Habitat use and diet of Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) wintering in an intensive agricultural landscape of the Netherlands

Geiger, Flavia; Hegemann, Arne; Gleichman, Maurits; Flinks, Heiner; Snoo, G.R. de; Prinz, Sebastian; Tieleman, B. Irene; Berendse, F.

doi:10.1007/s10336-013-1033-5

Cited by 28 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Furthermore, larger individuals may possibly also be able to store bigger fat reserves and hence may be able to survive longer periods of fastening. Further support for the dominance hypothesis comes from the fact that winter food for skylarks in the Netherlands appears limited (Geiger et al 2014). Moreover, resident skylarks are in winter accompanied by skylarks originating from more northern and eastern populations (Hegemann et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The skylark, as well as many other farmland birds, continues to rapidly decline in many (western) European countries and especially in the Netherlands (SOVON 2002;PECBMS 2009). We have shown previously that skylarks wintering in the northern Netherlands experience a lack of energyrich food, and this may minimize the ability of skylarks to meet daily energy requirements (Geiger et al 2014). Our study is consistent with and builds on this research by demonstrating that skylarks that winter in the Netherlands also have reduced immune function and lower future return rates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Causes and Consequences of Partial Migration in a Passerine Bird

Hegemann

Marra

Tieleman

2015

The American Naturalist

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Many animal species have populations in which some individuals migrate and others remain on the breeding grounds. This phenomenon is called partial migration. Despite substantial theoretical work, empirical data on causes and consequences of partial migration remain scarce, mainly because of difficulties associated with tracking individuals over large spatial scales. We used stable hydrogen isotopes in claw material to determine whether skylarks Alauda arvensis from a single breeding population in the Netherlands had migrated or remained resident in the previous winter and investigated whether there were causes or consequences of either strategy. Age and sex had no influence on the propensity to migrate, but larger individuals were more likely to be residents. The wintering strategy was not fixed within individuals. Up to 45% of individuals measured in multiple years switched strategies. Reproductive parameters were not related to the wintering strategy, but individuals that wintered locally experienced lower future return rates, and this was directly correlated with two independent measures of immune function. Our results suggest that partial migration in skylarks is based neither on genetic dimorphism nor on an age- and sex-dependent condition. Instead, the wintering strategy is related to structural size and immune function. These new insights on causes and consequences of partial migration advance our understanding of the ecology, evolution, and coexistence of different life-history strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and Consequences of Partial Migration in a Passerine Bird

Hegemann

Marra

Tieleman

2015

The American Naturalist

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“…Implications for agri-environmental management Sufficient food availability on farmland is important for Skylark populations, not only during the breeding season but also in winter (Donald et al 2001c;Geiger et al 2014). Yet, for effective conservation of the Skylark, it is essential to implement measures that not only improve food availability but also provide a safe nesting habitat.…”

Section: Skylark Reproductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decline of the Skylark has been linked to changes in agricultural land use and decreased habitat diversity at the farm and landscape scales, which have reduced the number of breeding attempts that Skylarks undertake per year (Wilson et al 1997;Chamberlain and Vickery 2000;Geiger et al 2010;Guerrero et al 2012). Additionally, summer and winter food resources for Skylarks have diminished due to increased agrochemical inputs and the loss of semi-natural habitat elements Geiger et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of breeding habitat and field margins on the reproductive performance of Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) on intensive farmland

et al. 2015

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Field margin management is a common measure employed in Europe to support farmland bird populations. In this study we found and analysed 237 nests of the Skylark Alauda arvensis in the Netherlands over a period of 6 years to determine the effects of arable field margins and breeding crop on nest-level reproductive success. Additionally, the effect of field margins on predation was investigated and food availability in crops and field margins was compared. Neither clutch size, nest survival nor nestling body weight were improved by field margin availability, irrespective of the breeding crop used. However, the choice of breeding crop had important effects. Nestling weight was significantly lower in cereals than in grassland and lucerne, corresponding with the low prey densities present in cereals. Nest survival was lowest in grassland due to frequent silage cutting. Predation rates were highest in cereals but were not affected by field margin proximity. The highest reproductive success was achieved in lucerne, which was mown twice a year and retained a suitable height for breeding throughout the breeding season. We conclude that field margins are not sufficient to maintain a Skylark population in this intensively farmed area. The presumably more subtle effects of increased food availability cannot compensate for the high nest failure rates resulting from agricultural operations and predation. In this and similar areas, the provisioning of safe nesting habitat throughout the breeding season is essential to improve breeding performance. Our research suggests that this can be achieved by reducing the frequency of silage cutting on grassland and by increasing the surface area of lucerne.

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“…Our experiments particularly focused on the possible trade-off between seed oil content and seed size which was quantified by seed mass as they are positively correlated. We selected weed seeds which form the bulk of the diet of skylarks during the critical wintering period (Geiger et al, 2014) and because weed seed predation is suggested as an alternative to herbicides used to regulate weed populations in arable crops (Westerman et al, 2008), although this is still a matter for discussion. Available weed seeds (more than 200 species in typical winter wheat stubbles in, e.g., our study site: Gaba et al, 2010;Meiss et al, 2010) are highly variable with regard to size and lipid content, both traits strongly influencing seed nutritive value.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%