Between 1993 and 1995 the occurrence and status of Congo Peafowl Afropavo congensis were assessed at 89 sites in eastern Zaire based on interviews with local hunters (114 locations) and forest surveys (24 locations). The survey region covered approximately 125,000 km2 and was bounded by the Lomami River (24° 30′) to the west, the Albertine Rift Highlands (29°) to the east, the Aruwimi River (20° 30′) to the north and the Kahuzi Biega Park (3° S) to the south. Congo Peafowl have been extirpated or were only doubtfully present at 16 of 65 sites where survey coverage was adequate and where the species was reported to have occurred in the past. Occurrence of the species was confirmed or probable at the remaining 49 sites. Congo Peafowl were reported as locally common (> five reported encounters since 1990) at only 12 sites. We observed or heard peafowl at five sites. A single nest was found which contained two eggs. Observations on group size and habitat associations were also made. Congo Peafowl were considered to be seriously threatened at 19 of the 65 sites. Captures in snares set for small mammals and antelope are a major threat to Congo Peafowl throughout most of the survey region. Mining, shifting cultivation and logging leading to habitat loss were significant threats in several locations. Congo Peafowl appear to have disappeared from several sites where human activity was frequent, but habitat loss was not extensive. The mass movements of Rwandan refugees into eastern Zaire, which began in 1994, pose, a threat to Congo Peafowl in a number of areas. Conservation of the Congo Peafowl in eastern Zaire is best assured in the Maiko National Park where the species appears to be locally common. Further surveys within the Congo Peafowl's range in central Zaire, and study of the behaviour and ecological needs of the species are recommended.

Since the 1940s, horticulturalists (the Lese) have been settled along the sides of the roads that traverse a large part of the forest in eastern Zaire. These people have maintained their lifestyle of shifting cultivation and trade with the Mbuti pygmies. This has resulted in corridors of heavily disturbed and regenerating forest. The results of a study of the understorey bird community at three sites in the Okapi Reserve in the Ituri forest in Zaire are reported here. Two primary forest sites (one monodominant Gilbertiodendron forest) in the Reserve were compared with an area of forest disturbed by shifting cultivation. The two primary forest sites were more similar in species composition than they were to secondary forest created by shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation had a more severe impact on the bird community than selective logging does in forests in Uganda and Malaysia. There was a shift following disturbance from a bird community dominated by insectivores to one with more frugivore-insectivores and nectarivores. Ground thrushes Zoothera spp. and flycatchers were abundant in the monodominant Gilbertiodendron forest and appear to suffer from the change in forest structure following disturbance. The Okapi Reserve currently conserves some important bird species and at least 333 birds have been reported to occur there.

Loru Protected Area covers 220 ha and is situated on the east coast of Espiritu Santo, the largest island in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Despite its small size, 23 of the 64 breeding land and freshwater birds of Vanuatu were sighted in Loru and 10 of the 23 restricted-range species, including two Vulnerable, one Near-threatened and five species endemic to the archipelago. Transects were used to estimate the densities of populations which were either easy to see or had distinctive calls. Variable circular plots were also used to estimate density and to examine the relationship between bird populations and habitat. Plots were allocated to one of two categories, undisturbed, mature lowland forest or disturbed, secondary growth forest. Populations of three species differed significantly between the two habitats: Red Jungle Fowl Gallus gallus, Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis and Vanuatu Flycatcher Neolalage banksiana. All had higher densities in undisturbed forest. More protected areas need to be established on Santo and other islands in the archipelago to ensure the future survival of the Vanuatu avifauna.

Loru Protected Area s'étend sur 220 hectares sur la côte est d'Esprirtu Santo, la plus grande île de l'archipel de Vanuatu. Malgré sa petite taille, 23 des 64 oiseaux de terre et d'eau douce de Vanuatu ont été observés à Loru lors de la reproduction, ainsi que 10 des 23 espèces peu nombreuses, dont deux sont “Vulnerable”, une est “Near-threatened” et cinq sont endémiques à l'archipel. Des lignes imaginaires furent tracées pour estimer les densités de populations qui étaient faciles à voir ou qui avaient un cri distinctif. Différentes parcelles de terre circulaires furent aussi utilisées pour estimer la densité et examiner les relations entre les oiseaux et leur habitat. Les parcelles furent allouées à l'une des deux catégories suivantes, soit à la forêt de plaine intacte et adulte, soit à la forêt issue d'une deuxième pousse. Selon l'habitat, le nombre d'oiseaux recensé appartenant aux trois espèces: Coq Bankiva Gallus gallus, Siffleur d'Or Pachycephala pectoralis et Gobe-mouches de Vanuatu Neolalage banksiana, fut très différent. Toutes avaient une densité plus importante dans la forêt intacte. Il est nécessaire d'établir de plus grandes réserves sur l'île de Santo ainsi que sur d'autre îles de l'archipel afin d'assurer la survie des oiseaux de Vanuatu.

Loru Protected Area i kavremap 220 ha mo i stap klosap long solwota long is Santo, wan aelan we i moa big long ol narafala aelan blong Vanuatu. Loru i smol be hemi gat 23 blong 64 kin pijin we i stap long Vanuatu ol yea nomo, mo 10 blong 23 kin pijin blong Vanuatu we i gat plente long narafala kontri tu. Long ol pijin ia, tu kin i “Vulnerable” (numba blong hem i stap ko doan kwiktaem), wan i “Near-threatened” (i stap klosap long “Vulnerable”) mo faef i stap long Vanuatu nomo. Long ol pijin we i esi long lukluk o i singaot strong, i makem wan spesel sove blong rod blong bus long faenemaot hamas pijin i stap long wan eria. I stap makem wan narafala kin sove tu we man i stap kwaet long plente difren ples long faenemaot hamas pijin i stap mo wanem kin bus i likem. Evri ples we man i stap kwaet long sove ia, i givem spesel nem long wanem kin bus i stap: wan kin we ol bigfala wud i stap mo wan kin we man o hurican i spolem. I gat tri pijin wea ol i difren tumas long tu kin bus ia: Wael Faol Gallus gallus, Nosor (es Santo langwis) Pachycephala pectoralis mo Kowboe Pijin Neolalage banksiana. Long pijin ia i gat moa long kin bus we bigfala wud i stap. I nidim plente moa protected area long Santo mo ol narafala aelan blong Vanuatu sipos i no wantem lusen samfala pijin blong Vanuatu long fiuja.

Both breeding and midwinter populations of the Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca are in decline throughout Europe. As part of an action plan for the species currently being prepared, a comprehensive Turkish site inventory was made. The Turkish breeding and midwinter populations (500–600 pairs and 0–1,500 birds respectively) are amongst the most important in Europe but have been subject to significant and probably long-term declines. Of 25 breeding sites identified in this study, only 10 are considered to hold more than 10 pairs, seven are probably no longer suitable and the rest probably all support fewer than five pairs. Thirty-one localities have held birds in winter but of these 18 have been unoccupied in the 1990s. Significant numbers appear to remain in Turkey only during particularly mild winters. Measures for its effective conservation in Turkey are outlined. A comprehensive site inventory, based on fieldwork directed to potential breeding localities, and monitoring of important sites identified by this study and earlier surveys are urgently required.

In a recent article in this journal, Remsen (1995) attacked moral (and other) objections to killing birds for museum collections, objections that are frequently raised by the general public and scientific community alike. The only grounds for moral objections against killing birds that Remsen considers and rejects are reverence for all life or personal (p. 157; all page references refer to Remsen 1995), that is sentimental (p. 165) reasons. What Remsen ignores is avian sentience and the moral imperative of respecting it.

Bekoff and Elzanowski (1997) (hereafter “BE”) have criticized my paper on the continuing importance of collecting scientific specimens of birds, focusing primarily on a brief section concerning “moral objections” to scientific collecting. BE seem to state either that it is acceptable to kill birds as long as every effort is made to reduce suffering, or that it is never acceptable to kill birds because suffering is unavoidable, depending on which portion of their essay is regarded as paramount. If their message is the former, then I and other museum scientists concur completely, because we already do this (contrary to the implications of BE). If their message is the latter, then we have an impasse, with two different sets of personal moral standards. Although virtually every sentence by BE can be criticized, I restrict my rebuttal to the “top 10” most-revealing statements.

The Brown-banded Antpitta was last recorded in the Central Andes of Colombia in 1942 but a population of the species has been rediscovered in the Ucumarí Regional Park.

Grallaria milleri era una especie conocida de solo diez especímenes colectados en dos localidades de la vertiente occidental de la Cordillera Central de Colombia. Nueve de los especímenes fueron colectados en la cuenca del Río Quindío, a elevaciones entre 2, 745 y 3,140 m, en 1911 y 1942. El décimo especimen fue colectado en 1918, a 3 km de la ciudad de Manizales. Durante trabajo ornitológico realizado en el Parque Regional Ucumarí desde 1994, individuos de esta especie han sido capturados en redes y observados, lo cual revela la presencia de una población en este sitio intermedio entre las dos localidades originales. El Parque Ucumarí tiene 4,240 ha y protege la cuenca alta del Río Otún entre 1,800 y 2,600 m. G. milleri ha sido registrada solamente en un estrecho rango entre 2,400 y 2,600 m, en donde se han contado 93 individuos a lo largo de 6.3 km de transectos en tres tipos de hábitat: rastrojos de regenración temprana, plantaciones de aliso (Alnus acuminata) y bosques de regeneratión de treinta años. En esta localidad G. milleri es simpátrica con otras cuatro especies de Grallaria (squamigera, nuchalis, ruficapilla y rufocinerea) y con Grallaricula nana, por lo cual Ucumarí es un sitio de gran interés para la conservatión de este grupo de aves neotropicales.

The Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata is prominent in avian conservation because of its high value as the traditional quarry of falconers in Arabia and western Asia; such hunting has often been blamed for severely reducing population levels especially in Arabia, Pakistan and Morocco. This paper reviews current knowledge of the world status of the Houbara Bustard in each of the 31 range states where it has occurred within the last 10 years. On the basis of the evidence available, the overall population is estimated to be between 49,000 and 62,000 birds, made up of 700–750 birds in the Canary Islands, around 10,000 in Africa, and the remainder in the Middle East and Asia (especially Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan). Numbers have apparently declined greatly during this century because of agricultural intensification and other land use changes, often exacerbated by hunting and trapping. Evaluation of the population status and trends against the current Red List criteria of IUCN indicate that the Canary Islands subspecies C. u. fuertaventurae is Vulnerable, while the subspecies C. u. undulata and C. u. macqueenii (as well as the whole species population) could probably also qualify for listing as Vulnerable but it is more appropriate to consider them “Near threatened” for the time being.

South Island Robins Petroica australis australis were monitored through two different brodifacoum (Talon 20 P, 20 ppm) control operations targeting stoats Mustela erminea and ship rats Rattus rattus in a Nothofagus forest. Repeated observations of banded and radio-tagged territorial adult Robins were used to monitor survival from 6 to 8 weeks after poisoning. Where poison was deployed in bait feeders, 96.7% (29/30) of marked Robins definitely survived, whilst where poison was freely broadcast, only 52.2% (12/23) of marked Robins definitely survived. At the non-treatment site 85.7% (18/21) of marked Robins definitely survived. This study demonstrates that individual Robins are at risk from poisoning from exposed brodifacoum on the forest floor and therefore, probably from aerial application of brodifacoum. Further research is required to determine whether the benefit to Robin populations from successful predator control outweighs the loss of some Robins from poisoning. Conservation managers must take a wide view of the ecological community impacts when controlling introduced mammalian predators.

The two species of Hylorchilus wrens are endemic to Mexico and were considered “Vulnerable” by Collar et al. (1994). They are restricted to humid tropical forest growing over karstic terrain, but large areas of apparently suitable habitat exist where they have not yet been recorded. I explored areas of potentially suitable habitat as well as a few localities where they were already known to occur in order to gather new data for a re-evaluation of the conservation status of these species. My records, together with six localities where these species have been reported by others in the past few years, add 15 localities to the 12 listed by Collar et al. (1992). Based on this and other new information, I recommend “Endangered” status for Nava's Wren, H. navai, based on criterion B of Mace-Lande (extent of occurence <5000 km2) and on the strongly fragmented state of its habitat. I would retain “Vulnerable” status for Sumichrast's Wren, H. sumichrasti, owing to its slightly larger range which is still relatively unfragmented and its apparently larger population density