Othonna cerarioides (Asteraceae: Othonnineae), a new species from Namaqualand,South Africa

Othonna cerarioides Magoswana and J.C. Manning is described as a new species from Namaqualand, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is an erect shrub with rod-like stems and branches, bearing numerous spur-shoots with obovate-oblanceolate leaves clustered at the tips, and up to nine disciform capitula per spur-shoot. Othonna cerarioides is anomalous in the genus in that the style of some of the disc florets is bifid. Othonna is diagnosed within subtribe Othonnineae by female-sterile disc florets with simple (or very rarely minutely bifid) styles. The disc florets in the closely related genus Hertia are bisexual with well branched styles.     

Using counts of begging young to estimate post-fledging survival in Tawny Owls Strix aluco

Capsule The method reliably accounted for variation in brood size when used by a ‘naive’ observer.     

Avian research in the Caribbean: past contributions and current priorities

ABSTRACT The islands of the Caribbean contain habitat of critical importance to a large number of endemic and resident birds, as well as many overwintering Neotropical migrants, and they rank as a globally outstanding conservation priority ecoregion and biodiversity hotspot. Considerable research from the region has focused on the ecology of permanent resident species, and these studies have had particular significance for threatened species management, especially parrot biology and conservation, but also for tropical community ecology in general. Work by ornithologists in the Caribbean has been instrumental in improving our understanding of the ecology of overwintering Neotropical migrants and in developing long‐term monitoring programs. Although Caribbean‐based studies of birds have resulted in significant contributions in many important areas of ecological research, there is a great need for additional research. Especially needed are studies with application to the management of resident species, and studies of how bird populations may be affected by pathogens, parasites, plants, and other types of biotic interactions. Studies focusing on how bird species and populations are affected by global climate change, and cumulative, landscape‐level changes in land use are also needed. Along with additional research, scientists have an important role to play in building capacity to prepare the next generation of biologists in the region who will need to address mounting challenges related to biodiversity protection. As with many conservation efforts, funding is a critical need for almost all organizations and agencies involved in research, conservation action, and capacity building in the West Indies.     

Survival and habitat use in translocated and resident greater prairie-chickens

Translocation, or the purposeful movement of organisms from one location to another for conservation, is currently being used to bolster populations of the endangered greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido). We used radiotelemetry to compare survival between 58 resident birds and 54 newly translocated greater prairie-chickens that were sourced from a location more than 325 km away. Model averaged survival estimates were lower in translocated birds (0.42; 95% CI: 0.17–0.66) than in resident prairie-chickens (0.65; 95% CI: 0.46–0.79) through the breeding season. Habitat, sex and year were each included in at least 1 of the top 4 models, but the model averaged confidence intervals for each parameter encompassed zero. Survival of both resident and translocated prairie-chickens increased throughout the breeding season. Both translocated and resident prairie-chickens selected for core prairie habitat over agriculture, and birds tended to avoid surrounding private grasslands and wooded areas. We suggest that future translocation projects account for reduced survival of translocated birds when determining the appropriate release cohort sizes and sex ratios. We also recommend that future management for greater prairie-chicken habitat focus on the expansion of core protected patches of prairie to promote elevated survival and better chances of conservation success.