Changing places: spatial ecology and social interactions of female and male Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus) in the Spanish Extremadura

The ground nesting raptor Montagu’s Harrier breeds in loose colonies in cereal fields in the Spanish Extremadura. It is unclear how and whether birds in different colonies interact and how harriers spend time before and after nesting, before starting migration. We used GPS–GSM tags deployed on ten females and three males, some over multiple seasons, to follow bird movements with unprecedented detail. Arriving from spring migration, all males and most females returned to their old nest site, and spent between 13 and 25 days in mate choice and local site inspection. During incubation and early nesting female movements were strongly reduced, but increased significantly during late nesting and post-fledging periods. After fledging or after breeding failure, females increased their flying radius. Some of them visited other colonies, for single days or for longer periods, or flew long distances within Spain. These visits might have included help in breeding attempts of other pairs (adoptions). Four out of six females returned to their own breeding site before starting migration. Several females repeatedly used common roosts in this phase. Non-breeding females were active in defending nests in the colony against predators. Females with successful brood initiated migration earlier and spent less time in Spain than non-breeders or those with predated nests. Unlike females, daily distances in males were more uniform. While all males remained in the breeding area for the entire season, their activity centres shifted more within that area than those of females.

Caution Is Needed When Using Niche Models to Infer Changes in Species Abundance: The Case of Two Sympatric Raptor Populations

Despite the mounting evidence supporting positive relationships between species abundance and habitat suitability, the capacity of ecological niche models (ENMs) to capture variations in population abundance remains largely unexplored. This study focuses on sympatric populations of hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus), surveyed in 1997 and 2017 in an upland moor area in northwestern Spain. The ENMs performed very well for both species (with area under the ROC curve and true skill statistic values of up to 0.9 and 0.75). The presence of both species was mainly correlated with heathlands, although the normalized difference water index derived from Landsat images was the most important for hen harrier, indicating a greater preference of this species for wet heaths and peat bogs. The findings showed that ENM-derived habitat suitability was significantly correlated with the species abundance, thus reinforcing the use of ENMs as a proxy for species abundance. However, the temporal variation in species abundance was not significantly explained by changes in habitat suitability predicted by the ENMs, indicating the need for caution when using these types of models to infer changes in population abundance.

What is needed to preserve at least one animal species in a particular protected area?

The article attempts to find out what role small reserves of protected steppe play in animal conservation. What can be preserved with the help of small reserves: species, population, or a group of individuals? What role do reserves play in each case? The work is based on the author's observations of animals in the territory of Striltsivsky Steppe (division of Luhansk Nature Reserve of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), which at that time occupied an area of 522.7 hectares, as well as and in Khomutovsky Steppe (division of the Ukrainian Natural Steppe Reserve of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) with an area of 1030.4 hectares in the period from 1985 to 2007. Materials of the Chronicles of Nature of these two reserves are also analysed. The problem of species protection is considered on the example of four species: common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), meadow hawk (Circus pygargus), pink starling (Sturnus roseus), and barn owl (Asio flammeus). It is investigated how the protection regime affects the conservation of these species. Reserves here act as territories, as state organizations, and as scientific institutions. It is shown how the use of different functions of reserves and their combinations in relation to a particular animal species can contribute to its conservation.

The Limit to the Density of Species (A Reflection on Human Intervention in Conservation and Its Effects)

Human actions on the natural environment cannot always be considered as impacts resulting from their behavior to survive. Many of these activities have caused irreversible damage and changes in the landscape, flora, and fauna. By contrast, several actions, carried out “a priori” with the best intention, to help in the conservation of species considered in danger, have caused a dangerous decompensation. Aid for the recovery of some species of birds has led to their overpopulation. The artificial contributions of food, always in the same places, have caused an excessive increase in the number of griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus), which has produced the reduction of other endangered species, such as the black stork (Ciconia nigra) and the Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata), which have been displaced from the rocks in which they nested due to the harassment of a greater number of vultures. Besides, vultures are attacking domestic livestock at the most defenseless times, such as during calving. Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) has become out of control in numbers in Europe. The two classic breeding areas, La Camargue (France) and La Laguna de Fuente de Piedra (Spain) have produced an enormous annual number of individuals that are distributed among the few lagoons of Mediterranean Europe. The wetlands are devastated by the flamingo, which removes the mud and prevents sunlight from reaching the underwater vegetation, turning these lagoons into dead water, having to be abandoned (temporarily) by most aquatic species, including the flamingo. The shortage of food resources of natural origin, for such a disproportionate number, has caused the flamingo to invade the rice fields, accepting its grain as a substitute for the invertebrates that it habitually consumed, and which are now scarce. The same is the case with the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) in southern Europe. The increase in their population has reduced the number of reptiles and amphibians, bringing several of their species to the brink of extinction. Storks have varied their prey spectrum, consuming carrion, and preying on Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) brood. In these cases, and many others, the theory of “the more the better” is not valid. If we want to make the protection of some species compatible with the conservation of others, it seems necessary to redirect some situations …

ДО ЕКОЛОГІЇ ЛУНЯ ЛУЧНОГО CIRCUS PYGARGUS В СТРІЛЬЦІВСЬКОМУ СТЕПУ (ЛУГАНСЬКИЙ ПРИРОДНИЙ ЗАПОВІДНИК)

Наводяться дані щодо чи-сельності, міграції, гніздової біології та живлення луня лучного Сircus pygargus на території Стрільцівського степу. Чисельність гніздового угруповання луня лучного в Стрільцівському степу у 2004–2018 рр. складала 0–7 пар. Основними гніздовими біотопами даного виду в Стрільцівському степу є ділянки степових чагарників і чагарникових степів.

The first record of Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus (Aves: Accipitridae) in West Bengal, India

One Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus subadult female was identified and photographed in December, 2019 in West Bengal, India. This is the first record from the state.