Long-wattled Umbrellabirds Cephalopterus penduliger are restricted to the Chocó Biogeographical Region, an area with exceptional levels of avian diversity and endemism. Due to widespread habitat loss and hunting pressure, the species is considered globally Vulnerable and Endangered within Ecuador. Little is known of the species' basic biology. This paper presents data on the first confirmed nest recorded for the species. The nest was found in June 2002 atop a tree fern Cyathea sp. located in secondary forest near Mindo, north-west Ecuador, at 1,600 m in the subtropical zone of the Andean slope. Data collected during incubation and nestling provisioning suggest that females may be responsible for all parental care. At the nest, the female provided food an average of once per hour, and brought roughly twice as many invertebrate food items as vertebrate or regurgitated food items. A male was never seen at the nest. In addition to presenting data from the nest, we compare Long-wattled Umbrellabirds to congeners and discuss implications for the conservation of this species.

The Kilum-Ijim forest is an excellent example of the ornithological riches of the Cameroon montane forest biome. The forest is also important to over 200,000 people who exert enormous pressure on the ecosystem. In 1995, the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project began systematic monitoring of birds, with the intention of using them as indicators of the overall condition of the forest, as well as monitoring the status of individual species. Analyses of data collected in 1999–2000 demonstrated some clear differences in habitat use, suggesting suites of bird species may be indicators of changes in vegetation. However, beyond this, little is known about the response of birds to habitat modifications, or the relationship between bird abundance and diversity of other organisms at Kilum-Ijim. It is argued that the objective of assessing changes in vegetation could be more satisfactorily pursued through direct measurement of structural changes in habitats. We highlight the necessity for a shift in the programme objectives to place greater emphasis on monitoring endemic and threatened bird species for their own status and on assessing changes in the bird community as a function of changes in the vegetation.

Cosmoledo Atoll, in the Aldabra Group, western Indian Ocean, has rarely been visited by scientists. This paper reports the first visit by ornithologists during the south-east monsoon when many seabirds breed. The breeding populations of three species of booby (Sula spp.) and of Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata were censused and all other species of bird seen were recorded. The atoll proved to have globally significant populations of Masked Booby Sula dactylatra of the subspecies melanops, Red-footed Booby S. sula of the subspecies rubripes, and Sooty Tern of the subspecies nubilosa. Cosmoledo also supports populations of landbirds that have forms endemic to the Aldabra group, but whose taxonomy requires examination using molecular techniques. The atoll, although currently uninhabited, suffers the impacts of exotic fauna and flora, including cats and rats, introduced by previous inhabitants. The isolation of Cosmoledo confers some protection, but its value as a centre of biodiversity, and designation as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International, indicate that formal protection is needed. Political mechanisms for this are suggested, the implementation of which would help to procure funding to enable practical conservation of the atoll's biota.

In 2001 the abundance of Yellow-headed Parrot Amazona oratrix “guatemalensis” at a roost site in Punta de Manabique, Guatemala was found to be 70 individuals. A comparison with a roost census in 1994 suggested a population decline. The largest threat to this form of Yellow-headed Parrot is nest-robbing for the pet trade. The rate of decline and the limited number of individuals living in the wild suggest the population is facing extinction. The core zone of reproduction is located in a palm savanna. Information on feather patterns of the head of this form of A. oratrix is provided.

The editor would like to acknowledge the following for acting as referees of papers considered for Volume 13 of Bird Conservation International.