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.

A prioritised list of invasive alien species to assist the effective implementation of EU legislation

Abstract: Effective prevention and control of invasive species generally relies on a comprehensive, coherent and representative list of species that enables resources to be used optimally. European Union (EU) Regulation 1143/2014 on invasive alien species (IAS) aims to control or eradicate priority species, and to manage pathways to prevent the introduction and establishment of new IAS; it applies to species considered of Union concern and subject to formal risk assessment. So far, 49 species have been listed but the criteria for selecting species for risk assessment have not been disclosed and were probably unsystematic. We developed a simple method to systematically rank IAS according to their maximum potential threat to biodiversity in the EU. We identified 1,323 species as potential candidates for listing, and evaluated them against their invasion stages and reported impacts, using information from databases and scientific literature. 900 species fitted the criteria for listing according to IAS Regulation. We prioritised 207 species for urgent risk assessment, 59 by 2018 and 148 by 2020, based on their potential to permanently damage native species or ecosystems; another 336 species were identified for a second phase (by 2025), to prevent or reverse their profound impacts on biodiversity; and a further 357 species for assessment by 2030. Policy implications. We propose a systematic, proactive approach to selecting and prioritising IAS for risk assessment to assist European Union policy implementation. We assess an unprecedented number of species with potential to harm EU biodiversity using a simple methodology and recommend which species should be considered for risk assessment in a ranked order of priority along the timeline 2018–2030, based on their maximum reported impact and their invasion history in Europe.

Restoration of wet features for breeding waders on lowland grassland

Abstract: Summary 1. Over the last century, the loss of around half of the world’s wetlands, principally through drainage and conversion to agriculture, has been one of the main drivers of declines in breeding waders. Across Europe, nature reserves have been effective conservation islands for breeding waders, but management of the wider countryside is needed for more wide-scale population recovery. This is likely to require the restoration of wet features, but in a manner which is compatible with farming operations. 2. Here we explore the extent to which three types of wet feature influence the distribution of breeding lapwings Vanellus vanellus and their chicks on grassland. Footdrains are shallow channels used historically for drainage, but which can also be created and managed for water retention and cause little disruption to farming activities. Footdrain floods are areas where water overtops footdrains. Isolated pools are unmanaged areas of surface water resulting from rainfall or high water tables. 3. We selected 70 fields on nine sites which spanned the range of wet feature type and cover in early April. By May, only around 10% of the water within isolated pools remained, whereas 30‐40% water was maintained in footdrains into June. 4. Fields with high footdrain flood densities attracted significantly higher densities of nesting lapwing and nests were more likely to be within 50 m of footdrain floods. Later in the season, footdrains were the primary remaining water source, and chick field use increased significantly with footdrain density. Chicks were also more likely to forage nearer footdrain floods in areas of wet mud created by receding water levels. 5. Synthesis and applications. Areas of shallow, small-scale flooding are of critical importance for breeding waders. Management tools such as footdrains, coupled with appropriate hydrological management, provide a means of retaining water throughout the breeding season. Installation of these features is relatively simple, but maintaining sufficient water levels within the system is critical, especially in the face of increasingly unpredictable water supplies associated with climate change. Such management tools offer a solution that may be both effective at improving breeding wader populations and practicable for commercial grazing marsh management.

Modelling the daily food requirements of wintering great cormorants: a bioenergetics tool for wildlife management

Abstract: Summary 1. Great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo , Linnaeus are large piscivorous birds which occur in Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and North America. Their European breeding population has increased by at least 15% per annum over the last 15 years, reaching a total of c . 200 000 pairs in the late 1990s. There are concerns that this increase is adversely affecting freshwater fish populations throughout Europe, but real assessment requires a detailed knowledge of cormorant food requirements. 2. The daily food intake (DFI) of great cormorants has been measured during the breeding season, but little is known about DFI in winter when these poorly insulated birds experience consistently low temperatures. DFI is likely to vary widely according to abiotic and biotic conditions, making predictions about impact particularly difficult. 3. We modelled DFI for great cormorants wintering at Loch Leven, Scotland, using behavioural data recorded via radio-tracking of free-ranging individuals, metabolic measurements obtained from captive birds, and published data. DFI was estimated to be 672 g day − 1 (predicted maximum range 441‐1095 g day − 1 ), values similar to DFI of great cormorants breeding under temperate conditions and of other aquatic bird species. 4. During winter great cormorants at Loch Leven decreased their average dive time and increased dive efficiency (higher proportion of time spent underwater). They nonetheless spent 130 min day − 1 in the water and allocated more than a third of their daily energy budget to diving. 5. Synthesis and applications : In view of the need for the sound management of cormorant populations, we present a general bioenergetics model, based on simple behavioural and dietary inputs, that computes an estimate of DFI outside the breeding season for a range environmental conditions and habitats. An interactive computer programme for this model is available (http://www.cepe.c-strasbourg.fr) to help scientists and managers estimate local values for average, minimum and maximum DFI.

Habitat selection by song thrushes in stable and declining farmland populations

Abstract: Summary 1 Losses of farmland birds from the wider countryside have become a major conservation issue in the UK and Europe. Song thrush Turdus philomelos populations in lowland rural Britain declined by approximately 70% during 1970–95, most severely on intensively managed arable farmland. Comparison between a stable population on mixed farmland and a rapidly declining population on arable farmland revealed fewer nesting attempts each summer by birds in the declining population, and annual productivity was insufficient to maintain local population density. Inadequate food resources were the most plausible cause. 2 We compared breeding season habitat selection (using radio-telemetry) and earthworm availability (a major component of summer diet) for song thrushes in the same two farmland populations. 3 Territory settlement in the mixed farmland landscape involved the selection of field boundaries and woodland and the avoidance of arable crops. Field boundaries and gardens were selected in the arable landscape, while arable break crops and small areas of woodland were avoided. 4 Habitat selection (intensity of usage) did not change through the breeding season and did not differ between study areas. Scrub, woodland edge, wet ditches and bare soil in gardens were preferred foraging habitats, while cereals were avoided. 5 Habitat utilization (amount of usage) differed markedly between study areas. Woodland and grassland accounted for 53% of all habitat usage in the mixed farmland landscape compared with just 13% in the arable landscape. Gardens and arable crops were more heavily utilized in the arable landscape, accounting for 58% of all usage compared with 22% in the mixed landscape. 6 Earthworm availability declined markedly between April and June as surface soils dried out. Lower earthworm availability in the arable landscape was associated with more rapid and pronounced drying of surface soils. 7 Synthesis and applications. Lack of woodland and grassland, and the faster drying of surface soils in the arable landscape, combined to limit the availability to thrushes of key summer invertebrate prey. Loss of hedgerows, scrub and permanent grassland with livestock, and the wide-scale installation of under-field drainage systems, have probably all contributed to the decline of song thrushes on UK arable farmland. New agri-environment measures may be needed to provide the nesting cover adjacent to invertebrate-rich damp soils that song thrushes require to sustain annual productivity.