Bates, J.M. 1998. Molecular data and basic vicariance patterns of birds in Amazonia. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 69: 199.

The allopatric distributions of many lineages of Amazonian birds are well documented; however, phylogenetic relationships among taxa in these lineages are poorly known. Mitochondrial DNA sequences for several Amazonian bird lineages show a similar pattern of evolutionary relationships that may indicate a basic set of vicariant events for Amazonia. This set of events would have subdivided Amazonia into three areas: (1) the Guyanan region, (2) The Belém/Pará region, and (3) the Napo/Inambari area. This pattern is also uncovered by phylogenies based on morphological data and from Parsimony Analyses of Endemism of passerine birds. A mechanism, marine incursions, that might have generated this vicariant pattern has been proposed based on geologic data from western Amazonia. However, there are no geological data that address what was happening in Amazonia 2 to 6 mya, the approximate time of diversification for these lineages suggested by the molecular data.

Key words: biogeography, Amazonia, mtDNA

Bucher, E.H. & Arambur, R.M. 1998. Range expansion of the Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus in the Argentine Pampas. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 69: 200.

The Monk Parakeet is a highly social parrot that nests in large communal nests built from dry twigs. The nest may range from one single chamber up to more than two hundred chambers in exceptional cases. Its distribution was originally restricted to the woodland and savannahs of the Chaco region, being completely absent from the extensive Pampas grasslands. Introduction of trees after European colonisation (particularly Eucalyptus) allowed the parakeet’s expansion into large portions of the Pampas. By gathering information from travellers’ accounts, specimens’ records, data from provincial Pest Control authorities, and detailed surveys of its present range, we produced distribution maps of the Monk Parakeet at 50 year intervals, starting in 1800. They suggest an expansion rate of around 5 km/year, which is consistent with its observed behaviour. If the present trend continues, two presently separated subspecies may come into contact in the near future. This is one of the few large-scale bird expansion processes well documented in South America, which shows the bird's adaptability to human-made habitats, uncommon in psitacids. It also explains its ability to colonise urban environments around the world from escaped caged individuals.

Key words: Argentina, Pampas, distribution, parrots, savannah

Raminoarisoa, V., Rakotonomenjanahary, O., Robertson, P.A., Rabenandrasana, M. & Hawkins, A.F.A. 1998. Priority areas for avian biodiversity conservation in Madagascar. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 69: 200.

Madagascar is among the world’s highest avian biodiversity conservation priorities with 107 endemic species (53% of all breeding species) and a further 25 species (12.5%) shared only with the Comoros, Mascarenes and Seychelles. Twenty-eight species are globally threatened and a further 16 are considered as near threatened. Destruction of forest habitat for agriculture and by bush-fires and the conversion of wetlands to rice cultivation are extremely significant threats to the survival of many elements of the Malagasy avifauna. However, there is a lack of the detailed information on the distribution of these species necessary for planning a network of site-based conservation initiatives. Project ZICOMA has surveyed a series of previously unknown or poorly known sites in Madagascar as part of BirdLife International’s global Important Bird Areas programme. The contribution of the existing protected areas system to the protection of Madagascar’s avifauna is reviewed and gaps in the protected areas system are highlighted. An additional list of sites which merit conservation attention is proposed. The contribution of the proposed network of sites to the conservation of other faunal groups is described. Further action for the conservation of this network of sites is recommended.

Key words: conservation, priority areas, Africa

Ding, C.-Q. & Li, D.-Q. 1998. The range size and hotspots for conservation of the Galliformes in China. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 69: 201.

China is rich in Galliformes, and a large number of these are threatened with extinction. Effective conservation action is often not possible because there is not even basic information on the distribution of species. The establishment of the site records database for Chinese Galliformes is one of the Action Plan projects of World Pheasant Association, BirdLife International and IUCN/SSC(1994-1999). This database will make it possible to refine the assessment of the risk of extinction that each species faces by using objective data on changes in species distributions. The extent of occurrence was used to measure the range size of each species. These results suggest that, according to IUCN Red List categories, the endemic Hainan Partridge Arborophila ardens qualifies as endangered, Sichuan Partridge A. rufipectus and Taiwan Partridge A. crudigularis are close to the vulnerable/endangered boundary and Mikado Pheasant Syrmaticus mikado and Swinhoe's Pheasant Lophura swinhoii are vulnerable. Based on the Zoogeographical regions and the physico-geographical regionalisation of China, the species diversity and hotspot's value (an index for conservation priorities) in each sub-region and physico-geographical province was ranked to identify the areas of high diversity and hotspots for conservation. Two results are quite similar and concentrated especially on the eastern and southern slopes of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, south-west Yunnan and western Guizhou Plateau.

Key words: Galliformes, China, biodiversity, conservation, distribution

Gregory, R.D. 1998. Macroecological patterns and processes among European breeding birds. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 69: 201.

The growing recognition of the role of spatial scale in ecology has shifted the emphasis of research from small- to large-scale studies. The important point is that patterns and processes can be scale dependent and an understanding at a single scale does not necessarily predict it at any other. To date, macroecological studies have been limited by the available data, however, two unique and newly available datasets on birds allow a range of questions to be addressed at a variety of spatial scales. Data come from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds and comprise information on the geographical distribution and local abundance on a 50x50 km-grid, and national population estimates for over 500 bird species from 40 European countries. I will describe relations between species’ richness, abundance, geographical distribution and body size, and their frequency distributions. I will focus on inter- and intraspecific frequency distributions of local abundance and their degree of skew and kurtosis. Interrelationships among macroecological variables for European birds tend to confirm previous studies, but the links between variables can be complex, and these data provide a new perspective on how individual birds are distributed among species.

Key words: abundance, distribution, range, Europe, biodiversity

van Strien, A.J. 1998. From bird monitoring data to policy-relevant summary statistics. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 69: 202.

Time-series of birds are not directly relevant for policy decisions. Monitoring data need to be interpreted and summarised first, not only in a statistical sense, but also in terms of meaning from the viewpoint of nature conservation. Since the Biodiversity Convention of Rio in 1992, the development of indicators, or summary statistics, has been intensified. Recent developments are: (1) an indicator that summarises the changes in the avifauna of the Netherlands during this century. This indicator is not very appropriate for early warning purposes, but is useful as an overview of the changes in an entire group of species; (2) an indicator that reflects the changes of ecosystems with time. This indicator is partly based on bird monitoring data and partly on data of other taxa. It is sensitive to changes, but difficult to compose in a scientifically sound manner. Future developments will take population biology parameters into account and will relate these indicators to economic activities.

Key words: monitoring, indicators, biodiversity, bioassay, conservation

Liley, D.C. 1998. Predicting the population consequences of disturbance. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 69: 202.

Numerous studies have shown human disturbance to affect breeding success, either directly (e.g. trampling of nests) or indirectly, through the avoidance of highly disturbed areas. Such studies have, however, failed to show the effect on total population size. Here I describe a novel approach for incorporating disturbance within a framework of territoriality and population regulation in order to predict the population consequences of disturbance. As population size increases, individuals will settle on poorer quality territories, resulting in a decline in average breeding success with density and by incorporating the winter mortality rate, the equilibrium population size can be determined. Disturbance will alter the quality of territories and the order in which they are occupied, thus affecting the density-dependent breeding output and population size. In a colour marked population of Common Ringed Plovers Charadrius hiaticula studied over five years on a length of beach with highly clustered visitor pressure, approximately 10% of territories were abandoned before laying and up to 13% of nests trampled each year. More disturbed areas were occupied by younger birds, were more likely to be abandoned before laying, and were more prone to trampling. Dog walkers and sunbathers differ in their disturbance patterns and I will calculate the decline in population size resulting from each.

Key words: disturbance, density-dependence, Charadrius, population, territoriality