Bird–forestry relationships have been the subject of research and conservation initiatives for decades, but there are few reviews of resulting recommendations for use by forest managers. We define “bird-friendly forestry” as forest management that applies recommendations from research seeking to reconcile logging with bird conservation in natural forests used for timber production. We reviewed relevant studies to synthesize 10 principles of bird-friendly forestry: (1) protect and enhance vertical structure through uneven-aged silviculture; (2) leave abundant dead wood in different decay stages; (3) maintain residual large green trees; (4) create and maintain sufficient amounts of uncut reserves and corridors; (5) maximize forest interior by retaining large contiguous forest tracts in landscapes with sufficient functional connectivity; (6) maintain buffers along streams, rivers, and wetlands cultural and urban landscapes; (7) maintain horizontal stand structure and enhance vegetation diversity by creating canopy gaps; (8) extend the temporal scale of logging cycles; (9) minimize post-logging disturbance to forests, particularly during the bird breeding season; and (10) manage for focal species and guilds. These principles may serve as guidelines in developing bird-friendly management plans customized for regional priority species, with a clearly articulated vision and quantitative objectives through which success can be measured.

Birds in agricultural environments have exhibited steep global population declines in recent decades, and effective conservation strategies targeting their populations are urgently needed. In grasslands used for hay production, breeding birds’ nest success improves substantially if hay harvests are delayed until after mid-July. However, few studies have investigated private hay producers’ willingness to alter their harvesting practices, which is a critical factor for bird conservation where most land is privately owned, such as in the North American Great Plains. We surveyed Nebraska hay producers to examine whether livestock production, wildlife knowledge, and hunting activity affects their willingness to alter haying practices for bird conservation. The majority (60%) of respondents expressed willingness to delay harvesting hay to allow birds time to nest successfully. Livestock producers and those more knowledgeable about wildlife were more willing to delay hay harvests, whereas active hunters were less willing to do so. Our findings suggest that a majority of private producers show a high potential for engaging in grassland bird conservation activities. Landowners’ willingness to participate in bird conservation programs and actions could be further encouraged through extension and education efforts connecting hay producers with information, support, and funding for bird conservation.

Summary: Persecution for belief-based uses is a major threat to raptors in West Africa. Critically Endangered Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus are traded openly in West African vodun (also known as voodoo or fetish) markets in Benin, despite national laws protecting this species. We interviewed 115 vendors selling Hooded Vultures and/or their body parts at nine different markets in southern Benin to understand the extent and drivers of this illegal trade. Over four months, we counted a total of 522 Hooded Vultures in market stalls, including whole dried vulture carcasses (73.4% of vulture products offered for sale), vulture heads (17.2%), and live birds (9.4%). Vultures offered for sale originated from at least 10 foreign countries, suggesting there are far-reaching impacts of illegal trade on Hooded Vultures. Vodun practitioners sacrifice and consume vultures in the belief these practices will protect them from witchcraft and achieve other supernatural aims, and the resulting high demand for vultures has driven the price of a Hooded Vulture to exceed the average monthly income in Benin. Despite serious legal, conservation, and animal welfare concerns, wildlife trade for belief-based use is thriving and growing in West Africa, and our findings highlight that legislation aimed at protecting vultures in Benin appears to be currently ineffective. From our discussions with traders, it appears that low education levels, weak law enforcement, and disregard for legislation contribute to this trade that threatens remaining vultures across West Africa. Public awareness campaigns to educate residents about conservation laws and improved law enforcement are urgently needed to mitigate on-going threats to this and other Critically Endangered species.

Los buitres están entre las especies más amenazadas en África, con varias especies en peligro crítico de extinción que sobreviven principalmente o sólo en áreas protegidas. Las disminuciones de buitres del oeste de África están correlacionadas con pérdidas pronunciadas de hábitat natural y de fauna de mamíferos, y el comercio de fauna silvestre para medicina tradicional, rituales basados en creencias y carne de caza son los factores principales que impulsan su extinción local. Los datos actuales sobre abundancia y ecología reproductiva de los buitres son cruciales para su conservación, pero faltan en muchos países, incluyendo Ghana. Entre 2020 y 2022, realizamos 761 km de censos de buitres en peligro crítico de extinción en el Parque Nacional Mole (PN Mole), una sabana protegida de 4840 km2 en el norte de Ghana. Usando nuestros datos de conteo, estimamos poblaciones de 29–36 individuos de Necrosyrtes monachus, 25–73 individuos de Gyps africanus y 3–4 individuos de Trigonoceps occipitalis en la región sur del PN Mole. También documentamos 17 nidos de buitre ocupados, incluyendo seis nidos de N. monachus, 10 nidos de G. africanus y un nido de T. occipitalis. Nuestros hallazgos incluyen los primeros registros de nidos de N. monachus en el PN Mole, la primera descripción del nido de G. africanus en Ghana y los primeros registros de nidos de T. occipitalis en Ghana, confirmando la importancia del PN Mole para conservar buitres en peligro crítico de extinción. Reducir la caza furtiva, prevenir la matanza de buitres para el comercio de fauna silvestre, y proteger el hábitat y los recursos alimenticios de los buitres será fundamental para la supervivencia de los buitres en peligro crítico de extinción en Ghana y África Occidental. [Traducción de los autores editada]

Few empirical studies have quantified relationships between changing weather and migratory songbirds, but such studies are vital in a time of rapid climate change. Climate change has critical consequences for avian breeding ecology, geographic ranges, and migration phenology. Changing precipitation and temperature patterns affect habitat, food resources, and other aspects of birds’ life history strategies. Such changes may disproportionately affect species confined to rare or declining ecosystems, such as temperate grasslands, which are among the most altered and endangered ecosystems globally. We examined the influence of changing weather on the dickcissel (Spiza americana), a migratory songbird of conservation concern that is an obligate grassland specialist. Our study area in the North American Great Plains features high historic weather variability, where climate change is now driving higher precipitation and temperatures as well as higher frequencies of extreme weather events including flooding and droughts. Dickcissels share their breeding grounds with brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), brood parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of other songbirds, reducing dickcissel productivity. We used 9 years of capture-recapture data collected over an 18-year period to test the hypothesis that increasing precipitation on dickcissels’ riparian breeding grounds is associated with abundance declines and increasing vulnerability to cowbird parasitism. Dickcissels declined with increasing June precipitation, whereas cowbirds, by contrast, increased. Dickcissel productivity appeared to be extremely low, with a 3:1 ratio of breeding male to female dickcissels likely undermining reproductive success. Our findings suggest that increasing precipitation predicted by climate change models in this region may drive future declines of dickcissels and other songbirds. Drivers of these declines may include habitat and food resource loss related to flooding and higher frequency precipitation events as well as increased parasitism pressure by cowbirds. Positive correlations of June-July precipitation, temperature, and time since grazing with dickcissel productivity did not mitigate dickcissels’ declining trend in this ecosystem. These findings highlight the importance of empirical research on the effects of increasing precipitation and brood parasitism vulnerability on migratory songbird conservation to inform adaptive management under climate change.