Artificial Ground Nest Survival in two Abandoned Farmland Habitats on Šolta Island (Croatia)

Abstract

On the Dalmatian Islands native large bodied ground-nesting bird species are rare, while the introduced Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is currently very common and often breed in abandoned farmlands. The survival chance of its nests in two different habitats was surveyed by using artificial ground nests on Šolta Island in May 2008. Within a week, predators found and damaged all (100%) of the nests in the abandoned vineyards and 88% of those located in abandoned fields. The daily survival rate of artificial nests in the abandoned vineyard (41.86%) was significantly lower than that in the abandoned fields (79.82%). Predation patterns of chicken eggs versus plasticine eggs were similar in the two habitats. Predators removed 72% of chicken eggs and 72% of plasticine eggs from nests in the abandoned vineyard, and 64% of chicken eggs and 44% of plasticine eggs from nests in the abandoned fields. The primary predators to nests of ground-nesting birds on Šolta Island are Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix). Damage to nests caused by small bodied birds, small mammals and snakes was quite insignificant. Wild boars (Sus scrofa) that colonised the island about a decade ago did not damage the experimental nests.