e-obs Stories & Publications

@article{tekam_habitat_2026,

title = {Habitat Selection and Seed Dispersal by the Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata) in the Rainforests of Southern Cameroon},

author = {Antoine S. A. Tekam and Nicholas J. Russo and Bonaventure Sonk\'{e} and Vincent Deblauwe and Docas L. Nshom and Nicolas Barbier and Ant\'{o}nio Ferraz and Sassan Saatchi and Martin Wikelski and Elsa M. Ordway and Thomas B. Smith},

url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/btp.70153},

doi = {10.1111/btp.70153},

issn = {1744-7429},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-01-01},

urldate = {2026-02-17},

journal = {Biotropica},

volume = {58},

number = {1},

pages = {e70153},

abstract = {Tropical rainforests are biodiversity hotspots, where the seeds of 60%\textendash90% of trees are dispersed by animals, yet movement data needed to understand the behaviors and habitat selection of tropical frugivores remain scarce. We GPS-tracked four great blue turacos (Corythaeola cristata) in the Dja Faunal Reserve of southern Cameroon and predicted spatial patterns of seed dispersal within each bird's home range, which covered up to 2.33 km2. Using integrated Step Selection Analyses, we related turaco movements to LiDAR-derived measurements of 3D vegetation structure and habitat type. One individual preferred areas of tall canopy height, whereas one preferred intermediate canopy height and avoided swamps and areas of greater vertical vegetation complexity. Seed dispersal patterns for the two turacos with the largest home ranges were predicted to be more diffuse, with local maxima almost an order of magnitude smaller than those with smaller home ranges. Although the great blue turaco is a common bird species throughout central African forests, this is the first study to characterize the species' movement ecology using telemetry. The observed individual variation in movement and habitat use underscores the need to track a broader range of species in central African landscapes, which are increasingly threatened by hunting, logging, habitat loss, and climate change.},

note = {_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/btp.70153},

keywords = {accelerometer, African, Animal movement, Backpack, behavior, biodiversity, bird, Bird Solar, Flight behaviour, Flying, Forest, frugivore, home range, movement ecology, Space use, Step Selection Function, telemetry},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{sidiropoulos_poisoned_2025,

title = {Poisoned baits drive record golden eagle mortality in northern Greece: A call for urgent conservation actions},

author = {Lavrentis Sidiropoulos and D. Philip Whitfield and Anastasios Bounas and Elzbieta Kret and Elisabeth Navarrete and Panagiotis Vafeidis and Dimitrios Doukas and Panagiota Michalopoulou and Sylvia Zakkak and Vassiliki Kati},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0006320725002605},

doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111223},

issn = {00063207},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-08-01},

urldate = {2025-09-16},

journal = {Biological Conservation},

volume = {308},

pages = {111223},

abstract = {Despite an overall recovery of European large raptor populations, the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) population in Greece is Endangered. Poisoning from baits set illegally for carnivore control is known as an important mortality factor, impacting a wider avian scavenger assemblage in our study area. We analysed golden eagle mortality data from northern Greece for the last 35 years, including the fates of 29 satellite-tagged individuals from the last decade. Poisoning accounted for 65 % of the overall mortality, the highest percentage recorded globally for any eagle population. Known fate survival models from telemetry data revealed 0.78 and 0.85 annual survival rates for immature and adults, respectively (the lowest reported in telemetry studies), improving markedly when censored for poisoning mortality. Poisoning occurred disproportionally close to protected areas, more often in areas with high carnivore livestock depredation and almost exclusively in winter when eagles were more likely to scavenge. Golden eagles were usually poisoned by directly feeding on carcasses and offal baits laced predominantly with illegal toxic substances (e.g. carbofuran and methomyl). Electrocution was the second cause of mortality, and collision with turbines was also recorded. The main conservation implication of our findings is that urgent policy changes are required to reverse the population's decline, mainly against the illegal use of poisoned baits and across prevention, legislative and enforcement levels. We propose specific measures towards this direction, such as improving livestock husbandry, further capacity building for wildlife crime investigation and reforms in relevant legislation.},

keywords = {Aquila chrysaetos, Bird Solar, Bird Solar Cellular, Golden Eagle},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{alonso_precipitation_2025,

title = {Precipitation and female experience are major determinants of the breeding performance of Canarian houbara bustards},

author = {Juan C. Alonso and Inmaculada Abril-Col\'{o}n and Alberto Ucero and Carlos Palac\'{i}n},

url = {https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wlb3.01345},

doi = {10.1002/wlb3.01345},

issn = {1903-220X, 1903-220X},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-07-01},

urldate = {2025-09-16},

journal = {Wildlife Biology},

volume = {2025},

number = {4},

pages = {e01345},

abstract = {Precipitation is one of the main triggers of reproduction in desert-breeding birds. The unpredictability of rainfall patterns in arid environments has led species to adapt their breeding effort to episodes of abundant food after rainfall. The response is not the same for all individuals in a population, and may vary especially with the age and experience of each female. Here we investigate the effects of precipitation, temperature, body size and breeding experience, among other variables, on reproductive parameters of 20 females of Canarian houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae), an endangered desert bird endemic of the eastern Canary Islands. Precipitation and breeding experience were the main determinants of female breeding performance. Higher rainfall determined an increase in nesting rate, and earlier autumn rains caused an advancement of nesting to October, allowing the breeding season to be extended to eight months. This favoured an extraordinary increase in productivity in more rainy breeding seasons, with 15 times more females nesting in the two most rainy winters than in dry years. In addition, females with more breeding experience showed a higher tendency to breed, higher nest attempt and fledging success, and longer breeding season, which allowed them to rear more chicks. A female even double brooded successfully in the same season, which, considering that chicks remain with the mother for up to six months, indicates a great capacity to optimise reproductive investment, by adapting to highly variable rainfall regimes. In recent decades, the eastern Canary Islands have undergone a process of aridification, and climate models predict a medium-term increase in the frequency and duration of drought periods. Thus, Canarian houbaras are particularly vulnerable to climate change, so measures are urgently needed to reduce their mortality and improve the quality of their habitat, in order to favour their reproduction and prevent their extinction.},

keywords = {Bird Solar, Bird Solar Cellular 27g, Chlamydotis undulata fuerteventurae, Houbara Bustard},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}