Satellite telemetry reveals individual variation in juvenile Bonelli’s eagle dispersal areas
Natal dispersal is the time elapsed between departing from the natal site and settling to attempt breeding for the first time. In long-lived species with deferred sexual maturity this period may last several years, making this process crucial for their survival and conser- vation. Here we present a...
| Autores: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Data de publicação: | 2010 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositório: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/38802 |
| Acesso em linha: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/38802 |
| Access Level: | Acceso aberto |
| Palavra-chave: | Aquila fasciata Conservation Dispersal Hieraaetus fasciatus Management PTT Raptors Remote sensing |
| Resumo: | Natal dispersal is the time elapsed between departing from the natal site and settling to attempt breeding for the first time. In long-lived species with deferred sexual maturity this period may last several years, making this process crucial for their survival and conser- vation. Here we present a large-scale outline of juvenile Bonelli’s eagle’s dispersal areas in the Iberian Peninsula. We describe the ranging and movement patterns of 14 juvenile Bonelli’s eagles during their dispersal period, studied by satellite telemetry. Three distinct phases during the juveniles’ first year of life were detected, namely, the dependence period, the departure from the parental territo- ry, and the settlement in dispersal areas. In general, between-sex differences in relation to ranging behavior were not significant. Interestingly, there seems not to be a few, clearly delimited, overlapping Bonelli’s eagle’s juve- nile dispersal areas within the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 17 dispersal areas were detected, with some animals using more than one. These areas were located in eight autonomous communities (Spanish administrative units), being the most important Castilla-La Mancha and Andalu- cía. Juveniles were more frequently located in cultivated man-managed areas, with non-irrigated herbaceous crops. This is probably due to higher prey availability and higher efficiency in prey capture in these open areas, as well as to the absence of breeding pairs. This has important manage- ment implications, suggesting that conservation efforts should focus on the whole landscape matrix of man- managed ecosystems rather than in a few clearly delimited geographic areas. |
|---|