Breeding range, population size and population trend of the Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana in Slovenia between 1979 and 2016

AbstractIn this work we investigated the historical and present breeding range of the Ortolan Bunting in Slovenia and studied one of its last remaining breeding grounds in the country. Its range has suffered a marked decline in the last few decades, bringing the species on the brink of extinction in Slovenia. Firstly, we gathered all the available data and field records regarding the species in Slovenia and created several distribution maps outlining the status of the Ortolan Bunting in Slovenia. Thus we were able to confirm the drastic reduction in the species range, now confined to only two larger breeding grounds on the Karst (Kras). Field work was then concentrated on studying and monitoring one of the two last known populations of Ortolan Buntings in Slovenia. We paid special attention to the study of the males’ singing territories. Our main discovery was the presence of a lek in the central part of the study area, where several different male Ortolan Buntings shared their song-posts. In 2013 we counted a total of 18 Ortolan Buntings and found 5 nests, whereas in 2014 we counted 16 individuals, with 4 pairs probably breeding there. The number of breeding pairs is thus significantly lower than the total number of males holding territory. In the period from 2005 to 2016, the population of Ortolan Bunting in Slovenia was in steep decline.

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The precipitous decline of the ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana: time to build on scientific evidence to inform conservation management

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605311000032 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 122-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Myles H. M. Menz ◽

Raphaël Arlettaz

Keyword(s):

Prey Availability ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Time To Build ◽

Popula Tions ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Wintering Areas ◽

Precipitous Decline ◽

Emberiza Hortulana ◽

Ortolan Bunting

AbstractIn recent decades there has been a marked decline in most ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulanapopulations in temperate Europe, with many regional populations now extinct or on the brink of extinction. In contrast, Mediterranean and, as far as we know, eastern European popula-tions seem to have remained relatively stable. The causes of decline remain unclear but include: habitat loss and degradation, and related reduction in prey availability; climate change on the breeding grounds; altered population dynamics; illegal captures during migration; and environmental change in wintering areas. We review the current knowledge of the biology of the ortolan bunting and discuss the proposed causes of decline in relation to the different population trends in temperate and Mediterranean Europe. We suggest new avenues of research to identify the factors limiting ortolan bunting populations. The main evidence-based conservation measure that is likely to enhance habitat quality is the creation of patches of bare ground to produce sparsely vegetated foraging grounds in invertebrate-rich grassy habitats close to breeding areas.

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Den andra kända observationen av polygyni hos ortolansparv Emberiza hortulana

Ornis Svecica ◽

10.34080/os.v28.19533 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (2–4) ◽

Author(s):

Magnus Persson ◽

Jan Sondell

Keyword(s):

Field Work ◽

Small Population ◽

Isolated Population ◽

South Sweden ◽

Emberiza Hortulana ◽

Ortolan Bunting

During field work on foraging of the Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana in a small and isolated population at Kvismaren in the county of Örebro in south Sweden, two females, nesting 1,250 m apart were observed to be mate-guarded by the same colour-ringed male. Although the male commuted between the nests, none of the females seemed to obtain any substantial help from him when feeding the young. Polygyni has been reported only once before in this species, namely seventy-five years ago, also in a small population in Sweden, when a male behaved in a similar manner to that that we observed at Kvismaren.

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Scotland

10.1093/oso/9780199644636.003.0008 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Alasdair Raffe

Keyword(s):

Church Of England ◽

Legal Protection ◽

Church Of Scotland ◽

The Status ◽

Steep Decline ◽

The Church ◽

Established Church ◽

Episcopal Authority

This chapter examines the transformations in the status and character of Scottish Episcopalianism from 1662 to 1829. Despite being re-established in the Church of Scotland in 1661–2, episcopacy was abolished in 1689. Thereafter Episcopalians were a Nonconformist group, and only the minority of congregations whose clergy were loyal to Queen Anne and her Hanoverian successors enjoyed legal protection. But while the intermittent prosecution of the Jacobite clergy contributed to a steep decline in the number of Scottish Episcopalians, disestablishment allowed the clergy to reassess episcopal authority, and to experiment with liturgical reforms. After transferring their allegiance to the Hanoverians in 1788, the Episcopalians drew closer to the Church of England, formally adopting the Thirty-Nine Articles in 1804. By the end of the period, the Episcopalians saw themselves as an independent, non-established Church, one of the branches of international Anglicanism.

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Habitat selection of an endangered European farmland bird, the Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana, in two contrasting landscapes: implications for management

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270918000060 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 144-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MARTIN ŠÁLEK ◽

VÍT ZEMAN ◽

RADOVAN VÁCLAV

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Habitat Heterogeneity ◽

Bird Species ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Woody Vegetation ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Habitat Features ◽

Farmland Bird ◽

Emberiza Hortulana ◽

Ortolan Bunting

SummaryEffective conservation measures for any bird species across their distribution ranges require detailed knowledge of landscape-specific differences in habitat associations. The Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana is a farmland bird species, which experienced massive population declines during the recent decades and has become a conservation priority in many European countries. Thus, identification of the key habitat features is an important prerequisite for the conservation of the species. Here we investigate habitat associations of the Ortolan Bunting for the remaining breeding population of the species in the Czech Republic. This population is remarkable by its distribution in two markedly different environments – farmland and post-mining landscapes. The main objectives of this study were to identify habitat features associated with Ortolan Bunting occurrence within the two contrasting landscapes and at two spatial scales. Our results reveal a high degree of habitat plasticity by Ortolan Buntings in the Czech Republic which was revealed by the landscape- and scale- specific habitat associations. Habitat heterogeneity, in terms of compositional and configurational diversity, and the cover of bare ground were the most important predictors of Ortolan Bunting occurrence in both landscape types. In farmland, the species occurrence was positively associated with shrub and woody vegetation, poppy fields and set-asides, and negatively associated with grasslands, gardens/orchards, seedlings and urban habitats. In the post-mining landscape, the cover of herb vegetation and greater slope steepness and terrain ruggedness were most important habitat features. Ortolan Buntings in the post-mining landscape appear to avoid patches with a higher cover of shrub and woody vegetation, forests, seedlings and urban areas. We propose that conservation measures for Ortolan Buntings should focus on enhancing farmland habitat heterogeneity, but also on regulating the rate of succession in disturbed environments, such as post-mining landscapes.

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Taxonomic Synopsis of Eriosema (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae, Phaseoleae) in Brazil

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.416.2.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 416 (2) ◽

pp. 91-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

ELISA SILVA CÂNDIDO ◽

WANDERLEIA DE VARGAS ◽

LUÍSA MARIA DE PAULA ALVES BEZERRA ◽

VIDAL DE FREITAS MANSANO ◽

MOHAMMAD VATANPARAST ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Work ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Second Step ◽

Correct Identification ◽

Type Specimens ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Savanna Vegetation ◽

Tropical Environments ◽

Species Complexes ◽

Representative Species

Eriosema is a pantropical genus occurring mostly in savanna vegetation and grasslands of tropical environments, with approximately 150 species and two centers of diversity, one in Africa with about 110 species, and the other in the Neotropics with about 40 species. Considering the large number of Eriosema taxa in Brazil, including five recently described, and the lack of recent study that encompasses all species that occur in the country, a taxonomic synopsis of the Brazilian species of Eriosema was needed and is presented here. Herbaria collections, including type specimens, were consulted and field work was carried out in Brazil. Our study records 35 Eriosema species in Brazil, which concentrates most of the diversity of the genus in the Americas (85%; 35 out of 41 species). Most of this diversity occurs in the Central Brazilian savannas, particularly in the states of Goiás (29 taxa, eight endemic), and Minas Gerais (26 taxa, four endemic). Among all American species in the genus, Eriosema simplicifolium and E. crinitum have the broadest geographical distributions, and occur throughout Brazil and most part of the American continent. They form species complexes and future detailed studies will be necessary in order to understand taxon boundaries and delimitations. An identification key, taxon descriptions, information about type specimens as well as information on the habitat, phenological and geographical records, together with distribution maps, images of representative species in the field and the main morphological characters are provided to assist in the correct identification of this group of savanna plants. We also present 15 lectotypifications, out of which three are second-step.

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Kanakomyrtus (Myrtaceae): A New Endemic Genus from New Caledonia with Linear Stigma Lobes and Baccate Fruits

Systematic Botany ◽

10.1600/036364409788606253 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 330-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Neil Snow

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Reproductive Biology ◽

New Caledonia ◽

Field Work ◽

Windward Side ◽

Generic Type ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Close Relationship ◽

Unisexual Flowers ◽

Species Descriptions

Kanakomyrtus (Myrtaceae) is a newly described genus endemic to New Caledonia. Kanakomyrtus myrtopsidoides, the generic type, is transferred from Eugenia. Five new species are described: K. mcphersonii, K. revoluta, K. dawsoniana, K. prominens, and K. longipetiolata. The genus occurs in forests at elevations between 500–1,600 m on the relatively mesic windward side of the Grande Terre. It is distinct from other baccate genera of Myrtaceae by a combination of linear stylar lobes, densely glandular stamens and stigmas, and a short but densely hoary indumentum that is brownish when dry. The thinly membranous partitions that partially extend between the seeds of some species suggest a close relationship to Archirhodomyrtus and some species traditionally placed in Rhodomyrtus and Octamyrtus. Four of the six species have unisexual flowers, but much additional field work is needed to assess the reproductive biology of the genus. Following IUCN guidelines, four species are proposed as either Endangered or Critically Endangered, whereas the remaining species are considered Vulnerable and of Low Concern. Species descriptions, illustrations, distribution maps, and keys to species of the genus and related taxa of baccate Myrtaceae from New Caledonia are included.

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Unravelling migration connectivity reveals unsustainable hunting of the declining ortolan bunting

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.aau2642 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. eaau2642 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Frédéric Jiguet ◽

Alexandre Robert ◽

Romain Lorrillière ◽

Keith A. Hobson ◽

Kevin J. Kardynal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Extinction Risk ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Population Viability ◽

The European Union ◽

Migration Strategy ◽

Illegal Hunting ◽

Emberiza Hortulana ◽

Ortolan Bunting ◽

The Impact ◽

Stable Populations

In France, illegal hunting of the endangered ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana has been defended for the sake of tradition and gastronomy. Hunters argued that ortolan buntings trapped in southwest France originate from large and stable populations across the whole of Europe. Yet, the European Commission referred France to the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) in December 2016 for infringements to legislation (IP/16/4213). To better assess the impact of hunting in France, we combined Pan-European data from archival light loggers, stable isotopes, and genetics to determine the migration strategy of the species across continents. Ortolan buntings migrating through France come from northern and western populations, which are small, fragmented and declining. Population viability modeling further revealed that harvesting in southwest France is far from sustainable and increases extinction risk. These results provide the sufficient scientific evidence for justifying the ban on ortolan harvesting in France.

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The genetic structure of the European breeding populations of a declining farmland bird, the ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana), reveals conservation priorities

Conservation Genetics ◽

10.1007/s10592-018-1064-9 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 909-922 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Caroline Moussy ◽

Raphaël Arlettaz ◽

José Luis Copete ◽

Svein Dale ◽

Valery Dombrovski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Breeding Populations ◽

Farmland Bird ◽

Emberiza Hortulana ◽

Ortolan Bunting

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The Distribution of Gammarus Species in Estuaries. Part I

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315400014107 ◽

1947 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 1-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

G. M. Spooner

Keyword(s):

Fresh Water ◽

Brackish Water ◽

Field Work ◽

Bottom Fauna ◽

Qualitative Composition ◽

British Isles ◽

Free Swimming ◽

The Status ◽

Brackish Water Species ◽

Water Species

The work of which an account is here given was largely carried out from the autumn of 1937 to the spring of 1940, when it was interrupted by the war. In taking it up again (in July 1945) while, facilities for field work are still limited, the author feels it useful to publish results as they stand and indicate where further work is considered advisable.In examinations of the free-swimming bottom fauna of the Tamar and other estuaries, attention was inevitably drawn to the populations of Gammarus species, which make up the greater bulk of it. Before quantitative observations were planned, some interesting points came to light with regard to the qualitative composition of populations. This aspect lent itself more readily to study and, though byno means a new field for exploration, soon proved worth examining ingreater detail than previous workers had attempted.The broad fact of a replacement of one Gammarus species by another in passing up an estuary was well enough known, though exact knowledge for the British Isles only starts from the time when G. zaddachi Sexton was recognized as a regular member of the upper estuarine fauna of the Tay (Bassindale, 1933; Alexander, Southgate & Bassindale, 1935) and of the Deben (Serventy, 1935). This species proved to be the main brackish-water species overlapping with the marine G. locusta (L.) near the seaward end, and with the fresh-water G. pulex (L.) at the river end (or ‘head’) of the estuary. The status in estuaries of two other brackish-water species, G. duebeni Lillj. and G. chevreuxi Sexton, remained obscure.

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What are the important landscape components for habitat selection of the ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana in northern limit of range?

European Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1515/eje-2015-0003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 13-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jaanus Elts ◽

Kunter Tätte ◽

Riho Marja

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Power Lines ◽

Population Declines ◽

Habitat Features ◽

Crop Density ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Emberiza Hortulana ◽

Ortolan Bunting ◽

Overhead Power Lines ◽

Positive Effect

AbstractOrtolan buntings Emberiza hotulana have undergone one of the most severe population declines of any European farmland bird over the last thirty years. The aim of this study was to find out which habitat features, including crop characteristics, ortolan bunting prefers in Estonia in breeding areas. This study compared currently occupied and unoccupied ortolan bunting territories. Occupied areas contained significantly more tall broadleaf trees, crop types, structural elements (trees, bushes, roads, overhead power lines and buildings) and spring wheat, but also had lower crop drilling densities. Ortolan bunting territories were best described by a logistic regression model containing six variables: amount of structural point elements, length of power lines, amount of tall broadleaf trees and number of different crops had a positive effect, whereas crop density and area of autumn-sown crops had a negative effect. Based on the findings of this study, the following conservation measures can be recommended: lower crop densities; spring rather than autumn-sown crops; small-field systems containing a variety of crops; scattered scrub preserved or planted; habitat patches of permanent grasslands, hedges and tall broadleaf trees retained within the agricultural landscape.

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