The continuing lack of ornithological research capacity in almost all of West Africa

West Africa has high bird diversity and is a crucial non-breeding area for over one-third of European breeding species, yet local capacity for ornithological research and so targeted bird conservation is perceived to be limited. I reviewed all the published literature on the Web of Science^? classified as ‘ornithology’ with an accompanying keyword of a country’s name, over the last three decades, from the 16 countries within West Africa and compared it with that from 16 Western European countries. Inclusion of the country’s name as a search term identified any papers produced by local authors, and so should provide an index of local ornithological capacity. Overall only 129 papers were produced from 1987 to 2016 with West African authors (range: zero Burkina Faso to 45 Nigeria), significantly fewer compared with 12 380 with European authors (range: 71 Greece to 2 745 England). The number of papers produced increased significantly at similar rates over the three-decade period in both continents. The number of papers produced by local authors in West Africa and Europe approximately doubled each decade, but variation between countries was large, particularly in West Africa. The results are broadly the same when paper output is adjusted for the population of each country. Of the three West African countries that showed a consistent increase in numbers of locally authored ornithological papers, only Nigeria showed a highly significant increase and this increase was down to a single ornithological research institute established there in 2002. The results confirm that there is little local ornithological capacity in West Africa and this is not changing except in Nigeria, where even a single new research institute can make a significant difference because of the very low baseline.     

鸟类学研究:过去二十年的回顾和对中国未来发展的建议

为了解中国鸟类学研究的状况和发展趋势,我们利用在线文献数据库(Web of Science)检索了1991-2010年间发表的与鸟类有关的文献,对中国和其他国家的鸟类学研究论文、研究领域、研究机构等进行了分析和比较。结果发现,中国鸟类学研究发展很快,专业研究人员数量在1991-2010年间增长了近四倍,在国际上发表的研究论文的数量近几年年均增长25%;论文数量占世界的比例已经由1991-2000年的0.46%上升到了2001-2010年期间的1.53%,世界排名由第27位上升至第16位,并且研究领域更加多元化,论文水平不断提高。在鸟类系统发育与演化、合作繁殖和婚配、禽流感、巢寄生等领域的许多成果开始在国际相关领域的高水平刊物上发表,在古鸟类以及雉类和鹤类等濒危鸟类的保护研究方面位居世界前列。但从整体而言,中国鸟类学研究与世界上一些发达国家相比还有很大差距。为此我们对中国鸟类学未来的发展提出了一些建议,包括需要更加关注鸟类的生活史对策、气候变化和城市化对鸟类的影响、鸟类迁徙、濒危物种保护生物学等领域的研究,进一步加强国际交流与合作,规范鸟类研究及数据保存和处理的方法,采取更有效措施加大对青年研究人员的支持力度等。     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGIAL LITERATURE

Recent Ornithological Literature is a cooperative, volunteer project for the benefit of ornithologists the world over. The partnership began in 1983 (Auk 100, Ibis 125) when the AOU and BOU combined their Recent Literature sections to publish a single supplement of ornithological literature. The RAOU joined this partnership in 1987 (Emu 87). The AOU covers journals published in the Americas and the Philippines. The BOU covers journals published in Europe, Africa, and mainland Asia. The RAOU covers journals published in Australasia and other island nations of the Pacific. More than 150 volunteers scan about 650 titles and contribute abstracts regularly. Authors' addresses are included, if the journal lists them, to facilitate communication between readers and authors.
Recent Ornithological Literature strives for comprehensive coverage of the world's periodical literature of interest to persons studying wild birds. Readers are encouraged to consult the "List of Journals Scanned" published annually in the fourth supplement and to make recommendations for increasing journal coverage. Authors, editors, or publishers whose articles or journals are not covered by the ROL should send reprints, abstracts, or exchange issues to the editor responsible for covering the geographical area where the journal is published. Volunteer abstractors are welcomed.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGIAL LITERATURE

Recent Ornithological Literature is a cooperative, volunteer project for the benefit of ornithologists the world over. The partnership began in 1983 (Auk 100, Ibis 125) when the AOU and BOU combined their Recent Literature sections to publish a single supplement of ornithological literature. The RAOU joined this partnership in 1987 (Emu 87). The AOU covers journals published in the Americas and the Philippines. The BOU covers journals published in Europe, Africa, and mainland Asia. The RAOU covers journals published in Australasia and other island nations of the Pacific. More than 150 volunteers scan about 650 titles and contribute abstracts regularly. Authors' addresses are included, if the journal lists them, to facilitate communication between readers and authors. Recent Ornithological Literature strives for comprehensive coverage of the world's periodical literature of interest to persons studying wild birds. Readers are encouraged to consult the “List of Journals Scanned” published annually in the fourth supplement and to make recommendations for increasing journal coverage. Authors, editors, or publishers whose articles or journals are not covered by the ROL should send reprints, abstracts, or exchange issues to the editor responsible for covering the geographical area where the journal is published. Volunteer abstractors are welcomed.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE

Beginning in 1983 (Auk 100, Ibis 125) the AOU and BOU combined their Recent Literature sections, to publish a single supplement of ornithological literature to which members of both unions contribute. The RAOU joined this partnership in 1987 (Emu 87). The AOU covers journals published in the Americas and The Philippines. The BOU covers journals published in Europe, Africa, and mainland Asia. The RAOU covers journals published in Australasia and other island nations of the Pacific. More than 150 volunteers scan about 650 titles and contribute abstracts regularly. Authors' addresses are included, if the journal lists them, to facilitate communication between readers and authors.
Recent Ornithological Literature strives for comprehensive coverage of the world's periodical literature of interest to persons studying wild birds. Readers are encouraged to consult the "List of Journals Scanned" published annually in the October supplement and to make recommendations for increasing journal coverage.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE

Beginning in 1983 (Auk 100, Ibis 125) the AOU and BOU combined their Recent Literature sections, to publish a single supplement of ornithological literature to which members of both unions contribute. The RAOU joined this partnership in 1987 (Emu 87). The AOU covers journals published in the Americas and The Philippines. The BOU covers journals published in Europe, Africa, and mainland Asia. The RAOU covers journals published in Australasia and other island nations of the Pacific. More than 150 volunteers scan about 650 titles and contribute abstracts regularly. Authors' addresses are included, if the journal lists them, to facilitate communication between readers and authors.
Recent Ornithological Literature strives for comprehensive coverage of the world's periodical literature of interest to persons studying wild birds. Readers are encouraged to consult the "List of Journals Scanned" published annually in the October supplement and to make recommendations for increasing journal coverage.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE

Beginning in 1983 (Auk 100, Ibis 125) the AOU and BOU combined their Recent Literature sections, to publish a single supplement of ornithological literature to which members of both unions contribute. The RAOU joined this partnership in 1987 (Emu 87). The AOU covers journals published in the Americas and The Philippines. The BOU covers journals published in Europe, Africa, and mainland Asia. The RAOU covers journals published in Australasia and other island nations of the Pacific. More than 150 volunteers scan about 650 titles and contribute abstracts regularly. Authors' addresses are included, if the journal lists them, to facilitate communication between readers and authors Recent Ornithological Literature strives for comprehensive coverage of the world's periodical literature of interest to persons studying wild birds. Readers are encouraged to consult the “List of Journals Scanned” published annually in the October supplement and to make recommendations for increasing journal coverage.     

中国大陆鸟类栖息地选择研究十年

栖息地选择研究一直是鸟类生态学研究的重要内容之一。通过对2001年1月至2010年12月10年期间中国大陆鸟类学家在国内外期刊上发表的鸟类栖息地选择研究的论文进行分析,对我国鸟类栖息地选择研究提出展望。10年间,我国鸟类学家共发表有关鸟类栖息地选择或利用的论文170篇,共涉及到鸟类10目31科73种。在这10年里,中国大陆有关鸟类栖息地选择或利用的文章持续增长。然而,我国鸟类栖息地选择的研究也存在着如下问题:(1)存在栖息地选择和栖息地利用误用的现象,这种现象在10年内并无明显改善;(2)在选择研究方法时,很少考虑个体的可获得性、种群密度及抽样尺度对栖息地选择的影响;(3)大多数的栖息地选择的论文没有对鸟类的栖息地选择行为进行研究,也缺乏对其选择的适合度背景去进行研究。根据这些问题,对我国未来的鸟类栖息地选择研究提出了建议。     

Mechanisms of population dynamics in trans-Saharan migrant birds: A review

Modern views on the mechanisms of population dynamics in Palearctic birds wintering in tropical Africa are discussed with regard to the distribution of migrants on the African continent and the influence of external factors on conditions of bird wintering. The data on long-term bird trapping at ten ornithological stations in Europe are analyzed. Among 142 long-term trends in the population dynamics of 18 bird species, 34% are negative, 11% are positive, and the remaining trends lack statistical significance. The proportion of negative trends in each species negatively correlates with the number of birds: the more abundant the species, the lower the probability of its long-term population decline. Population dynamics may largely be determined by environmental conditions in wintering regions. Population studies on ten Palearctic species showed that drastic population declines and even local extinction of birds in recent decades resulted from the dramatic decrease in their survival on African wintering grounds because of insufficient precipitation and, in particular, severe droughts in the Sahel.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE

Recent Ornithological Literature is a cooperative, volunteer project for the benefit of ornithologists the world over. The partnership began in 1983 ( Auk 100, Ibis 125) when the AOU and BOU combined their Recent Literature sections to publish a single supplement of or- mythological literature. The RAOU joined this partnership in 1987 ( Emu 87). The AOU covers journals published in the Americas and the Philippines. The BOU covers journals published in Europe, Africa, and mainland Asia. The RAOU covers journals published in Australasia and other island nations of the Pacific. More than 150 volunteers scan about 650 titles and contribute abstracts regularly. Authors' addresses are included, if the journal lists them, to facilitate communication between readers and authors.
Recent Ornithological Literature strives for comprehensive coverage of the world's periodical literature of interest to persons studying wild birds. Readers are encouraged to consult the "List of Journals Scanned published annually in the fourth supplement and to make recommendations for increasing journal coverage. Authors, editors, or publishers whose articles or journals are not covered by the ROL should send reprints, abstracts, or exchange issues to the editor responsible for covering the geographical area where the journal is published. Volunteer abstractors are welcomed.     

Ornithology and bird conservation in North America – a Canadian perspective

Capsule A comparison between North American and European ornithology shows many differences between the two.

While local knowledge was developed over millennia in Europe, in North America much was originally learned from the indigenous people. Knowing the food value of wild game was essential to survival and led to a strong tradition of wildlife management in North America. However, there was also systematic exploration of the local avifauna by museum-based collectors. This dual origin of ornithology is still detectable today. North American ornithology, particularly through the introduction of the Migratory Birds Convention Act of 1917, is strongly influenced by federal, state and provincial governments who have a statutory responsibility for the protection of wild birds. Because the USA and Canada, and more recently Mexico, are responsible for the administration of the Act, many initiatives in bird conservation involve international co-operation, starting initially with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, but now extended to all species of birds. Many partnerships involving government, professional and amateur ornithologists (e.g. Bird Studies Canada) have resulted in monitoring of bird populations similar to that done by the BTO. However, there still seems to be a paucity of population studies and survey information in the mainstream ornithological journals in North America.     

Fifty years of bird song research: a case study in animal behaviour

The growth of bird song research over the past half century has been catalysed by both technical and theoretical advances. The study of mechanisms has largely moved to the neurobiological level, where work on bird song has blossomed. At the behavioural level, development and function have been the prime foci of attention, and I briefly review the advances in these two areas. But, looking forwards, the well is far from dry: I suggest a few topics on which I expect that papers will appear in the journal in the next few decades. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE

Recent Ornithological Literature is a cooperative, volunteer project for the benefit of ornithologists the world over. The partnership began in 1983 (Auk 100, Ibis 125) when the AOU and BOU combined their Recent Literature sections to publish a single supplement of or- mythological literature. The RAOU joined this partnership in 1987 (Emu 87). The AOU covers journals published in the Americas and the Philippines. The BOU covers journals published in Europe, Africa, and mainland Asia. The RAOU covers journals published in Australasia and other island nations of the Pacific. More than 150 volunteers scan about 650 titles and contribute abstracts regularly. Authors' addresses are included, if the journal lists them, to facilitate communication between readers and authors. Recent Ornithological Literature strives for comprehensive coverage of the world's periodical literature of interest to persons studying wild birds. Readers are encouraged to consult the “List of Journals Scanned published annually in the fourth supplement and to make recommendations for increasing journal coverage. Authors, editors, or publishers whose articles or journals are not covered by the ROL should send reprints, abstracts, or exchange issues to the editor responsible for covering the geographical area where the journal is published. Volunteer abstractors are welcomed.     

继往开来,积极推动中国生物多样性科学发展——《生物多样性》创刊二十年回顾

《生物多样性》自1993年由中国科学院生物多样性委员会创办以来,一直秉承首任主编钱迎倩先生确定的刊物定位:紧跟国际热点和趋势,反映中国生物多样性科学研究进展;及时报道保护、管理和持续利用生物多样性的经验,包括法律法规和国际履约。时逢《生物多样性》创办20周年,我们总结了刊物的发展历程,分析了创刊以来策划的研究热点、报道对象、作者队伍及产生的影响,以期更好为推动中国生物多样性科学发展服务。这些年,生物多样性科学领域的热点问题,如生物入侵、全球变化下的生物多样性、DNA条形码、生物多样性监测与变化机制、谱系多样性、生物多样性信息学等,以及《生物多样性公约》及其履行进展在本刊上都得到了及时报道,2000年以后出版的13个专刊(专栏)更是热点问题的集中体现。在发表的1,189篇(不包括增刊)文章中物种多样性方面文章最多,遗传多样性方面的文章次之;从研究类群上看,植物和动物方面的文章明显多于微生物方面的文章。研究对象的地理分布则与所属地区的多样性丰富程度或受关注程度有一定的相关性。刊物目前已形成较为稳定的作者群,发表文章最多的前10位作者分别来自中国科学院(6人)、北京大学(2人)和复旦大学(2人);文章的平均作者数从1993年的约1.5人/篇增加到2011年的约4人/篇,一定程度上反映了团队合作的态势;每篇文章的平均页码数也从创刊时的平均5页左右逐渐增加到目前的10页左右,文章的信息量大大增加。发表的论文主要受国家自然科学基金、科技部项目和中国科学院项目资助,表明作者群的层次是比较高的。发表的论文中被引次数大于40的文章超过200篇,最高达970次(中国知网,2012年8月10日检索);被SCI刊物的引用次数也呈逐年递增趋势。《生物多样性》是目前我国发表生物多样性研究成果最多、影响最大、生物多样性科学领域最重要的刊物。但毋庸讳言,《生物多样性》如国内其他中文科技期刊一样,正面临巨大挑战,如优秀稿源匮乏、刊物国际化和国内评价体系的压力、如何协调基础性和应用性、如何兼顾作者和读者的需求等。针对上述问题,我们提出了对策建议,指出《生物多样性》在"立足本土的国际化"和前沿创新与基础支撑兼顾的定位下,继续提高学术质量,并通过数字化平台和新闻媒体宣传发表的重要成果等方式,提高科技信息传播效率,扎实推动中国生物多样性科学的发展。     

扶桑绵粉蚧研究状况的文献计量分析

本文从文献计量学角度分析了扶桑绵粉蚧在CNKI数据库和Web of Science数据库中的文献情况。在CNKI数据库中,分析了文献的发表时间、分布类型、刊载期刊,以及高被引文献、培养研究生和文献关键词的情况。在Web of Science数据库中,分析了文献的发表和引文情况、作者的国家和机构、刊载期刊、资助资金以及高被引文献的情况。预计扶桑绵粉蚧的研究热度继续,在注重防治工作的同时,向着分子生物学等深入方向发展。     

Quantifying shifts in topic popularity over 44 years of Austral Ecology

The Ecological Society of Australia was founded in 1959, and the society’s journal was first published in 1976. To examine how research published in the society’s journal has changed over this time, we used text mining to quantify themes and trends in the body of work published by the Australian Journal of Ecology and Austral Ecology from 1976 to 2019. We used topic models to identify 30 ‘topics’ within 2778 full‐text articles in 246 issues of the journal, followed by mixed modelling to identify topics with above‐average or below‐average popularity in terms of the number of publications or citations that they contain. We found high inter‐decadal turnover in research topics, with an early emphasis on highly specific ecosystems or processes giving way to a modern emphasis on community, spatial and fire ecology, invasive species and statistical modelling. Despite an early focus on Australian research, papers discussing South American ecosystems are now among the fastest‐growing and most frequently cited topics in the journal. Topics that were growing fastest in publication rates were not always the same as those with high citation rates. Our results provide a systematic breakdown of the topics that Austral Ecology authors and editors have chosen to research, publish and cite through time, providing a valuable window into the historical and emerging foci of the journal.     

Is the Cape White-eye Zosterops virens or Zosterops capensis?

The recent scientific literature employs three binomial names for the southern African endemic bird known as the Cape White-eye: Zosterops capensis, Z. pallidus and Z. virens. This unacceptable inconsistency reflects the contention regarding white-eye systematics. Recent molecular work by Oatley and colleagues led to the suggestion that Z. virens and Z. capensis should both fall under the name Z. virens. We urge ornithologists to adopt this convention, and we encourage further molecular stud ies in order to clarify the taxonomy of southern African white-eyes.     

THE ROLE OF LARGE-SCALE DATA COLLECTION PROJECTS IN THE STUDY OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN BIRDS

Underhill, L.G., Oatley, T.B. & Harrison, J.A. 1991. The role of large-scale data collection projects in the study of southern African birds. Ostrich 62:124-148.

The major ornithological data collections in southern Africa (checklists, migration enquiry, atlas projects, censuses, bird ringing and recoveries, biometric data, nest record cards, moult cards and beached birds) are described. For each project, current volumes of data are tabulated. The Southern African Bird Atlas Project database contained 5,0 million records in December 1990. 1,25 million birds of 810 species had been ringed with South African Bird Ringing Unit rings by June 1989, resulting in 22 000 recoveries. There were more than 100 recoveries for 27 species. The nest record card scheme of the Southern African Ornithological Society had 117 000 cards on file in February 1990, representing 696 species, with more than 1 000 cards for 18 species. There were 4 040 cards of 380 species in the moult record scheme. African Seabird Group beach patrols had found 10 057 seabirds by the end of 1985. A selection of published applications for each data set is given. The potential of the data sets for further analyses is considered, especially in relation to key demographic characteristics such as abundance, productivity and survival. It is recommended that volunteer participation projects should concentrate on monitoring and that indices for change in the demographic characteristics be developed. Most of the projects could be incorporated into an Avian Demography Unit.     

A spatialized digital database for all bird species in China

The lack of refined spatial detail on bird distribution in China has hindered further research due to the large geographic unit(provincial level) in existing national bird distribution data. Based on multi-source bird distribution data, we built a more spatially detailed distribution database for every bird species(1,371 species) in China, covering 2,908 counties. The sources on bird distribution are grouped into six categories: Handbooks, Literature; Fauna, Avifauna; Paper; Citizen Science data by ornithologists or birders; GPS tracing; and Website data. The database contains the following records: taxonomy, distribution data, suspicious species information, and data sources. Our database recorded 835 species(61%) appearing outside the distribution range previously known. The use of provincial boundaries as the smallest geographical unit has created misleading distribution results due to geographic aggregation for most species. The new database was built based on increased observational frequency and individuals observed in previously undetected areas particularly in Western China and towards higher altitudes and latitudes. They coincided with the discovery of the range expansion of some waterfowls into Xinjiang. The dataset provides a new base for Chinese and international ornithology studies, especially for those requiring more detailed distribution information for many taxa and large-scale regional research.