During winter, aerial surveys are used to estimate densities of ducks that occupy open-water habitats. However, such surveys are ineffective for sampling forest-dwelling species, especially Aix sponsa (Wood Ducks), Anas platyrhynchos (Mallards), and Lophodytes cucullatus (Hooded Mergansers). We evaluated fi xed-radius plot (FRP) and Reynolds and Goodrum variable-radius plot (VRP) methods for es...

In May 2014, China formally confirmed the first human infection with the novel H5N6 avian influenza virus (AIV) in Sichuan Province. Before the first human case was reported, surveillance of AIVs in wild birds resulted in the detection of three H5N6 viruses in faecal samples from migratory waterfowl in Chenhu wetlands, Hubei Province, China. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses revealed that these...

Plastic intake by marine vertebrates has been widely reported, but information about its presence in continental waterfowl is scarce. Here we analyzed faeces of waterbirds species (European coot, Fulica atra, mallard, Anas platyrhynchos and shelduck, Tadorna tadorna) for plastic debris in five wetlands in Central Spain. We collected 89 faeces of shelduck distributed in four lakes, 43.8% of them...

There is concern regarding the loss of ecosystem goods and services as a result of land use changes such as the expansion and intensification of agricultural activities. Assessments of these interactions require innovative analyses that combine qualitative and quantitative economic analyses. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework was applied to a peri-urban region in British Columbia, Ca...

Blood and cloacal swabs were collected from 100 (66 female, 34 male) wild Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) molting in northwestern Alaska, USA, 25-28 July 2008, to establish hematologic and serum chemistry reference values and to isolate enteric Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Plasma biochemistry and hematology values did not vary significantly by sex or age. Tundra swans had hig...

Waterfowl, including ducks, geese, rails and others, are host to a great diversity of ectosymbiotic arthropods. In this study, we collected ectosymbionts from waterfowl and analyzed taxon richness and total abundance to determine whether there were differences in the mite and louse assemblages of waterfowl of different species, genera, sexes, and feeding behaviors. Data were collected from 53 i...

Drones are becoming a common method for surveying wildlife as they offer an aerial perspective of the landscape. For waterbirds in particular, drones can overcome challenges associated with locations not accessible on foot. With rapid uptake drone technology bird surveys, there is need to compare and calibrate new technologies existing survey methods. We compared waterfowl counts derived from g...

Parishan Lake has been selected by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve and was recorded as an international wetland in Ramsar convention in 1986. This region is located (29°31'N 51°48'E) at 820 m in Kazeroon, Fars province, south of Iran and is the largest freshwater lake in the country. Parishan Lake is extremely important for a wide variety of wintering waterfowl and also for breeding waterfowl, es...

Parishan Lake has been selected by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve and was recorded as an international wetland in Ramsar convention in 1986. This region is located (29°31'N 51°48'E) at 820 m in Kazeroon, Fars province, south of Iran and is the largest freshwater lake in the country. Parishan Lake is extremely important for a wide variety of wintering waterfowl and also for breeding waterfowl, es...

Catellicoccus marimammalium is a relatively uncharacterized Gram-positive facultative anaerobe with potential utility as an indicator of waterfowl fecal contamination. Here, we report an annotated draft genome sequence that suggests that this organism may be a symbiotic gut microbe.