Cover Image

COVER PHOTO: A Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) in the high-altitude rangelands of the Himalaya. Srinivasan et al. (Ecological Applications, Volume 35, Issue 8, Article e70157; doi:10.1002/eap.70157) studied bird densities and composition as part of a long-running monitoring program in India. Their study, published in the journal's Applied Ecology in India Special Feature, highlights the possible role of climate change in causing long-term changes in the avifauna on the tallest mountains on Earth. Anthropogenic land use changes led to long-term shifts in bird densities and communities, with grazed and agricultural habitats being generally unfavorable for birds. The authors show that over two decades, the bird community shifted and bird densities have declined in the least used habitat, including declines in species like the Horned Lark. Photo credit: Sidharth Srinivasan.