Unsustainable wildlife trade is a leading threat to biodiversity, not least in Southeast Asia where serious overexploitation of songbirds has precipitated the 'Asian Songbird Crisis'. While the nature of bird trade in physical markets is fairly well studied, the growing online trade in birds is far less understood, in terms of diversity and traits of birds on offer. Here, online trade, monitored across twelve broad spectrum Indonesian bird-selling Facebook groups over a period of six months in 2022, is compared to published data from physical markets, and from a machine learning web-scrape. Nearly 2,000 individuals of 190 Indonesian species were recorded from Facebook, with 9.5% of species being categorised as Threatened (IUCN 2022), 15.8% protected under Indonesian law, and 17.4% regarded as priority taxa according to the Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group. These represent similar proportions of species to those from physical market surveys, although physical markets had more individuals of protected species than did Facebook groups. Bird family composition did not correlate between online and physical platforms, with the former dominated by Muscicapidae and the latter by Estrildidae. Controlling for trade volume, online groups had higher species richness than physical markets, although the difference was not significant. Bird 'communities' on offer in the individual Facebook groups were both similar to each other, and distinct from those in physical markets, although there was a geographical signature especially in the latter. Results highlight the importance of monitoring online trade as, while there are substantial differences in types of birds sold, it contains a similarly high number of species of conservation concern to physical markets.

Peatland is a biotope of international importance because of its unique flora and fauna and, when in good condition, the potential for globally significant carbon sequestration and storage. Chat Moss is a peatland on the edge of the Greater Manchester conurbation in the north-west of England, and the largest of a system of peatlands along the Mersey Valley. Peatland habitat on Chat Moss has been decimated over the past 200–300 years. However, it is now the site of a landscape scale ecosystem restoration programme. This investigation was conducted using historical written accounts, maps and biological recordings, supplemented by modern studies to examine the evidence for the original extent, landscape and species of the Chat Moss ecosystem, and define the mechanisms and timeframe of anthropogenic impacts on the landscape and ecology. The cartographic evidence shows that the maximum extent of Chat Moss was 36 square kilometres. Land use change with drainage, peat cutting and conversion to agriculture was most rapid between 1779 and 1897, resulting in complete loss of primaeval peatland habitat and associated flora and fauna by the middle of the 20th century. Chat Moss is located at the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution. During the 1800s Merseyside and south Lancashire were one of the UK’s largest generators of sulphur pollution due to unregulated chemical works employing the Leblanc alkali process. The resulting acid rain (HCl, SO2, H2S) contributed to the habitat degradation and loss of Sphagnum moss on the neighbouring lowland peatlands. Having a clear understanding of an ecosystem’s baseline condition, as well as the factors responsible for habitat degradation, is essential for informing habitat restoration efforts and species reintroduction programmes.

The Black-cheeked Lovebird Agapornis nigrigenis has a highly restricted range in dry south-western Zambia, where its distribution is clumped and localised in association with mopane Colophospermum mopane woodland and permanent water pools. Fieldwork and monitoring over 30 months between December 2018 and October 2021 established that the lovebirds' usage of pools for drinking was higher towards the centre of the bird's distribution and influenced by the pools' proximity to mopane woodlands, surrounding tree cover, and level of human activity. Of the four pool types available for use by lovebirds (i.e. mopane, grassland, river, and artificial), mopane and grassland pools were disproportionally susceptible to drying out in the dry season, hence showed greater variation in numbers of visiting birds compared with the other two types. Lovebirds showed a preference for pools with a perimeter of <50 m and tended to avoid those with a perimeter >100 m, consistent with a positive association between pool size and human activity. Convergence between humans and lovebirds in dependence on water resources and mopane woodland points to the need to find ways to overcome potential conflicts. Such ways include creating small, shallow-sided, undisturbed pools in or near mopane woodland, extending water retention in existing mopane pools, and enhancing the capacity of artificial pools to meet the needs of the lovebirds.

The Bali myna Leucopsar rothschildi has long suffered heavy trapping, leading to its near extinction in the wild and categorization as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Decades of conservation breeding, release of birds and post-release management at Bali Barat National Park have, until recently, failed to secure a viable wild population. However, over the past decade, population increases, expansion into new areas of the National Park and beyond, and successful breeding in both artificial and natural nest sites have occurred. These recent successes are associated with a change in approach by the National Park authority from concentrating efforts on the last refugium of the species (an area protected from trapping but with potentially suboptimal habitat) and towards the human-dominated landscapes around the main road through the National Park. Bali mynas tended to favour areas with extensive shorter grass cover and open canopies and to shun denser woodland. Anthropogenic landscapes such as farmland and plantations presumably mimic the original savannah habitat of the species, but nestbox provision has probably been crucial in these areas in the absence of natural cavities. A potential further factor in the increases in myna numbers and range has been a scheme involving local people in commercial breeding of the species, thereby reducing its market price, and working with communities to reduce trapping pressure. We encourage continuing operation of this management strategy inside the National Park and its further extension into adjacent tourist areas, which appear to have myna-friendly socio-ecological conditions.

Abstract Overharvesting of wildlife for trade is a key driver of biodiversity loss. Messaging that is aligned with people's values could play a significant role in reducing this impact through behaviour change. Using an online survey, we sought to gauge the willingness among bird hobbyists, breeders, and song contestants to change their bird‐keeping behaviours, and to identify barriers to such change. We then evaluated the persuasiveness of various messages that potentially align with people's values (e.g. addressing conservation, cultural and health considerations), each framed as positive or negative, and with outcomes involving a move to commercially bred birds or cessation of purchasing wild‐caught birds. We identified a degree of plasticity in behaviour, with most respondents perceiving the keeping of wild‐caught birds to be a conservation problem, and a majority claiming they would attempt to breed birds in the future. However, while most respondents acknowledged the illegality of both buying and catching wild birds, they also recognised that most birds in markets are wild‐caught because they are easier and cheaper to source than captive‐bred birds. Messages about the damage done by over‐exploitation to wild bird populations, to the future of bird‐keeping itself, and about the benefits of keeping captive‐bred over wild‐caught birds, were most effective. Messages about generational, legal and especially health concerns appeared to gain little traction. The persuasiveness of these messages varied little across bird‐keeping groups, but age‐ and user‐groups differed in their most trusted sources of information and the media they consulted. Our results suggest that appealing to people's concern over the intrinsic value of wildlife or the relational value of cultural heritage might be more effective at shifting demand for wildlife products than more instrumental or utilitarian considerations. Effective messaging should focus on the negative impacts of over‐exploitation on Indonesia's wildlife and/or national heritage, and on the positive aspects of sustainable captive‐bred alternatives, and be transmitted via multiple media, including local and faith leaders (choice varying geographically), to maximise outreach to the diverse bird‐keeping community. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases are influenced by local biotic and abiotic factors, with host declines occurring when conditions favour the pathogen. Deterioration in the population of the micro-endemic Tanzanian Kihansi spray toad ( Nectophrynoides asperginis ) occurred after the construction of a hydropower dam, implicating habitat modification in this species decline. Population recovery followed habitat augmentation; however, a subsequent outbreak of chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ) led to the spray toad's extinction in the wild. We show using spatiotemporal surveillance and mitogenome assembly of Bd from archived toad mortalities that the outbreak was caused by invasion of the Bd CAPE lineage and not the panzootic lineage Bd GPL. Molecular dating reveals an emergence of Bd CAPE across southern Africa overlapping with the timing of the spray toad's extinction. That our post-outbreak surveillance of co-occurring amphibian species in the Udzungwa Mountains shows widespread infection by Bd CAPE yet no signs of ill-health or decline suggests these other species can tolerate Bd when environments are stable. We conclude that, despite transient success in mitigating the impact caused by dams’ construction, invasion by Bd CAPE caused the ultimate die-off that led to the extinction of the Kihansi spray toad.

Summary There is serious concern for the future of a wide range of birds in Java and elsewhere in Indonesia due to both loss of habitat and trapping for the cagebird trade (the so-called “Asian Songbird Crisis”). Despite this concern, few data on presence and abundance of key species exist. We provide such data on 184 bird species from over two years of biodiversity surveys from 37 sites on 12 mountains in West and Central Java. Many of these species are heavily traded, endemic, and globally threatened. Several of the threatened endemics, notably Javan Trogon and Javan Cochoa, were often recorded, in terms of both geographical spread and numerical abundance. Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush, Spotted Crocias, and Orange-spotted Bulbul, believed to be threatened by trapping for the songbird trade, appear to remain fairly widespread. By contrast, Brown-cheeked Bulbul, Chestnut-backed (Javan) Scimitar-babbler, Javan Oriole, and especially Javan Blue-flycatcher, recorded on just a single occasion, and Javan Green Magpie, which we failed to record with certainty, now appear to be extremely rare. Our encounter rates, while not pinned to specific mountains for security reasons, represent an important baseline against which future changes in abundance can be gauged.

Remnant forests on the small Wallacean island of Sangihe north of Sulawesi hold the entire ranges of more critically endangered (CR) bird species than any other comparable area on earth. We develop habitat association models for three of these CR species to identify critical habitat features as well as areas where habitat falls slightly short of suitability, and to determine whether another area of forest away from the largest block might be suitable as an insurance site for a translocated population. Hopes for all three species appear almost totally pinned to forest within a 13 km 2 area of the Sahendaruman crater, with virtually no near‐suitable habitat away from this site. There is, however, little overlap in habitats between one CR species and the other two: cerulean flycatcher Eutrichomyias rowleyi is associated with mature streamside forest with full canopy cover, lianas, and mid‐level growth, while Sangihe whistler Coracornis sanghirensis and Sangihe golden bulbul Hypsipetes platenae are restricted to ridgetop forest with full canopy cover and large trees. We pinpoint small areas (around 5 km 2 ) of forest in the crater that are already suitable or can be made so with habitat management, and these are absolute priorities for conservation action. We show how habitat characteristics identified within models might be enhanced, and how features, especially certain tree species, can be used as indicators of future habitat improvement.

Plants associated with traditional forms of coppice management are affected by changes in, or cessation of, stand management which produce differences in structure, usually in the direction of high forest. The habitat structure, ground flora richness, and composition of an ancient woodland in southern England were compared across three distinct management treatments: traditional Coppice (the cyclical cutting of underwood on rotations), Limited Intervention (representing the effective cessation of management), and Irregular High Forest silviculture (a form of continuous cover forestry using single and small group selective tree harvesting). Coppice and Irregular silviculture showed a more complex woody stand structure whereas Limited Intervention was strongly correlated with closed-canopy, single-storied structures and no developing understorey. Increased bramble Rubus fruticosus cover was strongly associated with Irregular silviculture, bare ground mostly with the limited intervention closed-canopy stands. Distinct plant-habitat associations were identified across stand management types with the greatest differences between Limited Intervention and the two active interventions. Overall vascular plant species and Coppice group species were lowest in Limited Intervention stands. Using ancient woodland indicator and Coppice plant species and groups, we found a similar community pattern between Coppice and Irregular silviculture. More ancient woodland species were accommodated within the comparatively heterogenous woodland habitat associated with active silvicultural interventions of Coppice and Irregular High Forest management. The study indicates that the introduction of Irregular silviculture as practiced here can conserve most ancient woodland and Coppice plants associated with traditional coppicing, a practice which has declined significantly in the UK since the late 19th Century.

Understanding the composition of urban wildlife communities is crucial to promote biodiversity, ecosystem function and links between nature and people. Using crowdsourced data from over five million eBird checklists, we examined the influence of urban characteristics on avian richness and function at 8443 sites within and across 137 global cities. Under half of the species from regional pools were recorded in cities, and we found a significant phylogenetic signal for urban tolerance. Site-level avian richness was positively influenced by the extent of open forest, cultivation and wetlands and avian functional diversity by wetlands. Functional diversity co-declined with richness, but groups including granivores and aquatic birds occurred even at species-poor sites. Cities in arid areas held a higher percentage of regional species richness. Our results indicate commonalities in the influence of habitat on richness and function, as well as lower niche availability, and phylogenetic diversity across the world's cities.

The Black-winged Myna (Acridotheres melanopterus) is an Endangered passerine endemic to the islands of Java and Bali, Indonesia. Illegal trapping to supply the cage-bird trade has led to its near-total extinction, with the global population estimated to number fewer than 100 individuals. We estimated the current range and population size of the species at Baluran National Park, which supports Java's last known population, and used species distribution modeling to evaluate potential suitability of currently unoccupied areas across the park to identify priorities for management intervention. We estimate that the Black-winged Myna population numbers 179 individuals (95% CI: 111-288; density: 14.3 +/- 3.5 individuals km(2)) and that its current range is 12.3 km'. Our model indicated that some 72 km(2) of the park (30% of total area) has potentially suitable habitat for the species, and we infer that the principal cause for the disparity between its current and potential range is trapping, compounded by savanna loss and degradation due to illegal domestic cattle grazing and the spread of invasive thorny acacia (Vachellia nilotica). The partial clearance of acacia in recent years appears to have assisted a modest population recovery by the myna. Its further population growth and range expansion in Baluran will depend on effective management of illegal poaching, further clearance of acacia, and easing domestic cattle grazing pressure on areas of savanna, particularly through engagement with communities living inside the park. Any actions that increase the size of the Black-winged Myna population are likely to benefit other threatened savanna-dependent wildlife in the park, notably banteng (Bos javanicus) and Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus). While our models and recommendations may be applicable to other protected areas in Java, and indeed other threatened myna species, trapping and habitat change may have site-specific dimensions, especially outside of protected areas, and thus demand local bespoke solutions.

Abstract Passive acoustic monitoring can be an effective method for monitoring species, allowing the assembly of large audio datasets, removing logistical constraints in data collection and reducing anthropogenic monitoring disturbances. However, the analysis of large acoustic datasets is challenging and fully automated machine learning processes are rarely developed or implemented in ecological field studies. One of the greatest uncertainties hindering the development of these methods is spatial generalisability—can an algorithm trained on data from one place be used elsewhere? We demonstrate that heterogeneity of error across space is a problem that could go undetected using common classification accuracy metrics. Second, we develop a method to assess the extent of heterogeneity of error in a random forest classification model for six Amazonian bird species. Finally, we propose two complementary ways to reduce heterogeneity of error, by (i) accounting for it in the thresholding process and (ii) using a secondary classifier that uses contextual data. We found that using a thresholding approach that accounted for heterogeneity of precision error reduced the coefficient of variation of the precision score from a mean of 0.61 ± 0.17 (SD) to 0.41 ± 0.25 in comparison to the initial classification with threshold selection based on F‐score. The use of a secondary, contextual classification with thresholding selection accounting for heterogeneity of precision reduced it further still, to 0.16 ± 0.13, and was significantly lower than the initial classification in all but one species. Mean average precision scores increased, from 0.66 ± 0.4 for the initial classification, to 0.95 ± 0.19, a significant improvement for all species. We recommend assessing—and if necessary correcting for—heterogeneity of precision error when using automated classification on acoustic data to quantify species presence as a function of an environmental, spatial or temporal predictor variable.

Orin J. Robinson , Jacob B. Socolar , Erica F. Stuber , Tom Auer, Alex J. Berryman , Philipp H. Boersch-Supan , Donald J. Brightsmith , Allan H. Burbidge , Stuart H. M. Butchart , Courtney L. Davis , Adriaan M. Dokter , Adrian S. Di Giacomo, Andrew Farnsworth , Daniel Fink , Wesley M. Hochachka , Paige E. Howell , Frank A. La Sorte , Alexander C. Lees , Stuart Marsden, Robert Martin, Rowan O. Martin , Juan F. Masello , Eliot T. Miller, Yoshan Moodley , Andy Musgrove, David G. Noble, Valeria Ojeda , Petra Quillfeldt , J. Andrew Royle , Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez, Jos e L. Tella , Pablo Yorio, Casey Youngflesh , and Alison Johnston

Knowledge of breeding success and its limiting factors is crucial in assessing species'conservation needs.As cavity-nesters,parrots are particularly influenced by the availability of suitable cavities and low breeding output,whether due to natural processes or trapping.On the island of Sumba,Indonesia,the Critically Endangered Citron-crested Cockatoo(Cacatua citrinocristata)has the added problem of co-existing with an unusually rich hole-nesting bird community in a forested environment much constrained by habitat loss.We monitored 95 nesting cavities of cockatoos and their competitors and potential nest-predators,over one to four breeding seasons,using a combination of camera-traps,direct checks on nest contents,and observations from the ground.Competition for suitable cavities was intense among three large parrot species,two owls and a hornbill.Visitation rates by po-tential competitors were higher at unoccupied cavities than at those containing active nests,reflecting the guarding behaviour of the occupants.The Endangered Sumba Hornbill(Rhyticeros everetti)dominated observed direct confrontations and was the most frequent visitor to active parrot nests,suggesting a further role as a po-tential nest-predator.Cockatoos prospected many cavities but rarely then attempted to nest:instead the sites were usually occupied by other cavity-nesters,or by bees.At the few cavities where cockatoos did breed,predation pressure was likely low,and observed success rate high(10 successful of 15 nests),although the low number of nests found early in the breeding cycle suggests that some may have failed before detection.Intense competition for cavities suggests a shortage of suitable nest-sites,the need for preservation of old hole-bearing trees and a role for nestboxes.Accessible,known,safe artificial nest-sites would also provide opportunities to assess the scale of nest-site shortage,allow camera placements to study productivity,exclude some competitors and predators,and prevent illegal trapping.Especially given continued trapping pressure,the species would benefit from targeted local awareness-raising and law enforcement,with the whole endeavour backed up by longer-term forest restoration.

Summary Many Indonesian, and in particular Javan, birds are suspected to have declined dramatically as a result of unsustainable trapping for the cagebird trade, but quantitative evidence of the scale of declines is lacking for the great majority of species. We conducted field surveys of the heavily traded Javan White-eye Zosterops flavus at 19 key sites in 2018–2019 matching the methods and personnel used in baseline surveys done around 10 years earlier. Overall numbers counted were 84% lower in the later survey, and while more white-eyes were recorded at three sites in 2018–2019, there was a significant decline in numbers across all sites. The three sites with highest numbers in 2006–2019 (502 birds counted) had 22 individuals counted in 2018–2019, but there was no overall trend for ‘declines’ to be greater at sites that held more birds originally. Declines in white-eyes were much steeper than those of several lesser-traded bird species at the sites, suggesting that trapping has been a more important driver of declines than habitat changes such as conversion of mangrove to shrimp ponds. Small numbers of white-eyes were recorded at several previously unvisited sites, but we suggest that the species, on Java at least, has shown declines in the region of 80% over the last 10 years. Although since 2018 Javan White-eye is legally protected, we urge that this protection is extended to all white-eye species, because of their similarity.

While a few species may thrive in urban areas, urban expansion is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Columbids such as feral Rock Doves ( Columba livia domestica ) and Common Woodpigeon ( Columba palumbus ) have adapted extremely well to the urban environment in Europe and beyond, but the Stock Dove ( Columba oenas ), a bird of farmland and woodland edge in the UK and of national conservation concern, is encountered infrequently in urban areas. Here we explore the multi-scale landscape associations of the little-studied Stock Dove within the urban matrix of Greater Manchester, UK, in order to identify its habitat requirements. We built a pilot model from historical citizen science records to identify potentially occupied sites within the city, and then surveyed these sites for Stock Dove during Spring 2019. We combined the survey results with citizen science records from the same period and described the habitat and landscape characteristics of sites occupied by Stock Dove using four variables at different scales plus twelve unscaled variables. We used a three-stage random forest approach to identify a subset of these variables for interpretation and a subset for prediction for the presence of Stock Dove within these sites. Key variables for predicting Stock Dove presence were their relative abundance in the landscape immediately beyond the core urban area, the greenness (NDVI) of the environment around sites, and the canopy cover of individual trees over 20 m high within sites. Stock Doves tended to be associated with habitats with more surface water during the non-breeding season than the breeding season. Our results highlight the importance of large trees within urban greenspace for this cavity-nesting species, softer boundaries around urban sites for Stock Doves and stock dove presence in nearby areas. While Stock Dove share many traits with species that are successful in the urban environment, they remain relatively poor urban adapters.

AbstractDesignating protected areas remains a core strategy in biodiversity conservation. Despite high endemism, montane forests across the island of Java are under-represented in Indonesia's protected area network. Here, we document the montane biodiversity of Gunung Slamet, an isolated volcano in Central Java, and provide evidence to support its increased protection. During September–December 2018, we surveyed multiple sites for birds, primates, terrestrial mammals, reptiles, amphibians and vegetation. Survey methods included transects, camera traps and targeted searches at six sites, at altitudes of 970–2,512 m. We used species distribution models for birds and mammals of conservation concern to identify priority areas for protection. We recorded 99 bird species (13 globally threatened), 15 mammals (five globally threatened) and 17 reptiles and amphibians (two endemic). Our species distribution models showed considerable cross-taxon congruence between important areas on Slamet's upper slopes, generally above 1,800 m. Particularly important were records of the endemic subspecies of the Endangered Javan laughingthrush Garrulax rufifrons slamatensis, not recorded in the wild since 1925, the Endangered Javan gibbon Hylobates moloch and Javan surili Presbytis comata, and the Vulnerable Javan lutung Trachypithecus auratus and Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas. Recent forest loss has been modest, at least 280 km2 of continuous forest remain above 800 m, and our surveys show that forest habitats are in good condition. However, the mountain is widely used by trappers and hunters. Given its importance for biodiversity conservation, we discuss different options for improving the protection status of Gunung Slamet, including designation as a National Park or Essential Ecosystem.

A challenge with species that have disappeared from most of their range is to identify the correlates of local persistence. With species decimated by trade, site‐specific trapping risk is hard to capture by remotely accessed predictors. The recently split yellow‐crested cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea and citron‐crested cockatoo C. citrinocristata have undergone catastrophic declines due to habitat loss and especially trapping, and are now extinct in much of their former range across Indonesia. Of 144 sites on 30 islands known to contain the species in 1950, only 76 on 27 islands did so in 2017–2019, with many of the other 68 experiencing extinctions between 1985 and 2000. We compared socio‐ecological conditions such as forest cover and loss, human population density and infrastructure, and protected area status between the occupied and unoccupied sites, using ‘random forests’ within decreasing time intervals 1950–2015. Populations on Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara were more likely to become extinct than those on Sumba, Timor‐Leste and small remote islands. Sites retaining cockatoos had high proportions of tree cover, low road density and low human densities. The relative importance of these factors changed little over time, but road density and human density became respectively more and less important in recent years. The examination of local conditions at ‘false negative’ sites (where cockatoos survived contrary to model predictions) showed that, particularly in recent years, cockatoo survival has been promoted by site‐specific protection due to traditional beliefs, NGO activities, dedicated individual residents and local topographic barriers. Some of these local influences add complexity to the task of conserving cockatoo strongholds, but also offer exciting possibilities for low‐cost conservation prescriptions tailored to individual sites. Studies combining field and remotely sensed data, and examining false negative sites for beneficial location‐specific conditions, have broad application for the conservation of taxa with once‐large ranges.

Outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases are trained by local biotic and abiotic factors, with host declines occurring when conditions favour the pathogen. Extinction in the wild of the Tanzanian Kihansi spray toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis) in 2004 was contemporaneous with the construction of a dam, implicating habitat modification in the loss of this species. However, high burdens of a globally emerging infection, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) followed the dams commission indicating infectious disease as the ultimate cause of the toads extinction. Here, we demonstrate that shotgun sequencing skin DNA from archived toad mortalities and assembling pathogen mitogenomes presents a powerful epidemiological tool by proving the outbreak was caused by an invasion of the BdCAPE lineage and not the panzootic lineage BdGPL. Using molecular dating we show an emergence of BdCAPE across Southern Africa overlapping with the timing of the toads extinction. That our post-outbreak surveillance of conspecific amphibian species showed widespread infection yet no signs of ill-health or decline shows these species can tolerate Bd when environments are stable. We conclude that, despite transient success in mitigating the impact caused by dams construction, subsequent invasion of the pathogen caused the catastrophic die-off that led to the loss of the Kihansi spray toad. Similar synergies between infection and environmental change will likely herald wider negative impacts on biodiversity in the Anthropocene.

Estimation of avian biodiversity is a cornerstone measure of ecosystem condition. Surveys conducted using autonomous recorders are often more efficient at estimating diversity than traditional point‐count surveys. However, there is limited research into the optimal temporal resolution for sampling—the trade‐off between the number of samples and sample duration when sampling a survey window with a fixed survey effort—despite autonomous recorders allowing easy repeat sampling compared to traditional survey methods. We assess whether the additional temporal coverage from high temporal resolution (HTR) sampling, consisting of 240 15‐s samples spread randomly across a survey window detects higher alpha and gamma diversity than low temporal resolution (LTR) sampling of four 15‐min samples at the same locations. We do so using an acoustic dataset collected from 29 locations in a region of very high avian biodiversity—the eastern Brazilian Amazon. We find HTR sampling outperforms LTR sampling in every metric considered, with HTR sampling predicted to detect approximately 50% higher alpha diversity, and 10% higher gamma diversity. This effect is primarily driven by increased coverage of variation in detectability across the morning, with the earliest period containing a distinct community that is often under sampled using LTR sampling. LTR sampling produced almost four times as many false absences for species presence. Additionally, LTR sampling incorrectly found 70 species (34%) at only a single forest type when they were in fact present in multiple forest types, while the use of HTR sampling reduced this to just two species (0.9%). When considering multiple independent detections of species, HTR sampling detected three times more uncommon species than LTR sampling. We conclude that high temporal resolution sampling of passive‐acoustic monitoring‐based surveys should be considered the primary method for estimating the species richness of bird communities in tropical forests.