German Ornithological Society

Another case of island gigantism: the extinct Hodgens’ Waterhen (Tribonyx hodgenorum) is a member of Porzana (Aves: Rallidae) - Journal of Ornithology Tribonyx hodgenorum (Scarlett, Rec Canterb Mus 6:265–266, 1955) was a flightless rail (Rallidae) endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand that became extinct in the eighteenth century. The affinities of this r...

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Another case of island gigantism: the extinct Hodgens’ Waterhen (Tribonyx hodgenorum) is a member of Porzana (Aves: Rallidae)

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... and what her everyday life at @nabu.de looks like

She told us how she got into ornithology...

We are happy to introduce you to another member of our society, Ute Eggers!

Unexpected variation in migration routes and nonbreeding residency of Tree Pipits (Anthus trivialis) from a central European breeding population - Journal of Ornithology The natural history of migration comprises a set of population-specific ecological and flexible traits, that will undergo fundamental changes under current climate alterations, but basic features rema...

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Unexpected variation in migration routes and nonbreeding residency of Tree Pipits (Anthus trivialis) from a central European breeding population

Open access

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The DOG is pleased to award 11 travel grants to young scientists who will attend the EOU conference in Bangor (UK) in August 2025. The recipients come from seven countries: Germany, Austria, Sweden, France, Italy and Spain.

Congratulations! We wish you a successful conference!

The potential of White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) nest lining to evaluate the functional diversity of Coleopteran fauna - Journal of Ornithology Collecting arthropod samples is usually very invasive because these organisms die during sampling, and it is hard to obtain a statistically robust sample. The availability of arthropods is critical for the survival of the youngest White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) nestlings and impacting the productivity of this species populations; thus, the species is a strong predator of a variety of epigeic insects. At the time of progressive drying of climatic conditions due to climate change or/and in dry habitats replacing wetlands, the role of termophilic taxa as certain Coleoptera in nestling diet is often underestimated. Here, we evaluated the Coleopteran component of the diet of the White Stork nestlings using the nest lining material consisting of fragmented remains of regurgitated pellets and soil-like material, and related the community indices of Coleopteran fauna to the landscape structure within a radius of 2.5 km around nests. In eight nests collected in SE Poland, we found a massive accumulation of beetle remains representing 32,277 individual Coleopteran prey items, from which 17,252 were identified to the family level. Our analysis showed a significant relationship between the landscape structure and beetle communities, as well as the abundance of dominant prey taxa and the share of three major functional guilds (herbivores, scavengers, and predators). The significant contribution of scavengers was associated with a high proportion of forests around the nest and decreased with increasing proportion of arable lands and mixed crops, while the high proportion of herbivorous and predatory beetles was associated with a high share of arable lands. We showed that the analysis of nest lining material, mainly the remains of pellets, provides taxonomically informative data on beetle communities and can be a valuable tool in bioindicative assessments of Coleopteran biodiversity. Given the widespread nesting of White Stork near landfills (increasing the productivity of their local populations), further studies assessing the role of the Coleopteran component, particularly the contribution of necrophagous or saprophagous beetles, in the diet of early nestlings of this bird species are essential.

Now online in Journal of #Ornithology

The potential of White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) nest lining to evaluate the functional diversity of Coleopteran fauna

Open access

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

To stay or to go: an analysis of fledging timing in White Stork Ciconia ciconia fledglings - Journal of Ornithology Fledging is a critical stage in the life of altricial birds, marking their transition from nest dependence to independence. This study examines the timing of nest-leaving in White Stork (Ciconia cicon...

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To stay or to go: an analysis of fledging timing in White Stork Ciconia ciconia fledglings

Open access

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Misleading data and conservation risks: the moral responsibility of accurate reporting in Rüppell’s Vulture research: a reply to Ramirez and Muñoz (2024) - Journal of Ornithology Recently, (Ramirez and Muñoz, J Ornithol, 2024) rebutte to the study by (Onrubia et al., J Ornithol 165:747–757, 2024), about the presence of Rüppell’s Vulture in Europe, arguing specifically that dat...

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Misleading data and conservation risks: the moral responsibility of accurate reporting in Rüppell’s Vulture research: a reply to Ramirez and Muñoz (2024)

Commentary

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Age-related time budget and behaviour of Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) chicks - Journal of Ornithology We studied the time budget of precocial chicks of the Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) on ephemeral islets in the middle Pripyat River valley (Belarus) to evaluate how their diurnal activities are...

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Age-related time budget and behaviour of Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) chicks

Open access

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Diel and seasonal vocal activity patterns revealed by passive acoustic monitoring suggest expert recommendations for breeding bird surveys need adjustment - Journal of Ornithology Species identification and recording in breeding bird surveys vastly rely on the registration of avian calls and songs. Despite comprehensive expert knowledge on species-specific activity patterns, da...

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Diel and seasonal vocal activity patterns revealed by passive acoustic monitoring suggest expert recommendations for breeding bird surveys need adjustment

Open access

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Sea-crossing behaviour of two migratory eagles in relation to weather conditions - Journal of Ornithology During migration, typical soaring species such as eagles and vultures primarily rely on soaring flight to minimise energy expenditure, exploiting thermal currents over land while avoiding prolonged wa...

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Sea-crossing behaviour of two migratory eagles in relation to weather conditions

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A systematic review of lapwing research in Africa to determine trends and evidence of their response to changes in terrestrial ecosystems - Journal of Ornithology Humans have altered natural habitats to satisfy their needs, affecting global ecosystems and biodiversity. Grasslands have been affected by fragmentation, habitat loss, and landscape changes, which ha...

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A systematic review of lapwing research in Africa to determine trends and evidence of their response to changes in terrestrial ecosystems

Review
Open Access

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Geolocator tracking and ring recoveries reveal the migration of Siberian Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica tytleri - Journal of Ornithology The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica exhibits diverse migration behaviours across its extensive breeding range. While most of the migratory subspecies have been tracked with geolocators, information is la...

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Geolocator tracking and ring recoveries reveal the migration of Siberian Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica tytleri

Short Communication

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Determining sex ratios and mitochondrial haplotypes of Hawai‘i’s endemic and introduced ducks - Journal of Ornithology Human-facilitated introduction of invasive species is increasing rates of anthropogenic hybridization, further threatening endemic species. In fact, the endangered Hawaiian Duck (Anas wyvilliana; ‘Kol...

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Determining sex ratios and mitochondrial haplotypes of Hawai‘i’s endemic and introduced ducks

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First record of a bird footprint in Brazil (Oligocene of the Taubaté Basin) and its paleoenvironmental implications - Journal of Ornithology We report the first avian footprint from Brazil, preserved in Oligocene lacustrine deposits of the Tremembé Formation (Taubaté Basin). The specimen, collected from a rhythmite bed of gray–black shale ...

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First record of a bird footprint in Brazil (Oligocene of the Taubaté Basin) and its paleoenvironmental implications

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Timing of Steller’s Eider remigial molt has delayed over 26-year span - Journal of Ornithology The Steller’s Eider is a sea duck that uses specific molting areas in lagoons in southwest Alaska, and these molting populations have declined in recent decades. The annual flight feather molt is a si...

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Timing of Steller’s Eider remigial molt has delayed over 26-year span

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Heterospecific social learning in Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja) - Journal of Ornithology Social learning has been shown to considerably facilitate the acquisition of information and has been as such typically studied in animals living in complex social groups. Comparably little is known a...

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Heterospecific social learning in Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja)

Open access

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Phylogenetic analysis of the Blue-eyed Ground Dove (Columbina cyanopis) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences: revalidating the genus Oxypelia - Journal of Ornithology The critically endangered Blue-eyed Ground Dove (Columbina cyanopis) represents one of the world’s most enigmatic and threatened bird species. Endemic to Cerrado, the central Brazilian savannas, the s...

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Phylogenetic analysis of the Blue-eyed Ground Dove (Columbina cyanopis) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences: revalidating the genus Oxypelia

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Estimating age of Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) chicks using sex-specific growth curve models - Journal of Ornithology We used measurements of tarsus length during the development of captive Greater Flamingo chicks (Phoenicopterus roseus) of known age to determine growth curves and derive functions to predict age. We ...

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Estimating age of Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) chicks using sex-specific growth curve models

Open access

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Predicting suitable winter habitats of Marmora’s Warbler (Curruca sarda) in North Africa using species distribution models - Journal of Ornithology Understanding the complex patterns of habitat use by animal species and unravelling the processes that control these patterns are fundamental goals in the field of ecology. In cases where data on the ...

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Predicting suitable winter habitats of Marmora’s Warbler (Curruca sarda) in North Africa using species distribution models

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A review of co-occurrence and hybridization as neglected factors in studies of Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) - Journal of Ornithology Some species of woodpecker (Picidae), such as in the genus Dendrocopos, are known to occasionally hybridize. The distribution, biology and ecology of the Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) and t...

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A review of co-occurrence and hybridization as neglected factors in studies of Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Open access

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Homing Pigeon (Columba livia) dominance hierarchies are stable over time and resistant to perturbation - Journal of Ornithology Dominance hierarchies are a social dynamic common in many species, which help balance the costs and benefits of social living. Which individuals in a group occupy high-ranking positions is influenced ...

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Homing Pigeon (Columba livia) dominance hierarchies are stable over time and resistant to perturbation

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Patterns in egg size variability of island-dwelling kestrels - Journal of Ornithology Island-dwelling birds may maximize their reproductive output by investing more in larger and fewer eggs than their close mainland counterparts (Lack’s predictions). Less predictable environments could...

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Patterns in egg size variability of island-dwelling kestrels

Open access

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Loop vs. same route migrations of two songbird species between Japan and Southeast Asia - Journal of Ornithology While many long-distance migratory birds are experiencing severe population declines, some species showed abundance increases and range expansions. Knowledge of migratory routes may provide key insigh...

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Loop vs. same route migrations of two songbird species between Japan and Southeast Asia

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Register now for the 6th DOG Fledglings Meeting 2025 as the registration has been prolonged until 22nd of June! 🐣
The meeting will take place on 17/09/2025 in Erfurt, Germany. More information and registration: www.do-g.de
#ornithology

The DOG is awarding five travel grants of 400 Euro each to young scientists presenting a talk or poster at the 15th EOU Congress in Wales. Further information can be found here: www.do-g.de. Apply now!

Research funding: The maximum amount of funding for research projects has been increased to € 7,500. Find out more: www.do-g.de/forschungsfo.... Next application deadline: 1th of June!

Ten more days until the registration ends!
We're looking forward to meeting you in Erfurt. Find more information on www.do-g.de

Persistent organic pollutants detected in feathers of feral Greater Rheas in Northern Germany: a comparative analysis with native populations of Argentina - Journal of Ornithology Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been identified as a significant threat to environmental health. The presence of POPs was examined in a feral population of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) esta...

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Persistent organic pollutants detected in feathers of feral Greater Rheas in Northern Germany: a comparative analysis with native populations of Argentina

Short communication

link.springer.com/article/10.1...