Temporal and spatial differences in the feeding ecology of the Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti during the non-breeding season: effects of the rabbit population crash
The paper describes the diet of territorial Spanish Imperial Eagles during the non-breeding season, comparing prey identified across different regions (Central, Western and Southern), breeding season vs non-breeding season, and periods (1983–1985 or pre-viral haemorrhagic disease [RHD] vs 1991–2000...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2009 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/178027 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/178027 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Spanish imperial eagle Aquila adalberti Feeding ecology Non-breeding season Rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease Alternative prey |
| Sumario: | The paper describes the diet of territorial Spanish Imperial Eagles during the non-breeding season, comparing prey identified across different regions (Central, Western and Southern), breeding season vs non-breeding season, and periods (1983–1985 or pre-viral haemorrhagic disease [RHD] vs 1991–2000 or post-RHD). Comparison of the nonbreeding with the breeding season revealed a slight variation in the diet. The Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus continues to be the most important prey species in the eagle's diet during the non-breeding season, followed by pigeons and the Red Partridge Alectoris rufa, although this varies from one region to another. In general, the decrease in the rabbit population after the epizooty (RHD) does not appear to have had an impact on the occurrence of this prey species in the Spanish Imperial Eagle's diet. Although this species is generally considered to be specialised in the capture of rabbits, the variability found between regions suggests that when the main prey (wild Rabbit) is scarce, the Spanish Imperial Eagle's diet is based on alternative prey such as pigeons or carrion. |
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