Posted on 21. June, 2012.

An international team of scientists has uncovered the first evidence of a non-human species cultivating plants for use other than as food. Researchers from the Universities of Exeter (UK), Postdam (Germany), Deakin and Queensland (Australia) found that male bowerbirds had unusually high numbers of fruit-bearing plants growing around their bowers, and used these fruits in order to attract females. The study was published 24 April  2012, issue of Current Biology.

Posted on 21. June, 2012.

RSPB’s popular Shetland Puffincam is back. The birds have returned, the nest is ready, all that is needed now is an egg in the puffin burrow at Sumburgh Head RSPB reserve. RSPB Scotland is urging virtual visitors to help them monitor a pair of breeding puffins. The birds look set to be the stars of this year’s live webcam footage, which lifts the lid on the secret lives of this colourful species as they attempt to raise their young.

Posted on 20. June, 2012.

Thanks to a £300,000 grant from Defra’s Darwin Initiative, a major new three year conservation programme is starting in Iraq. Focusing on the mountainous region of Kurdistan the project will involve experts from  BirdLife International and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), in partnership with Nature Iraq.

Posted on 20. June, 2012.

The US Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, and the American Bird Conservancy have begun identifying and implementing solutions to prevent bird deaths from open PVC mining claim markers. The American Bird Conservatory estimates that the markers account for more than a million bird deaths per year.

Posted on 20. June, 2012.

The April–May-June 2012 edition of the Endangered Species Bulletin highlights the work the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners are doing to conserve endangered bird species and the habitats they depend on.

Posted on 19. June, 2012.

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) has agreed to measures that, if appropriately implemented by tuna longline fishing vessels, will result in significant reductions in albatross mortality.

Posted on 19. June, 2012.

A new UK cross-Government unit is to be set up to help developers deliver large infrastructure projects that promote sustainable development by supporting growth and protecting valued habitats and species, according to Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman.