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Journal of Avian Biology

@avianbiology.bsky.social

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Open access outlet for innovative, hypothesis-driven research on the biology of birds, with a particular emphasis on ecological, evolutionary and behavioural studies. Nordic Society Oikos journal advocating fair, openly accessible and reproducible research

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Jul 4

📣 CALL FOR PAPERS 📣

We are happy to announce the third JAB Review Award competition!

Submit your mini-review by 30 April 2026

Who: early career researchers up to 8 yrs after completition of doctorate

More info: vist.ly/3n8ih<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xcdhjuzb7t6aqdy5ii5q275y" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">r8

<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xcdhjuzb7t6aqdy5ii5q275y" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@NordicOikos.bsky.social

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 4d

NEW PAPER: Badgers, weather, and waders: badger predation on lapwing nests rise in cold conditions (below 4°C) and with high earthworm availability. Cold years see heavy losses, suggesting weather forecasts could guide management to protect waders

➡️ vist.ly/499u6

#ornithology #birds 🪶🧪

Badger predating a lapwing nest: Photo credit: Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

Fig. 2 from the article: Relationship between the overall probability of badger predation on a lapwing clutch at Auchnerran farm, northeast Scotland, and (a) 7-day temperature, (b) earthworm abundance together with implications for the overall probabilities of other fates.

Fig. 3 from the article: Annual 7-day temperature (°C) (immediately prior to lapwing nest outcome) across 2018–2023 at Auchnerran farm, northeast Scotland.

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 6d

NEW PAPER: Nest mass in forest tits increases with elevation and decreasing body mass, promoting reproductive success.

➡️ vist.ly/48zub

#ornithology #birds #extendedphenotype #climate #adaptation

Coal tit. Photo credit: Marton Berntsen, Wikimedia commons

Fig. 1 from the article: Observed nest masses [g] for three tit species, ordered by ascending mean species weights, as indicated by the values below the species names.

Fig. 2a from the article: relationship between elevation and nest mass.

Fig. 3 from the article: Visual representation of the analyzed paths between the variables in the piecewise structural equation models.

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 10d

📣 CALL FOR PAPERS - SPECIAL ISSUE 📣

Avian senescence: patterns, mechanisms and new perspectives

More info: vist.ly/48ff2

Guest editors: Julia Schroeder, RoxanaTorres, Britt Heidinger, Jaime Muriel, Michi Tobler

Please repost 🙏

Avian senescence: patterns, mechanisms and new perspectives. Photo showing zebra finches of different ages. Photo: Paul Jerem & Glasgow University, courtesy of Pat Monaghan

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 12d

NEW PAPER: Radar data from Alaska show birds shift to diurnal flights as nights shorten, but peak migration still clusters near solar midnight—highlighting strong stabilizing pressure on flight timing that overrides pressure to maintain nocturnality.

➡️ vist.ly/48ata

#ornithology #birds 🪶

Fig. 3 from the article: Average 24-hour cycle in migratory activity (quantified by reflectivity) relative to solar noon (a) or local dusk (b) across all days throughout the fall and spring migratory periods at each of the seven stations across Alaska, with the cycle corresponding to each station color-coded by longitude.

Fig. 6 from the article: Fraction of cumulative migratory activity (η) within each sampling period falling between dusk and dawn versus night length.

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Reposted by Journal of Avian Biology

Wildlife Biology @wildlifebiology.bsky.social · 16d

From dusk till dawn: ecoacoustic monitoring reveals wind energy impacts on roding Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola vist.ly/47n6e #BirdNET #Monitoring #Soundscape

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 16d

NEW PAPER: Wild rock pigeons more than double grooming during peak molt, showing that the intensity of grooming parallels the intensity of molt throughout the molt cycle. Molt may be costlier than thought, as birds invest extra energy in feather care.

➡️ vist.ly/47pgr

#ornithology #birds 🪶

Photo of a rock pigeon. Source: Wikimedia commons (author: https://www.flickr.com/people/68466173@N02)

Fig. 2 from the article: Timing of molt in relation to the grooming behavior of rock pigeons. (a) Mean date that each of the 10 primary feathers had dropped or had begun emerging, (b) number of body regions molting (‘molt intensity'), (c) time spent grooming during each four-week observation period.

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 18d

📣 CALL FOR PAPERS 📣

We are happy to announce the third JAB Review Award competition!

Submit your mini-review by 30 April 2026

Who: early career researchers up to 8 yrs after completition of doctorate

More info: vist.ly/47j<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xcdhjuzb7t6aqdy5ii5q275y" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">57

<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xcdhjuzb7t6aqdy5ii5q275y" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@NordicOikos.bsky.social

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Reposted by Journal of Avian Biology

Oikos @oikosjournal.bsky.social · 23d

Our cover for September! 🦅

Levey et al. (2025) found, in southeastern Mexico, that while resident bird diversity declines with distance from protected forests and vegetation loss, migratory birds thrive in secondary forests and pastures.

vist.ly/46vhw

Cover September 2025 | Oikos Journal

www.oikosjournal.org

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 20d

IN-DEPTH: Read the blogpost about how anti-predator behaviour in red kite parents changes in relation to food availability.

➡️ vist.ly/47a8p

#ornithology #birds #RaptorResearch #behaviour #reproduction 🪶
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:6mho4ncjzhbzwzmybsmhn4r6" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@vogelwarte.bsky.social

Portrait of a red kite. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 22d

#ornithology #birds 🪶

Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 22d

NEW PAPER: Tracking devices (2.7–4.3% body mass) on banded dotterels showed no adverse effects on survival, breeding, or behavior. Based on this study, the authors suggest refining device limits by the species’ ability to carry additional weight and primary locomotion mode

➡️ vist.ly/46ydn

Fig. 1 from the article: (a) GPS-tracked banded dotterel (male RB-BR), (b) PTT-tracked banded dotterel (female RB-RL), (c) side and top views of 1.2-g GPS logger (left) and 1.8-g PTT tracker (right) with silicone leg-loop harness.

Fig. 2 from the article: Effect of carrying a tracking device for banded dotterels on (a) changes in scaled body mass index between sequential captures, (b) the fate of breeding attempts, and (c) apparent survival and encounter probability.

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Reposted by Journal of Avian Biology

Oikos @oikosjournal.bsky.social · 26d

Our previous cover for August!

Morelli et al. (2025) show that traditional agricultural landscapes can sustain rich bird diversity. Nonetheless, shifts in land use strongly influence community composition and may drive biotic homogenization over time.

vist.ly/46kzt

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 25d

📣 CALL FOR PAPERS 📣

Special issue:
FROM CHIRPS TO INSIGHTS: PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING FOR APPLIED ORNITHOLOGY

More info: vist.ly/46pfg

Guest editors: Jan O. Engler, Jenn Foote, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:g27o3ttbhwno6sjns7wwl3yg" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@silvereyedom.bsky.social , Simon Thorn

#ornithology #birds 🪶🧪

Flyer for special issue on passive acoustic monitoring

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 26d

NEW PAPER: investigating hormonal mechanisms and energy conditions of birds at stopover in relation to weather conditions encountered over the Mediterranean Sea route during pre-breeding migration.

➡️ vist.ly/46jvx

#ornithology #birds 🪶
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:563ugejwpyqt7fpuuj6znqq2" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@ericacalabretta.bsky.s<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ur46sxw5uoxm6zije2rwx6ku" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ocial
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ur46sxw5uoxm6zije2rwx6ku" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@fusanilab.bsky.social

Picture of a garden warbler. Photo credit: Erica Calabretta

Fig. 3 from the article: Stress-induced corticosterone concentrations (partial residuals) in (a) whitethroats and (b) garden warblers as a function of air temperature measured along the Mediterranean route to Ponza during the night before the bird's arrival

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Sep 8

📣 🚨 Issue 4 of 2025 is now complete! You can find all articles here:

vist.ly/45yvz

Cover depicting two ravens, featuring the article by Weissenborn et al:

vist.ly/45yw5

📷 Daniel Koch

#ornithology #OpenAccess #birds #research #ecology #evolution #behaviour #hypotheses

Cover featuring the article 'Startling ravens (Corvus corax) at foraging: differences in anti-predator behaviour can be explained by age rather than personality' by Weissenborn et al. Photo credit: Daniel Koch.

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Reposted by Journal of Avian Biology

Oikos @oikosjournal.bsky.social · Sep 4

How do two closely related albatross species, Phoebetria fusca & P. palpebrata, respond to a changing world? We investigate their demographic responses to global change – check it out! �· © <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:z3unpu4yrqn2nqelimp5sref" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@cschatz.bsky.social‬ vist.ly/45nc4 #Seabirds #ClimateChange

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Sep 6

NEW PAPER: Parental anti-predator investment in red kites shifts with food conditions, reflecting both offspring vulnerability and reproductive value, with their relative importance changing across nestling age.

➡️ vist.ly/45uxb

#ornithology #birds #RaptorResearchhref="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ll3yctf3z6meik546hkn6cr" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rch <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ll3yctf3z6meik546hkn6cr" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@vogelwarte.bsky.social

An adult red kite feeding its nestlings, illustrating active parental care during the breeding season. Photo: Camera trap, Swiss Ornithological Institute.

Fig. 4 from the article: Capture probability in relation to the time since detection of the decoy predator for red kite breeding pairs with different brood sizes.

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Reposted by Journal of Avian Biology

Kristina Muise, MSc 🦇👩‍🔬 @kristinamuise.bsky.social · Sep 2

Check out my newest Outside JEB @jexpbiol.bsky.social article highlighting work from Pacheco-Fuentes et al. @cecooper.bsky.social where they monitored the drinking behaviour of over 500 Australian zebra finches during a drought season!

@avianbiology.bsky.social

🐦🧪🪶🌏

tinyurl.com/3r8ukvbe

Australian zebra finches drink more on hotter, drier and sunny days

All animals need access to water to survive; however, for animals in dry environments, it is particularly hard to find adequate water sources. Warming global temperatures further limit the water suppl...

tinyurl.com

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Reposted by Journal of Avian Biology

Nordic Society Oikos @nordicoikos.bsky.social · Sep 2

Meet us in room 1.003 at #gfoe2025 to talk about publishing, our journals or the joint #NSO2026 meeting with @gfoesoc.bsky.social! @nordicjbotany.bsky.social @wildlifebiology.bsky.social @oikosjournal.bsky.social @avianbiology.bsky.social @ecography.bsky.social

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Reposted by Journal of Avian Biology

Ecography @ecography.bsky.social · Sep 1

Cover September 2025: vist.ly/458hf

September 2025 | Ecography

www.ecography.org

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Aug 30

🚨SPECIAL ISSUE OUT! 🚨

"Avian reproductive behaviours in the context of human-induced environmental change"

Editors: Judith Morales, Elisa P. Badás, Juan Diego Ibáñez-Álamo

Editorial: vist.ly/454dw

Full issue: vist.ly/454dt

#ornithology #birds #reproduction #environmentalchange 🪶

Special issue cover: water colour drawing for the special issue cover by Violeta Caballero-Lopez

Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Aug 30

*Special issue contribution*

Human-driven changes can harm birds but may also elicit compensatory mechanisms. A call for lifelong, transgenerational, multidisciplinary research and suggestions for experimental designs to help advancement in the field

➡️ vist.ly/453m8

#ornithology #birds 🪶

Fig. 1 from the article: Schematic representation of the conceptual framework behind the viewpoint . The top row depicts examples of anthropogenic perturbations that individuals may be exposed to already from the early stages of development, although exposure can last all life long. Step 1: exposure to human-induced change during early life in F0. Step 2: compensation and shielding in F0, which includes physiological processes. Step 3: transgenerational programming (orange inner circle) and shielding of F1 against anthropogenic perturbations.

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

*Special issue contribution*

Proposing an adverse outcome pathway of triazole effects on the reproductive behaviour and physiology of avian populations, and stressing the need to re-evaluate the current risk assessment of these pesticides

➡️ vist.ly/44ze6

#ornithology #birds #reproduction

Grey partridge. Photo: Frank Vassen , Wikimedia Commons

Cropped part of Fig. 1 from the article: Ways of exposure of birds and eggs and the proposed adverse outcome pathway based on triazoles effects on bird reproduction.

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

*Special issue contribution*

Heavy metal pollution exposure affects egg coloration but not male provisioning effort in the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca.

➡️ vist.ly/44yw6

#ornithology #pollution #EggColor #birds 🪶

A clutch of six pied flycatcher eggs (photo by Charli Davies)

Fig. 2 from the article: Reflectance of eggs (%) as approximated from the four camera channels and statistical comparisons of each channel's reflectance between control (yellow) and polluted (purple) areas as calculated from Wilcoxon rank sum tests (***: p < 0.01, ns: p>0.05).

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Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

*Special issue contribution*

Honey buzzards prefer common wasps and asian hornets in their diet. Predation pressure by honey buzzards could be of interest for the management of asian hornets, at least on small scale + in proximity of honey buzzard nests

➡️ vist.ly/44y5g

#ornithology

Female of European honey buzzard with her two chicks, which are feeding on a wasp comb. Photograph by José Luis Ogando

Fig. 1 from the article. Interaction effect of vespid species and number of nestlings over the number of cells of the combs delivered to honey-buzzard nests according to the photographic record. Common-wasps show more cells per comb than Asian-hornets and this difference is greater in nests of one nestling (a - a'/b'- b). The isolated effect of the number of nestlings was not significant.

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