A new study reveals that most U.S. rivers lack real protection, putting clean water, wildlife, and communities at risk.

Background Insectivorous birds provide a key ecosystem service as predators of folivorous insects. Changes in forest structural complexity and composition, currently underway in temperate forests, may affect the predation pressure exerted by birds on folivores, by altering the abundance of avian predators. However, studies examining this are few, as well as on how predation rates vary within forest stands. We aimed to address these gaps, by focusing on beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees in managed montane forests of the Black Forest region, in Central Europe. We measured abundance and diversity of birds using point counts on 135 1-ha plots in 2017–2022. To assess bird predation pressure on caterpillars, we placed 3153 artificial caterpillars on selected 24 plots for a week, in the spring of 2021, and inspected them for bird bite marks. We placed caterpillars on up to four focal tree locations in each plot, in both the canopy and the understorey of each tree. We also measured forest structure and composition both at the scale of plots and the vicinity of focal trees. Results We found that higher shrub-layer cover and share of broadleaf trees at the plot scale were associated with higher overall abundance of foliage-gleaning insectivorous birds. However, predation rates on artificial prey appeared to be more closely related with the abundance of single species (particularly the Eurasian chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs), which in turn responded to other facets of forest structural complexity. Within plots, predation pressure was overall higher in the canopy than in the understorey, but this may reflect observer effects rather than true differences between vegetation layers. Predation rates also showed strong variation across trees, being higher in beech crowns with a monospecific neighbourhood, and in saplings surrounded by a mixed-species shrub layer. Conclusions Our results suggest that specific bird species and particular facets of forest structural complexity contribute disproportionately to the predation pressure exerted by birds on caterpillars, and that fine-scale management decisions may also affect the role of birds as predators. However, further research is needed to confirm these patterns and overcome the limitations we identified.

Background The increasing demand for large-scale hydroelectric dam development in tropical developing countries has led to significant land-use changes that impact biodiversity, particularly in megadiverse countries, such as Malaysia. Although many recent infrastructure projects incorporate sustainable concepts for wildlife monitoring and management, studies on the impacts of habitat fragmentation on ground-dwelling birds during the development phase remain scarce. This study aimed to assess the response of forest bird communities, particularly the ground-dwelling birds, across different phases of hydroelectric dam development using infrared camera traps. We collected data from 14 sampling sites in Nenggiri hydroelectric dam catchment area for 25 months across three developmental phases: pre-logging, logging, and construction. Results We recorded 1045 occurrences of 33 bird species, including the critically endangered Malayan Crestless Fireback Lophura erythrophthalma and the endangered Malayan Peacock-Pheasant Polyplectron malacense. There were significant changes between phases, with a notable decrease in the number of pheasants detected, such as the Great Argus Argusianus argus and Malayan Crested Fireback Lophura rufa, especially during the construction phase. Indicator species analysis (IndVal) identified seven species showing strong associations (p < 0.05) with specific development phases, including the Barred Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia unchall and Great Argus for the pre-logging phase. Conclusion These results highlight the vulnerability of ground-dwelling birds, particularly pheasants, to habitat disturbances from large-scale development activities. We propose incorporating camera trap assessments into major infrastructure projects to identify key locations of conservation-priority bird species, and to inform targeted rescue or translocation efforts, particularly during high-impact phases such as habitat clearance and dam impoundment.

A federally funded project analyzing temperature, light pollution, and bird and mosquito abundance aims to pin down how these and other factors affect West Nile virus transmission. The ultimate goal i...

A federally funded project analyzing temperature, light pollution, and bird and mosquito abundance aims to pin down how these and other factors affect West Nile virus transmission. The ultimate goal i...