analyzed how edge and vegetation diversity affect a) bird communities and b) how birds respond to edges. Observation plots were placed in jamblang stands and coconut plantations (edge and interior). Bird communities were observed using point counts with a fixed radius of 25 m, and the distance between plots was 50 m. A survey of vegetation diversity was conducted using a combination of the transect and plot methods. The research showed that the highest species richness and diversity of birds (128 individuals of 18 species) and vegetation (168 individuals of 20 species) were found at the edge, although there were only slight differences in the number of species in each habitat. This was influenced by the structure and composition of the vegetation at the observation site. Nevertheless, this proves that the edge effect shapes the composition of bird communities. There are 9 species of bird can be mapped into 4 response models: generalis neutral, generalist edge exploiter, specialist edge exploiter, and edge specialist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: When studying the effects of global change on biodiversity, it is far more common for the effects of climate change and land‐use changes to be assessed separately rather than jointly. However, the effects of land‐use changes in recent decades on species richness in areas affected by climate change have been less studied. We assess the temporal turnover in species richness of an avian community between a historical period and a modern one as a consequence of global change. Location: Semiarid Mediterranean ecosystem (southeastern Spain). Method: We fitted a hierarchical multispecies occupancy model for each period (1991–1992, and 2012–2017), obtaining avian species‐specific estimates of occupancy probability in relation to environmental covariates (elevation and forest cover). We analyse the relationships between changes in the bird community and environmental variables, analysing the temporal turnover of the species richness and the richness‐based species‐exchange ratio. Results: The estimated species richness accounting for detectability was higher than observed species richness, and decreased in the more recent period. Following our hypotheses, we observed a dual pattern of species richness increase associated with different elevations, showing different species turnover rates due to the joint effects of climate change and land‐use change. There is a trend towards greater species richness with higher elevations that is associated with climate change, where the species turnover rate is low. Also, species richness increased towards lower elevations, but with a high turnover rate. The latter can be due to species expansions throughout new habitat configurations in bordering forest systems associated with anthropic land‐use changes. Conclusions: Our study is of great interest to understand the temporal turnover of avian species richness associated with areas experiencing both climate and land‐use change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the period of secondary succession of oak forests in southwestern Belarus, six stages of vegetation development (from fresh cutting to mature 120–150 years old forest) were identified. Simultaneously with a change in the vegetation, the succession of bird population also proceeds, which is typical for bird communities and other formations in different regions of Europe and Asia. During the succession of oak forests, the species richness of birds increases from 10 to 58 species and the total abundance, from 153.2 to 1128.9 individuals/km2. The abundance of species (individuals/km2) and interannual variability during 11 seasons were established. The coefficient of variation (CV) is the highest (50.0–116.0%) in species the abundance of which does not exceed 5.0 individuals/km2. The average abundance of species varies significantly, for example, at the stage of age 120–150 years (from 1.0 (goshawk) to 275.0 individuals/km2 (chaffinch)). In all six succession stages, nesting migratory birds dominate, which account for 80.0% of species at the first stage to 53.4% at the fifth and sixth stages. Near and distant migrants form the basis of the bird population at all stages; as a rule, sedentary species are not numerous and their involvement in the total abundance does not exceed 17.3%. At the initial stages of succession, the bird community is formed by members of European, Palearctic, European–Turkestan, and Afro-Eurasian types of fauna. At the stages of 80–100 and 120–150 years, the basis of the bird community is formed by the members of the Palearctic (50% of species, 34.5–35.2% of the total abundance) and European types of fauna (22.4 and 48.0–49.3, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The updating of the list of bird species of the Fauna Refuge Laguna de Guanaroca - Punta Gavilán in the south of the province of Cienfuegos was based on four fundamental sources: results of monitoring in the Protected Area in 2019 and 2020, Management Plan for the period 2015-2019, articles published and the international databases gbif (idem) (n = 4) and ebird (n = 38) between 2006-2020. Linear transect 100 m long and fixed counting points were used for the sampling. A total of 173 species of birds distributed in 21 orders and 47 families were registered, representing 43.03%; 80.77% and 65.28% of those registered for Cuba, respectively. Eighteen endemics of Cuba were identified, with 12 species with some degree of threat. It could be distinguished that 59.54% of the species that visit the area were migratory, or had a migratory component. A total of 71 species of aquatic birds (41.04%) and 102 (58.96%) species of land birds were recorded in the area. Nineteen guilds were found according to diet distributed in eight general groups. The results showed the value of the Fauna Refuge Laguna de Guanaroca-Punta Gavilán for the conservation of birds in mangrove ecosystems and its great tourist attraction for lovers of wildlife, birds and nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have revealed that urban rivers with relatively complete habitat structures can support a high level of biodiversity in urban areas. However, few studies have analyzed the impact of the plan, design, and management of multi-scale urban riverside green space on bird communities by assessing several aspects of diversity (e.g., taxonomic and functional). In this study, we explored bird community variation (taxonomic and functional) among three rivers (28 sampling sites) with different levels of human disturbance along the urban development gradient in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, during an annual cycle. This study related bird species richness and functional diversity to environmental variables at three spatial scales: landscape metrics at two different landscape scales (500 and 100 m radius) and vegetation structure at patch scales (20 m radius). Using partial least squares regression (PLSR) and multiple linear regression, we found that bird species richness and functional diversity were strongly related to various landscape- and patch-level variables. Multiple linear regression models revealed that, compared with the richness influenced by explanatory variables on three spatial scales (500, 100, and 20 m), the functional diversity was significantly influenced by explanatory variables on the 100 and 20 m scales. Tree cover at the 20 m scale had significantly positive impacts on bird species richness and functional diversity. Forest land in the 100 m scale had a significantly positive effect on bird species richness and functional diversity, while construction land in the two landscape scales (the 500- and 100 m scales) had a significantly negative effect on species richness. Accordingly, we suggest that urban riverside green space should be planned and managed at multiple scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating differences in bird communities among various habitats can provide scientific basis for the management and conservation. We surveyed forest birds in areas of different elevations in Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve from July to August, 2017, and compared summer bird communities among forests, highways, village-to-village roads and villages. We recorded a total of 4225 birds belonging to 9 orders and 30 families. Due to the high canopy cover and simplified vegetation, bird species richness, number of individuals and species diversity were all low in forests, not different from those along highways crossing forests. Although there were no significant differences in number of individuals and species diversity between village-to-village road and highways, species richness along village-to-village roads was significantly higher than that along highways, which might be related to the lower disturbances. Species richness, number of individuals and Shannon-Wiener species diversity index in villages were significantly higher than those in other habitats, which could be attributed to the relatively open habitats and rich food resources from humans in villages. Our study indicates that the species diversity of summer bird communities is higher in habitats with greater disturbance such as villages in forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecologically specialist species are more prone to extinction than generalist species, yet the global distribution and conservation of ecological specialism is poorly understood. Here, we show that the global distribution of avian dietary specialization is roughly congruent with overall bird species richness for resident and breeding species, as well as for non‐breeding species. However, some areas harbour a higher number of diet specialist birds than expected given overall species richness (e.g. the Amazon, Gabon and Cameroon in Central Africa, extensive parts of Indonesia and some parts of northern Eurasia, Baltic cost and Mediterranean areas for resident and breeding birds, and tropical zone and south part of subtropical zone in South America for non‐breeding birds). These areas represent hotspots of avian specialization that need to carefully be considered in conservation strategies. We found that overall, 49.6% of resident and breeding species and 45.5% of non‐breeding diet specialist species are adequately represented by the global protected area system, but that this percentage is lower for the most threatened species. Policies that modify conservation planning approaches to include measures of specialization alongside other more traditional metrics of biodiversity could improve the protection of biodiversity in the face of rapidly accelerating anthropogenic threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Methods in Ecology & Evolution is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract—The results of our bird counts carried out in 1996–2017 in inner mountain and high-mountain Dagestan are analyzed. The bird specific composition, average population abundance, and ecological structure of the avifauna in two difficult-to-reach mountain areas of the republic are described for the first time. Using cluster analysis, it is established that the avifauna patterns of most of the key areas are not only similar but are also unique because of the high heterogeneity of these habitats and, correspondingly, the faunal differences formed in the mountains under insufficient (inner mountain province) and sufficient (high-mountain province) moisture. Specific features of the avifauna in the studied areas are assumed to be created not only by residential communities of typical mountain birds, but also by adapted populations of migratory birds of plains nesting in the mountains. Analysis of our collected material gives a clear view of the species diversity and territorial distribution of the birds as well as of the avifauna resources of the inner mountain and high-mountain Dagestan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Theory predicts that species diversity of isolated habitat patches depends on patch size and isolation. However, there are few previous studies of how patch size and isolation influence community composition. This study tested theory using small and isolated farmland patches in a forested matrix. Objectives: I tested whether bird species diversity and community composition of isolated farmland patches depended on patch size, measures of isolation (e.g. distance from the main farmland areas; up to 15 km), and other variables such as presence of human habitation. Methods: Farmland bird species diversity and community composition (relative proportions of different ecological guilds) of 130 farmland patches within forest landscapes were recorded in Norway. Results: Species diversity and proportion of the species that nested on the ground or low in bushes increased with patch size. Distance from the main farmland region was not related to species diversity or community composition, but species diversity increased when there were stepping stones present. Sites inhabited by humans had higher species diversity, a larger proportion of species nesting high in trees or in cavities (such as in buildings), and a larger proportion of resident species. Other variables were less important. There was also a strong relationship between the occupancy of individual species in the main farmland region and their occupancy in the forest region, suggesting that colonisation pressure also influenced species diversity of these habitat islands. Conclusions: I found weak evidence of isolation effects on bird species diversity and community composition of farmland patches within forest, whereas most of the variation was explained by patch size and presence of humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nova Acta Científica Compostelana is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Rocky habitats are regarded as biodiversity hot-spots. Along with high species diversity, diverse ecological relationships can be observed in these habitats. Large groups of bird species use rocks in various ways: as perching/roosting sites, breeding or foraging habitats, information exchange sites, display arenas or as sources of minerals and water. Because of the inaccessibility of these environments, their role and importance to animals has been underestimated. We evaluated the use of rocky habitats by birds in the Tatra Mountains (49°13′N; 19°57′E, Carpathians, central Europe). Rocky habitats were used by 29 bird species, eight of which used cliffs directly (i.e. for nesting, foraging or resting). The number of species recorded as using cliffs was correlated with the surface area of the cliff face. A total of 20 forms of rocky habitat use were recorded, in five behavioural categories: vocalization, foraging, perching, flight and nesting. Prevailing behaviours were flying by a rock face, circling above the face, and vocalization on a tree/shrub growing next to a rock. Rocks provide a nesting habitat for specialized petrophilic species and permit the existence of numerous ecological relations between species and habitats. The results of this study show that rocky habitats support the diversity of ecological relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sacred groves are patches of vegetation preserved due to religious or cultural tradition. They are protected through spiritual beliefs. Sacred groves provide an excellent abode to the biodiversity of the region where they are located. Scientific exploration of fauna from sacred groves of India is few and far between. The present study was conducted to explore the bird diversity and abundance in 15 selected sacred groves of northern Kerala, eight from Kannur District and seven from Kasargod District each. A total of 111 bird species were observed belonging to 49 families and 16 orders. The sacred groves of northern Kerala support many of the 'forest-birds' such as the Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii, Asian Fairy-bluebird Irena puella, Tickell's Blue-flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae, Malabar Trogon Harpactes fasciatus, Heart-spotted Woodpecker Hemicircus canente, Malabar Whistling-Thrush Myophonus horsfieldii, Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra, etc. The sacred groves of northern Kerala also support two endemic bird species of the Western Ghats, such as the Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus and Rufous Babbler Turdoides subrufa. Five species of raptors and four owl species were reported from the sacred groves of north Kerala during the present study. The breeding of the White-bellied Sea-Eagle has been reported at Edayilakadu Kavu, a sacred grove in Kasargod District. The sacred groves of northern Kerala also supported 17 species of long distant migratory birds. Thazhe Kavu, recorded the Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, a Near-Threatened bird according to IUCN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of species diversity due to habitat fragmentation has been extensively studied. In contrast, the impacts of habitat fragmentation on functional diversity remains relatively poorly understood. We conducted bird functional diversity studies on a set of 41 recently isolated land-bridge islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China., We analysed differences in bird species richness and a recently developed suite of complementary functional diversity indices ( FRic, volume of functional space occupied; FEve, evenness of abundance distribution in the functional trait space; FDiv, divergence in the distribution of abundance in the trait volume) across different gradients (island area and isolation)., We found no correlations between FRic and FEve or FEve and FDiv, but negative correlations between FRic and FDiv. As predicted, island area accounted for most of the variation in bird species richness, whereas isolation explained most of the variation in species evenness (decreasing species evenness with increasing isolation). Functional diversity appears to be more strongly influenced by habitat filtering as opposed to limiting similarity. More specifically, across all islands, both FRic and FEve were significantly lower than expected for randomly assembled communities, but FDiv showed no clear patterns. FRic increased with island area, FEve decreased with island area and FDiv showed no clear patterns., Our finding that FEve decreases with island area at TIL may indicate low functional stability on such islands, and as such large islands and habitat patches may deserve extra attention and/or protection. These results help to demonstrate the importance of considering the effects of fragmentation on functional diversity in habitat management and reserve design plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Measuring biodiversity is a challenging task for research in taxonomy, ecology and conservation. Biodiversity is commonly measured using metrics related to species richness, phylogenetic-, or functional-trait diversity of species assemblages. Because these metrics are not always correlated with each other, they have to be considered separately. A descriptor of animal diversity based on the diversity of sounds produced by animal communities, named here the Community Acoustic Diversity (CAD), was recently proposed. In many cases, the CAD could be easier to measure than other metrics. Although previous analyses have revealed that acoustic diversity might increase as species richness increases, the ability of CAD to reflect other components of biodiversity has not been formally investigated. The aim of this study is to test theoretically whether functional and phylogenetic diversities could be reflected by acoustic diversity indices in bird communities. Data on species assemblages were collated by the French Breeding Bird Survey describing spatial and temporal variation in community structure and composition across France since 2001. Phylogenetic and functional data were compiled from literature. Acoustic data were obtained from sound libraries. For each of the 19,420 sites sampled, indices of phylogenetic, functional and acoustic diversity of bird communities were calculated based on species’ pair-wise distance matrices and species’ abundances. The different aspects of biodiversity were compared through correlation analyses. The results showed that acoustic diversity was correlated with phylogenetic diversity, when the branch lengths of the tree were considered, and to functional diversity, especially body mass and reproduction. Correlations between phylogenetic, functional and acoustic distances among species did not entirely explain the correlations between phylogenetic, functional and acoustic diversity within communities. This result was interpreted as an effect of local ecological processes underpinning how bird communities assemble. Comparing the diversity patterns with a null model, phylogenetic and functional diversities were significantly clustered whereas acoustic diversity was not different from what was expected by chance. A comparison between acoustic indices showed that spectral component of acoustic diversity seems more appropriate to reveal bird phylogenetic diversity whereas temporal component seems more adapted to reveal functional diversity of a bird community. Overall, even if the processes at the origin of the different facets of biodiversity are different, CAD reveals part of phylogenetic diversity and some extent of functional diversity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Remediation of lands devastated by industry includes various forms of restoration, such as technical reclamation and spontaneous succession. These management approaches are debated regarding conservation strategies for postindustrial landscapes. Mining areas consisting of early- to late-developmental stages of both reclaimed and unreclaimed sites offer an opportunity to examine the roles of restoration strategies in a complete successional series for biodiversity and disentangle the contributions of particular biotopes available at postindustrial sites., Using linear models and multivariate analysis, I tested the effects of (a) developmental stages from early successional sites to mature forests, combined with (b) the initiation process at the sites, which was either technical reclamation or spontaneous succession, and (c) vegetation cover on (i) species richness, (ii) rarity and (iii) species composition of bird communities on 60 plots (100 × 100 m) within opencast mining areas in the lignite basin of north-western Czech Republic., Bird communities were consistently more species rich on spontaneously developed sites compared with reclaimed sites throughout all stages of the succession series. Species richness increased with site age due to increasing habitat heterogeneity., The conservation value of bird communities was generally lower on reclaimed sites than on spontaneously developed sites and decreased with site age. The most valuable communities developed on early successional sites and native shrublands, because these were inhabited by specialists that were scarce in the surrounding landscape. By contrast, technically reclaimed sites resulted in impoverished communities, usually with narrow spectra of common species., Synthesis and applications. The results highlight the importance of spontaneously established sites and complete succession series for developing valuable bird communities in postindustrial areas such as opencast mining sites. In particular, early successional sites and shrublands create refuges for early successional specialists disappearing from the common landscape and these should be promoted at the expense of reclaimed sites wherever possible. My results support an effort for systematic implementation of early successional sites into conservation practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silvicultural practices lead to changes in forest composition and structure and may impact species diversity from the overall regional species pool to stand-level species occurrence. We explored to what extent fine-scale occupancy patterns in differently managed forest stands are driven by environment and ecological traits in three regions in Germany using a multi-species hierarchical model. We tested for the possible impact of environmental variables and ecological traits on occupancy dynamics in a joint modelling exercise while taking possible variation in coefficient estimates over years and plots into account. Bird species richness differed across regions and years, and trends in species richness across years were different in the three regions. On the species level, forest management affected occupancy of species in all regions, but only 3-5% of the total assemblage-level variation in occurrence probability was explained by either forest type and successional stage and < 1% by forest edge. On the assemblage level, bird occurrence decreased with body mass in all regions. Species with smaller breeding ranges had lower occurrence probabilities in one region, while later spring arrival decreased occurrence probabilities in the two other regions. Spatial variation in the effect size of trait covariates such as species phylogeny and breeding strata showed that variation in patch occupancy due to fine-scale differences in forest management is, to some extent, predictable from ecological traits. Our results show that environmental factors and ecological traits jointly predict variation in bird occupancy patterns and their response to forest management. Observations at the fine scale of forest stands, at which conservation efforts can be arranged along with forest management practices in heterogeneous environments, have been shown to provide meaningful insights despite the difficulties involved in monitoring mobile organisms such as birds at the plot level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Urban development affects avian community structure dramatically, and is considered a major cause of native species extinction. Hong Kong is a highly urbanized city, but there is a paucity of data on its urban avian community or the differences between areas with different development history and human population density. We assessed the impacts of urban development on bird community, and the effects of landscape-scale habitat factors at two scales. We selected 30 urban parks from areas of two development types as sampling sites. We censused bird communities in the breeding and wintering seasons in 2010–2011. Communities in the developed areas were more heterogeneous than those in the new growth areas. Regarding species groups, residents dominated urban parks in both development types, and introduced species were only recorded in the developed areas. More granivores, but fewer insectivores and insectivore–frugivores appeared in the developed areas than in the new growth areas which supported more forest-specialist birds when compared with the developed areas which had more open-habitat species. Contrastingly, bird communities were more nested in the new growth areas. Although there were no significant differences in species richness, diversity and composition between the two development types, bird communities were very different in terms of species evenness, species groups and nestedness. Based on Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling, bird distribution pattern were strongly associated with habitat evenness and largest patch index for woodland at the 400-m scale and contagion index at the 400- and 1000-m scales in the two development types. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Parks are diversity hotspots in cities, and are generalized isolated 'islands' in urban landscapes. However, there is a paucity of information on the avian community structure of urban parks in big cities in Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong which has more than 7 million people. This study therefore aimed to assess the influences of park attributes, human disturbance, and vegetation structure on species richness, diversity, total density, and species groups of breeding and wintering bird communities in Hong Kong. Bird communities of 30 parks were censused four times each season in 2010-2011 using point counting. Species richness and diversity were affected by park size in both seasons, and larger parks supported more species and higher diversity. In addition, species richness of wintering season was negatively affected by visitor rate. Total bird density increased with visitor rate, but only in the breeding season. Noise did not have significant impacts on species richness, diversity, and total density. Regarding the responses of species groups, number of resident species increased with park size in both seasons. Migrants, insectivores, and insectivore-frugivores were positively affected by park size, but negatively by visitor rate in the wintering season. However, omnivores in the breeding season increased with both park size and visitor rate. Granivores was the only feeding guild which was positively affected by noise and negatively by foliage height diversity in the wintering season. In conclusion, park size and visitor rate affected bird community structure, and different species groups had different responses to habitat factors in the two seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tropical Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

European birds have been significantly affected by dramatic environmental changes during the last decades. The effects of these changes on species richness and distribution in particular countries are still poorly understood because of a lack of high-quality, large-scale data standardized over time. This is especially true in Central and Eastern Europe. On a model group of birds in the Czech Republic (countrywide atlas mapping data), we examined whether long-term changes of species richness and distribution between 1985–1989 and 2001–2003 differed among groups of species defined by their habitat requirements, type of distribution in Europe, migratory strategy and the degree of national legal protection. Further, we investigated the effects of colonizers and local extinctions on these changes. Whereas the number of species in the whole country remained the same in both periods (208 species), species composition had changed. Increasing occupancy (i.e., number of occupied mapping squares) was observed in species of forest and wetland habitats, in short-distance migrants and in non-protected species. Southern species also positively changed their occupancy, but this pattern disappeared after the inclusion of six species dependent on extensively cultivated farmland that went extinct between mappings. The overall occupancy of all species together showed positive changes after excluding colonizers and extinct species. We suggest that the improvement of environmental conditions after 1990 caused the stability of or increased the distribution of common birds in the Czech Republic, and it was the disappearance of specific farmland practices that might have caused the loss of several species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird species’ community responses to land use in the suburbanizing Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA, were contrasted among reserves, rural lands, and suburbs. For each land use type, bird composition, diversity, and abundance were recorded for 2 years in ≈99 plots in three sampling units (each ≈4500ha). A habitat gradient defined by canopy structure (grasslands to savannas to forests) was influenced by land use, so ≈300 plots were used to characterize simultaneous variation in bird communities along land use and habitat gradients. At broad scales (aggregate of 33 plots covering ≈4500ha) suburbs supported the lowest bird richness and diversity and rural landscapes the most, with reserves slightly below rural. Although reserves were like rural lands in diversity of bird communities, they supported more species of conservation concern, particularly of grasslands and savannas. Differences among land use types varied with habitat structure. Suburbs, rural lands, and reserves had similar forest bird communities, but differed in grassland and savanna bird communities. The extensive rural forests are important for the region’s forest birds. Suburban grasslands and savannas had low shrub abundance, low native bird richness and high non-native bird richness and abundance. However, total bird richness and diversity were as high in suburban as in rural and reserve plots because high native richness in suburban forests and high non-native species richness in suburban grasslands and savannas compensated for lower native richness in suburban grasslands and savannas. Bird conservation here and in the Midwest USA should protect rural forests, expand grasslands and savannas in reserves, and improve habitat quality overall. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Habitat loss and fragmentation can be long-term processes driving extinction debts, especially in cities. Because of a lack of temporal data, long-term impacts are generally investigated less frequently than short-term impacts. However, these effects are equally important for understanding biodiversity loss. We developed a Bayesian Island Biogeography model combining historical imagery and current species distribution to investigate the long-term impacts of urbanization-induced habitat loss and isolation on birds. We surveyed 101 bird species in 43 urban forest patches in a South American city with different combinations of size, isolation, and time since the last abrupt change in area. Based on the current and historical landscape configuration, we estimated the temporal dynamics between species extinction rate and area, and between immigration rate and isolation. Additionally, we used model parameters to forecast bird extinction debts. Large patches had lower extinction rates than small patches, and immigration rates were lower in more isolated patches. Furthermore, current bird species richness was better explained by current landscape configuration than by past configuration, suggesting that birds rapidly respond to changes in urban landscapes and there are no apparent extinction debts. Indeed, we found that habitat loss reduces species diversity to a new equilibrium in relatively short period (less than 10 years), and model projections indicate that bird richness will remain similar to the present if patch area is maintained. Habitat loss is the most important cause of species local extinctions in urban areas, and tropical cities could rapidly promote biodiversity by restoring forest cover. • Bird communities in urban landscapes are likely to be at or near equilibrium. • Area is a stronger driver of species diversity than isolation/fragmentation per se. • Habitat loss is the main driver of species local extinctions in cities. • We provide empirical data that quantifies urbanization impacts in a Neotropical city. • Island Biogeography Model estimates bird occupancy rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]