Avocetta 41: 81-84 (2017)

The Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos in the : first surveys on its status and ecology

Giuseppe Martino1,*, Antonino Siclari2, Sergio Tralongo2

1 Ci.Ma. G.R. e C.A. (Gestione Ricerca e Consulenze Ambientali) - Via Temesa 16, 89131 Reggio , 2 Ente Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte - Via Aurora 1, 89057 Gambarie di S. Stefano in Aspromonte (RC), Italy * Corresponding author: [email protected]

In recent decades, the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos ed into seven research zones, with field activities covering population in Italy has been negatively affected by numer- the period December 2015 up to August 2016. For the hab- ous environmental transformations determined through itat analysis, a vegetation map (Spampinato et al. 2008) anthropogenic actions: the gradual abandonment of tradi- was used, by dividing the territory into four environmental tional agricultural practices, together with the remarkable typologies (unsuitable areas, open areas, woods and refor- decline in pasture activity, mainly at higher altitudes, rep- estation) in order to calculate composition and percentages resent some of the threats that directly affect the species of the environmental typologies for each home range. (Mathieu & Choisy 1982, Huboux 1984, Esteve & Materac­ This research, carried out during the reproductive sea- 1987, Fasce & Fasce 1992, Pedrini & Sergio 2001, 2002). son, allowed to effectively monitor an area of approxi- In an unfavourable context, especially in regions such mately 310 km2, which is reduced slightly when consider- as Calabria, where these negative factors have had consid- ing the overlap between some observation points and the erable intensity, the role of protected areas has proved to be “shadow zones”. fundamental for the preservation of many species at risk: Three pairs have been identified; this area shows high the Aspromonte National Park, in collaboration with Fed- environmental heterogeneity, mainly resulting from the di- erparchi, has thus decided to carry out a systematic study versified morphology that strongly influences the present on the Golden Eagle, a species so far never investigated in vegetation and the human activities present in this territory. this area. The research, still ongoing, is aimed at obtain- The environmental analysis of the range occupied by ing the ecological knowledge about the local population, the three pairs (Fig. 1) shows that 53.4% of the territory useful for planning, and where necessary, interventions (woods, reforestation and other unsuitable areas) is inade- aimed at protecting and preserving this important predator. quate for hunting activities of this species. However 40.1% In Calabria the Golden Eagle is sedentary, nesting and ir- is potentially eligible, although several types of vegetation regularly migratory (Scebba et al. 1993): the bibliographic (e.g. Spartium junceum shrubs and Pteridium aquilinum surveys indicated a stable presence in the National ferns) tend to vary widely the level of soil coverage over Park with 4 pairs (Viggiani 1999, Pandolfi et al. 2007) and time, usually forming sparse populations that, in some in the Aspromonte National Park, with at least one pair cases, may become excessively dense. Finally, it should (Malara 1999). The historical presence of this species in be stressed that the category “empty areas” (6.4%) stems the Aspromonte territory is, on the other hand, reported by from the new perimeter of the protected area and includes Moschella (1891), who reports two killings near Reggio surfaces not covered by the vegetation map by Spampina- Calabria and a stationary pair near . to et al. (2008). The study area, located on the ionic side of the As- The population density, computed as relationship be- promonte massif, which is warmer and more arid than the tween the number of territorial pairs and the extension of Tyrrhenian one, was chosen and the information available the territory (Magrini et al. 1987) is 7.40 pairs/1000 km2 so far about the presence of species was obtained. The sur- (Tab. 1). vey covered 11 observation points with an average buffer The population is composed of 66.6% adults (n = 6); of 3.5 km on a total area of approximately 405 km2, divid- only one pair is formed exclusively by adults, while in the

© 2017 CISO - Centro Italiano Studi Ornitologici 81 Martino et al.

Unsuitable areas 6.4 5.9 N 5.2 Afforested areas Forests Open areas Empty areas 40.1 Apromonte National Park 42.3

Unsuitable areas Afforested areas Forests Open areas Empty areas

3 0 3 Km

Figure 1. Study area and correspondent environmental analysis.

other two pairs only the females are mature. In these cases, al agricultural practices, in particular after the floods of the the males, both sub-adults, are in between their fifth and 1950s, favored a general increase in the pioneer and suc- sixth year. Tab. 2 shows the composition of these three cessional vegetation stages, such as shrubs, pre-forest cov- pairs, associated with the extension of their respective ter- ers and low-density woods, resulting in a negative effect ritories. through the gradual disappearance of floral and faunal spe- In total, four nests were located at an average altitude cies linked to open environments, resulting in a decrease of 755 m a.s.l. (S.E. = 19.94; n = 5). Three nests were ex- in environmental heterogeneity (Spampinato et al. 2008). posed to S-SE, one to N-NW and one to N-W. The increase of areas with arboreal and shrub vegetation From the first surveys, carried out in pre egg laying pe- by pioneer species is particularly remarkable at elevations riod (December), it was found that in the 2015 season all between 800 and 1700 m a.s.l., and determines the gradual the pairs had raised at least one young to the age of fledg- and continuous reduction of open areas that, albeit mod- ing; in 2016, however, all pairs had laid, but only two have est in size and with their patchy distribution, diversify the successfully completed the reproduction phase (Tab. 2). only-wooded environment where they are present, thus ac- It should also be noted that at a later stage of the study, quiring the fundamental role of ecotones, and so constitute during surveys carried out in the post-reproductive period, important hunting areas for the Golden Eagle. a further pair was identified, thus bringing to four the total The spontaneous or artificial reforestation of aban- number of pairs for the park area; in this case the territory, doned mountainous land is known to determine significant unlike others, is located on the Tyrrhenian side. It is again loss of habitat for the Golden Eagle (Watson 1997, Pedrini a pair consisting of an adult and a sub-adult. & Sergio 2001), such as reducing the most suitable hunt- In the Aspromonte area, the abandonment of tradition- ing territories, causing a subsequent numerical reduction of its prey, which in turn could negatively affect its repro- ductive rate. Apart from these aspects, the Aspromonte is Table 1. Composition of the checked pairs and extensions of their certainly an area of extreme interest for this species, for territories. its location to the extreme south of the Italian peninsula. The density of territorial pairs found in Aspromonte ap- 2 Pair Sex Territory (km ) pears significantly lower than in the alpine sectors where M F this species reaches its highest densities (Bassi 2011, this volume), but a comparison with the values detected in the 1 Ad Ad 68.7 Mean = 80.33 central regions of our peninsula (Borlenghi 2011, this vol- 2 Sub Ad 134 (S.E. = 28.23; n = 3) ume), as well as in other localities in Calabria (Pandolfi et 3 Sub Ad 38.3 al. 2007), would point out for the massif a high density of

82 The Golden Eagle in the Aspromonte National Park

Table 2. Reproductive parameters of pairs checked during the ries could therefore be the factor allowing for the presence 2016 reproductive season (n = 3). of territorial pairs with restricted home ranges compared to the rest of the Apennines. Legend 2016 In absence of any confirmed information about the Known pairs 3 number of pairs present in the past, it is not possible to Checked pairs 3 draw conclusions on the status of this species in this ter- Checked pairs during the bood 2 ritory: in the light of current knowledge, it is likely that, Laying pairs 3 at least in part, the abandonment of many traditional ac- Hatch failed 1 tivities in the internal areas, especially in a small moun- Pairs with 2 young fledged 2 tain massif like Aspromonte, has triggered evident recolo- Pairs with 1 young fledged 2 nization of open areas by woodland and reduced favorable Total young fledged 2 habitats (Perna et al. 2007). For territorial individuals, this Young checked only after that took off 1 loss seems to be partially compensated in the Aspromon- Pairs with composition checked 3 te area by the occurrence of several herds of goat Capra Pairs of adults 1 hircus scattered throughout the territory. In fact the Gold- Pairs not adults 2 en Eagle takes advantage of the herd movements along % adults pairs 33% the paths crossing several rocky cliffs, where each year it % laying pairs 100% preys on many goats (Mammoliti pers. comm.). This hunt- % hatch success 67% ing technique is carried out also on wild goats, present with % pairs that have raised young 67% at least five groups in the park territory. The threat fac- Productivity 0.67 tors associated with the presence of electricity cables and Take-off rate 1.00 structures represent, in three out of four territories, a real Reproductive success 0.67 danger. It is therefore appropriate to intervene by adapt- ing these structures to the new criteria for the protection of wild birds from electrocution and collision, as defined also Golden Eagle, among the highest in the Apennines. This is in the technical reports by the Council of Europe (Hass et a significant fact that needs to be deepened and confirmed al. 2005). during the next seasons. In Aspromonte, 37.5% of individuals are sub-adults The comparison between the average extension of the and this could mean that the change-over by the adult ea- currently-known home ranges along the peninsula (Fasce gles are more frequent than one might believe. 1984, this volume, Magrini et al. 2001, this volume, Pe- Finally, with regard to phenology, the only informa- drini et al. 2002, this volume, Bassi 2011, this volume, tion available is for the pair whose reproductive phase has Borlenghi 2011, this volume) and the density of pairs in been followed at all stages (Fig. 2). More precisely, egg Aspromonte indicates that eagles tend to maximize the use laying took place between 4th and 8th April, hatching be- of the potentially suitable areas, the ionic one in particular, tween 19th and 22nd May and finally fledging between 28th thus contracting the entire distribution area in the province July and 1st August. of . On the Pollino massif, where the suita- This study, due to its preliminary character, can be ble environment for the Golden Eagle are much larger than considered only partially exhaustive; in the next years, in in Aspromonte, the four territorial pairs under study had fact, knowledge on the many aspects concerning the ecol- territories with an average extension of 333 km2 (Viggiani ogy of the species in Aspromonte should be deepened, 1999). A good amount of prey in the Aspromonte territo- and in particular more data on the reproductive parame-

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Bridal parades Breeding display Deposition and hatching Chick rearing

Figure 2. Steps of the reproductive phase.

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