scholarly journals Monitoring of colonies and provisioning of rooks with nest material as a potential tool for stabilizing colonies and increasing nesting opportunities in the countryside. Project report

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Slobodník ◽  
Filip Tulis ◽  
Jozef Chavko ◽  
Jozef Lengyel
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Falco Tinnunculus ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Project Report ◽  
Eurasian Kestrel ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Corvus Monedula ◽  
Potential Tool

Abstract The rook is a species inhabiting open agricultural landscape whose non-active nests are also used by other bird species for nesting. It is the decline in rook colonies that has been posited as one of the reasons for decrease in the red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) population in Slovakia since the 1970s. During the period from 2012 till 2016, four monitorings of rook colonies were carried out in south-western Slovakia (Diakovce, Nitrianska Osada, Sokolce and Tvrdošovce). In the colony at Tvrdošovce, supporting activity involving provisioning of rooks with nest material was under way from 2014 until 2016. While the colonies at Diakovce and Nitrianska Osada have been showing a slight decrease in the number of nesting rooks, despite larger interannual differences the colony at Sokolce has been showing an upward trend. The size of the colony at Tvrdošovce has been stable since the beginning of the supporting activity. This activity had a statistically significant positive effect on the width of rook nests. In 74 cases in the studied rook colonies we have recorded nesting by three other bird species – Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 43.8%, western jackdaw (Corvus monedula) 39.7% and long-eared owl (Asio otus) 16.4%. In 2015 two female redfooted falcons were observed in the colony at Tvrdošovce.

Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaume Orta ◽  
Peter F. D. Boesman ◽  
Jeffrey S. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Falco Tinnunculus ◽  
Eurasian Kestrel

LIKE A DUCK TO WATER – BIRDS AND LIQUIDS IN THE AEGEAN BRONZE AGE

2019 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
pp. 41-78
Author(s):  
Julia Binnberg
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Active Participation ◽  
Regional Variations ◽  
Water Birds ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Aegean Bronze Age

This study examines the relationships between birds and liquids in the Minoan, Cycladic and Mycenaean cultures. Objects under investigation are bird-shaped vessels, bird figurines attached to vessels, and some special pouring vessels decorated with painted bird motifs, which are listed in an accompanying catalogue. Analysis of this material demonstrates that images of both doves and waterbirds were consistently linked to liquid-containing vessels, but there are significant chronological and regional variations regarding the preference for bird species. Another aspect fluctuating with period and place is the type of contact created between liquid and bird motif. Three categories dividable into three or two subtypes can be recognised, which mainly differ from each other by the degree of proximity that is established between the fluid and bird motif. It is argued that these differences reflect variations in the perception of birds regarding their relationship to liquids. While a direct and active participation of birds in the flow of liquids such as water and milk is observable in many Cretan and Cycladic objects, the artefacts from the Greek Mainland show a different pattern, whereby less direct contact combined with a stylised rendering suggests that the bird motif was accorded a more passive role by symbolising the positive effect of the flow of water. These findings contribute to recent scholarly debates on human–animal relationships and ontologies in the Aegean Bronze Age.

Prevalence and consequences of ants and other arthropods in active nests of Midwestern birds

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (8) ◽  
pp. 696-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Gibson ◽  
A.V. Suarez ◽  
D. Qazi ◽  
T.J. Benson ◽  
S.J. Chiavacci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Tapinoma Sessile ◽  
Odorous House Ant ◽  
Ephemeral Resources

Many organisms build nests which create unique microhabitats that are exploited by other animals. In turn, these nest colonizers may positively or negatively influence nest owners. Bird nests are known to harbor communities that include both harmful and possibly beneficial species. We quantified the nest arthropod communities of 10 bird species in Illinois, USA, along a land-use gradient, focusing on ant prevalence. We found eight ant species in nests, and for three species, at least part of their colonies inhabited nests. The odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile (Say, 1836)) was the most common species and maintained the largest colonies in nest material. Forest-cover percentage surrounding bird nests best predicted ant-colony presence. There was little evidence that ant presence influenced abundance or prevalence of other arthropods within nests with the exception of Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum (Linnaeus, 1758)) nests, where a negative association between T. sessile presence and abundance of fly larvae was found. Breeding success did not differ between nests with and without ant colonies for any bird species. Ant species that exhibit polydomy and nomadism may be more likely to occupy ephemeral resources like bird nests than other ants. How widespread this phenomenon is and the degree of commensalism that both parties experience is unclear and warrants further investigation.

Effects of crop diversity on bird species richness and abundance in a highland East African agricultural landscape

Ostrich ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Kariuki Ndang'ang'a ◽  
John BM Njoroge ◽  
Kamau Ngamau ◽  
Wariara Kariuki ◽  
Philip W Atkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Crop Diversity ◽  
East African ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACKAGE 4. AGRI-ENVIRONMENTALCLIMATE MEASURES OF THE RDP “VALUABLE HABITATS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES OF BIRDS IN NATURA 2000 AREAS’ IN AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS OPERATING IN THE AREA OF OSTOJA PISKA

2018 ◽  
Vol XX (6) ◽  
pp. 70-76
Author(s):  
Wojciech Gotkiewicz ◽  
Radosław Laszkowski
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Individual Bird ◽  
Effective Instrument ◽  
Low Costs ◽  
Interview Questionnaire

The aim of the article is to analyze the functioning of the agri-environmental-climate scheme as an instrument for the protection of agricultural landscape birds in the Natura 2000 area “OstojaPiska” in the Pisz district. Field research was carried out at the turn of 2017 and 2018 and covered 56 beneficiaries of the scheme. The basic research method was an interview using an interview questionnaire. The obtained results indicate that the most important motives for the respondents’ accession to the agri-environmentaclimate scheme and package 4 Valuable habitats and endangered species of birds in Natura 2000 areas and the "bird's" package were agri-environmental-climate payments as well as the relative ease and low costs of the package implementation. Research has shown that the scheme could be effective instrument contributing to the protection of avifauna areas used for agriculture, but it is not free from disadvantages, the most serious of which is the lack of verification of nature documentation, which may raise concerns about its reliability. It is also worth considering the introduction of obligatory tests that would answer the question of how the program affects the maintenance or increase of the number of individual bird species.

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

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-25 ◽  
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.

Responses of common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) to land use changes in agricultural landscapes of Western France

2010 ◽  
Vol 138 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 152-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Butet ◽  
Nadia Michel ◽  
Yann Rantier ◽  
Vincent Comor ◽  
Laurence Hubert-Moy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Falco Tinnunculus ◽  
Common Buzzard ◽  
Buteo Buteo ◽  
Eurasian Kestrel

scholarly journals Monitoring of effectiveness of bird flight diverters in preventing bird mortality from powerline collisions in Slovakia

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
Marek Gális ◽  
Michal Ševčík
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Power Line ◽  
Power Lines ◽  
Flight Distance ◽  
Bird Flight ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Bird Mortality ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract Flight observations and carcass searches were carried out along distribution power lines in Slovakia. 77 km of 22 kV and 110 kV lines were marked on a total of 108 sections to evaluate the effectiveness of three types of bird flight diverters (FireFly Bird Diverter, RIBE Bird Flight Diverter and SWAN-FLIGHT Diverter) designed to increase power line visibility. Numbers of carcasses were compared before and after installation of the devices and reaction distances on marked power lines were surveyed. We observed a 93.5% reduction (93 vs. 6) in the number of fatalities under the marked power lines after line marking (06/2016–06/2019) compared to the period before installation (12/2014–02/2016). 2,296 flight reactions were observed and an estimated total of 41,885 individuals (57 bird species belonging to 13 orders) were recorded with their reactions to marked lines in the period 06/2016–06/2019. After installation of bird diverters, there was a low proportion of flight distance observations at the closest distance, i.e. up to 5 m, indicating that birds reacted further away from marked lines. Although we lack flight observations for the period before the installation of diverters, the reactions of birds at greater distances and reduced number of bird victims under marked lines indicate that all tested diverters have a positive effect on reducing the number of avian collisions with power lines.

scholarly journals Testing camera traps as a potential tool for detecting nest predation of birds in a tropical rainforest environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laís Ribeiro-Silva ◽  
Daniel Fernandes Perrella ◽  
Carlos Biagolini-Jr ◽  
Paulo Zima ◽  
Augusto J. Piratelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nest Predation ◽  
Tropical Rainforest ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Monitoring Devices ◽  
Potential Tool

Identification of the predators of bird nests is essential to test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses and to make practical management decisions. A variety of nest monitoring devices have been proposed but many remain difficult to set up in the field. The aim of this study was to test camera traps as a potential tool to study predation of natural nests in a tropical rainforest environment. Specifically, we registered the predators, assessed their size range, and we compared the use of one and two cameras per nest. Of 122 nests from 24 bird species, 45 (37%) were depredated, and the cameras recorded the predator species in 29 of the total of depredated nests (64%). We identified predators in eight of 16 depredated nests (50%) in which we used one camera trap per nest, and we identified predators in 21 of 29 depredated nests (72%) when we used two camera traps per nest. The predators included six species of birds and six species of mammals, with body masses varying from 20 g to 16.5 kg. Causes for 10 of the 16 detection failures were identified and are discussed. These results suggest that camera traps are viable tools to investigate nest predation in a tropical rainforest area.

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