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Highlights from the latest issue

April 2025 | Vol. 167, issue 2
We’re pleased to deliver the second issue of 2025. It includes 2 Reviews, 15 Original Articles, 2 Short Communications, 1 Forum and our regular Book Reviews.

Here, Editor in Chief, Jenny Gill, has selected four of her highlights.

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• REVIEW ARTICLE
  Dynamic changes in the avian gut microbiome in response to diverse lifestyles
  Lingxue Li, Julan Ye, Meichen Yu, Jiaxuan Jiang, Xinyu Guo, Weijian Yu, Ke Rong
  The importance of gut microbiota to many aspects of the lives of the organisms in which they exist is becoming increasingly apparent. Birds are no exception and, in this review paper, Lingxue Li and colleagues explore the current state of evidence for the establishment and development of the gut microbiome through early life into adulthood, the functions that it may play and the evolutionary implications of this symbiotic relationship. The authors also explore a range of exciting potential future developments in this rapidly developing area of ornithology, and science in general.
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• ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  Global extinction of Slender‐billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris)
  Graeme M. Buchanan, Ben Chapple, Alex J. Berryman, Nicola Crockford, Justin J. F. J. Jansen, Alexander L. Bond
  The final extinction of a species from our planet is devastating, particularly when human actions have contributed, but documenting and publicising these events is critical in trying to ensure that future extinctions are prevented. How do we decide when to finally declare a species extinct? No Slender-billed Curlew has been seen since 1995 and, in this study, Graeme Buchanan and colleagues collate all known sightings and information on the species in order to model the likely date of extinction. Sadly, the models suggest that the mid-90s did indeed mark the loss of this species, the second curlew species to be driven to extinction. This important paper highlights the urgent need to protect large waders across the world, as many populations are now in worrying decline.
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• SHORT COMMUNICATION
  Stable isotope evidence for suspended moult and age‐related differences in moult location in the trans‐Saharan migratory Alpine Swift
  Alexandra L. Brighten, Pierre Bize, Ana Payo-Payo, Christoph M. Meier, Jason Newton, Thomas W. Bodey
  The regular moulting of feathers is perhaps one of their most important activities undertaken by birds. Understanding how and where moult takes place can be extremely revealing, particularly for migratory species balancing the energetic requirements of moult and migration. In this study, Alexandra Brighten and colleagues take advantage of finding several recently-dead Alpine Swifts that had previously been ringed as nestlings, allowing them to use stable isotope analyses of their feathers to explore age differences in moult patterns. The findings reveal an interrupted moult pattern in adults that spans Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, while immatures appear to complete moult in Africa, suggesting delayed arrival or perhaps no return to Europe during their first summer. The authors discuss the key role that stable isotope analysis can play in revealing moult and movement strategies in migratory species, and especially during early life stages for which such information is often unknown.
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• FORUM
  Disappearing aapa mires and why we should care: unnoticed climate change exacerbates drainage effects on birds
  Anthony D. Fox, Aleksi Lehikoinen
  The taiga zone of Eurasia supports an array of peatland, wetland and forest habitats that, in turn, support vast numbers of breeding birds that migrate to more southerly latitudes in winter. Despite their remoteness, these critically important ecosystems are being impacted by environmental and climatic change and are in critical need of protection. Within these ecosystems are aapa mires, base-enriched peatland systems which support high breeding densities of many waterbirds. In this forum article, Tony Fox & Aleksi Lehikoinen discuss the particular importance of aapa mires, the huge losses to drainage that have already occurred, and the rapidly growing impact of climate warming. The authors highlight the urgency of protecting and restoring these vital habitats, and the co-ordination of international action that is needed to achieve this goal.
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Image credits
From top:
A photomicrograph of Clostridium botulinum bacteria | CDC Public domain Wikimedia Commons
Slender-billed Curlew | © Chris Gomersall
Alpine Swift | Rudraksha Chodankar CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons
Strängflarkkärr in Västernorrland | Boldie CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons