Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

About: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a nonprofit organization based out in Sandy, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Biodiversity. The organization has 670 authors who have published 1425 publications receiving 88006 citations. The organization is also known as: RSPB & Plumage League.

Breeding success and causes of breeding failure of curlew Numenius arquata in Northern Ireland

Abstract: 1. The present study investigated breeding success and causes of breeding failure of curlew, a species for which the UK holds internationally important breeding numbers. Studies were undertaken between 1993 and 1995 in two areas of Northern Ireland, where the species’ breeding range has recently contracted and breeding numbers are declining. Avian nest predators were abundant in both areas, whereas foxes were abundant on the Antrim study area but generally were absent from the Lough Erne study area, which was mainly islands. 2. Productivity was estimated to be 0·14–0·26 fledglings per pair in Antrim and 0·20–0·47 fledglings per pair on Lough Erne. These figures are lower than most estimates of productivity from other studies of breeding curlew. The differences between the recorded productivity levels and those estimated to be required to maintain a stable population are sufficient to account for the observed decline in Northern Ireland's breeding curlew population. 3. Predation was the main proximate cause of breeding failure, with nest predation being of most importance in reducing productivity. Only 3·6–19·0% of all nests hatched on each study area in each year, with nest predation accounting for 85–97% of failures. Survival of chicks from hatching to 31 days of age was 38·5% in Antrim and 19·1–29·2% on Lough Erne. Predation accounted for 74% of chick mortality. 4. Nest failure rates were not related to the vegetation height around nests nor to clutch laying date on either study area. They differed among the islands and one shoreside site on Lough Erne. Almost all nest predation on Lough Erne was attributable to avian predators, but in Antrim foxes probably accounted for most nest predation. The likelihood of predation on chicks was not related to their hatching date, hatching weight or body condition. 5. The results from this study suggest that predation rates on curlew nests in Northern Ireland may have increased in recent decades. Levels of predator control in Northern Ireland have declined but there have also been considerable changes in land-use that could benefit generalist predator species or increase the vulnerability of curlew nests to predation. It is recommended that large-scale trials of legalized predator control and land-use manipulation should be undertaken to identify appropriate conservation management methods.

Collapse of Asian vulture populations: risk of mortality from residues of the veterinary drug diclofenac in carcasses of treated cattle

Abstract: Summary 1. The populations of three species of South Asian vultures ( Gyps bengalensis , Gyps indicus and Gyps tenuirostris ) have declined rapidly within the last decade and all are now critically endangered. Veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac appears to be a major cause of the declines. Vultures are likely to be exposed to the drug when they feed on carcasses of livestock that were treated with diclofenac before death. 2. We measured the concentration of diclofenac in the tissues of treated Indian humped and European cattle ( Bos indicus and Bos taurus ) in relation to the interval between dosing and death. We used a dose‐response model to assess the risk posed to wild vultures if they feed on carcasses of treated livestock. 3. Diclofenac concentrations in fat, intestine, kidney and liver were considerably higher than those in muscle, but concentrations in the first four tissues initially depleted more rapidly (half-life 6‐8 h) with time since the last injection of the drug, compared with muscle (halflife 15 h). Depletion rates became much slower in all tissues 25‐98 h after the last injection. 4. Diclofenac concentration, averaged across the carcass, was enough to cause appreciable mortality (> 10% of birds per meal) if oriental white-backed vultures G. bengalensis were to take a large meal from the carcass of an animal that was given its last dose of the drug within a day or two before death. Vultures that feed selectively on tissues with high concentrations of the drug, such as kidney, liver and intestine, would be exposed to a higher risk and for longer after dosing. 5. Synthesis and applications. The tissues of cattle treated with diclofenac are a hazard to wild vultures that feed on an animal that dies within a few days after treatment. Intestine, kidney and liver have the highest diclofenac concentrations, but the concentration averaged across all the edible tissues of the carcass is also hazardous. Withdrawal of diclofenac from veterinary use on animals whose carcasses may become available to scavenging vultures is recommended. In ex situ and in situ conservation projects, vultures should be fed on carcasses of animals that are known not to have been treated with diclofenac in the week before death.

Bird and bat species' global vulnerability to collision mortality at wind farms revealed through a trait-based assessment

Abstract: Mitigation of anthropogenic climate change involves deployments of renewable energy worldwide, including wind farms, which can pose a significant collision risk to volant animals. Most studies into the collision risk between species and wind turbines, however, have taken place in industrialized countries. Potential effects for many locations and species therefore remain unclear. To redress this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of recorded collisions between birds and bats and wind turbines within developed countries. We related collision rate to species-level traits and turbine characteristics to quantify the potential vulnerability of 9538 bird and 888 bat species globally. Avian collision rate was affected by migratory strategy, dispersal distance and habitat associations, and bat collision rates were influenced by dispersal distance. For birds and bats, larger turbine capacity (megawatts) increased collision rates; however, deploying a smaller number of large turbines with greater energy output reduced total collision risk per unit energy output, although bat mortality increased again with the largest turbines. Areas with high concentrations of vulnerable species were also identified, including migration corridors. Our results can therefore guide wind farm design and location to reduce the risk of large-scale animal mortality. This is the first quantitative global assessment of the relative collision vulnerability of species groups with wind turbines, providing valuable guidance for minimizing potentially serious negative impacts on biodiversity.

The catastrophic impact of invasive mammalian predators on birds of the UK Overseas Territories: a review and synthesis.

Abstract: The UK has sovereignty over 16 Overseas Territories, which hold some of the world’s great seabird colonies and collectively support more endemic and globally threatened bird species than the whole of mainland Europe. Invasive alien mammalian predators have spread throughout most of the Territories, primarily since European expansion in the 16th century. Here we review and synthesize the scale of their impacts, historical and current, actions to reduce and reverse these impacts, and priorities for conservation. Mammalian predators have caused a catastrophic wave of extinctions and reductions in seabird colony size that mark the UKOTs as a major centre of global extinction. Mammal-induced declines of threatened endemics and seabird colonies continue, with four Critically Endangered endemics on Gough Island (Tristan da Cunha), St Helena and Montserrat directly threatened by invasive alien House Mice Mus musculus, Feral Cats Felis catus and rats Rattus spp. Action to reduce these threats and restore islands has been modest in comparison with other developed countries, although some notable successes have occurred and a large number of ambitious eradication and conservation plans are in preparation. Priority islands for conservation action against mammalian predators include Gough (which according to one published prioritization scheme is the highest-ranked island in the world for mammal eradication), St Helena and Montserrat, but also on Tristan da Cunha, Pitcairn and the Falkland Islands. Technical, financial and political will is required to push forward and fund the eradication of invasive mammalian predators on these islands, which would significantly reduce extinction risk for a number of globally threatened species.