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Contrary to some sources, the European Honey Buzzard is not silent in Africa. This study documents 51 records of the species vocalizing on the continent. Vocalizations were given by birds apparently encountered alone (n=30) and when accompanied by another European Honey Buzzard (n=22). Where age was known, 11 calling birds were adults and ten were juveniles. Where details were available, most calls were given by birds in flight (n=30), with 11 from perched birds and two from birds heard calling while both in flight and perched. In most cases the sex of the bird was not recorded (n=42) and young birds (first- and second-years) are difficult to sex with certainty; of the remainder, two were males and nine were females. Most calls were the typical flight call of the species (n=43), with apparent alarm calls (n=7) the next most frequent call type. Most calls were delivered in flight (n=31), 19 by single birds and 12 by two birds together in flight. The calling by two birds was associated with flight displays similar to those described on the breeding grounds and occurred especially in late summer (December onwards; 25/40 records). A relatively high proportion of calls occurred during interactions between two European Honey Buzzards (n=18). Calling associated with two birds together and accompanied by aerial displays has not been described in Africa before, and is suggestive of either early pairing of the adult birds prior to migration or breeding activity locally in Africa. Vocalizations between young birds though may be more social as opposed to sexual in nature. The large (5X) increase in records of European Honey Buzzards in South Africa in recent years likely increases the chances of conspecific interaction. It also raises the possibility of breeding, especially in more-temperate South Africa.

Haemosporidian parasites are responsible for anemia, acute tissue degeneration, and depopulation in wild birds. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of haemosporidians and also morphologic and molecular evaluation of tissue stages of Haemoproteus sp. in common buzzards (Buteo buteo). Eleven free-living common buzzards were referred to the Avian Clinic of Veterinary School of Lorestan University with lethargy, weight loss, and ataxia. Gametocytes of Leucocytozoon buteonis were found in blood smears of six (54.5 %) birds, while one had simultaneous infection with blood stages of Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon. During histopathological examinations, exo-erythrocytic stages of the genus Haemoproteus were seen in the lung and kidney of a dead bird. This study is the first report of exo-erythrocytic infection of Haemoproteus in common buzzards. Molecular assays confirmed the infection of Haemoproteus sp. (lineage BUTBUT15) in tissue samples. Phylogenetic analysis using cytochrome b gene suggested that BUTBUT15 was more closely related to the lineages isolated from the family Falconidae in contrast to the Accipitridae.

Raptor cognition has received limited research attention, despite the importance of comparative investigations for reconstructing the evolution of complex cognition. Field studies provide essential ecological context for cognition in the natural habitat, although this approach is often challenging due to extensive procedures involved in cognitive testing. One predisposition suggested to contribute to problem-solving behaviour is the response to novel stimuli. In this pilot study, a novel object test was conducted on an outdoor feeding platform to assess the neotic responses of a single wild free-ranging Common Buzzard ( Buteo buteo), a generalist/opportunist diurnal predator species. Additionally, data on its daily activity were collected. As predicted, the subject expressed low neophobia and some exploratory behaviours. Interestingly, it repeatedly arrived on the platform in low light conditions. This study highlights the influence of foraging ecology on cognitive predispositions and offers a field method for research on raptor cognition.

Background: The rufous-winged buzzard (Butastur liventer) belongs to the Accipitriformes, which are monomorphic, resulting in difficulty to identify the gender. However, sex determination is important for predicting the sex ratio this buzzard in nature in order to avoid its extinction. Aim: We aimed to develop a primer set, able to sex the rufous-winged buzzard through PCR amplification, and compare the efficacy of two sets of primers by using PCR technique. Methods: In the following, sensitivity refers to the smallest DNA concentration that allowed us to accurately sex a bird and specificity refers to the ability to clearly distinguish the sex based on visual appearance of the bands. Blood samples were collected from captive buzzards. The DNA was extracted from them and was diluted to 50, 25, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.67 and 1 ng/µL. Two sets of primers, including P2/NP/MP and 2550F/2718R, were used to amplify the CHD gene of known gender buzzards using the PCR process to determine gender and to compare their sensitivity. To measure specificity, both primers were used to amplify CHD gene fragment of other unknown gender birds. Results: The lowest concentration of the DNA template that P2/NP/MP could amplify DNA fragments was 1 ng/µL, and this set of primers could identify the gender of all birds correctly, giving 100% specificity. On the other hand, the 2550F/2718R could amplify the DNA fragments from 5 ng/µL, and it had only 78% specificity. Conclusion: The P2/NP/MP primer set was able to correctly identify the gender of rufous-winged buzzard through PCR amplification with high specificity and sensitivity.

Air pollution, climate change, and other environmental factors contribute to increasing asthma in many cities, including Washington, DC. This work provides a case study of how community input, neig...

Aim Migration is a constantly changing adaptation due to the climate condition evolution. The struggle for surviving during harsh winter season is different across Europe, being more complex toward the inner parts of the continent. The current approach explores the Common Buzzard number variation during the cold season and the climatic predictors of birds of prey wintering movements in relation to the possible influences of the Carpathian Mountains, which may act as a geographical barrier providing shelter from cold air outbreak from north and northeast of the continent. Location Romania (45°N25°E). Taxon Birds of Prey. Methods We applied a GLMM to investigate the relation between continental and local climatic factors with the number of Common Buzzard observations in two regions. The first region is located inside the Carpathian Arch and the other one outside, east of this large mountains chain. Results The Common Buzzard numbers wintering Eastern from the Carpathian Mountains are highly influenced by AO (Z = 2.87, p, The analysis of meteoclimatic conditions reveals different spatial origins of Common Buzzard observed in Romania. While the high number of individuals in Moldova is related to their eastern and northeastern Europe origins, in Transylvania the higher number of individuals observed is related to the more sheltered characteristics of the region attracting individuals from central‐eastern Europe. Also, the Transylvania region being well sheltered during cold air outbreak represents a more favorable region for wintering. From this point of view, we can consider that the Carpathian Mountains are a geographic barrier for wintering birds of prey.

Background In this study we examined the habitat preferences of three diurnal raptors in relation to human access. We aimed to identify the selection of breeding habitat by the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus), and the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) in response to site accessibility by humans, and in turn, the response of these species to human presence. Methods Data about the nest locations were collected. Analyses and maps were created using ArcGIS. The “least cost path” was defined using the Cost Path tool. Results The lowest values of the Cost Path were established for Long-legged Buzzard and the highest values were estimated for Golden Eagle. Intermediate Cost Path values for Peregrine Falcon were found. Conclusions The Long-legged Buzzard could be considered as the most tolerant to human presence in its breeding territories. The Golden Eagle have the lowest degree of tolerance and the Peregrine Falcon is ranked in an intermediate position compared to the other two species, but closer to Golden Eagle.

The current study revealed to six species of four genus belong to family Accipitridae, Order Accipitriforms; about 24 specimens of birds are deposited in the vertebrates departments in "the Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum INHM" were reviewed. Morphometrics of six species of mummified Accipitrid birds as follow: Sparrow-HawkAccipiternisus(Linnaeus, 1758), Tawny EagleAquila rapax(Temminck, 1828), Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga(Pallas, 1811), long-legged BuzzardButeo rufinus(Cretzschmar, 1825), Steppe BuzzardButeo buteo(Linnaeus, 1758), and Short toed EagleCircaetusgallicus(Gmelin, 1788), were reviewed. Global conservation status and the distribution ranges of each species throughout Iraq were discussed.

The European honey buzzard Pernis apivorus is a summer visitor in Europe, wintering mostly in West-central Africa. Previous studies concerning timing of autumn migration in relation to sex groups provided contrasting results. In particular, a field survey made in southern Sweden did not report differences in timing, while a satellite study via GPS tracking on six adults, three males, and three females, revealed that the latter departed earlier. The aim of this 4-year study is to further investigate the timing of autumn migration in this species carrying out observations at the Strait of Messina, a bottleneck located along the Central Mediterranean flyway, between August 10th and September 30th 2016–2019. Adult European honey buzzards concentrated the passage between late August early September, with females passing on average 5 days earlier than males. It is suggested that a different role of sexes concerning exhibition of territorial displays during the late breeding season, would explain differences between sex groups in timing of both moult and autumn migration.

Small woody features (SWF; tree lines and small woods) in agricultural landscapes provide a substitute for forest conditions for a wide range of species and a suitable edge habitat for ecotone species. The importance of SWF for biodiversity is usually inferred from presence or abundance data for small animals. Although large animals, due to their lower density are less likely to be attributed with SWF, they may depend on these areas to effectively utilize the agricultural landscape matrix. We followed movements of three avian predator species (northern goshawk, common buzzard, and lesser spotted eagle) in the breeding and post-breeding season to assess their dependence on SWF in agricultural landscapes and to determine the characteristics of woods influencing each species. We compared time spent flying and perching, where perching sites were classified as open space, forest interior, forest edge, and SWF. Next, the relative importance of SWF and forest edges, as well as specific characteristics of each habitat, were evaluated using resource selection functions. All species spent most of the daytime perching, and preferentially utilized SWF and forest edges. Buzzards and eagles were not influenced by the characteristics of SWF, but goshawks preferred relatively large, dense patches. We conclude that SWF are crucial for exploitation of agricultural landscapes by avian predators by providing suitable perching sites for foraging. We also detected variation in the quality of perching sites, suggesting that for some species (like the goshawk), artificial perching sites cannot compensate for a lack of SWF.

Globally, evaluation of population trends is the most pressing research need for many species of conservation concern. Road counts for birds of prey are useful for monitoring long‐term population trends and examining year‐to‐year variations in abundance. We examined data from 2155 road surveys conducted from 2001 to 2018 by community scientists who recorded > 85 000 individuals of 14 species of raptors while participating in the Pennsylvania Winter Raptor Survey, in Pennsylvania, USA. We estimated abundance and population growth rates while accounting for observation error by using dynamic Bayesian state‐space models. Model estimates indicated that counts of wintering Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Red‐shouldered Hawks Buteo lineatus and Black Vulture Coragyps atratus increased over the course of the study. Counts of Rough‐legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus, Red‐tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis, Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius, Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura and American Kestrel Falco sparverius varied more (CV > 5.0) over the duration of the study than other species did. Higher winter temperatures were associated with increases in counts of species whose local populations are partially migratory (American Kestrel and Red‐tailed Hawk), and with lower counts of a long‐distance arctic migrant – Rough‐legged Buzzard. Counts of these species were therefore correlated such that more American Kestrels and Red‐tailed Hawks were counted during years when Rough‐legged Buzzards were less frequently seen. Generally, the number of individuals counted declined as survey speed increased. A general rule for road counts therefore seems to be ‘slower is better’, consistent with past recommendations that observers travel at a speed

Birds play a vital role in arctic environments, being multi-functional ecosystem engineers, but these animals are heavily impacted by recent climate warming. Bird assemblages on the Arctic Ocean archipelagoes are poorly known, because many such areas are hardly accessible to scientists. Novaya Zemlya, one of the most enigmatic places in the World, was a closed military area from the late 1940s. This gigantic mountainous archipelago can be considered a terra incognita by means of modern faunal, taxonomic, and ecological research. In the present study, we provide the first qualitative data on bird assemblages of the Yuzhny Island of Novaya Zemlya, estimate the diversity of bird species through a range of habitats, and underscore environmental factors determining the spatial distribution of avifauna in the arctic tundra biome. In terrestrial habitats, Tundra Bean Goose (Anser fabalis rossicus), Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) and Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most abundant species. In freshwater and coastal marine habitats, both these Arctic-breeding goose taxa, and Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) and Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) were the dominant species. The most species-rich bird assemblages (11-15 species) were associated with willow tundra, freshwater lakes, and coastal sea habitats, while only a few species were recorded in dry rocky habitats, open sea environments, and littoral areas of lakes and the sea. Mountain rocky heathlands covering most of the area of Yuzhny Island were scarcely populated by birds, with only a few species recorded frequently there, such as the Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and Snow Bunting. Our findings highlight that the bird assemblages on Novaya Zemlya share low species richness and that these assemblages contain a large proportion of sea and shore bird species even in terrestrial habitats. Among the terrestrial birds, only four cold-tolerant, common species successfully colonize these extreme environments during the short summer season.

Seven species of birds of prey studied in the Evros Delta National Park belong to a common assemblage of a trophic guild. However, their diet study revealed different groups of feeding niches. A cluster analysis provided three groups with very similar diets: The eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) and greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga) constituted a group feeding mainly on birds with their diets including 96% (13 bird species) and 98% (16 bird species), by number respectively, most bird prey being water birds. A second group, characterized by a considerable variety of prey types dominated by small mammals and birds, included the western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) (67% mammals, 27% birds -at least 12 species ), black kite (Milvus migrans) (46% mammals, 39% birds -at least 11 species) and common buzzard (Buteo buteo) (birds 36% -at least 7 species, mammals 22%). In all three species, birds dominated by biomass, whereas other prey such as arthropods (mainly insects), amphibians and reptiles had a low contribution by mass where they occurred. A third group included the common barn owl (Tyto alba), feeding mainly on small mammals (97%, at least 12 species) and little owl (Athene noctua). The little owl’s diet consisted of mammals (29%, -at least 6 species), birds (5% -at least 7 species) and, though insects preponderated by number (64%), mammals were dominant by biomass in both owls. Diversity indices estimated on class level were low, ranked as B. buteo > M. migrans > A. noctua > C. aeruginosus > A. heliaca = T. alba > A. clanga. Dietary similarities may be partly due to common habitat preferences and the role of other potential factors to niche partitioning is discussed.

Both Migratory Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus orientalis) and migratory giant honeybee (Apis dorsata dorsata) can be found in South-east Asia. The Oriental Honey-buzzard is the main predator of the giant honeybee, prey upon its honeycomb, larvae, and honey. Its existence always follows the migration of the giant honeybee. They stay on Java island during the migratory season. The giant honeybee lives in a large colony and has a powerful sting that is useful for defence against its predators. The bee is among the most dangerous animals since its threatening defensive behavior causes severe impact on the eagle and is even frequently fatal for human beings. Data collections on hunting behavior of the Oriental Honey-buzzard were based on irregular observations and interviews between the year 2003 to 2019. We categorized five hunting behaviors during data collections: flying orientation around the bee’s nest, attack on living nest, failure to collect the living nest, preying upon the newly empty nest, and transferring attack of the angry bee to people nearby. The safest hunting for the Oriental Honey-buzzard is to prey upon newly empty nest left by the honeybee. When the nest was still occupied by the bee colonies, the eagle should develop a strategy to avoid and reduce the risk of being attacked. It sometimes transfers the attack to people nearby.

Tam Metin / Full Text WOS:000603516700004 Q4 SCI-Expanded This study was carried out for the morphological examination of renal portal system in the long-legged buzzard.A total of nineadult long-legged buzzards were used in the study.The latex procedure was performed for the macroanatomic detection of the vessels forming the renal portal system.Dissections were performed under the stereomicroscope and later photographs were taken. The renal portal system vessels formed by the cranial renal portal vein and caudal renal portal vein in the long-legged buzzard. Afferent renal branches were separated from these vessels and efferent renal branches were observed to join renal veins. The anastomosis of the left cranial renal portal vein and right cranial renal portal vein was not observed at the cranial side, besides the presence of interiliac anastomosis was determined between the right internal iliac vein and left internal iliac vein at the caudal side. The findings of the renal portal system of long-legged buzzard(Buteo rufinus)were generally similar to those noted in other birds. Bu çalışma kızıl şahinde renal portal sistemin morfolojik olarak incelenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Çalışmada toplam 9 adet yetişkin kızıl şahin kullanıldı. Renal portal sistemi oluşturan damarların makroanatomik tespiti için latex uygulandı. Diseksiyonlar steromikroskop altında yapıldı ve daha sonra fotoğrafları çekildi. Kızıl şahin’de renal portal sistem damarları, vena portalis renalis cranialis ve vena portalis renalis caudalis'ten oluşmaktaydı. Bu damarlardan afferent renal dalların ayrıldığı ve efferent renal dalların vena renalis'e katıldığı gözlendi. Cranial tarafta vena portalis renalis cranialis dexter ve vena portalis renalis cranialis sinister arasında anastomoz görülmezken, caudal tarafta, vena iliaca interna dexter ve vena iliaca interna sinister arasında (interiliac anastomosis) anastomozun varlığı belirlendi. Kızıl şahin (Buteo rufinus) renal portal sisteminin bulguları genel olarak diğer kuşlarda belirtilenlerle benzer bulundu.

SummaryThe prevalent pesticide carbofuran was banned in the European Union (EU) in 2008; however, the extent of its actual elimination from the environment has been little studied. The presence of this pesticide in the livers of the protected raptors the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the common buzzard (Buteo buteo) was monitored in Poland from 2008 to 2019 using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis and data from government institutions. Carbofuran residues were detected in the liver samples of the analysed raptors throughout the period studied. In total, carbofuran was detected in the livers of 33% of the eagles and 54% of the buzzards; concentrations were in the ranges of 11–699 and 14–1890 μg kg–1 of dry matter, respectively. Effective measures to eliminate banned pesticides from the market more efficiently are required.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of emerging substances that have proved to be persistent and highly bioaccumulative. They are broadly used in various applications and are known for their long-distance migration and toxicity. In this study, 65 recent specimens of a terrestrial apex predator (Common buzzard), freshwater and marine apex predators (Eurasian otter, harbour porpoise, grey seal, harbour seal) and their potential prey (bream, roach, herring, eelpout) from northern Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden) were analyzed for the presence of legacy and emerging PFAS, employing a highly sensitive liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method. 56 compounds from 14 classes were measured; 13 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), 7 perfluoroalkyl sulphonic acids (PFSAs), 3 perfluorooctane sulfonamides (FOSAs), 4 perfluoroalkylphosphonic acids (PFAPAs), 3 perfluoroalkylphosphinic acids (PFPi's), 5 telomer alcohols (FTOHs), 2 mono-substituted polyfluorinated phosphate esters (PAPs), 2 di-substituted polyfluorinated phosphate esters (diPAPs), 6 saturated fluorotelomer acids (FTAS), 3 unsaturated fluorotelomer acids (FTUAs), 2 N-Alkyl perfluorooctane sulfonamidoethanols (FOSEs), 3 fluorotelomer sulphonic acids (FTSAs), 2 perfluoroether carboxylic acids (PFECAs) and 1 chlorinated perfluoroether sulphonic acid (Cl-PFESA). All samples were lyophilized before analysis, in order to enhance extraction efficiency, improve the precision and achieve lower detection limits. The analytes were extracted from the dry matrices through generic methods of extraction, using an accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), followed by clean-up through solid phase extraction (SPE). Method detection limits and method quantification limits ranged from 0.02 to 1.25 ng/g wet weight (ww) and from 0.05 to 3.79 ng/g (ww), respectively. Recovery ranged from 40 to 137%. Method precision ranged from 3 to 20 %RSD. The sum of PFAS concentration in apex predators livers ranged from 0.2 to 20.2 μg/g (ww), whereas in the fish species muscle tissues it ranged from 16 to 325 ng/g (ww). All analyzed specimens were primarily contaminated with PFOS, while the three PFPi's included in this study exhibited frequency of appearance (FoA) 100 %. C9 to C13 PFCAs were found at high concentrations in apex predator livers, while the overall PFAS levels in fish fillets also exceeded ecotoxicological thresholds. The findings of our study show a clear association between the PFAS concentrations in apex predators and the geographical origin of the specimens, with samples that were collected in urban and agricultural zones being highly contaminated compared to samples from pristine or semi-pristine areas. The high variety of PFAS and the different PFAS composition in the apex predators and their prey (AP&P) samples is alarming and strengthens the importance of PFAS monitoring across the food chain.

On 15 of June, we examined a living nest of Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) 6 km southeast from village Altykarasu of the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan. Below the nest, there were two fully-fledged juvenile Long-Legged Buzzards (Buteo rufinus). This observation could be attributed to non-lethal catch of Long-Legged Buzzard nestlings by Steppe Eagle with subsequent rearing.

In NGI-type simple shear apparatus, including recently developed NGI-type bi-directional simple shear apparatus, the complete stress state is unknown which limited the interpretation of test result...

Different methods of feature selection find the best subdivision from the candidate subset. In all methods, based on the application and the type of the definition, a subset is selected as the answer; which can optimize the value of an evaluation function. The large number of features, high spatial and temporal complexity, and even reduced accuracy are common problems in such systems. Therefore, research needs to be performed to optimize these systems. In this paper, for increasing the classification accuracy and reducing their complexity; feature selection techniques are used. In addition, a new feature selection method by using the buzzard optimization algorithm (BUOZA) is proposed. These features would be used in segmentation, feature extraction, and classification steps in related applications; to improve the system performance. The results of the performed experiment on the developed method have shown a high performance while optimizing the system’s working parameters.

Migration can be costly with consequences that can influence population trajectories. These costs and consequences are especially heightened during over-water travels, which can be high-risk events for birds. We created spatial models to evaluate potential migratory responses of “oceanic”, island-hopping grey-faced buzzards that encounter variation in landscape parameters and weather as they move through and out of the Philippine archipelago. We constrained the modeled routes to enter the island chain at Basco and to use one of four potential exit points in the south of the country, either Balabac, Bongao, Balut Island, or Cape San Agustin. We used all possible combinations of our three external parameters (stopover sites, water crossings and wind direction) to model alternative migratory routes for each of the four exit points (n = 20 migratory routes). Modeled grey-faced buzzard routes were between 1,582 and 2,970 km. Routes overlapped over eastern and central Luzon, along a leading line created by the Sierra Madre Mountains. Routes also overlapped and suggested unavoidable over-water crossings between Mindoro and Palawan, Negros and Zamboanga del Norte, and Leyte and Surigao. Our models suggest that the optimal migratory strategy for these birds is to find the shortest route to an exit point with the greatest possible access to stopover habitats and fewest open-water crossings under wind resistance. Understanding how each of these external factors affected the geography and characteristics of the migratory routes helps us to understand the context for different migratory strategies of birds that face dangerous open-water crossings on migration.

The Gulf of Suez is an important flyway for migratory soaring birds because it is situated between the Eurasian and African landmasses that connect breeding grounds in Eurasia with wintering zones in Africa. During four weeks of spring migration, the magnitude and timing of the spring migration of 15 species of medium and large-sized raptors, White Storks “Ciconia ciconia”, Black Storks “Ciconia nigra”, White Pelicans “Pelicanus onocrotalus”, Common Cranes “Grus grus” and Great cormorant “Phalacrocorax carbo” were studied near Ras Shukeir city, Eastern desert, Egypt. Observations were carried out on the ground by three vantage points between the Gulf of Suez and Gharib mountain. In total 3121 raptors of 15 species were counted in addition to 8380 White Storks, 2250 White Pelicans and 604 Common Cranes passed during the study time. The most common species were Northern Steppe Buzzard “Buteo buteo vulpinus”, Black Kite “Milvus migrans” and Steppe Eagle “Aquila nipalensis” and recorded 17.21% of all raptors.

The Golden Eagle Field is located 18 km north of the Buzzard Field in the Moray Firth, and consists of oil accumulations in the Lower Cretaceous Punt and Upper Jurassic Burns Sandstone members. The development area comprises three fields, Golden Eagle, Peregrine and Solitaire, but up to 90% of the oil-in-place and ultimate recovery are in Golden Eagle. The two satellite fields are primarily structural closures, while the Golden Eagle Field reservoirs have a major element of stratigraphic pinchout. Production commenced in October 2014 and approximately 140 MMbbl of recoverable oil is anticipated over its field life from the 19 development wells (14 producers and 5 injectors) that form the initial development phase. Production performance to date has exceeded expectations, aided through the use of completions that provide zonal control of the reservoir units which has successfully supported reservoir management and improved sweep efficiency. A number of significant lessons have been learned during the early stages of the field life from the integration of dynamic data (real-time downhole fibre-optic reservoir monitoring instruments, inter- and intra-well tracers, and well interference tests) and seismic data improvements (post-start-up acquisition of high-density ocean-bottom node seismic and depth-conversion improvements).

The Buzzard Field remains the largest UK Continental Shelf oil discovery in the last 25 years. The field is located in the Outer Moray Firth of the North Sea and comprises stacked Upper Jurassic turbidite reservoirs of Late Kimmeridgian–Mid Volgian age, encased within Kimmeridge Clay Formation mudstones. The stratigraphic trap is produced by pinchout of the reservoir layers to the north, west and south. Production commenced in January 2007 and the field has subsequently produced 52% over the estimated reserves at commencement of development, surpassing initial performance expectations. Phase I drilling was completed in 2014 with 38 wells drilled from 36 platform slots. Platform drilling recommenced in 2018, followed in 2019 by Phase II drilling from a new northern manifold location. The evolution of the depositional model has been a key aspect of field development. Integration of production surveillance and dynamic data identified shortcomings in the appraisal depositional model. A sedimentological study based on core reinterpretation created an updated depositional model, which was then integrated with seismic and production data. The new depositional model is better able to explain non-uniform water sweep in the field resulting from a more complex sandbody architecture of stacked channels prograding over underlying lobes.

Sex and age segregation on the non-breeding grounds is common in raptor species. We studied the European Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) on its southern African non-breeding grounds to examine changes in sex and age ratios over a period of recent population expansion (2002–2017). Photographs from multiple open sources were analysed. The adult population was found to be overwhelmingly female (93.3%) with no significant variation over months, years, or latitudes. This supports the arrival-time hypothesis, which states that the sex responsible for establishing the breeding territory (the male in honey buzzard) will spend the non-breeding period closest to the breeding grounds, allowing them to reduce intrasexual competition for breeding territories. Juvenile and second year birds (41.6% of the population) were more common at lower elevations, as well as further south in the sub-region. This is likely due to a funnelling effect of inexperienced juvenile birds further south and to coastal zones. In addition, juvenile birds do not return to the breeding grounds for at least 2 years, so may be more likely to migrate further south. Finally, second year birds increase later in the austral summer. This may be a result of both juvenile birds moulting into more adult plumage, and a southward intra-continental movement of young honey buzzards in Africa.

Studies of diurnal birds of prey may be quite indicative of the state of natural ecosystems and of the level of impact of human-induced factors on their functions. The aim of this work was to analyse the long-term dynamics of the raptor populations within the Donetsk Ridge, to identify which habitat or habitat mosaics are preferred in nesting territories and home ranges depending on the level of anthropogenic transformation of the environment. The studies were conducted in 1999–2019. The total length of the walking routes was 2,864 km while a distance of 1,548 km was covered by car routes. 306 nests of the birds of prey or those potentially belonging to the members of this group were found and re-examined. The long-term dynamics of the population of Falconiformes was characterized by a general decline in the numbers of most species. There was a loss of representatives of the boreal and desert-steppe faunistic complexes and simultaneous increase in the participation of representatives of the nemoral and forest steppe faunistic complexes associated with the floodplain forests of the Siversky Donets River valley and the bayrak oak forests of the central part of the Donetsk Ridge. The impact of the anthropogenic factor on the dynamics of the population of the birds of prey is ambiguous. For the species which are sensitive to changes in the environment, such as the European Honey Buzzard, the Northern Goshawk, the Merlin and the Red-footed Falcon, a general negative dynamics of the populations is observed. The positive trend in the numbers of the Long-legged Buzzard and the Saker Falcon is linked to the expansion of the both species into the territory of the Donetsk Ridge. The habitat structure of the nesting territories is quite diverse in different species of diurnal birds of prey. This is especially noticeable in the ratio of forest and grassland habitats. Based on the selectivity index, we found that the vast majority of the raptors of the Donetsk Ridge prefer temperate broad-leaved forests when choosing nesting territories. The structure of the home ranges of all forest species of diurnal birds of prey not only depends on the optimal ratio of open and forested areas but on the presence of ecotones of considerable length which originated in the complex mosaics of habitat complexes. The stable number of dendrophiles and the disappearance (decrease in number) of sclerophiles and campophiles indicates the least anthropogenic transformation of forest habitats and a radical transformation of open spaces – meadows and steppes. The most successful were eurytopic birds of prey and species with pronounced anthropotolerance.

En la región de los Valles Centrales del estado de Oaxaca se encuentra la comunidad de San Pablo Güilá. En este lugar existe un cuento popular conocido como Juan Flojo, del cual hay distintas versiones. En este artículo se presenta la versión de Federico Luis Gómez, nativo hablante de este zapoteco. El cuento relata la historia de Juan, su mamá, su perro y un zopilote encarando múltiples aventuras, con un tinte de moraleja al final. En la introducción, se encuentra información general del texto, la ortografía utilizada y generalidades del análisis. Posteriormente se muestra un análisis lingüístico de la narración.

For decades birds of prey have been under the protection of European law, but deliberate or unintentional killing is still a large-scale problem in Europe. In an effort to monitor illegal practices, the Flemish government established several bird of prey hotlines in 2006. Since then, every suspicious death of a bird of prey has been investigated. This retrospective study reviews the necropsy results of every bird of prey submitted for investigation from January 2011 to December 2019, with a focus on illegal practices. In 36.7% (83/226) of all necropsy cases, an illegal cause of death was found, with poisoning being demonstrated in 88% (73/83) of these cases. Cholinesterase inhibitors were the most commonly used toxins, despite being prohibited in Europe. With a prevalence of 82.5% (260/315) of all cases, the Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) was the species most submitted for necropsy.

West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most widely distributed (re-)emerging arboviruses. In Croatia, acute WNV infections as well as seropositivity were detected in humans, horses, birds and poultry. Although serologic evidence of WNV human infections dates back to the 1970s, no clinical cases were reported until 2012. WNV outbreaks, as well as sporadic infections, were continuously recorded in continental Croatian counties from 2012 to 2018. In addition, acute asymptomatic infections (IgM antibodies) in horses have been regularly notified in continental regions since 2012, while seropositive horses (seroprevalence rates 3.7–21.4%) were detected in both continental and coastal regions. Moreover, WNV seropositivity in poultry (1.8–22.9%) was reported from 2013 to 2020. During the largest WNV outbreak in 2018, WNV RNA was detected for the first time in two dead goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) from the same aviary in North-West Croatia, while WNV antibodies were found in one buzzard (Butteo butteo) from the same region. In addition, WNV RNA was detected in a dead blackbird (Turdus merula) at the Croatian littoral. The phylogenetic analysis of 11 strains detected in urine samples of patients with neuroinvasive disease and 1 strain detected in a goshawk showed circulation of WNV lineage 2. Thus far, WNV has not been detected in mosquitoes in Croatia.

Harmonious coexistence between humans, other animals and ecosystem services they support is a complex issue, typically impacted by landscape change, which affects animal distribution and abundance. In the last 30 years, afforestation on grasslands across Great Britain has been increasing, motivated by socio-economic reasons and climate change mitigation. Beyond expected benefits, an obvious question is what are the consequences for wider biodiversity of this scale of landscape change. Here, we explore the impact of such change on the expanding population of common buzzards Buteo buteo , a raptor with a history of human-induced setbacks. Using Resource-Area-Dependence Analysis (RADA), with which we estimated individuals' resource needs using 10-day radio-tracking sessions and the 1990s Land Cover Map of GB, and agent-based modelling, we predict that buzzards in our study area in lowland UK had fully recovered (to 2.2 ind km −2 ) by 1995. We also anticipate that the conversion of 30%, 60% and 90% of economically viable meadow into woodland would reduce buzzard abundance nonlinearly by 15%, 38% and 74%, respectively. The same approach used here could allow for cost-effective anticipation of other animals' population patterns in changing landscapes, thus helping to harmonize economy, landscape change and biodiversity.

The crested honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) is an Eastern Palearctic species with a wide distribution range throughout the Asian continent. The migratory sub-species within P. ptilorhynchus, P. p. orientalis, is mostly known from East and South Asia, but is increasingly recorded in Central Asia and the Middle East. The migration flyway in East Asia is relatively well documented through observational and remote-tracking studies of the Japanese population. Birds breeding in Southern Siberia, Southern and North-Eastern China, Japan, and Korea winter in India and Southeast Asia. A smaller number of birds follow a western migration flyway through Central Asia. These birds probably breed in the species' westernmost Siberian breeding grounds and migrate through Central Asia to winter in the Middle East. The species has also been recorded in the African-Eurasian flyway, where it is probably caught in flocks of migrating European honey buzzard P. apivorus and migrates with them to the African wintering grounds. These vagrant birds are sometimes thought to be hybrids, but no DNA analysis has confirmed this. This chapter presents a summary of the current knowledge of the migratory behaviour of the migratory sub-species of the crested honey buzzard in East Asia, with an overview of available information in its western distribution range and within the Western Palearctic. The information presented here is gathered from resources available in English, and is therefore not a complete synthesis of all the existing knowledge about the migration behaviour of the crested honey buzzard.

A 2-year-old female European Honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) was diagnosed with a coxofemoral luxation (craniodorsal) of the right leg. Modified toggle pin technique was performed to replace the ruptured ligament of head of femur with an artificial ligament. An anchor was tied to a monofilament-type nonabsorbable suture and placed into the buzzard's acetabular hole through the drilled femoral canal. The buzzard gradually regained full activity by 13 weeks following surgery, displaying a slight lameness but otherwise a completely normal range of motion without relapse or complication. In this specific case, the procedure was uneventful and the buzzard recovered over several months without relapse or complications. Further clinical reports including a larger number of animals are needed in order to determine whether this technique is safe and which surgical technique is more effective in birds with coxofemoral luxation.

Indirect effects of climate change are often mediated by trophic interactions and consequences for individual species depend on how they are tied into the local food web. Here we show how the response of demographic rates of an arctic bird of prey to fluctuations in small rodent abundance changed when small rodent community composition and dynamics changed, possibly under the effect of climate warming. We observed the breeding biology of rough‐legged buzzards (Buteo lagopus) at the Erkuta Tundra Monitoring Site in southern Yamal, low arctic Russia, for 19 years (1999–2017). At the same time, data on small rodent abundance were collected and information on buzzard diet was obtained from pellet dissection. The small rodent community experienced a shift from high‐amplitude cycles to dampened fluctuations paralleled with a change in species composition toward less lemmings and more voles. Buzzards clearly preferred lemmings as prey. Breeding density of buzzards was positively related to small rodent abundance, but the shift in small rodent community lead to lower numbers relative to small rodent abundance. At the same time, after the change in small rodent community, the average number of fledglings was higher relative to small rodent abundance than earlier. These results suggest that the buzzard population adapted to a certain degree to the changes in the major resource, although at the same time density declined. The documented flexibility in the short‐term response of demographic rates to changes in structure and dynamics of key food web components make it difficult to predict how complex food webs will be transformed in a warmer Arctic. The degree of plasticity of functional responses is indeed likely to vary between species and between regions, depending also on the local food web context.

AIM: Long‐distance Palaearctic migrant birds are declining at a faster rate than short‐distance migrant or resident species. This is often attributed to changes on their non‐breeding grounds and along their migratory routes. The European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) is a scarce migrant in southern Africa that is declining globally. This study assessed the distribution and abundance of honey buzzards in southern Africa over the past four decades and compared it to trends in the East African population to examine possible drivers of population expansion in southern Africa. LOCATION: Southern and East Africa. METHODS: European honey buzzard reporting data were collected from a variety of sources including citizen science databases (1983–2017). In addition, records of all other southern African vagrants (including ten other regularly occurring species) were gathered to account for changes in birdwatching effort in the subregion. To assess the effect of forest loss on honey buzzard abundance, rolling correlations were performed using forest cover in East Africa and number of honey buzzard records in both subregions. RESULTS: European honey buzzard records in southern Africa have increased over five times more than other regularly occurring vagrant species and almost 40 times more than honey buzzard in Tanzania, where the population has remained stable. Loss of forested area in East Africa was correlated with an increase in European honey buzzard records in southern Africa. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the European honey buzzard shift in wintering range may be driven by a decline in suitable habitat further north in Africa amongst other possible reasons. This effect may have been amplified by an increase in appropriate habitat across southern Africa brought about by anthropogenic changes to vegetation such as increased tree cover in urban areas. This study further highlights the importance of using African distributional data banks to understand the effects of global change on Palaearctic migrant bird species.

Capsule: The nesting habitat of the Common Buzzard Buteo buteo and Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina extensively overlap, indicating that they exploit similar resources.Aim: We aimed to ...