DOCSLIB.ORG

Breeding of the Booted Eagle Hieraaetus Pennatus in North-Western Croatia Zwergadler-Brutvorkommen in Nordwest-Kroatien

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Breeding of the Booted Eagle Hieraaetus Pennatus in North-Western Croatia Zwergadler-Brutvorkommen in Nordwest-Kroatien Delic & Muzinic:Booted © Eagle Ornithologische in Croatia Gesellschaft Bayern, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at 219 Orn Verh. 25: 219-222 Breeding of the Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus in North-Western Croatia Zwergadler-Brutvorkommen in Nordwest-Kroatien By Antun Delic & Jasmina Muzinic 1. Introduction Although the Booted Eagle,Hieraaetus 1985). However, these data may insufficient pennatus, is a Mediterranean species (Ruc- to characterize the real state of the species’ ner 1968) it occurs as a breeding bird more distribution. frequently in the Southern and eastern parts A young Booted Eagle was found in the of the Balkan Peninsula than in Croatia Bilogora Mountain in Northwestern Croa­ (MATVEJEvet al. 1973). In Croatia the Booted tia at the utmost western fringe of its main Eagle is considered to be a breeding species breeding ränge in the East (Voous, 1960). only in Slavonia (= Slavonija, north-eastern The data concerning this record are pre- Croatia) (M atvejev et al. 1973; V asic et al. sented in this paper. 2. Area and Circumstances Bilogora is an elongated, wooded moun- The area where the bird was found is not tain ränge in the north-western part of settled by people, and the nearest village is Croatia (Fig. 1). It stretches from Kopriv- Turcevic Polje, about 2 km away in the bee nica on the west to Miokovicevo in the east. line. The highest peak of Bilogora is Rijeka, 307 The young Booted Eagle was found on m above sea level. 25th September 1992 by a forester. It was a A Booted Eagle nestling was found in thesunny and quiet day (the summer of 1992 is Veliki Rastovac Forest on the eastern slopes considered the hottest summer in the past of Bilogora at 232 m above sea level. The six years). The bird was kept alive for 45 forest is comprised of Durmast Oak and days. It did not take food, and was therefore Hornbeam, Querco-carpinetum ülyricum crammed. The first days it was on fish, later Horv. 1938, andabout 80years old. Inplaces on house mice and house sparrows. Some there are groups of Beech,Fagus sylvatica, biometric data were taken. and Lime,Tilia sp., as well as some single The Booted Eagle nests in trees(P errins , Common Maple, Acer campestre, and Bird 1987), and they eyrie should have been Cherry, Prunus avium, trees; in the lower placed in a treetop nearby. The area was parts there are also Common Oak, Quercus examined on 16th January 1993 in order to robur, trees. Gornje Poilovlje, the area find the nest. towards which the eastern slopes of Bilogora gravitate, is a rieh habitat f or birds (D elic, 1988). 220 Orn. Verh. 25, 1995 © Ornithologische Gesellschaft Bayern, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at Fig. 1: Breeding locality (cross-marked circle) of the Booted Eagle in Bilogora Mountain in north-western Croatia. - Fundort (Kreis mit Kreuz) des Zwergadlers im Bilogora-Gebirge in Nordwest-Kroatien. 3. Results The Booted Eagle was found on the forest were dark brown with white tips appearing ground. Obviously it was in a good con­as white spots; the under wing-coverts were dition when it was found. It tried to fly off,white, while the primaries were black- but it was unable to rise in to the air. The brown with a narrow white edge at the tips; bird was just acquiring its juvenilethe forehead was white and the crown plumage. It was identified as a Booted streaked with brown; the supercilium and Eagle, Hieraaetus pennatus, and its age was the lore were blackish, surrounding the eye; established as a two-month-old nestling the iris was dark grey; the bill was black, according toP orter et al. (1981). Its length while the cere and the gape were yellow; the was 520 mm and its weight 710g; the length foot was yellow and the claws black. of its wings was 394 mm. On 16th January 1993 the bird’s nest was During its stay in captivity the bird found at a distance of about 300 m from the acquired its full juvenile plumage. Cheekplace where the young had been found. It and throat were yellowish-white; the nape had a diameter of about 1 m, and it was was yellowish-white with dark brown placed on the forked branch of a beech tree feathers in places; the breast, belly and at a height of about 20 m. The circumference flanks were yellowish-white with sparsely of the tree trunk was 28 cm. elongated streaks; the upper wing-coverts 4. Discussion M atvejev et al. (1973) mention the Booted data on nesting locations, breeding season, Eagle as a breeding bird in the Slavonian or the number of pairs.V asic 5 et al. (1985) part of Croatia, but they do not provide any mention only (probably to protect the nest) © Ornithologische Gesellschaft Bayern, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at Delic & Muzinic:Booted Eagle in Croatia 221 that nesting of the Booted Eagle was terranean area. There are no data in general recorded in Slavonia in 1981. The finding ofon the biology and ecology of populations in a young in the north-western part of the eastern/Mediterranean part of Europe. Croatia is the first proof in this area. The Booted Eagle is known to be M uzinic et al.(1922) consider the Booted dimorphic with regard to plumage and Eagle to be a rare breeding bird in Croatia. occurs as a pale morph or a dark morph. The The young found on Bilogora was rearedmorphological description of the juvenile by its parents, but for unknown reasons itbird that was found conforms to the found itself outside the nest on the ground,description of the pale morph given by before becoming fully fledged. In the case of Cramp & S immons (1979) undP orter et. al. the Booted Eagle two chicks often hatch, (1981). but it is rare for both to be reared since the The Booted Eagle, as a bird of prey, builds brood is often reduced to one. One chicka relatively small nest on tall deciduous survives in the nest and stay in(C itramp & trees (Voous, 1960), but often uses the nests S im m ons , 1979). Since the specimen was of other birds. It may, therefore, be con­ found as a two-month-old nestling, it maycluded that the nest with a diameter of 1 m be concluded that it was hatched aroundwhich was found in a beech tree aboout 300 25th July 1992. m away from the place where the young Incubation lasts 35 (36)-38 days (Bou- Booted Eagle was found on the ground was cher , 1978; P errins , 1987), so it may be its nest. The finding of the nest makes presumed that the eggs were laid aroundbreeding of this species in the eastern June 20th. 1992, indicating late breeding. Bilogora area even more likely. The Booted Eagle populations of the Veliki Rastovac Forest on Bilogora is a countries of the formerU S S R are late typical habitat of the Booted Eagle which, breeders (Cramp & S im m ons , 1979) but there according to Voous (1960) looks for deci­ are no exact data on when the Booted Eagle duous and mixed woodlands in valleys and starts breeding in the Eastern Medi­ on low mountains. Summary Breeding of the Booted Eagle,Hieraaetus of Croatia. The specimen was a pale morph. The pennatus, was proved for the Veliki Rastovac bird was found as a two-month-old nestling fal­ forest on the eastern slopes of Bilogora Mountain len to the ground. This age indicates the in north-western Croatia in 1992. This is the first beginning of breeding around the 20th June, record for the nesting of this species in this part 1992, which is quite typical for late breeders. Zusammenfassung Brut des Zwergadlers,Hieraaetus pennatus (Gmelin) 178 8, in Nordwest - Kroatien Im Jahre 1992 wurde der Zwergadler im Wald­im Alter von etwa zwei Monaten. Das geschätzte gebiet von Veliki Rastovac im Ostteil des Alter läßt auf einen Brutbeginn um den 20. Juni Bilogora-Gebirges in Nordwest-Kroatien als schließen, einem relativ späten Datum. Bisher Brutvogel angetroffen. Dieses ist der erste Nach­ galt der Zwergadler nur als Brutvogel im öst­ weis der Art in diesem Teil Kroatiens. Es handelt licher gelegenen Slawonien. sich um den Fund eines nichtflüggen Jungvogels 222 Orn. Verh. 25, 1995 Literature B o u c h e r , M. (1978):© Birds Ornithologische of Prey Gesellschaft of Britain Bayern, download and unterP e rwww.biologiezentrum.at r in s , Ch. (1987): Birds of Britain and Europe. Europe. Hamlyn, London-New York-Syd- D. Attenborough (ed.). ney-Toronto. P o r t e r , R. F et al. (1981): Flight Identification of C r a m p , S. & S im m o n s K. E. L. (eds., 1979): the European Raptors. T. & A. D. Poyser, Berk- Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. II, 251- hamsted. 258. Oxford University Press, Oxford. R u c n e r , R . (1968): The Relationsip Between the D e l ic , a . (1988): Ptice mocvarice ribnjacarstva Mediterranean Vegetation and Mediterran- „Koncanica“ Larus 40: 25-33. ean Elements of the Avifauna of the Balkan M a t v e j e v , S. & V a s ic , v . F. (1973): Catalogus Peninsula. Larus 16-18: 79-105. faunae Jugoslaviae. 4/3 Aves. ConsoliumV a s ic , V F. et al. (1985): The Status of Birds of Acad. Sei. et Art. R.B.S.F.J. Ljubljana. Prey in Yugoslavia with Particular Referen­ M u z in ic , J. & M ik u s k a , J. (1992): Ptice Hrvatske.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Multi-Gene Phylogeny of Aquiline Eagles (Aves: Accipitriformes) Reveals Extensive Paraphyly at the Genus Level
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com MOLECULAR SCIENCE•NCE /W\/Q^DIRI DIRECT® PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION ELSEVIER Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35 (2005) 147-164 www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev A multi-gene phylogeny of aquiline eagles (Aves: Accipitriformes) reveals extensive paraphyly at the genus level Andreas J. Helbig'^*, Annett Kocum'^, Ingrid Seibold^, Michael J. Braun^ '^ Institute of Zoology, University of Greifswald, Vogelwarte Hiddensee, D-18565 Kloster, Germany Department of Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Rd., Suitland, MD 20746, USA Received 19 March 2004; revised 21 September 2004 Available online 24 December 2004 Abstract The phylogeny of the tribe Aquilini (eagles with fully feathered tarsi) was investigated using 4.2 kb of DNA sequence of one mito- chondrial (cyt b) and three nuclear loci (RAG-1 coding region, LDH intron 3, and adenylate-kinase intron 5). Phylogenetic signal was highly congruent and complementary between mtDNA and nuclear genes. In addition to single-nucleotide variation, shared deletions in nuclear introns supported one basal and two peripheral clades within the Aquilini. Monophyly of the Aquilini relative to other birds of prey was confirmed. However, all polytypic genera within the tribe, Spizaetus, Aquila, Hieraaetus, turned out to be non-monophyletic. Old World Spizaetus and Stephanoaetus together appear to be the sister group of the rest of the Aquilini. Spiza- stur melanoleucus and Oroaetus isidori axe nested among the New World Spizaetus species and should be merged with that genus. The Old World 'Spizaetus' species should be assigned to the genus Nisaetus (Hodgson, 1836). The sister species of the two spotted eagles (Aquila clanga and Aquila pomarina) is the African Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis).
    [Show full text]
  • Iucn Red Data List Information on Species Listed On, and Covered by Cms Appendices
    UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC4/Doc.8/Rev.1/Annex 1 ANNEX 1 IUCN RED DATA LIST INFORMATION ON SPECIES LISTED ON, AND COVERED BY CMS APPENDICES Content General Information ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Species in Appendix I ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Mammalia ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Aves ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Reptilia ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Pisces .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Studies of Less Familiar Birds 161 Booted Eagle R
    Studies of less familiar birds 161 Booted Eagle R. F. Porter Photographs by Pierre Petit, M. D. England and A. N. H. Peach Plates j 2- j 8 The Booted Eagle Hkramtus pennatus is a small eagle similar in size to a Buzzard Buteo buteo, but of slimmer build, with narrower wings and a longer tail. In flight its proportions are not unlike those of a Black Kite Mikus migrans, though the tail is square-ended, not forked (plate 58). When perched, its long feathered tarsi, or 'boots', are characteristic (plate 53b). The species is dimorphic, a feature which, among European birds of prey, it shares only with Eleonora's Falcon Fa/co eleonorae. Many raptors show considerable plumage variations, but in most cases these take the form of clines from very pale to very dark through a whole range of intermediates. The Booted Eagle has two very distinct phases—a light and a dark. This dimorphism is exhibited by both sexes; breeding pairs frequently consist of one dark and one light and their offspring may be either light or dark. Both phases are brilliantly illustrated in plates 52-58. The light phase has a lightly streaked tawny-rufous head and neck, with a white forehead and superciliary stripe and dark tawny-brown ear-coverts and cheeks. The under-parts are white with rufous streaks on the chin, upper breast and flanks (plates 5 5 a and b), and the under wing-coverts are also white with brownish flecks (plate 5 8b). Im- matures look more 'gingery' below. The white under-parts extend on to the 'shoulder' to form a white patch (especially plate 5 2).
    [Show full text]
  • Repeated Sequence Homogenization Between the Control and Pseudo
    Repeated Sequence Homogenization Between the Control and Pseudo-Control Regions in the Mitochondrial Genomes of the Subfamily Aquilinae LUIS CADAH´IA1*, WILHELM PINSKER1, JUAN JOSE´ NEGRO2, 3 4 1 MIHAELA PAVLICEV , VICENTE URIOS , AND ELISABETH HARING 1Molecular Systematics, 1st Zoological Department, Museum of Natural History Vienna, Vienna, Austria 2Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estacio´n Biolo´gica de Don˜ana, Sevilla, Spain 3Centre of Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biology, Faculty for Natural Sciences and Math, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway 4Estacio´n Biolo´gica Terra Natura (Fundacio´n Terra Natura—CIBIO), Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain ABSTRACT In birds, the noncoding control region (CR) and its flanking genes are the only parts of the mitochondrial (mt) genome that have been modified by intragenomic rearrangements. In raptors, two noncoding regions are present: the CR has shifted to a new position with respect to the ‘‘ancestral avian gene order,’’ whereas the pseudo-control region (CCR) is located at the original genomic position of the CR. As possible mechanisms for this rearrangement, duplication and transposition have been considered. During characterization of the mt gene order in Bonelli’s eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus, we detected intragenomic sequence similarity between the two regions supporting the duplication hypothesis. We performed intra- and intergenomic sequence comparisons in H. fasciatus and other falconiform species to trace the evolution of the noncoding mtDNA regions in Falconiformes. We identified sections displaying different levels of similarity between the CR and CCR. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, we outline an evolutionary scenario of the underlying mutation events involving duplication and homogenization processes followed by sporadic deletions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Eagle Genus Hieraaetus Is Distinct from Aquila, with Comments on the Name Ayres’ Eagle
    William S. Clark 295 Bull. B.O.C. 2012 132(4) The eagle genus Hieraaetus is distinct from Aquila, with comments on the name Ayres’ Eagle by William S. Clark Received 16 April 2012 Consensus has long existed among taxonomists as to the placement of the species of the eagles in the genera Aquila and Hieraaetus, the only exception being Wahlberg’s Eagle, which has been treated either as A. wahlbergi or H. wahlbergi. However, recent comparisons of DNA sequences of these eagles revealed that both genera were polyphyletic (Helbig et al. 2005, Lerner & Mindell 2005, Griffiths et al. 2007, Haring et al. 2007). To ensure monophyly, these authors recommended that some species be moved into and out of both genera and placed Wahlberg’s Eagle definitely in Hieraaetus. On the other hand, Sangster et al. (2005) recommended that Hieraaetus be subsumed into Aquila, for which they cite eight recent phylogenetic studies, only four of them published in peer-reviewed journals (Roulin & Wink 2004, Bunce et al. 2005, Helbig et al. 2005, Lerner & Mindell 2005); all of which, nevertheless, retained Hieraaetus. Thus, none of the four peer-reviewed journal articles cited by Sangster et al. (2005) to justify placing Hieraaetus into Aquila actually recommended this. Further, Sangster et al. (2005) proposed only that Booted Eagle (pennatus) be included in Aquila, because their recommendations only considered European birds. The generic treatment of Sangster et al. (2005) was followed without comment by Gjershaug et al. (2009) in describing Weiske’s or Pygmy Eagle (weiskei) as a species separate from Little Eagle H.
    [Show full text]
  • Habitat Preferences of Bonelli's Eagles Aquila Fasciata in Sicily
    Bird Study (2012) 59, 207–217 Habitat preferences of Bonelli’s Eagles Aquila fasciata in Sicily MASSIMILIANO DI VITTORIO1, MAURIZIO SARA` 1 and PASCUAL LO´ PEZ-LO´ PEZ2∗ 1Department of Environmental Biology and Biodiversity, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 93100 Palermo, Italy and 2Vertebrate Zoology Research Group, Instituto Universitario de Investigacio´n CIBIO, University of Alicante, Campus San Vicente del Raspeig, Edificio Ciencias III, 03080 Alicante, Spain Capsule For breeding, areas dominated by extensive agricultural and rugged Mediterranean landscapes are preferred; maintenance of habitat heterogeneity and extensive agriculture are key for the conservation of this eagle. Aims To model breeding habitat preferences of Bonelli’s Eagles Aquila fasciata in Sicily, where the last viable population still remains in Italy, in order to identify the most important habitats for conservation. Methods Pairs were monitored between 1990 and 2010. A case-control design through GLMs was used at two spatial scales: landscape and home-range. Variables included topographic, climatic, land-use, road and descriptors of habitat heterogeneity. Information-based criteria were used to select the best subset of predictors. Results A total of 22 breeding pairs are still breeding, which represent about the 90% of the Italian popu- lation. The best models at both scales showed that Bonelli’s Eagles were clearly associated with Mediterra- nean features, including rugged areas surrounded by extensive arable land, shrubland and herbaceous vegetation. Our results emphasize the negative effects of habitat fragmentation and agricultural intensifica- tion on the probability of occurrence of Bonelli’s Eagles. Conclusion The distribution of Bonelli’s Eagles in Sicily can be described by a relatively small number of topographical and land-use variables.
    [Show full text]
  • Accipitridae Species Tree
    Accipitridae I: Hawks, Kites, Eagles Pearl Kite, Gampsonyx swainsonii ?Scissor-tailed Kite, Chelictinia riocourii Elaninae Black-winged Kite, Elanus caeruleus ?Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris ?Letter-winged Kite, Elanus scriptus White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus African Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides typus ?Madagascan Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides radiatus Gypaetinae Palm-nut Vulture, Gypohierax angolensis Egyptian Vulture, Neophron percnopterus Bearded Vulture / Lammergeier, Gypaetus barbatus Madagascan Serpent-Eagle, Eutriorchis astur Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus Gray-headed Kite, Leptodon cayanensis ?White-collared Kite, Leptodon forbesi Swallow-tailed Kite, Elanoides forficatus European Honey-Buzzard, Pernis apivorus Perninae Philippine Honey-Buzzard, Pernis steerei Oriental Honey-Buzzard / Crested Honey-Buzzard, Pernis ptilorhynchus Barred Honey-Buzzard, Pernis celebensis Black-breasted Buzzard, Hamirostra melanosternon Square-tailed Kite, Lophoictinia isura Long-tailed Honey-Buzzard, Henicopernis longicauda Black Honey-Buzzard, Henicopernis infuscatus ?Black Baza, Aviceda leuphotes ?African Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda cuculoides ?Madagascan Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda madagascariensis ?Jerdon’s Baza, Aviceda jerdoni Pacific Baza, Aviceda subcristata Red-headed Vulture, Sarcogyps calvus White-headed Vulture, Trigonoceps occipitalis Cinereous Vulture, Aegypius monachus Lappet-faced Vulture, Torgos tracheliotos Gypinae Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus White-rumped Vulture, Gyps bengalensis Himalayan
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny, Historical Biogeography and the Evolution of Migration in Accipitrid Birds of Prey (Aves: Accipitriformes)
    Ornis Hungarica 2014. 22(1): 15–35. DOI: 10.2478/orhu-2014-0008 Phylogeny, historical biogeography and the evolution of migration in accipitrid birds of prey (Aves: Accipitriformes) Jenő nagy1 & Jácint tökölyi2* Jenő Nagy & Jácint Tökölyi 2014. Phylogeny, historical biogeography and the evolution of mig ration in accipitrid birds of prey (Aves: Accipitriformes). – Ornis Hungarica 22(1): 15–35. Abstract Migration plays a fundamental part in the life of most temperate bird species. The re­ gu lar, large­scale seasonal movements that characterize temperate migration systems appear to have originated in parallel with the postglacial northern expansion of tropical species. Migratoriness is also in- fluenced by a number of ecological factors, such as the ability to survive harsh winters. Hence, understanding the origins and evolution of migration requires integration of the biogeographic history and ecology of birds in a phylogenetic context. We used molecular dating and ancestral state reconstruction to infer the origins and evolu- tionary changes in migratory behavior and ancestral area reconstruction to investigate historical patterns of range evolution in accipitrid birds of prey (Accipitriformes). Migration evolved multiple times in birds of prey, the ear- liest of which occurred in true hawks (Accipitrinae), during the middle Miocene period, according to our analy- ses. In most cases, a tropical ancestral distribution was inferred for the non­migratory ancestors of migratory line- ages. Results from directional evolutionary tests indicate that migration evolved in the tropics and then increased the rate of colonization of temperate habitats, suggesting that temperate species might be descendants of tropi- cal ones that dispersed into these seasonal habitats.
    [Show full text]
  • Arabian Peninsula
    THE CONSERVATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE BREEDING BIRDS OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA Compiled by Andy Symes, Joe Taylor, David Mallon, Richard Porter, Chenay Simms and Kevin Budd ARABIAN PENINSULA The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM - Regional Assessment About IUCN IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN’s work focuses on valuing and conserving nature, ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use, and deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and development. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world, and brings governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with almost 1,300 government and NGO Members and more than 15,000 volunteer experts in 185 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by almost 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. www.iucn.org About the Species Survival Commission The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of IUCN’s six volunteer commissions with a global membership of around 7,500 experts. SSC advises IUCN and its members on the wide range of technical and scientific aspects of species conservation, and is dedicated to securing a future for biodiversity. SSC has significant input into the international agreements dealing with biodiversity conservation. About BirdLife International BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation Partnership. BirdLife is widely recognised as the world leader in bird conservation.
    [Show full text]
  • Brief Report Colour Morph Does Not Predict Brood Size in the Booted Eagle
    Ornis Fennica 93: 130–136. 2016 Brief report Colour morph does not predict brood size in the Booted Eagle José Enrique Martínez*, José Francisco Calvo, María Victoria Jiménez-Franco, Iñigo Zuberogoitia & Pascual López-López J.E. Martínez, Bonelli’s Eagle Study and Conservation Group, Apdo. 4009, 30080 Murcia, Spain. * Corresponding author’s e-mail: [email protected] J.E. Martínez, J.F. Calvo, M.V. Jiménez-Franco, Departamento de Ecología e Hidro- logía. Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain I. Zuberogoitia, Estudios Medioambientales Icarus, S.L. C/ San Vicente, 8. 6ª Planta. Dpto 8. Edificio Albia I, 48001 Bilbao, Spain P. López-López, Terrestrial Vertebrates Group, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, C/ Catedrático José Beltrán 2, E-46980, Paterna, Valencia, Spain Received 22 October 2015, accepted 19 February 2016 Mechanisms regulating colour polymorphism remain largely unknown and detailed in- vestigation is required to explore the biological consequences on population dynamics. This paper presents the first study of the possible connection between colour polymor- phism and productivity in a Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata) population breeding in south- eastern Spain. To that end we used 19 years of data of non-marked individuals. A total of 738 pale (91.6%) and 68 dark (8.4%) adult Booted Eagles were observed in our study area, including 57 territories. Our results suggest that colour morph of both sexes re- mained stable in the population over the study period. Although we found a higher num- ber of offspring produced by parents exhibiting the dark morph than those of the pale morph, statistical differences were not significant.
    [Show full text]
  • Golden Eagle
    Species Sheets: Golden Eagle Common name: Golden Eagle Latin Name: Aquila chrysaetos Field Marks: Length 30-40 inches Wing span 80-88 inches photo by Kate Davis © arge raptor with seven-foot wingspan. Dark Nest and eggs: Lbrown overall with golden feathers on back of Large stick nests on cliffs, lined with greenery. In head. Young show white patches in middle of wings some regions nests in trees. Nests may be used year and white at base of tale up until breeding age of 4- after year by mated pair. 1-3 eggs, incubation 41-45 6 years. Adult males have several light bars on tail, days. Often only one chick survives. Fledging 65-80 females one band. “Booted eagle” with feathers days. Young dependant upon adults for several months down to the toes. In flight holds wings in slight afterward. May live up to 38 years in wild. dihedral, versus flatter profile of Bald Eagles. Six subspecies across Northern Hemisphere. Movement: Habitat: Northern birds may migrate into Mexico and Central America. Many remain year-round. Most breeders in Open, often remote country. Mountains, plains, Montana are probably year-round residents. plateaus, deserts with winds and thermals to help hunting abilities. Less successful where thick vegetation and shrubs provide hiding cover for prey Interesting Fact: and obstruct low flight. More than 20,000 Golden Eagles were shot and trapped in the southwest U.S. in the 1950’s and 60’s Behavior: because they were known to kill newborn sheep. With Prey is mostly medium and large mammals. Rabbits, this and the killing of coyotes, the rabbit population hares, ground squirrels, marmots, and young deer increased to numbers that reduced the forage of grass and antelope.
    [Show full text]
  • FOOD of the BOOTED EAGLE &Lpar;<I>HIERAAETUS PENNATUS</I
    FOOD OF THE BOOTED EAGLE (HIERAAETUS PENNATUS) IN CENTRAL SPAIN JoskP. VEIGA ABSTRACT.m The identificationof 202 prey remainsof the BootedEagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) shows that mammals (41.6%of preyitems identified), birds (36.6%) and reptiles(21.8%) are importantprey in CentralSpain. Most mammals capturedwere youngrabbits, and the majorityof the bird prey were fledglingsor juveniles.Lizards were adult or subadultindividuals. Over 90% of the preycaptured weighed between 27 and 243 g. Little is known about the biologyof the Booted but no eagleswere seen in 1981.Visits were made approximately Eagle(Hieraaetus pennatus), as it occursin countries every 15 d from shortlybefore incubation (mid-late April) until after the youngleft the nest(mid-late August). During the feeding with little ornithologicalactivity. Most published periodnests were occasionallyvisited every 7 d. Pelletsand prey accountsof food habitsare singleenumerations of remainswere sought in andaround nests and below perches which prey remainsrecorded mainly during sporadicvis- were usuallywithin a 200 m radiusof the nests. its to nests(Valverde 1967; Arafijo 1973; Garz0n A total of 110 pellets,containing 130 identifiableprey items, 1973;Iribarren ! 975). This procedureprovides an and72 preyremains were collected. Each species found in anyone pelletwas counted as 1 individualunless it waspossible to show inaccuratepicture of diet, sinceprey that are large that more than 1 wasrepresented. Therefore, it wasnecessary to and leave persistentremains are over-represented countpieces of remainssuch as nails, beaks, teeth, etc. Weight and in samples(e.g., Valverde 1967;Delibes 1975). In approximateage of the prey were estimatedby comparingre- spiteof this, severalrecent papers dealing with the mainswith materialfrom zoologicalcollections and with speci- menscollected in the studyareas.
    [Show full text]