Avian Research最新文献

{"title":"Modeling the effects of urban park 3D environmental features on bird diversity with interpretable machine learning: A case study of Harbin, northeastern China","authors":"Chenyang Ding ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Cai ,&nbsp;Yuandong Hu ,&nbsp;Yuxuan Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100304","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban parks are essential habitats for birds in densely built environments. However, most studies focus only on horizontal features, overlooking the role of integrated vertical structures. Using bird records from the China Bird Report (CBR) collected between 2020 and 2024, this study focused on major urban parks in Harbin, a cold high-latitude city in Northeast China. Using interpretable machine learning models, we assessed the impact of three-dimensional (3D) park features on bird species richness and identified key variables along with their nonlinear relationships. Subsequently, we grouped bird species by ecological traits and applied ordination analysis to assess their differential abundance responses to the 3D environmental characteristics of urban parks. Results showed that: (1) urban park 3D environmental features had a certain influence on bird richness, among which disturbance from built-up land and the coverage of commercial buildings were the most important factors; (2) different bird groups responded differently to the urban park 3D environmental features. Specifically, waterbirds and generalist birds preferred mixed habitats dominated by water, wetlands, and tall vegetation, and exhibited significant edge effects caused by built-up land disturbance. In contrast, forest birds were mainly affected by greenspace configuration. Although they showed tolerance to human disturbance, this trend may increase the risk of biotic homogenization. The study used a 3D environmental framework integrating horizontal and vertical dimensions to explore how bird diversity is shaped, providing detailed recommendations for biodiversity-sensitive park planning in Harbin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100304"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145218970","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":"Effects of night lighting on avian cognitive function: Mechanisms involving neurodegeneration, metabolic dysregulation and neuroinflammatory responses","authors":"Xiaoqian Li ,&nbsp;Zeru Gong ,&nbsp;Na Zhu,&nbsp;Shuping Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid expansion of urbanization has led to widespread exposure of wild birds to intensive light at night (LAN). While previous studies have established LAN-induced cognitive impairment in birds, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that LAN exposure impaired cognitive function of birds potentially through neurodegeneration, metabolic dysregulation and neuroinflammatory responses in the telencephalon. Using Zebra Finches (<em>Taeniopygia guttata</em>) as an avian model, under 16L:8D photoperiods, we compared associative learning and memory abilities and neurobiological parameters between experimental groups exposed to dim light at night (LAN) versus nocturnal darkness (CTR). Compared to the CTR birds, the LAN-exposed birds exhibited significantly lower learning and memory performances, reduced neuron density and simplified dendritic morphology in the telencephalons. The key energy metabolic substrates (cholic acid, CTP, D-mannose-6-phosphate) and neuroprotective agents (trehalose, menaquinone, L-gulono-1,4-lactone) in the telencephalons of LAN-exposed birds showed depletion, while oxidative stress markers (methionine sulfoxide) and inflammatory mediators (cis-gondoic acid) exhibited elevation. The neurotransmitter dopamine and histamine metabolic pathway were disrupted in the LAN-exposed birds. The microglias were activated with pro-inflammatory IL-1β and IL-6 levels increasing and anti-inflammatory IL-10 decreasing in the telencephalons of the LAN-exposed birds. These findings indicate a potential mechanistic pathway whereby dim light exposure at night can induce neuroinflammation through oxidative stress-mediated microglial activation, energy metabolism and neurotransmitter homeostasis disruption, ultimately leading to neurodegeneration in the telencephalons of birds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100303"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145218969","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":"Corrigendum to “Swan Project promotes citizen science initiative through a public bird migration tracking” [Avian Res. 16 (2025) 100298]","authors":"Tetsuo Shimada ,&nbsp;Kan Konishi ,&nbsp;Guozheng Li ,&nbsp;Guodong Shi ,&nbsp;Hiroyoshi Higuchi","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100302","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100302","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100302"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157639","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":"Parental phenotypes and breeding performance: a review of non-experimental investigation in well-studied Western palearctic tits and flycatchers","authors":"Marcel M. Lambrechts ,&nbsp;D. Charles Deeming","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100300","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100300","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous hypotheses predict associations between phenotype-associated breeder traits and reproductive success. In secondary cavity-nesting passerine birds, which have been investigated most, up to more than 90 parental characteristics have been linked to at least one field measure of breeding performance. However, within study populations, different parental traits, such as clutch size, first-egg date, egg size, nest architecture, plumage colour, adult morphometry, or song performance, are often weakly correlated across female and/or male breeders. Furthermore, many of these studies have been conducted outside the theoretical framework of the ‘Individual Optimisation Hypothesis’ of clutch size (IOH). IOH predicts that: (i) females with larger clutches will have larger broods at hatching and fledging compared to those with smaller clutches; and (ii) clutch size, which is adaptively adjusted to the parents' ability to rear nestlings, should always maximize the percentage of eggs producing fledglings so that variation in clutch size becomes disconnected from variation in breeding success. In this paper, we present the first detailed review of implications of IOH for parental characters other than clutch size. Our review covered 188 non-experimental studies and 1074 statistical results that examined how parental traits influence breeding success in Western Palearctic Great Tits (<em>Parus major</em>), Blue Tits (<em>Cyanistes</em> spp.), and flycatchers (<em>Ficedula</em> spp.). Clutch size explained one third of the variation in brood size at hatching and fledging within study populations. However, most parental characteristics associated weakly with the number of hatchlings or fledglings, likely because they did not correlate with clutch size. Overall, parental traits were poorly correlated with the proportion of hatchlings and fledglings per egg. We discuss why intraspecific variation in phenotype-associated breeder traits is often disconnected from interindividual differences in breeding success, and highlight the importance of underexplored research problems in avian breeding biology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100300"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219565","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":"Phylogenetic relatedness overshadows acoustic similarity to regulate responses toward unfamiliar mobbing calls in Masked Laughingthrushes","authors":"Yuqi Sun ,&nbsp;Changjian Fu ,&nbsp;Yumeng Zhao ,&nbsp;Zhiyang Ding ,&nbsp;Miaomiao Lai ,&nbsp;Zhongqiu Li","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100299","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100299","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recognition of heterospecific mobbing calls can occur through both innate and learned mechanisms, with the former often explained by two main hypotheses: the acoustic similarity hypothesis, which emphasizes shared acoustic features, and the phylogenetic conservatism hypothesis, which posits that closely related species may share innate decoding templates. However, it remains unclear whether phylogenetic relatedness alone can drive the recognition of unfamiliar mobbing calls, a question with important implications for understanding the evolution of interspecific communication and anti-predator strategies. We examined the recognition of unfamiliar mobbing calls in Masked Laughingthrushes (<em>Pterorhinus perspicillatus</em>) using playback experiments with three allopatric species' mobbing calls of Leiothrichidae family. Results revealed two key findings: (1) Masked Laughingthrushes exhibited mobbing responses to unfamiliar mobbing calls, though at significantly lower intensity compared to conspecific playbacks. (2) Phylogenetic relatedness significantly predicted mobbing intensity, independent of overall acoustic similarity. These findings improve our understanding of how birds like Masked Laughingthrush instinctively recognize mobbing calls from other species. We show phylogenetic relatedness rather than overall acoustic similarity may be a key to this innate ability. Species that share a common ancestor may possess similar built-in neural systems for decoding alarm signals. We suggest that future research needs to combine neurobiological techniques to determine how inherited biases and feature decoding system together guide variable bird communities to perceive heterospecific mobbing calls.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100299"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049240","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":"Swan Project promotes citizen science initiative through a public bird migration tracking","authors":"Tetsuo Shimada ,&nbsp;Kan Konishi ,&nbsp;Guozheng Li ,&nbsp;Guodong Shi ,&nbsp;Hiroyoshi Higuchi","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100298","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100298","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100298"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049234","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":"Metagenomic insights into the geographic divergence and functional adaptation of gut microbiota in the endangered Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus)","authors":"Riya Wu ,&nbsp;Shengxian He ,&nbsp;Chen Zhang ,&nbsp;Keping Sun ,&nbsp;Longru Jin ,&nbsp;Haitao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100297","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100297","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Investigating geographical variation and functional adaptation of gut microbiomes in endangered species is an emerging field in conservation biology. Here, we investigated the endangered waterbird, Scaly-sided Merganser (<em>Mergus squamatus</em>), that is endemic to East Asia. Using metagenomic sequencing, we characterized variations in gut microbiota composition and functional adaptation across Scaly-sided Merganser populations inhabiting the Fuer River, Manjiang River, and Lushui River basins in Northeast China. Furthermore, we investigated these variations at different developmental stages (adults and juveniles). Significant differences were observed in gut microbiota composition among the river populations, with the Fuer and Lushui groups exhibiting similar compositions that differed from the Manjiang group. However, no significant differences were found in the functional characteristics of gut microbiota among the three groups; these functions were primarily enriched in core pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and translation. This finding suggests functional redundancy, where key metabolic functions remain stable despite differentiation in microbial community composition. The adult Scaly-sided Merganser gut microbiota exhibited higher alpha diversity and showed significant enrichment in pathways related to detoxification metabolism, environmental adaptation, and energy conversion efficiency, suggesting the capacity to adapt to complex habitats. In contrast, the gut microbiota of juveniles was enriched in metabolic pathways related to the essential and conditionally essential amino acids methionine and cysteine, supporting the high protein synthesis demand during the rapid growth and developmental stage. This study highlights the structural plasticity and functional adaptability of the gut microbiota in the Scaly-sided Merganser, providing an empirical basis for the species’ conservation and habitat management from a gut microbiome perspective.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100297"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145003886","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":"Importance of surrounding landscape features in explaining wintering waterbird diversity and community assembly in Jiangsu's inland lake wetlands","authors":"Haoteng Zhang ,&nbsp;Lijun Xiao ,&nbsp;Zixi Zhao ,&nbsp;Shenglai Yin ,&nbsp;Yong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100295","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100295","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As one of the important wintering areas along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, wetlands in the Yangtze River floodplain face threats from land-use changes, yet its effects on wintering waterbirds at the landscape level remain understudied, impeding conservation practice. Here, using survey data collected across 14 inland lakes in Jiangsu Province in 2022, we calculated wintering waterbirds diversity (taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic) and assembly patterns (MPD/MNTD of functional and phylogenetic). Then, we interpreted satellite imagery of lake areas and buffer zones (5 km), and partitioned them into three land-use and landscape index categories (anthropogenic, ecological, and lake landscape). Finally, we employed multiple linear regression and hierarchical partitioning to explain the influence of landscape scales on wintering waterbird communities. Our results showed that the diversity and assembly of regional wintering waterbird communities tended to be consistent across taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic dimensions. The standardized diversity indices indicated that functional assembly of communities tends to be clustered at both local and regional scale. In contrast, the phylogenetic structure showed a predominantly overdispersed pattern in most lakes at the local scale, while neutral processes dominated at the regional scale. Modeling showed that selected variables explained waterbird diversity and assembly well. Lake fragmentation increased species evenness but reduced other diversity indices, while landscape evenness was negatively associated with functional and phylogenetic assembly. Among anthropogenic factors, aquaculture ponds and impervious surfaces reduced all diversity dimensions, whereas cropland connectivity enhanced phylogenetic diversity. These factors had consistent effects on community assembly. For ecological variables, grassland area enhanced functional and phylogenetic diversity but led to more clustered functional assembly. Overall, maintaining the integrity and connectivity of lakes and their surrounding landscapes is essential for sustaining waterbird diversity and guiding wetland restoration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100295"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144911551","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":"Escape behaviors of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) across China: Northern populations are bolder than southern populations","authors":"Yidong Wei,&nbsp;Yuran Liu,&nbsp;Kangning Luo,&nbsp;Qiqi Liu,&nbsp;Fangfang Zhang,&nbsp;Weihui Xing,&nbsp;Caizhen Wen,&nbsp;Jinmei Liu,&nbsp;Wei Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100296","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100296","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanization has significantly altered the habitat structure and behavioral patterns of animals. In urban environments with frequent human disturbances, animals may undergo adaptive adjustments in their escape behaviors. This study focuses on Eurasian Tree Sparrows (<em>Passer montanus</em>) from five cities across different latitudes in China, comparing their flight initiation distance (FID) in urban and rural areas to assess the impact of urbanization on their escape behavior and the trend of ecological homogenization. The results confirm the established pattern at the geographic level: a reduction of FID in urban habitats and a decrease in FID with increasing latitude. That is, northern populations of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow in China are bolder than the southern populations. In addition, FID is positively correlated with flock size, with rural flocks exhibiting more pronounced group behavior (observed flocking frequency for urban and rural is 28.74% vs. 40.7%, flock size variance is 26.90 vs. 55.63). Despite the differences between northern and southern latitudes, the variability of FID in urban individuals consistently remains lower than that in rural areas, supporting the trend of reduced variability in escape behavior among birds in urban environments. Driven by urbanization, the escape behavior of Eurasian Tree Sparrows tends toward ecological homogenization, meaning that behavioral differences between urban areas in different cities are diminishing. This trend may obscure the behavioral variability brought about by latitude gradients, indicating that urbanization not only shapes the behavioral adaptations of birds but also potentially weakens their behavioral diversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100296"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144895924","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":"Species status and genetic isolation in the Subalpine Warbler complex: Insights from mitochondrial DNA analysis","authors":"Utku Perktaş ,&nbsp;Andrew G. Gosler","doi":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100294","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100294","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the genetic differentiation and gene flow within the Subalpine Warbler (<em>Curruca cantillans</em>) complex using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. We focused on three primary populations based on phylogenetic findings and geographical distributions. Pop1: Includes <em>C. c. albistriata</em> (distributed in extreme northeast Italy (Trieste), southern Slovenia, and south along the north Adriatic coast to Albania, as well as east to southern Bulgaria, Greece, Crete, and western Turkey, with non-breeding grounds in the central and eastern Sahel from eastern Mali to northwest Sudan) and <em>C. c. cantillans</em> (occurring in Sicily, central and southern Italy, and locally in north-central Italy, with non-breeding grounds presumably in the western Sahel). Pop2: Represents <em>C. iberiae</em>, found in Spain and western France. Pop3: Comprises <em>C. subalpina</em>, distributed across the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, some Tuscan islands, and north and central Italy, with non-breeding grounds extending into the western Sahel, reaching northern Nigeria and Niger. Our genetic analysis indicates that all three populations have expanded recently but maintain unique genetic structures. Despite this recent expansion, the populations exhibit limited genetic diversity. Using AMOVA, we found that most genetic variation is between populations rather than within them, indicating significant genetic differentiation. This study uniquely combines population genetic data with advanced analyses to provide detailed insights into the genetic structure and connectivity of the Subalpine Warbler complex, highlighting the distinct genetic lineages within the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51311,"journal":{"name":"Avian Research","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100294"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144892159","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}