Landscape structure and configuration may affect bird body condition, with contrasting effects on resident and migratory species. There is little empirical evidence to support this hypothesis in tropical regions, where land-use change poses a major threat to biodiversity. We aimed to assess the effects of landscape structure and configuration on the body condition of neotropical migrant and resident bird species. We compiled body condition data (using the scaled mass index) of nine bird species (five resident and four migratory). We characterized landscape structure and configuration at 26 localities. We evaluated the effects of landscape metrics on bird body condition using Bayesian linear mixed models. The landscapes in our study largely varied in forest, crop, and grassland cover, as well as in landscape metrics. When we examined migrant birds, we found a positive effect of landscape connectivity and crop cover on body condition. Similarly, body condition of resident birds was positively affected by connectivity and crop cover, but also by forest patch area and capture day. Changes in landscape structure and configuration may indirectly alter the access to resources, causing additional energy expenditures, leading to a deteriorated body condition. Conversely, landscape heterogeneity may have a positive effect on bird body condition. Therefore, we recommend maintaining connectivity and complementary resources in the landscape.

The Colombian Tropical Andes are one of the regions with highest bird diversity on Earth. However, information on bird morphology, reproductive phenology, and molt is particularly scarce in this region. Also, this region is heavily impacted by deforestation, and it is vulnerable to climate change. Hence, providing baseline information on life history and morphological traits will be essential to support future research on functional diversity, climate change effects, conservation, evolution, and phenology. To fill this gap, we have compiled information on bird distribution, morphology, molt, and reproductive phenology at 52 localities of the Department of Caldas, covering an elevation range between 148 and 3845 m. This compilation comprises a wide range of habitats, including native forests, forestry plantations, croplands, and paramo. Our database presents information for 3,398 records belonging to 379 bird species (representing 23 orders, 53 families, and 258 genera). From those records, 2,843 correspond to information collected in the field between 2008 and 2019, and the remaining 555 records correspond to specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Caldas University, collected between 1969 and 2014. We measured nine morphological traits from all specimens: total culmen, gape, bill width, bill depth, tarsus, wing length, tail length, total length, and mass. We also have reproductive condition information for 257 species and molt information available for 378 species. The information contained in this data set represents ~20% of the Colombian avifauna and ~11% of the bird species richness in South America. This data set is released for non‐commercial use only. Credits should be given to this paper (i.e., proper citation), and the products generated with this database should be shared under the same license terms (CC BY‐NC‐SA).

Background: Habitat fragmentation and degradation processes affect biodiversity by reducing habitat quantity and quality, with differential effects on the resident species. However, their consequences are not always noticeable as some ecological processes affected involve idiosyncratic responses among different animal groups. The Valdivian temperate rainforests of southern Chile are experiencing a rapid fragmentation and degradation process despite being a biodiversity hotspot. Deforestation is one of the main threats to these forests. There inhabits the arboreal marsupialDromiciops gliroides, an iconic species from the Valdivian rainforest, it is the only extant representative of the ancient Microbiotheria order, and it is currently threatened by habitat loss. Here we tested the effects of habitat configuration onD. gliroidesoccurrence and abundance along 12 landscapes of southern Chile with different disturbance levels.Methods: We estimatedD. gliroidesoccurrence and abundance using camera traps and related those metrics with landscape configuration indices obtained from FRAGSTATS (i.e., forest %, connectivity, patch number, contiguity, and distance to the nearest patch) using Bayesian linear mixed models.Results: We found thatD. gliroidesoccurrence was not influenced by landscape configuration, while its abundance was positively influenced by forest contiguity.Conclusions: Although this arboreal marsupial is present in disturbed forests, its restricted movement capabilities and high dependency on the forest three-dimensional structure may affect its long-term persistence. We urge to rethink native forest conservation and management policies to improve habitat connectivity with possible positive consequences for native fauna.

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Interactions between wild birds and ticks exert significant selective forces, influencing the host's evolution and fitness. Tick infestation rates vary among bird species due to life history and morphology. Understanding tick infestation probability is crucial for conservation efforts, as birds play an important role in the tick life cycle and can transmit tick‐borne pathogens. In this context, it is essential to understand how life history traits or phylogenetic relationships determine tick infestation probability in the tropics. This study aims to identify wild bird life history traits and habitat characteristics associated with tick infestation probability in the Colombian tropical region. We hypothesized that larger body size, migratory behavior, foraging in lower vegetation stratum, seasonal aggregation, and inhabiting natural habitats increase tick infestation probability. We used a dataset with 3488 wild bird records from 322 species and 41 families, obtained from 61 Colombian localities (26 in the Orinoquia and 35 in the Andean regions). We used phylogenetic generalized linear mixed Bayesian models to assess tick infestation probability based on life history traits, body size, and geographic distribution. Of the birds analyzed, 3.2% were infested by ticks, mainly in immature stages (95%). Our results indicated a lower probability of tick infestation in agricultural habitats and higher elevations. Ground‐foraging species exhibited a lower infestation probability, contrary to previous reports. We found a significant phylogenetic relationship, indicating that related species have similar probabilities of tick infestation compared to more distantly related species. This study provides valuable insights into the bird–tick association, with implications for disease management and bird conservation.

The Brazilian Amazon, a global center of biodiversity, hosts numerous endemic and threatened bird species, making it a critical region for assessing the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. This study evaluates how climate change may affect the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of 43 Amazonian bird taxa and identifies priority conservation areas by integrating these biodiversity facets with climate refugia. We combined species distribution models for each taxon, functional trait data, and phylogenetic information, along with climate refugia layers representing areas suitable under present and future scenarios, totaling 75 layers, to assess current and projected diversity patterns. Spatial prioritization was conducted using Zonation 5.0 with the Additive Benefit Function (ABF), which calculates the conservation value of each cell based on the proportional representation of all taxa, to identify areas that maximize taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity under climate change. Projections for 2100 indicate significant losses across all three biodiversity facets, with priority conservation areas primarily concentrated in the eastern Amazon. Under a high‐priority scenario, protected area coverage could potentially increase from 57% to 74%. However, climate change is expected to homogenize evolutionary lineages and reduce functional diversity in bird communities, potentially compromising ecosystem functioning. Despite the identification of high‐priority conservation zones, especially in the eastern Amazon, this region faces severe anthropogenic threats, notably deforestation. Integrating taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional perspectives into conservation planning is essential to effectively mitigate biodiversity loss under future climate conditions.