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Cover Picture and Issue Information
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
methods in ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.425
H-Index - 105
ISSN - 2041-210X
DOI - 10.1111/2041-210x.13226
Subject(s) - flycatcher , understory , cover (algebra) , geography , ecology , rainforest , computer science , canopy , archaeology , engineering , biology , mechanical engineering
This month’s cover portraits an adult male Black‐headed Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone rufiventer nigriceps caught with an elevated mist‐net frame (EMF) in a tropical rainforest of south‐west Ghana. The bird was caught during a study to test the efficacy of a new EMF‐system (bottom left corner of the image) developed by Lars H. Holbech to safely and efficiently trap birds in upper‐strata vegetation zones. Capturing this specimen above a narrow forest road was aided by portable speaker playback of its song. This species is often referred to as a species of the ‘understory’ (0‐5m height), but was caught here in ‘upper mid‐story’ (at 15m), emphasising how important elevated mist‐netting is for precise description of avian vertical preferences. This EMF represents a replicable, versatile and manoeuvrable design for catching birds in forest strata >25m above the ground, without need for tree climbing or excessive clearing of vertical net‐lanes in lightly‐cluttered vegetation. Photo credit: ©Lars H. Holbech.