Forested areas provide important breeding habitats for the turtledove (Streptopelia turtur) in DadiaLefkimi-Soufli National Park, Northeastern Greece. We censused the birds in two forested habitat types using the point-count technique at 60 sites during the breeding season (from mid-April to mid-June) in 2001 and 2002. We sampled vegetation structure at the same sites by measuring horizontal (tree species and density in different size classes) and vertical (percentage canopy closure in dominant, intermediate, suppressed and shrub layer) characteristics within 0.04 ha circular plots centred on the established points. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques were employed to examine the response of the turtledove′s presence to habitat differences between used and unused sites. The results of this study indicate that habitat structure influence the presence of the turtledove during the breeding season. Middle-aged forest stands particularly those dominated by pine trees with low percentage cover in understory are likely to be beneficial to breeding the turtledove population. A combination of multipurpose forestry operations allowing development of managed woodland in mosaics with other habitat types could provide high-quality habitats for a wide range of wildlife species including game and non-game species in the area. Silvicultural methods of maintaining appropriate breeding habitat for turtledove in Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli National Park (DLS NP), which are in conflict with commercial forestry, are discussed.

No abstract

Stone martens (Martes foina) are documented as generalist throughout their distributional range whose diet composition is affected by food availability. We tested if this occurs and what feeding strategies it follows in a typical Mediterranean ecosystem in Central Greece by analysing contents from 106 stomachs, seasonally collected from three different habitats during 2003–2006. Seasonal variation in diet and feeding strategies was evident and linked to seasonal nutritional requirements, but possibly imposed by strong interference competition and intraguild predation. Fleshy fruits and arthropods predominated in the diet, but also mammals and birds were frequently consumed. An overall low dietary niche breadth (B A = 0.128) indicated a fruit specialization tendency. A generalised diet occurred in spring with high individual specialisation, whereas more animal-type prey was consumed than fruits. A population specialization towards fruits was indicated during summer and autumn, whereas insects were consumed occasionally by males. In those seasons it switched to more clumped food types such as fruits and insects. In winter it selectively exploited both adult and larvae insects and partially fruits overwinter on plants. The tendency to consume particular prey items seasonally reflected both the population specialist behaviour and the individual flexibility preyed on different food resources.

No abstract

Home range size and foraging habitat use in breeding lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni), a bird species of conservation concern, were investigated during the breeding season of the species in 2008 in an intensively cultivated area of central Greece, using radio-tracking. Grasshopper (the main prey) densities were measured at the most important habitats (cotton, cereals, grasslands and margins). Home ranges were not significantly different between sexes either as overall means or during incubation and nestling periods. Movements of both sexes were non-random during incubation but random during the nestling period. Habitats used by males during incubation ranked as: margins > other > cotton > corn > cereals and during nestling period as: cereals > margins > grasslands > corn > cotton. Female habitat use greatly differed ranking as cereals > cotton > grasslands during incubation and as grassland > cotton > corn > cereals > margins during nestling period. Female habitat use seemed to be in disagreement with the conditions generally favouring prey availability, probably for reasons associated with low and uniform distribution of grasshopper densities over the habitats.