New publication on bird conservation and aesthetic!

Santangeli, A., Haukka, A., Morris, W. et al. What drives our aesthetic attraction to birds?. npj biodivers 2, 20 (2023).

In a shell: Understanding our relationship with other species is crucial. This study reveals that people are most aesthetically attracted to smaller birds with vivid colors and extreme ornaments. Unveiling the visual features underpinning our aesthetic attraction to birds is a critical step towards optimizing conservation

Abstract: In the Anthropocene, the era when the imprint of humans on nature is pervasive across the planet, it is of utmost importance to understand human relationships with other species. The aesthetics of nature, and of species, is one of the values that plays a role in shaping human-nature relationships. 

Birds are ubiquitous across the world. The beauty of birds exerts a powerful tug on human emotions, and bird-rich areas attract scores of eco-tourists. People naturally find some birds more beautiful or interesting than others, but we currently lack a global understanding of the specifics of what makes a species aesthetically attractive. Here, we used a global citizen-science database on bird attractiveness covering nearly all extant bird species, to show that there are specific visual features that drive our aesthetic appeal for some bird species over others. First, our aesthetic attraction is highest for smaller birds with specific, vivid colors (e.g., blue and red, and departing from brown-grey) and extreme ornaments (a long crest or tail). Second, our aesthetic attraction is highest for species with broad ranges, possibly because such species may be more familiar to us. The features that make us attracted to a particular bird strongly align with broad human visual aesthetic preferences in modern society. Unveiling the visual features underpinning our aesthetic attraction to birds is a critical step towards optimizing conservation (e.g., via conservation marketing) and education campaigns, and leverage the cultural ecosystem service potential of birds.

 

 

Shearwaters on the news!

 J.-M. Igual explains the  breeding biology of Cory's Shearwaters and the importance of long-term monitoring to identify threats. The full interview here.

New publication on gulls as seed dispersers!

Ando, H., Martín-Vélez, V., Tavecchia, G., Traveset, A., Jiménez-Martín, I., Igual, J. M., Martínez-Abraín, A., & Hervías-Parejo, S. (2023). Gulls contribute to olive seed dispersal within and among islands in a Mediterranean coastal area. Journal of Biogeography, 00, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14735 

In a shell: Gulls contributed to long-distance olive seed dispersal including different islands. Our findings indicate that gulls are relevant vectors for long-distance dispersal of large fleshy fruits in island ecosystems where specialist large frugivores are absent.

 

Photo: wikipedia.org

Abstract: Aim:To analyse the role of non-frugivorous birds on seed dispersal, seed dispersal by gulls is expected to be especially instrumental in island ecosystems, as these have a smaller subset of frugivores when compared to the mainland, and because long-distance dispersal is required for plant colonisation. Here, we investigated the seed dispersal of olives by gulls among 10 islands of the same archipelago to reveal if gulls contribute to long-distance seed dispersal including different islands, and how gulls' adaptation to domestic olives and individual differences in foraging activities affect their seed dispersal pattern.

Location:Balearic Islands in the Western Mediterranean Sea, Spain.Taxon:Yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis), Domestic and wild Olives (Olea europaea and O. europaea var. sylvestris).Methods:We developed seed dispersal models of the two ecotypes of olives dispersed by gulls across an archipelago, based on GPS tracking data, gut passage time and seed viability. Results:Mean dispersal distances were 7.67 (±12.48) km in wild and 12.57 (±13.08) km in domestic olives. 7.1% of wild and 8.5% of domestic olives were dispersed among islands. Among these, 8.2% of domestic seeds were transported from large to small islands where gull colonies are located, whereas wild olives were dispersed in more variable directions. Such dispersal pattern of two olive ecotypes was consistent despite the differences in dispersal distances among individuals. Gulls contributed to long-distance olive seed dispersal including different islands. The seed dispersal of domestic olives to longer distances with specific directions may facilitate colonisation and expansion of that variant if the conditions of seed deposition sites are suitable. Our findings indicate that gulls are relevant vectors for long-distance dispersal of large fleshy fruits in island ecosystems where specialist large frugivores are absent.