Search Results (19)

The tale commonly known as “Hunter Catches Birds” circulates widely across South Asia, the Islamicate world, and insular Southeast Asia. Despite linguistic, religious, and cultural differences, the narrative architecture of the Hunter Catches Birds tale displays remarkable continuities across Buddhist, Persian, Malay, Indonesian, and Javanese traditions. Its persistence across radically different religious and cultural settings raises a broader question of how narrative meaning remains recognizable through continual reinterpretation. In early Malay renderings, particularly within the Hikayat Bayan Budiman tradition, oral materials are reorganized into framed and nested literary structures. These forms enable both textual and visual interplay while supporting ethical instruction alongside aesthetic elaboration. Frequently positioned as an introductory episode in parrot-cycle literature, the story integrates motifs such as collective escape, feigned death, interspecies conflict, and the tension between loyalty and betrayal. These narrative elements remain open to reinterpretation in different moral and cultural settings. Drawing upon Sanskrit, Persian, Uyghur, Malay, Indonesian, and Javanese materials, this study examines how the tale moved across oral, manuscript, and visual traditions. Rather than treating the narrative as a fixed folktale type, the article approaches it as a flexible modular structure whose ethical meanings were continually reshaped across changing religious and social environments. These interactions generate layered systems of meaning in which image and text jointly shape narrative tension, vulnerability, and strategic judgment. In Persian miniature traditions, scenes of entrapment, sacrifice, and escape are organized through sequential composition and spatial tension, allowing conflict, vulnerability, and narrative causality to be experienced visually as well as textually. By tracing these transformations, this study argues that the enduring vitality of the Hunter Catches Birds tradition may lie less in narrative stability than in the sustained reinterpretation of repeated narrative structures across textual and visual cultures. Full article

Background: Intrachromosomal rearrangements in birds play a subtle but important role in shaping genomic evolution, phenotypic diversity and speciation. However, the avian sex chromosome system (homogametic ZZ males; heterogametic ZW females) remains relatively understudied, and evolutionary rearrangements of the Z chromosome have not been mapped in most species. To address this, we employed universally hybridizing avian Z chromosome probes to metaphases of 11 avian species from South America. Methods: Chromosome preparations were obtained from fibroblast cell cultures of 11 birds representing nine different orders; four bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) probes were used in our interspecies fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments. We identified chromosomal rearrangements in the species investigated, tracing the evolution of the Z chromosome in these species through comparison with reptiles from Southeast Asia (three snake species used as an outgroup), along with two reference species: chicken (Galliformes) and zebra finch (Passeriformes). Results: We observed high rates of intrachromosomal rearrangements in the avian Z chromosome, with most species showing different patterns from chicken and zebra finch. Nannopterum brasilianum (Suliformes) and Jacana jacana (Charadriiformes) showed the same BAC order as chicken, but centromere repositioning was evident. Apart from Piciformes, all other species exhibited a conserved Z chromosome size. The corresponding Z chromosome sequences were homologous to regions of the long arms of Chromosome 2 and W in snakes but not on the Z chromosomes. Conclusions: Comparative analysis of the Z chromosome across avian orders provides important insights into the dynamics of avian sex chromosomes and the evolution of sex chromosome systems in general. Full article

The diversity, genetic differentiation, and cophylogeny of avian protozoa of the genus Leucocytozoon and their black fly vectors (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Thailand were investigated. Leucocytozoon infections were detected in 46 (11.2%) of 410 black flies representing six species: Simulium asakoae, S. chumpornense, S. khelangense, S. siamense complex, S. yvonneae, and S. gombakense. The latter three species represent the first reports of having Leucocytozoon infections, suggesting their potential role in parasite transmission. A total of 12 Leucocytozoon lineages was identified, including novel lineages with low sequence similarity (92%) to previously known records in the S. siamense complex and S. yvonneae. These findings indicate uncharacterized parasite diversity in wild birds of Thailand. Genetic differentiation among Leucocytozoon populations was minimal across different geographic populations, but highly significant among parasites in different species of black flies, even when collected from the same location. Cophylogeny analyses revealed significant co-phylogenetic relationships between Leucocytozoon lineages and their potential black fly vectors, despite similarities in host-blood sources. These findings emphasize that parasite–vector specificity is shaped not only by host preference, but also by coadaptation mechanisms between black flies and Leucocytozoon species. Further studies on avian hosts, bloodmeal sources, and parasite–vector interactions are necessary for understanding Leucocytozoon transmission dynamics in Southeast Asia. Full article

Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting both domestic and wild birds, posing a significant threat to poultry farming worldwide. This study aims to analyze the key landscape and population factors associated with H7 avian influenza outbreaks across the Euro-Asian continent and to identify high-risk areas in Russia for the virus’s introduction and subsequent spread. Two models were developed using the Maximum Entropy algorithm (MaxEnt): An introduction model predicting the likelihood of avian influenza presence based on climatic, landscape, wild waterfowl and semiaquatic bird population density data; and a spread model estimating outbreak risk in poultry farms using data on synanthropic birds, poultry flock density, and proximity to wild bird habitats. The first model was trained via maximum likelihood using data from H7 avian influenza outbreaks in Europe (Italy, Germany, France, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands) and Southeast Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam). The second model was trained using output from the first model. Specifically, areas with a predicted probability of H7 outbreak between 0.9 and 1.0 were used as occurrence points for the model in Russia. The results demonstrated that both models achieved high predictive reliability for avian influenza outbreaks in the Russian Federation: the introduction model (AUC = 0.855) and the spread model (AUC = 0.993). Areas with a high probability of disease occurrence were identified in the Central, Southern, North Caucasian, and Volga Federal Districts. These findings underscore the necessity of enhanced disease surveillance in these regions, as well as in the border areas of the Ural, Siberian, and Far Eastern Federal Districts. The authors recommend strengthening biosecurity measures, enhancing wild bird monitoring in high-risk areas, and maintaining stocks of relevant vaccines to timely contain the outbreaks. Full article

This comprehensive review explores the distribution, diversity, and epidemiology of tick-borne borrelioses across Eurasia, focusing on Lyme borreliosis (LB) and other Borrelia-related infections. The genus Borrelia is categorized into three major groups, the Lyme Group (LG), the Relapsing Fever Group (RFG), and the Echidna–Reptile Group (REPG), each with distinct vectors, reservoirs, and pathogenic profiles. LB, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, is highly endemic in Europe and is increasingly reported in Asia, although it is underdiagnosed in Southeast Asia due to limited surveillance. This review details the ecological dynamics of tick vectors—primarily Ixodes spp.—and their vertebrate hosts, emphasizing the role of migratory birds and climate change in disease spread. It also highlights the presence of relapsing fever Borrelia species transmitted by soft ticks (Ornithodoros spp.) and the emergence of novel species such as Borrelia miyamotoi (RFG) and Borrelia turcica (REPG). This study underscores the need for harmonized surveillance systems, improved diagnostic tools, and integrated public health strategies to address the growing threat of borreliosis in Eurasia. Full article

In this study, for the first time, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to understand the prevalence and genetic diversity of haemosporidian parasites—namely, Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon—in avian species in Southeast Asia. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 14,211 studies were retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus, which contain data relevant to ‘Plasmodium’ or ‘Haemoproteus’ or ‘Leucocytozoon’ and ‘birds’ or ‘chickens’. Of these, 15 articles reporting the prevalence of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus or Leucocytozoon in Southeast Asia were selected for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon were analyzed using a meta-analysis of their proportions, implemented in R programming. The publication bias was checked using a funnel plot and Egger’s test. Consequently, the pooled prevalences of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in Southeast Asia were found to be 21% (95% CI: 18–25%), 18% (95% CI: 15–22%) and 34% (95% CI: 30–37%), respectively. The prevalence of Plasmodium in domestic poultry (37.94%) was found significantly higher than in wild birds (6.46%). There was substantial heterogeneity among studies related to Plasmodium (χ² = 171.50, p < 0.0001, I² = 94.84%), Haemoproteus (χ² = 52.20, p < 0.0001, I² = 90.4%) and Leucocytozoon (χ² = 433.90, p < 0.0001, I² = 98.80%). Additionally, this review revealed 23 lineages of Plasmodium, 35 lineages of Haemoproteus and 21 lineages of Leucocytozoon reported from both domestic poultry and wild birds in Southeast Asia. In conclusion, this systematic review suggested that the prevalence of avian haemosporidian parasites in Southeast Asia is high. Particularly, domestic poultry has a high prevalence of Plasmodium, suggesting that monitoring of this parasite should be implemented in the poultry production system. Furthermore, several parasites found in wild birds are undescribed species. Further experimental studies using combined microscopic and molecular techniques might reveal the characteristics of overlooked parasites. Full article

The wetlands of southwestern Siberia (SWS) are a crossroads of bird migration routes, bringing avian influenza (AIV) strains that were previously isolated in different regions of the continent to Siberia. It is known that Anseriformes that breed in SWS migrate for the winter to central Hindustan or further west, while their migration routes to southeast Asia (SEA) remain unconfirmed. Here, we mapped the molting sites of the migrating Common Teals (Anas crecca) via analyzing stable hydrogen isotope content in feathers of hunters’ prey and supplemented the analysis with the genetic structure of viruses isolated from teals in the same region. Post-breeding molt of autumn teals most likely occurred within the study region, whereas probable pre-breeding molting grounds of spring teals were in the south of Hindustan. This link was supported by viral phylogenetic analysis, which showed a close relationship between SWS isolates and viruses from south and southeast Asia. Most viral segments have the highest genetic similarity and the closest phylogenetic relationships with viruses from teal wintering areas in southeast Asian countries, including India and Korea. We assume that the winter molt of SWS breeding teals on the Hindustan coast suggests contacts with the local avifauna, including species migrating along the coast to SEA. Perhaps this is one of the vectors of AIV transmission within Eurasia. Full article

Zoo collection management is increasingly driven by meeting global conservation needs. Many avian species have experienced population declines throughout Southeast Asia, underscoring the importance of ex situ conservation in these countries. We focus on Thailand, a bird diversity hotspot with a long tradition of keeping birds in captive settings. We aimed to understand what drives species acquisition and maintenance in Thai zoos. To that end, we surveyed 55 zoos, making a complete inventory of reptiles, birds, and mammals on display. We recorded 249 bird species, of which 149 are not native to Thailand. Bird species diversity was positively correlated with mammal species diversity but not with the entry ticket price, the Gross Domestic Product of the province in which the zoo was based, or the size of the zoo. Diversity did differ significantly between zoo types (accredited, government and private zoos). There was a clear difference in the proportion of native and non-native species between zoos, with private zoos containing the highest number of non-native species, which may be related to the licensing status of these zoos. The composition of bird species in Thai zoos appears to be largely driven by their availability, the legal status for keeping them and serendipity. The conservation status seems to be of minor importance, contradicting the typical role of a zoo. To be considered global conservation players, zoos in countries of high species diversity, such as Thailand, have the unique opportunity to provide breeding programmes for some of the rarest species, yet they must improve their collection management plans to focus on such aims. Full article

The biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia indicates an urgent need for long-term monitoring, which is lacking. Much attention is being directed toward bird diversity monitoring using remote sensing, based on relation to forest structure. However, few studies have utilized space-borne active microwave remote sensing, which has considerable advantages in terms of repetitive observations over tropical areas. Here, we evaluate threatened bird occurrence from L-band satellite data explaining forest structure in Sumatra, Indonesia. First, we identified L-band parameters with strong correlations with the forest layer structure, defined as forest floor, understory, and canopy layers. Then, we analyzed the correlation between threatened bird occurrence and L-band parameters identified as explaining forest structure. The results reveal that several parameters can represent the layers of forest floor, understory, and canopy. Subsequent statistical analysis elucidated that forest-dependent and threatened bird species exhibit significant positive correlations with the selected L-band parameters explaining forest floor and understory. Our results highlight the potential of applying microwave satellite remote sensing to evaluate bird diversity through forest structure estimation, although a more comprehensive study is needed to strengthen our findings. Full article

Newcastle disease (ND) is endemic in poultry in Bangladesh. We performed genotypic and pathotypic characterization of four ND virus (NDV) isolates from recent outbreaks in broiler chickens in Bangladesh during the period of 2020–2021. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete fusion protein gene coding sequences classified the viruses into NDV class II genotype VII.2 together with viruses from Indonesia isolated between 2014 and 2021 and a single 2020 Indian isolate. Pathogenicity testing using the intracerebral pathogenicity index in day-old chickens and mean embryo death time in embryonating chicken eggs revealed that the Bangladeshi isolates are velogenic. Inoculation of 35-day-old chickens with two NDV isolates (LT67 and N5) resulted in 100% morbidity by 3 days post inoculation (DPI), and all birds succumbed to infection by 7 DPI. Massive hemorrhages, congestion and necrotic lesions were observed in different visceral organs, which were typical for infection with a velogenic viscerotropic pathotype of NDV. At microscopic examination, tracheitis, severe pneumonia, focal proventriculitis, transmural enteritis, focal myocarditis, severe congestion and necrosis in kidneys, and lymphoid depletion in lymphoid tissues were found. Our study reports the first outbreak of the panzootic genotype VII.2 NDV in poultry in Bangladesh and documents a possible recent re-introduction of this NDV genotype from Southeast or East Asia. This study further provides viral distribution and epidemiological data that can facilitate the effective control of NDV. Full article

The examined material (207 bones and bone fragments) of 53 avian taxa from two human cave dwellings is dated between 24,000 ± 1000 BP and 9400 ± 100 BP. It reveals that 49.0% of the bird species/taxa disappeared from the recent bird fauna of the Thanh Hoa Province; 39.6% disappeared from the recent bird fauna of North Vietnam (except Thanh Hoa Province); 33.9% disappeared from the recent bird fauna of Vietnam (except North Vietnam); 28.3% are not extant in the recent bird fauna of Indochina (except Vietnam); and 52.8% disappeared from the recent bird fauna of Southeast Asia (except Indochina). This suggests more considerable influence of the Late Pleistocene climatic events on the environment and bird fauna than previously accepted in the Eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula in the last 24–millenia. The gallinaceous birds are best represented. Of the 39 Southeast-Asian species, 18 species/taxa (46.2 percent) are Galliforms. They consist of 34 percent of all bird taxa recorded in both caves. Four categories of the IUCN Red List have been represented among the established birds in the sites: LC—28, NT—7, VU—2 (Buceros bicornis and Rhyticeors undulates), and CR—2 (Lophura edwardsi and Rhinoplax vigil). Full article

The extent to which organic farming can support biodiversity has been extensively studied. However, most of the research has been conducted on organic farms in temperate regions, with the focus mainly being on birds, insects, and plants and rarely on insectivorous bats, especially in Southeast Asia. We studied pairs of matched organic and conventional rice fields along a gradient of landscape complexity in the Songkhla Lake Basin and conducted acoustic surveys using bat detectors to analyze the influence of farming system and landscape characteristics on bat activity and prey availability. We also tested the “intermediate landscape complexity” hypothesis, which states that local conservation efforts are most effective in landscapes of intermediate complexity compared to extremely simple or extremely complex landscapes. We detected no difference in bat species richness, total bat activity, feeding activity, and insect prey abundance between organic fields and conventional fields. Even though organic farming did not increase bat activity on its own, it was most beneficial to bat activity in landscapes of intermediate complexity. Our findings suggest that landscape traits contribute more to bat activity than farm management and that insectivorous bats have species- and guild-specific responses to various landscape contexts. We also found that disturbance caused by tropical storms negatively impacts the activity of insectivorous bat. Full article

The baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus: Ploceidae), found across South and Southeast Asia, is known for its oblique-shaped overhanging nests. During the breeding season, females select from partially built (‘helmet’-stage) nests constructed by the males, after which nests are completed and used by the birds. Reproductive success is linked to an optimal microclimate within these nest structures. We recorded nest tree and nest structure characteristics of 66 fully completed nests for 22 colonies located in two climatically dissimilar sites in Peninsular Malaysia and examined how these factors affected the microclimate within six nests that were randomly selected at each location. Total vertical length of the nests, the height of nests from the ground, and the diameter at breast height of the nest trees recorded for the Selangor and Perlis colonies (in the southwest and north, respectively), were significantly different. The climatic variables inside and outside the nests correlated significantly in both sites. Our findings indicate that nest structures differed in Selangor and Perlis and were linked to nest microclimate, possibly being influenced by the surrounding temperature. Full article

Tropical peat swamp forests, found mainly in Southeast Asia, have been threatened by recurring El Niño fires. Repeated burnings form a complex and heterogeneous landscape comprising a mosaic of burned patches of different fire frequencies, requiring fine-scale assessment to understand their impact. We examined the impact of the El Niño fires of 1998 and 2003 on a tropical peat swamp forest in northern Borneo, with the combined use of high and very high-resolution satellite images. Object-based and pixel-based classifications were compared to classify a QuickBird image. Burned patches of different fire frequencies were derived based on unsupervised classification of the principal components of multitemporal Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) data. The results show that the object-based classification was more accurate than the pixel-based classification for generating a detailed land cover map. Fire frequency had a severe impact on the number of burned patches and the residual forest cover. Larger patch area retained more residual forest cover for the burned patches. Forest structure of burned-twice patches was more severely altered compared to burned-once patches. Two burned-once patches had a relatively promising recovery potential by natural regeneration due to higher residual forest cover, a vast number of large trees, and aboveground biomass. Except for the largest patch, rehabilitation seemed inevitable for burned-twice patches. This approach can be applied to assess the impact of multiple fires on other forest types for better post-fire forest management. Full article

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus mainly spread by Culex mosquitoes that currently has a geographic distribution across most of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Infection with JEV can cause Japanese encephalitis (JE), a severe disease with a high mortality rate, which also results in ongoing sequalae in many survivors. The natural reservoir of JEV is ardeid wading birds, such as egrets and herons, but pigs commonly play an important role as an amplifying host during outbreaks in human populations. Other domestic animals and wildlife have been detected as hosts for JEV, but their role in the ecology and epidemiology of JEV is uncertain. Safe and effective JEV vaccines are available, but unfortunately, their use remains low in most endemic countries where they are most needed. Increased surveillance and diagnosis of JE is required as climate change and social disruption are likely to facilitate further geographical expansion of Culex vectors and JE risk areas. Full article