In a study investigating the breeding success of Canarian houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae), an endangered bird endemic to the eastern Canary Islands, J. C. Alonso et al. found that rainfall and breeding experience are the main determinants of the reproductive performance of females of this species. Given the strong dependence of houbara bustards on rainfall for breeding, and since these islands have undergone a process of aridification in recent decades, with climate models predicting an increase in the frequency and duration of drought periods, Canarian houbara bustards are today particularly vulnerable to extinction, and require urgent hábitat conservartion and management measures. The cover shows two Canarian houbara bustards (female and male). Illustration by Juan Francisco Rodríguez.

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