READERS Current issue | All issues || AUTHORS Submit a paper | Author guidelines

Highlights from the latest issue

July 2026 | Vol. 168, issue 3
We’re pleased to deliver the third issue of 2026, full of reviews, original articles, short communications and forum articles. Here, Editor in Chief, Jenny Gill, has selected four of her highlights.

View all papers in this issue

• REVIEW ARTICLE
  A review of climate and landscape change effects on forest birds in a temperate mountain range
  Hannah L. Clipp, Christopher T. Rota, Petra B. Wood
  How species that inhabit mountainous areas will cope with climate change has long been an area of concern for ornithologists. In this review paper, Hannah Clipp and colleagues explore this issue through a case study of the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. These mountains have extensive deciduous and boreal forests that support many bird species for which this area is the edge of their current range. The authors’ collation of studies on bird population responses to ongoing climatic and land use changes across the mountain range reveals important knowledge gaps but also similarities with responses in other mountain ranges, and highlights current conservation challenges for montane regions.
  View

• ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  Environmental correlates of spatio-temporal patterns of colour variation in a bird of prey: The common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
  Kaspar Delhey, Elena F. Kappers, Mihai Valcu, Christiaan Both, Bart Kempenaers
  Common Buzzards are famed for their highly variable plumage colouration, with dark, intermediate and light forms occurring in varying proportions across Europe. In this article, Kaspar Delhey and colleagues collated almost 100,000 citizen science observations and images from across Europe to map colour variation in Common Buzzards, explore correlates of this variation and assess whether it has changed over time. The strong geographical structure of colour variation that is revealed is fascinating, and the authors show that changes in the relative frequency of different colour morphs are occurring, and may be linked to changes in forest cover.
  View

• SHORT COMMUNICATION
  Reproductive consequences of mate retention and divorce in a short-lived migratory passerine
  Daniel R. Rodríguez-Solís, Iraida Redondo, Jesús Martínez-Padilla, Carlos Camacho, Jaime Potti, David Canal
  Breeding with the same mate in different years is common in birds, suggesting substantial benefits to mate retention, particularly in long-lived species for which pair bonds can last for many years. In this article, Daniel Rodríguez-Solís and colleagues make use of an exceptional 36-year study of breeding Pied Flycatchers in central Spain to compare breeding success in pairs that retain the same mate as the previous year, and pairs that divorced (despite both individuals returning and breeding at similar times). In this short-lived species, both divorce and pair retention are relatively rare, at fewer than 5% of breeding events. Perhaps surprisingly, the numbers of fledglings produced increased from the previous year following divorce but decreased in retained pairs. The authors explore implications of this intriguing finding and highlight the insights that can be gained from understanding mate relationships in species that live for only a few years.
  View

• FORUM
  Generative-AI policies vary widely across top ornithology journals
  Christopher J. W. McClure
  The world of scientific publishing is changing rapidly right now, as a result of the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). These large language models can be used to generate and edit text and code, and the costs and benefits of these tools are hotly debated. In this thoughtful and revealing Forum article, Christopher McClure collates current GenAI policies for 20 of the main ornithological journals. This survey shows that the content and accessibility of formal guidelines varies greatly, creating an additional layer of confusion for authors. Christopher’s call for adoption of consistent policies across journals, to ensure responsible use of GenAI in ornithology, is timely and helpful.
  View

Other items

Book reviews
BOU Janet Kear Union Medal 2026
BOU Early Professional Award 2026
View all papers in this issue
Sign up for content e-alerts

Image credits
From top:
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | Dominic Sherony CC BY-SA 2.0 Wikimedia Commons
Common Buzzard | Alexis Lours CC BY 4.0 Wikimedia Commons
Pied Flycatcher | caroline legg CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons
Lissajous figures | Dietmar Rabich CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons