Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-06-06DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100268
Yuanyuan Zhao , Yangfei Yu , Yunteng Liu , Lei Zhu , Zhikai Liao , Yuelou Liu , Jian Su , Yilin Deng , Siqi He , Cheng Wenda , Yachang Cheng , Yang Liu
{"title":"Multi-dimensional niche segregation of sympatric breeding seabirds in the Xisha Archipelago","authors":"Yuanyuan Zhao , Yangfei Yu , Yunteng Liu , Lei Zhu , Zhikai Liao , Yuelou Liu , Jian Su , Yilin Deng , Siqi He , Cheng Wenda , Yachang Cheng , Yang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studying coexistence mechanisms is practically important for understanding and conserving marine biodiversity and community structure. Tropical marine ecosystems may exhibit higher competition between top predators due to generally low primary productivity and pronounced seasonal fluctuation in food availability. Consequentially, niche segregation in sympatric breeding seabirds is expected to occur as a mechanism to maintain species coexistence. However, a single-dimensional study on seabird niche segregation might result in unclear niche overlap. Here, we investigated multi-dimensional niche segregation of tropical seabirds during field expeditions to the Xisha Archipelago, China, in 2023. We reconfirmed the breeding status of six species of terns and noddy, and further revealed the multi-dimensional niche segregation among Black-naped (<em>Sterna sumatrana</em>), Bridled (<em>Onychoprion anaethetus</em>) and Roseate (<em>Sterna dougallii</em>) Terns. Spatially, these three species utilized nest sites that differentiated by vegetation and distance to sea. Temporally, Black-naped Terns bred earlier and for a longer period, while Bridled and Roseate Terns had more restricted breeding seasons. Furthermore, the daily foraging activity patterns of these species also differed, with Bridled Terns potentially having a longer foraging time at noon. In terms of diet, Bridled Terns were opportunists that fed on fishes, squids and insects, such as migratory fruit-piercing moths, while Roseate Terns were primarily piscivorous, especially feeding on Exocoetidae (flying fishes). Seabirds play a crucial role in marine ecosystems and are globally threatened. Our findings shed light on the complex mechanisms facilitating the coexistence of sympatric seabird species in China. Further research is needed to examine other ecological interactions and to develop effective conservation strategies for protecting these valuable seabird populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100268"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144279351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-06-02DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100267
Natalia Ugas-Bravo, Pilar Guerrero, Rodrigo Medel
{"title":"The role of sterile apices of Puya chilensis (Bromeliaceae) on the nectar-feeding behavior of passeriform birds in central Chile","authors":"Natalia Ugas-Bravo, Pilar Guerrero, Rodrigo Medel","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The factors affecting the behavior of non-specialized nectar-feeding passerines have received little attention in the literature on plant-pollinator interactions. <em>Puya chilensis</em> (Bromeliaceae) has sterile branch apices that project outward from the inflorescence. In this study, we evaluate the functional role of sterile apices as support systems for bird foraging behavior. We recorded bird visitation and flower probing in the presence and absence of sterile branches during the spring seasons of 2021 and 2024. The results revealed that experimental plants with excised branches received fewer bird visits and flower probings than control plants, indicating that sterile branches play an important role in the nectar-feeding behavior of passerine birds in <em>P. chilensis.</em></div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100267"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-05-28DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100265
Zhichang Cheng , Donghui Ma , Mengjie Lu , Xingnan Du , Lingwang Kong , Xinkang Bao
{"title":"Variation of migration routes in the central Asian-breeding Common Cuckoo population influenced by the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau","authors":"Zhichang Cheng , Donghui Ma , Mengjie Lu , Xingnan Du , Lingwang Kong , Xinkang Bao","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ecological barriers present significant challenges to bird migration by limiting the availability of stopover sites and shelters. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a major migratory barrier located in higher latitude Central Asia, exerts a substantial influence on avian migration patterns. Species traversing such ecological barriers may adopt multiple optimal routes, which can contribute to the formation of migratory divides. From 2018 to 2021, the migration routes of 13 adult Common Cuckoos (<em>Cuculus canorus</em>) breeding in the north of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were tracked using satellite transmitters. We found Common Cuckoos have two primary migration routes: western and eastern, respectively following western and eastern edges of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The eastern and western routes are likely the optimal routes for the Central Asian Common Cuckoos population to navigate the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Furthermore, two individuals exhibited intermediate migration routes, suggesting attempted traverses of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, although neither completed the migration. These intermediate routes may indicate migratory behavior influenced by hybridization between eastern and western populations or migratory flexibility. Common Cuckoos exhibit significantly faster migration speed, flight speed, and shorter stopover durations during spring compared to autumn. The observed seasonal differences in migration behavior support birds following time-minimization strategies during spring migration. These results revealed the diverse migration routes of Common Cuckoos shaped by the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and seasonal variation in migration patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100265"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144229668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phylogeography of the endangered Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix)","authors":"Melquicedec Escalante-Vargas , Patricia Escalante-Pliego","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Elucidating the historical processes that led populations to their current spatial and genetic arrangement is relevant in conserving threatened species. We interpreted the phylogeographic structure of the threatened Yellow-headed Parrot (<em>Amazona oratrix</em>) with mitochondrial markers and analyzed 98 samples from Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. We performed analyses of genetic structure, genealogical relationships, demographic history, and divergence times and illustrated the phenotypic variation qualitatively of the sampled individuals. The studies revealed that 92% of the genetic variation is explained between the Mexican Tres Marías Islands, the Mexican Pacific Coast, and the Atlantic groups. These three groups were segregated into two main lineages (Pacific and Atlantic), separated by 26 mutations, leaving <em>A</em>. <em>auropalliata</em> within the Atlantic. We found that both lineages diverged 0.55 million years ago, from which the Atlantic lineage experienced population expansion, high levels of genetic diversity, and a low genetic structure with two phenotypes. The Pacific experienced demographic stability, low levels of diversity, and a genetic structure marked with two phenotypes. Our estimates indicate that this separation occurred in the Pleistocene when the Atlantic clade diverged from Panama and dispersed overland to the Gulf of Mexico. Simultaneously, the Pacific clade departed from the same area to Tres Marías Islands and the Mexican Pacific coast. We deduce that this long-distance event was probably produced by assisted dispersal, but other scenarios appear more parsimonious. We conclude that there is no gene flow between both lineages and that the phylogeographic structure resulted significantly from historical events and climatic changes during the Pleistocene. We propose undertaking other analyses in the future to compare our results and the paraphyletic relationships in <em>A. oratrix.</em></div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100259"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144107497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100264
Gleidson Ramos da Silva , Pedro Diniz , Charles Duca
{"title":"Highway effects on artificial nest survival in a neotropical sand-coastal plain: A spatiotemporal approach","authors":"Gleidson Ramos da Silva , Pedro Diniz , Charles Duca","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Roads are a leading cause of habitat fragmentation and may reduce bird populations by increasing nest predation rates. However, few studies have investigated the effects of traffic volume on the reproductive success of roadside birds in the neotropics. Our goal was to evaluate the effects of spatial, temporal, and vehicle flow variations on the survival of artificial open-cup nests. The study was carried out in a nature reserve on the side of a highway during the breeding season (from October to March) in two restinga (sand-coastal plain) phytophysiognomies in southeastern Brazil: non-floodable (open) and floodable (closed). One hundred thirty nests were distributed along transects ranging from 3 m to 300 m from the highway in each vegetation type (totaling 260 nests). The nests were checked every three days for their status (depredated or intact) over 12 days, and new nests were subsequently placed near sampling points of depredated or successful nests. We estimated survival using logistic exposure generalized linear and additive mixed models. At the end of the 180 days of the experiment, 33% of 6202 nests were successful. Nest survival was higher in open restinga than in closed restinga. In both habitats, nest survival was lowest mid-season and highest at the beginning and end. Survival rates peaked near the highway, declined up to 50 m away, then showed a slight increase. Finally, survival increased at moderate-to-high traffic volumes (∼22,000 vehicles/day), particularly in open restinga. We suggest that spatial, temporal, and habitat-specific highway impacts (e.g., noise, vibration, visual stimuli) can lead to variations in the activity of nest predators, generating fluctuations in nest survival associated with predator behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100264"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100263
Dehai Gu , Yanbo Xie , Tetsuo Shimada , Hiroyoshi Higuchi , Diana Solovyeva , Inga Bysykatova-Harmey , Yanlei Liu , Junjian Zhang , Qingshan Zhao , Lei Cao , Anthony D. Fox
{"title":"Reconciling Bergmann's rule throughout the annual cycle in two congeneric large-bodied migratory waterbirds","authors":"Dehai Gu , Yanbo Xie , Tetsuo Shimada , Hiroyoshi Higuchi , Diana Solovyeva , Inga Bysykatova-Harmey , Yanlei Liu , Junjian Zhang , Qingshan Zhao , Lei Cao , Anthony D. Fox","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bergmann's rule predicts that the larger of two homeotherm species differing only in size would occur at higher latitudes, or in cooler climates than the smaller, because of relative thermoregulatory costs in relation to body mass/surface area ratio. Individual tracking data from two congeneric long-distance migratory northern nesting swan species, Tundra <em>Cygnus columbianus</em> (TS, <em>n</em> = 99) and Whooper Swans <em>C. cygnus</em> (WS, 61–71% larger mass than TS, <em>n</em> = 47) were used to determine their summering and wintering latitudes along similar migration routes and common staging areas along the same flyway. We hypothesised that throughout Arctic and Boreal breeding areas (10 °C in July), summer ambient temperatures mainly exceed the Lower Critical Temperatures (LCT, c. 1 °C) for both swan species, so the duration of the snow-free summer period will favour smaller body size at highest latitudes, since this constrains the time available to lay, incubate eggs and raise cygnets to fledging. We hypothesised that in contrast, in winter, both species occur in temperatures near to freezing (−3 °C in January), below their respective LCT, so differential thermoregulation demands would constrain TS to winter south of WS. Tracking of individuals showed for the first time that while smaller TS summered significantly north of WS, WS wintered significantly north of TS, with limited overlap in both seasons. We conclude that differences in relative summer distribution of these two closely related migratory herbivores are not to do with latitude <em>per se</em> but are constrained by the time both species require to raise their young to fledging during the short northern summer, when thermoregulation costs are unlikely limiting. In winter, both swan species occur within a climate envelop at or below their respective LCT and smaller TS occurred consistently south of the range of the tracked WS, as predicted by Bergmann's rule.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100263"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-05-13DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100261
Lucas M. Leveau
{"title":"Climatic, topographic, and local-scale variables differently shape bird communities in urban streets and parks","authors":"Lucas M. Leveau","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green cover and human disturbance are important local factors shaping urban bird communities, while climatic and topographic variables can be important when analyzing cities in different biomes. However, the roles of large-scale and local variables influencing bird species composition have been scarcely explored in urban areas. This study aimed to analyze the association of climatic, topographic, landscape, and local variables with bird species composition in streets dominated by buildings and urban parks. I expected park bird composition to be more related to large-scale variables, whereas bird species in streets to be more associated with local-scale variables. Bird surveys were conducted in nine cities along a climatic and topographic gradient. Bird species composition in urban parks and streets were related to climatic and topographic variables, local vegetation greenness, and distance to non-urban areas. However, bird composition in streets was also related to noise and pedestrian traffic. The classification of bird composition in urban parks aligned with the phytogeographic provinces, whereas the streets’ bird composition was unrelated to phytogeographic provinces. The results showed that urban habitats with increased vegetation cover allow the colonization of native bird communities and are more aligned with natural large-scale environmental gradients. In contrast, more urbanized sites are decoupled from climatic and topographic gradients and invaded by exotic and widespread native species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100261"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144146795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-05-11DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100260
Tanmaya Kumar Bhoi , Ipsita Samal , Biswaranjan Behera , Deepak Kumar Mahanta , J. Komal , R. Athulya
{"title":"Predatory birds in agroforestry: Dawn of a new era for biological control from multitrophic interactions","authors":"Tanmaya Kumar Bhoi , Ipsita Samal , Biswaranjan Behera , Deepak Kumar Mahanta , J. Komal , R. Athulya","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ensuring food security for a rapidly growing global population amidst resource limitations and climate change is a major challenge. Agroforestry an ecologically sustainable land-use system that integrates trees, crops, and sometimes livestock offers significant promise by enhancing biodiversity, ecosystem services, and agricultural productivity. A central concern in such systems is pest management, which traditionally relies on chemical pesticides. However, their excessive use has led to environmental degradation, pest resistance, and health hazards. This review explores the potential of insectivorous birds as natural pest control agents in agroforestry systems. It focuses on how habitat features, vegetation complexity, and species-specific behaviors influence bird-mediated biological control. Insectivorous birds manage pest populations through direct predation, targeting a range of insect pests including caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers. Their foraging activity helps maintain pest populations below the economic threshold. Vegetation strata comprising ground cover, shrubs, understory, and canopy offer diverse foraging niches and nesting habitats that enhance bird diversity and functional roles. Pest control efficiency is closely linked to seasonality, resource availability, and habitat structure. Differentiating between beneficial (predatory) and pestiferous birds is essential to maximize ecosystem services and minimize crop losses or damage to beneficial insects. Conservation of beneficial bird species, informed vegetation planning, and regular monitoring are vital to strengthening multitrophic interactions and achieving sustainable pest control. Future research should focus on bird behavior, predator-prey interactions, and habitat management to optimize bird-friendly pest regulation strategies in agroforestry landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100260"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144090187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-05-02DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100258
Ailun Wang , Tara J. Pirie , Mark D.E. Fellowes
{"title":"Testing urban edge effects: Nest predation rates are higher in areas further from the boundary of a suburban park","authors":"Ailun Wang , Tara J. Pirie , Mark D.E. Fellowes","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100258","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100258","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban green spaces and parks offer opportunities for retaining and increasing bird richness, diversity, and species abundance. However, urbanisation influences predator–prey interactions, leading to high predation rates in urban areas, in the UK notably through the presence of large populations of domestic cats and increased populations of synanthropic species, such as rats and squirrels. These high predation rates are assumed to be a significant cause of reproductive failure in birds. Some ecologists advocate for the use of buffer zones with reduced human influence to reduce potential hunting pressure in eco-sensitive areas. However, the buffer effect on predation rates of nesting birds in suburban areas is rarely investigated. In this study, we investigated how edge effects (how close nest sites are to housing) and nest height (i.e., ground vs. above-ground) affected nest predation rates in a suburban park using camera traps to monitor artificial nests containing quail eggs. Our hypothesis was that nests in the buffer area (<300 m inward from university boundary) and at low height would suffer higher predation rates than nests in the core area (>300 m from the university boundary) and at height, as the buffer zone effect, and ease of access to ground predators would result in higher predation rates. We found no significant effect of nest height in nest predation rates. However, contrary to our expectations, nests in the core zone suffered higher predation rates than those in the buffer zone, and corvids were responsible for almost half of the egg loss events. We speculate that this may be a consequence of higher levels of anthropogenic disturbance (e.g., pedestrians, dog walking, vehicles) adjacent to our buffer zone acting as a deterrent to avian nest predators. This work suggests that protecting urban sites from disturbance may not always act to support bird abundance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100258"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avian ResearchPub Date : 2025-05-02DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100257
Zheng Han , Xi Yang , Lishi Zhang , Piotr Tryjanowski , Frédéric Jiguet , Haitao Wang
{"title":"Responses of steppe birds to habitat fragmentation: Insights from niche specialization and functional traits","authors":"Zheng Han , Xi Yang , Lishi Zhang , Piotr Tryjanowski , Frédéric Jiguet , Haitao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Habitat fragmentation poses a significant threat to bird communities, especially those in open and semi-open ecosystems such as steppes. This study investigates how steppe birds adapt to and utilize fragmented habitats by combining niche modeling with ecological trait analysis. We conducted standardized point surveys to examine the habitat preferences of 32 bird species in Inner Mongolia, China, and quantified their habitat niche parameters using the Outlying Mean Index (OMI). Our results reveal distinct habitat preferences among species, with some thriving in intact environments while others are better adapted to fragmented areas. Grassland species showed high specialization along the fragmentation gradient, while others exhibited adaptability to varying levels of fragmentation. Using a Generalized Additive Model (GAM), we identified three key traits influencing habitat occupancy: hand-wing index, body mass, and range size. Specifically, species with medium hand-wing indices, moderate body mass, and larger range sizes were more likely to occupy heavily fragmented habitats. These findings provide empirical evidence on how habitat fragmentation affects bird species in steppe ecosystems. The study highlights the importance of functional traits in understanding avian responses to habitat fragmentation and offers a foundation for developing effective conservation strategies to preserve biodiversity in fragmented landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100257"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143936493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}