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Cover | How Islets Save Arctic Bird Nests
An Arctic fox leaping from an islet after depredating a nest. Photo by Louis-Pierre Ouellet.
Study | Migratory divides highlight intraspecific flexibility in the stop-over tactic of black kites
A new study on black kites shows that migratory journeys can be remarkably flexible, shaped by geography, population origin and the resources that birds encounter along the way.
Cover | Effect of wind turbines on plant-pollinator dynamics
The cover shows a landscape view of part of an operational wind farm sited in mixed-grass prairie habitat in southeast Wyoming, USA. This was one of the field sites where footage was recorded for the study by Wischler et al.
Cover | Why Birds Wear the Colors They Do
Distributed across the high-altitude zones of the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains, this quintessential Asian alpine species displays a breathtaking, pure electric-blue plumage. Photo credit: Zhuyang Zhang.
Call for Papers | Special issue “Decomposing avian diet: linking food, foraging and fitness”
The Journal of Avian Biology is inviting contributions for the special issue “Decomposing avian diet: linking food, foraging and fitness.” Submission deadline: 30 September 2027.
Study | To clamp or not to clamp? That is the extrapolation question
Species distribution models often extrapolate when transferred to novel climates or regions—and how you handle that extrapolation can drastically change your predictions. A new ENMeval workflow helps you visualize model behavior and choose the best strategy for each variable, leading to more realistic forecasts.
Cover | 450 Hours Above the Wild
In this cover, a fixed-wing, solar-electric small uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) is showcased, which was used to monitor wildlife.
Field Story | An Encounter in the Elephant Hills
A field story by Rintu Mandal, narrating a chase by an elephant in the forests of the Western Ghats during data collection for this study. Illustration by Sartaj Ghuman.
Study | Migratory nightjars roost on asphalt to reduce thermoregulatory costs and increase fuel accumulation
An 8-year study of red-necked nightjars found that birds preferentially roosted on thermally favorable asphalt roads during moonlit nights, potentially reducing thermoregulatory costs. This behavioral thermoregulation may improve energy balance and facilitate faster fuel deposition before migration.
Cover | Frugivory and Seed Dispersal Issue
A crejoá (Cotinga maculata, Cotingidae), an endemic and endangered frugivorous bird of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, feeding on the fruits of açaí (Euterpe oleracea, Arecaceae) in an açaí plantation in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. Photo by Ciro Albano
Cover | Ice Patches as Lifelines for Alpine Species
The cover shows Androsace alpina from the Amola Glacier in the Italian Alps. Global warming is threatening the survival of cold-adapted Alpine species like one. Ice-related landforms like debris-covered glaciers may buffer such negative effects on species able to grow on them. Photo credit: Marco Caccianiga.
Cover | Do warm roads help nightjars fuel for migration?
Our 2026 issue 4 cover depicts a red-necked nightjar, photographed by Pedro Gamaza.
Cover | Seagrass species diversity in Tanzania
The cover image shows a dense meadow of the seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum in its natural underwater habitat at Mbudya Island, Tanzania, where specimens were collected for morphological and molecular identification. The study by Lusana & Lugendo examines the diversity of Tanzania’s seagrasses, combining field-based taxonomy with DNA barcoding to identify 12 species and strengthen the molecular reference library for seagrasses of the Western Indian Ocean.
New Editor | Diego Santiago Alarcon, subject editor for JAB
We welcome Diego Santiago Alarcon to the editorial board of Journal of Avian Biology! Diego is a disease and community ecologist studying how human infuences shape bird-parasite interactions.
Cover | Social Lives of Solitary Rhinos
Periodic social interactions are important to animal fitness, even in solitary species. For solitary species, these interactions can be unexpected and shaped by previous encounters. Photo by Jenny Hishin
New Editor | Pierre-Paul Bitton, subject editor for JAB
We welcome Pierre-Paul Bitton to the editorial board of Journal of Avian Biology! Pierre-Paul is a seabird ecologist studying visual communication, coloration and social networks.
View from the editor's desk | Should journals reject papers after “too many” unsuccessful reviewer invitations?
Reviewer availability is not a measure of manuscript quality; journals should keep searching and authors should help broaden the reviewer pool. Read more from Oikos Editor-in-Chief Pedro Peres-Neto.
Cover | The Complex Menu of Coastal Chile
The photo features a Subtidal kelp forest of Lessonia trabeculata with fish assemblage, representative of the rocky reefs from the Chilean coast, where the study was conducted.. Photo credit: Alejandro Perez-Matus.
Cover | Taxonomic reappraisal of the mangrove genus Avicennia
The cover image shows the mangrove species Avicennia marina from the Sundarbans. The new species was characterzied together with two other Avicennia species in the article by Mondal & Naskar. The Sundarbans mangrove forest accounts for approximately 42.5% of India's mangrove area.
Cover | Przewalski's Horse: A Conservation Success with a Genetic Cost
The newborn foal Snowflake Princess, born on January 30, 2021, was the first foal born in winter in the breeding center’s 40-year history. Unlike foals born during the normal breeding season, she required intensive care and veterinary assistance. Photo by Qing Cao