New publication on Avian Influenza!

Plaza, P., Santangeli, A., Rosciano, N., Cancellario, T., Girardello, M., Wikelski, M., & Lambertucci, S. A. (2025). Wild Birds Affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Worldwide: Epidemiological Insights Into the Recent Panzootic. Global Change Biology, 31(10), e70523.

In a shell:   This study mapped global H5N1 risk areas and found that from 2020 to 2025, the virus spread rapidly to nearly the entire world, mostly within predicted high-risk zones. It highlights that gregarious, non-migratory, carnivorous birds tolerant of human environments are most vulnerable—key information for guiding targeted surveillance and prevention efforts.

Abstract: In recent years, especially as a consequence of global change, several emerging pathogens have caused alarming effects in wild species. One of these pathogens, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1), is causing global mortalities in animals with an increasing risk to humans. Wild birds play a key role in viral transmission and spread. Using the distribution ranges of wild bird species reported as infected, we mapped global risk areas for viral spread and analyzed the spatio-temporal evolution of H5N1 from January 2017 to March 2025. 

 

We also examined the overlap between the mapped risk areas and positive cases occurring in wild birds and poultry over this period to evaluate whether these cases align with the risk areas previously identified. Finally, we evaluated whether ecological traits of wild birds, such as gregariousness, tolerance of anthropic habitats, migratory behavior, and trophic level, are associated with the viral infection. From 2017 to September 2020, the H5N1 virus high-risk areas and cases in wild birds and poultry were few and mainly limited to Asia and Europe. From October 2020 to March 2025, the rise in H5N1 cases led to rapid expansion of high-risk areas for virus circulation and spread to almost the entire world. The increase in cases occurred within predicted high-risk areas for both wild birds and poultry. The wild bird species most at risk of contracting the viral infection were those that are gregarious, tolerant of anthropic habitats, are non-migratory, and occupy the upper trophic level. Our findings provide insights that could enhance surveillance and conservation efforts aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of H5N1 virus. These efforts can be optimized by prioritizing high-risk regions and species identified as particularly susceptible to H5N1.

 

 

Award!

Sofia Bolumar Roda has won the "Best talk Award" at the XXII CIO conference with a contribution titled "Exploring the deep blue: foraging habits of European storm-petrels". Congratulations, Sofia!!!

 

GEDA at the XXII CIO Conference!

S Bolumar and A Santangeli are participating to the XXII Italian Ornithology Conference in Lecce

New publication : vultures as sentinels!

Curk, T. Santangeli, A., [...] Melzheimer, J. 2025 Using animal tracking for early detection of mass poisoning events. Journal of Applied Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.70128

 In a shell: Tracking just a small portion of the vulture population can significantly reduce poisoning-related deaths. This study shows that GPS-tracked vultures can serve as effective sentinels, enabling quicker poisoning detection and response, offering a cost-effective and practical strategy to inform conservation efforts.

 Abstract: 

 1. Amidst the sixth mass extinction, some animal groups, such as vultures, the only obligate scavengers among vertebrates, are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Vulture populations worldwide are declining, primarily due to poisoning. As many vulture species are social foragers, they can congregate in large numbers to scavenge at a carcass, potentially increasing their exposure to poisoning risk. Current anti-poisoning prevention and mitigation measures are insufficient to tackle this threat. There is an urgent need for new effective strategies to prevent mass vulture mortality. 

2. In this study, we applied agent-based modelling using white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) data from Namibia to: (1) quantify the impact of different foraging strat-egies on vulture poisoning risk and (2) evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using vultures as sentinels for poisoning detection. This approach involves GPS tracking of various numbers of vultures and using the data to quickly detect poisoning in-
cidents and decontaminate carcasses. These actions help mitigate further vulture mortality and prevent mass poisoning. 

 3. Our findings demonstrate that social foraging significantly increases the risk of poisoning among white-backed vultures. However, GPS tracking of individual vultures enables earlier detection of poisoning events, thereby reducing associated mortalities. Poisoning mitigation effectiveness improves with both the number of tracked individuals and the speed of decontamination response. According to
our agent-based model tailored to our study system and species, tracking approximately 5% of the population (25 individuals) offers a good balance between cost and effectiveness, requiring an estimated budget of USD 60,000. Using this strategy and approach, and assuming a response time within 2 h, up to 45% of poisoning-related deaths could be prevented.

4. Synthesis and applications: Our results suggest that, in order to reduce mortality incidences from poisoning in our study system and species, it is sufficient to track a small proportion of the vulture population, which would act as sentinels for the rest. By evaluating the costs and ecological benefits of alternative strategies, varying in number of birds tagged or response time, we provide evidence-based solutions that practitioners can use to design conservation plans. These findings are therefore instrumental in supporting vulture and scavenger conservation policy and practice.

Exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Soller: the video

 Here is a short video by A. Rotger of the exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Soller "When data speak". The exhibition will last until the next spring. Don't miss it!!

 

 

Exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Soller !

Friday 23rd of May there will be the opening of the exhibition "WHEN DATA SPEAKS: THE HEARTBEAT OF BALEARIC WILDLIFE" at the Botanical Garden of Sóller / Museum of Natural Sciences - MUCBO next Friday, May 23rd at 7:00 PM.

The exhibition will present the results of the project BIO2022/003 "Impact of multiple threats on population trends of terrestrial vertebrate species in the Balearic Islands." carried out by Dr. A. Rotger and Dr. A Ana Sanz-Aguilar from the GEDA.

It aims to raise awareness about Balearic terrestrial vertebrate fauna, the threats they face, and the importance of scientific monitoring to improve their conservation.

New Thesis defense with the GEDA!

Guillermo Gómez López had just obtained his Ph.D. at the University Complutense of Madrid with a thesis titled "Unravelling offspring sex ratios and survival in Old World vultures: insights from long-term monitoring" supervised by A. Sanz-Aguilar, G. Blanco y M. Carrete.  The thesis obtained the maximum note with laude. Congratulations Guillermo!!! Well done!!

New publication on immigrationa and population turnover!

Natsukawa, H., Tavecchia, G., Frías, Ó., Sergio, F., Hiraldo, F., Blanco, G. 2025 Immigration hides the decline caused by an anthropogenic trap and drives the spectacular increase of a mobile predator. Oecologia 207, 15 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05656-2

In a shell:This study shows how massive immigration into a contaminated population of black kites, driven by an increased food supply and flock attraction, transformed a declining trend into a population increase, while highlighting the potential risks of anthropogenic subsidies as evolutionary traps

Abstract:  Accurate identification of decreasing trends is a prerequisite for successful conservation, but can be challenging when immigration compensates local declines in abundance. Here, we show that a potential declining trend driven by low vital rates was overridden and converted into a spectacular increase by massive immigration into the population of a semi-social raptor, the black kite Milvus migrans, breeding in a highly contaminated area near a major landfill. Immigration was promoted by a growing food-base of live prey, coupled with the attraction exerted by the progressive gathering of a large flock of non-breeders at the area, resulting in an “attraction spiral” that lured large numbers of breeders to settle into a contaminated population incapable of self-sustenance. Immigration was so prevalent that, in little more than a decade, over 95% of the original population was substituted by immigrants, which showed the enormous potential of immigration as a rescue mechanism. At the same time, immigration may hide cryptic threats, as shown here, and expose some species, especially group-living mobile ones, to rapid attraction to anthropogenic subsidies, whose potential role as evolutionary traps is well known. The dynamics exposed here may become increasingly common, affecting many other species in our growingly anthropogenic world. Our results remark the often overlooked importance of immigration in ecology, evolution, and conservation as a key player for population dynamics and their more realistic forecast.