Diet of nestling Linnets<i>Carduelis cannabina</i>on lowland farmland before and after agricultural intensification

Moorcroft, Darren; Wilson, Jeremy D.; Bradbury, Richard B.

doi:10.1080/00063650609461428

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…2 and 3, Table A1.1). Therefore, we cannot preclude the possibility that the low diversity in the diet of Little Bustard in irrigated farmland is reflecting the reduced availability of alternative resources as a consequence of agricultural intensification as has been reported in other species (Britschgi et al 2006, Moorcroft et al 2006, Cardador et al 2012.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet composition of a declining steppe bird the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in relation to farming practices

Bravo¹,

Cuscó²,

Morales³

et al. 2017

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ABSTRACT. Foraging strategies and diet selection play an essential role in individual survival and reproductive success. The study of feeding ecology becomes crucial when it concerns endangered species such as the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax), whose populations are suffering strong declines as a consequence of agricultural intensification. Despite the fact that several populations are overwintering in areas affected by agricultural transformation, nothing is known about how feeding behavior responds to these changes. We studied for the first time the winter diet composition of the Little Bustard in Spain and compared it between areas with two different farming systems: dry and irrigated farmland. Diet was studied through the micro-histological analysis of 357 droppings collected in 16 locations across the wintering range of the Little Bustard in Spain. Up to 62 plant species were identified. Most consumed species were cultivated legumes (46.7%) and dicotyledon weeds (45.6%), while monocotyledons were scarcely consumed (7.7%). Diet composition differed significantly between dry and irrigated farmland areas. In irrigated areas, diet was mainly composed of legumes, in particular alfalfa (Medicago sativa). In contrast, in dry farmland areas diet was more diverse, composed mainly of weeds (Compositae, Papaveraceae, and Cruciferae) and also cultivated legumes, particularly vetch (Vicia sativa). These results suggest that legume crops could be an effective measure to improve habitat quality in areas with scarce food resources. However, in the case of irrigated areas, the strong reliance on alfalfa could make the Little Bustard more vulnerable to changes in land use. This study is the first step to understand the winter trophic requirements of the endangered Little Bustard, but further research is necessary to understand the food requirements of this species during the entire annual cycle.Régime alimentaire d'un oiseau de steppe en diminution, l'Outarde canepetière (Tetrax tetrax), en lien avec les pratiques agricoles RÉSUMÉ. Les stratégies d'alimentation et le choix du régime alimentaire jouent un rôle essentiel dans la survie et le succès reproducteur d'un individu. L'étude de l'écologie alimentaire revêt une importance cruciale lorsqu'il s'agit d'une espèce en voie de disparition telle que l'Outarde canepetière (Tetrax tetrax), dont les populations subissent des diminutions très marquées en raison de l'intensification des pratiques agricoles. Malgré le fait que plusieurs populations hivernent dans des endroits où se produisent des changements agricoles, on ne sait pas comment les oiseaux adaptent leur comportement alimentaire face à ces changements. Nous avons étudié pour la première fois la composition du régime alimentaire hivernal de l'Outarde canepetière en Espagne, et l'avons comparée dans deux systèmes agricoles : des terres cultivées sèches ou irriguées. Le régime alimentaire a été examiné au moyen de l'analyse micro-histologique de 357 fèces récoltées sur 16 sites répartis dans l'aire d'hivernage de l'outar...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet composition of a declining steppe bird the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in relation to farming practices

Bravo¹,

Cuscó²,

Morales³

et al. 2017

ACE

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“…Some fields in our study were noted as being 'brassica' and we cannot determine the specific crop involved, but 52% of fields were classed as 'brassica-Oil Seed Rape', with no other categories noted; thus it seems likely that most fields were Oil Seed Rape. Previous studies have shown that Oil Seed Rape is favoured as a nesting habitat by Reed Buntings (Burton et al 1999, Surmacki 2004, Gruar et al 2006) and the crop is exploited as a food source for its seeds, leaves and rich associated invertebrate population by Common Linnets Carduelis cannabina L. (Moorcroft et al 2006), Common Wood Pigeons Columba palumbus L. (Inglis et al 1997) and Sky Larks . Green et al (1994) found that breeding bird abundance in hedgerows was positively associated with Oil Seed Rape over 18 study species pooled.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat associations of British breeding farmland birds

et al. 2009

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“…semi-natural grasslands, wetlands, farmsteads). Farmland birds are expected to be sensitive to loss of heterogeneity of cropped lands and surrounding Landscape Ecol non-crop land-uses because many species utilise noncrop habitats for nesting and crop habitats for foraging (Fuller et al 2004;Wilson et al 2005;Moorcroft et al 2006). Other farmland species that both forage and nest in fields may associate mainly to crop heterogeneities because of preferences to specific crop types or the use of several crop types at different times during the year (Wilson et al 1997;Gilroy et al 2010;Hiron et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship of bird diversity to crop and non-crop heterogeneity in agricultural landscapes

et al. 2015

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Context Habitat heterogeneity is often assumed to benefit farmland biodiversity. Increasing heterogeneity of non-crop habitats is often too costly in terms of agricultural production. It has been suggested that increased crop heterogeneity could mitigate the negative effects of intensification on biodiversity while still maintaining high production levels.Objectives We investigated if habitat-specific species pools of two groups of farmland birds, fieldnesting and non-crop-nesting species, were related to landscape-level heterogeneity of crop and non-crop cover. We analysed total number of species (gamma diversity) and average local species richness (alpha diversity) in landscapes and related these two biodiversity measures to four components of landscape heterogeneity (compositional and configurational heterogeneity of crop and non-crop cover). MethodsWe selected 30 farmland landscapes (each 25 km 2 ) in Sweden that largely broke up correlated relationships between crop and non-crop heterogeneity and between compositional and configurational heterogeneity. Estimates of species richness (alpha and gamma diversity) were calculated with bird survey data from specific habitats within landscapes (farmsteads and arable fields) and then related to measures of landscape heterogeneity.Results No measure of landscape species richness was associated with landscape-scale crop cover heterogeneities. However, gamma diversity of both bird groups was negatively related to the compositional and configurational heterogeneity of non-crop land-use in the landscapes, respectively. Conclusions Our results suggest that: (i) crop heterogeneities are not related to habitat-specific richness of farmland birds, (ii) heterogeneity effects of habitat complementarity in general are weak and (iii) relationships between diversity and heterogeneity in landscapes are dependent on the biodiversity measure used.

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Diet of nestling LinnetsCarduelis cannabinaon lowland farmland before and after agricultural intensification

Cited by 27 publications

References 16 publications

Diet composition of a declining steppe bird the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in relation to farming practices

Diet composition of a declining steppe bird the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in relation to farming practices

Habitat associations of British breeding farmland birds

The relationship of bird diversity to crop and non-crop heterogeneity in agricultural landscapes

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