The CISO-COI list of Italian birds: naturalized species and the accessory categories. The contents of the accessory categories
of the check-list of Italian birds are presented. The C list (naturalized species, in AERC coding) was already available and has been re-arranged here into 7 sub-categories, mainly ordered according to increasing ‘artificiality’ of presence. The other categories have been assembled for the first time; these are: D (species with uncertain status), E (released or escaped, non-naturalized species) and X (rejected species). The D category has a broader meaning than in the AERC standards, as it has been used here to include four possible options, each of them alternative to natural occurrence: D1 – possibly introduced species, D2 – possibly ship-assisted, D3 – possibly unreliable finding circumstances, D4 – possibly mis-identified. The latter two cases were mainly used for historical, published records, as well as for poorly documented reports presented to the Italian rarity commission (COI). Making these lists available has several aims, such as stimulating discussion about doubtfully genuine records (cat. D), allowing a correct approach to the issue of alien species (cat. C, D, E) or to that of reintroductions (cat. C), and eventually making order in the archives of rejected records (cat. X). For taxonomy, in partial contrast with the existing A, B, C lists and given the large number of non-native species (n = 215), we adhered to the scientific nomenclature and systematic order adopted by the IOC World Bird List.

During the last decade, rose-ringed parakeet’s population of Villa Borghese (an urban park in Rome – Italy) increased dramatically
until it reached it’s maximum in 2010, then stabilising after a light decrease. From 1999 to 2013 population increased of 70.5%
each year, on average. From collected data local population of Piciformes do not seem to be affected. A clear preference for arboreal and shrubby layer of the vegetation was observed when feeding on a variety of non-native species, this confirming the strong relationship of the taxon with anthropic habitats.

The purple sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica) breeds in New Delhi, India, from February to May. A study of its nesting ecology in
urban and rural areas of New Delhi revealed several differences. There was significant difference in time taken by female birds to build nests in urban and rural areas. Many urban nests had paper and wire pieces in them, a feature not observed among rural nests. Many urban nests were clumped around greener patches. In urban areas 40 nests were suspended from wires and pipes while others were suspended from twigs and branches of trees. However, all rural nests were suspended from thin branches and twigs of trees. There was significant difference in the height at which nests were built and their depth among rural and urban nests. Rural nests had significantly greater depth to support larger clutch sizes. Rural nests had significantly greater concealment than urban ones. Average egg/nest in urban and rural nests was 1.85 and 2.46 respectively. During incubation females were away from urban nests for significantly greater periods. Urban nests had significantly less hatching success, lower nesting and breeding success. Mortality was significantly higher in urban nests. We conclude that difference in breeding ecology in the two study areas was due to better food supply and nesting conditions in rural areas.

Short communication – One of the most harmful impact that the presence of an infrastructure can cause on birds is the death by direct collisions, both against the vehicles passing and the related structures, like noise barriers. Despite the great concern raised in the last years about the entity of this issue, little has been made to avoid or mitigate this problem. In this short-note we report a case study on the impact of these structures on birds along a highway in Tuscany. Our findings seem to stress the presence of a significance effect in terms of numbers of both collisions and of species involved.

Short communication – In 2007 we found a pair of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius nesting in an old beech stump in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (PNALM); this was the third documented breeding record for the species in Abruzzo. This nesting territory, in a mature beech forest, was also occupied during the years 2008-2011. In this report we also describe the discovery of a new breeding area in Abruzzo which holds at least four more breeding pairs of this species.