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SummaryThere are twenty-one endemic and near-endemic forest birds in the Upper Guinea forest of West Africa. Less than 80,000 km 2 of their habitat remains and this is being rapidly degraded and fragmented. Eight threatened and two near-threatened birds were identified by Collar and Stuart (1985) in this region based on the scant information then available. More recent surveys confirm the threatened status of all these birds, but two species, Melaenornis annamarulae and Malimbus ballmanni, should now be considered Vulnerable having previously been placed in the Indeterminate category. Phyllastrephus leucolepis, described since the production of the Red Data Book, is only found in the forest of east Liberia and must be considered Endangered. Records suggest that all three species are restricted to the western part of the Upper Guinea forest. There are two forest areas which are of the highest priority for the conservation of these and the other endemic birds: (i) south-east Liberia/south-west Ivory Coast; (ii) south-east Sierra Leone/northwest Liberia.Ceratogymnasubcylindricus and Phyllastrephus baumanni are recommended for inclusion in the Near-threatened category.Vingt-et-une especes forestieres d'oiseaux endemiques ou quasiment endemiques vivent dans la foret de Haute-Guinee en Afrique de l'Ouest. A l'epoque actuelle leur habitat, qui fut deja reduit a moins de 80,000 km 2 , continue d'etre rapidement degrade et fragmente. Collar et Stuart (1985) identifierent huit especes menacees plus deux especes probablement menacees pour la region, base sur le peu d'information disponible a l'epoque. Des investigations plus recentes confirment le statut de toutes ces especes sauf deux, Melaenornis annamarulae et Malimbus ballmanni, qui furent insuffisamment connus, doivent maintenant etre considered vulnerables. Phyllastrephus leucolepis ne fut decrit pour la science qu'apres la production du livre rouge et ne se trouve uniquement dans la foret du Liberia oriental, et doit done etre considere comme en danger. Des observations suggerent que toutes ces especes soient limitees a la partie occidentale de la foret de HauteGuinee. Deux regions forestieres se revelent d'etre de la plus haute priorite pour la sauvegarde de ces especes et des autres oiseaux endemiques: (i) le sud-est du Liberia/sudouest de la Cote-d'Ivoire et (ii) le sud-est du Sierra Leone/nord-ouest du Liberia. Nous recommandons d'inclure Ceratogymna subcylindricus et Phyllastrephus baumanni dans la categorie probablement menace.

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Intracontinental biotic divisions across the vast Palaearctic region are not well-characterized. Past research has revealed patterns ranging from a lack of population structure to deep divergences along varied lines of separation. Here we compared biogeographic patterns of two Palaearctic shorebirds with different habitat preferences, Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) and Eurasian curlew (N. arquata). Using genome-wide markers from populations across the Palaearctic, we applied a multitude of population genomic and phylogenomic approaches to elucidate population structure. Most importantly, we tested for isolation by distance and visualized barriers and corridors to gene flow. We found shallow Palaearctic population structure in subpolar bog and tundra-breeding whimbrels, consistent with other species breeding at a similarly high latitude, indicating connectivity across the tundra belt, both presently and during southward shifts in periods of global cooling. In contrast, the temperate grassland-breeding Eurasian curlew emerged in three distinct clades corresponding to glacial refugia. Barriers to gene flow coincided with areas of topographic relief in the central Palaearctic for whimbrels and further east for Eurasian curlews. Our findings highlight the interplay of historic and ecological factors in influencing present-day population structure of Palaearctic biota.

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