Population counts and potential impact of two successful invaders in a town of Northern Italy: the case of ring-necked parakeet and Alexandrine parakeet in Reggio Emilia

Viviano, Andrea; Mori, Emiliano

doi:10.4081/nhs.2021.518

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Early detection and surveillance programs of new invasions (or newly invaded areas) by alien 1 3 in Mediterranean countries (e.g. Domènech et al 2003;Postigo et al 2017;Grandi et al 2018;Per 2018;Viviano and Mori 2021) and thus their impacts may become manifest or increase in the near future (White et al 2019;Mori et al 2020). In Southern Europe, breeding phenology of the ring-necked parakeet may have helped its invasion success, as it occupies tree cavities earlier than native birds for breeding purposes (Luna et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rescue data as an alternative for assessing trends and phenological changes in two invasive parakeet species

et al. 2022

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Monitoring population trends of alien species is pivotal to design effective management plans to preserve native biodiversity, particularly urban areas, where most populations of alien birds are established. Urban wildlife rescue centers, with personnel trained to record species, age and sex of each individual brought by the public, may represent a reliable citizen-science based method to estimate both local changes in alien species phenology and population trends. In this work, we analysed records of monk and ring-necked parakeets by comparing rescue records in the urban area of Rome from the last 15 years. We also tested whether breeding phenology of alien parakeets showed any changes since the start of the invasion processes.We recorded a strong correlation between the number of rescued parakeets and their population trends, thus confirming the importance of wildlife rescue centers in monitoring populations of alien species in urban areas. We also observed a shift in the breeding phenology of these parakeet species. The hatching peak for ring-necked parakeet occurred in early spring, in line with previous studies on the reproduction of this species, but with a slight increase in the number of months with evidence of breeding in the last years. As to the monk parakeet, our findings support the expansion of its reproductive season between 2006 and 2020 in Rome, with chicks currently being observed for seven months a year. Therefore, data collected through wildlife rescue centers may help improving models of population growth of alien species established in urban areas.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rescue data as an alternative for assessing trends and phenological changes in two invasive parakeet species

et al. 2022

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“…Where introduced, the ring-necked parakeet is considered responsible for competition with native European hole-nesting birds, e.g. the nuthatch Sitta europaea, the hoopoe Upupa epops, the common swift Apus apus, and the scops owl Otus scops (Strubbe et al 2010;Orchan et al 2012;Yosef et al 2016;Mori et al 2017b;Grandi et al 2018), crop damage (Mentil et al 2018;Viviano and Mori 2021), disease transmission (Mazza et al 2014;Sa et al 2014) and, at high population density, noise pollution (Mori et al 2020). The main impact is the competition with threatened bat species using tree holes as roost sites, including noctule bat Nyctalus spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main impact is the competition with threatened bat species using tree holes as roost sites, including noctule bat Nyctalus spp. and other species (Gebhardt 1996;Haarsma and van der Graaf 2013;Hernandez-Brito et al 2014, 2018Menchetti et al 2014;Viviano and Mori 2021). In Sevilla (Spain), the number of parakeet nests exponentially increased in 14 years and at the same time the number of trees occupied by the threatened greater noctule Nyctalus lasiopterus declined of about 80% (Hernandez-Brito et al 2014, 2018.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidence of interactions between parrots and cavity-roosting bats are mostly anecdotal and from areas at the early stages of invasions (e.g. Menchetti et al 2014;Viviano and Mori 2021), thus requiring targeted and more specific monitoring schemes to be fully assessed. Three species of noctules (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…located in urban alleys in the year 2000 (Scaravelli and Guidi 2001;Zaccaroni et al 2008). Within the same region, three species of introduced parakeets have been recorded so far: the monk parakeet, which could now be locally extinct (Ferri and Villani 1995;Mori et al 2013;Viviano and Mori 2021), the Alexandrine parakeet, occurring in the city of Reggio Emilia since 2011 (Viviano and Mori 2021), and the ring-necked parakeet, occurring in at least three cities and showing dramatically increasing demographic trends (Parau et al 2016;Chessa 2020;Viviano and Mori 2021). Although some individuals have been detected in the surroundings of the town with the noctule bat colony, no evidence of reproduction by the ring-necked parakeet is available from this area (cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Alien parakeets as a potential threat to the common noctule Nyctalus noctula

et al. 2022

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The ring-necked parakeet Psittacula krameri (Aves: Psittaciformes) is a widely distributed species of Asian and African origin, which occurs with over 40 alien populations in the rest of the world. Most established populations of this species are showing a clear trend of territorial expansion and numerical growth. Recent reviews highlighted that one of the main impacts by alien ring-necked parakeets is the competition with threatened bat species using trunk cavities as roosts. In Italy, the only known reproductive population of Nyctalus bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) occurs in an urban area in the central part of the country, surrounded by increasing and expanding populations of ring-necked parakeets. In this work, we updated the population status of both ring-necked and Alexandrine parakeets and breeding noctule bats in the region. Then, we ran a species distribution model using Maxent software to analyze the environmental suitability of the region for the ring-necked parakeet and a connectivity model using Circuitscape software to predict the possibility of its expansion in the area occupied by breeding noctule bats. We recorded a high number of individual parakeets and breeding colonies, together with a remarkable noctule population decline, from about 400 to about 120 individuals, in the last 20 years, possibly due to urban green management practices. Although some ring-necked parakeets have already been observed in the study area, there is no evidence of reproduction in the surroundings of the noctule colony. However, our model showed a high environmental suitability for the ring-necked parakeet in the area occupied by breeding noctules. As well, the connectivity model showed the potential for a direct flow of individuals from the main urban centers to the area used by noctule bats. The arrival of alien parakeets to the area occupied by the bat breeding colony should be tightly monitored by surveying the suitable areas for this bird, as well as the identified ecological corridors. Early detection of new invasions, together with a sustainable urban green management practice, may prevent the extinction of the southernmost breeding colony of the common noctule.

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The magpie and the grapes: increasing ozone exposure impacts fruit consumption by a common corvid in a suburban environment

Viviano,

Mori,

Manzini

et al. 2023

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUNDThe Eurasian magpie Pica pica is a resident bird species able to colonize farmlands and anthropized environments. This corvid shows a wide trophic spectrum by including fruits, invertebrates, small vertebrates, and carcasses in its diet. A camera‐trap experiment has been carried out to test the effect of different ozone (O3) concentrations on potted Vitis vinifera plants, which result in different grape consumption rates by suburban birds. The test was performed at an Ozone‐Free Air Controlled Exposure (FACE) facility, consisting of nine plots with three O3 levels where AA is ambient O3 concentration and two elevated O3 levels (ambient air with a 50% increase in O3 concentration, 1.5x AA; and ambient air with a 100% increase in O3 concentration, 2.0x AA). Camera‐traps were located in front of each treatment area and kept active for 24 h/day and for 5‐day periods throughout a total of 3 months to monitor grape consumption by birds.RESULTSWe collected a total of 38 videos: Eurasian magpies were the only grape consumers, with a total of 6.7 ± 3.3 passages per hour (mean ± SD), with no differences across different O3 treatments. The grapes in the AA treatment were consumed significantly faster than those in the 1.5x AA treatment, which were, in turn, consumed faster than those in the 2.0x AA treatment. After 3 days from the start of treatment, 94, 53 and 22% berries from AA, 1.5x AA, and 2.0x AA treatments were eaten, respectively. When the O3 was turned off, berries were consumed at the same rate among treatments.CONCLUSIONIncreasing O3 concentrations limited grape consumption by the magpie likely because O3 acted as a deterrent for magpies, while the lower sugar content recorded in the 2.0x AA berries did not affect the consumption when O3 was turned off. Our results provided valuable insights to mitigate human‐wildlife conflicts in suburban environments.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Population counts and potential impact of two successful invaders in a town of Northern Italy: the case of ring-necked parakeet and Alexandrine parakeet in Reggio Emilia

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

Rescue data as an alternative for assessing trends and phenological changes in two invasive parakeet species

Rescue data as an alternative for assessing trends and phenological changes in two invasive parakeet species

Alien parakeets as a potential threat to the common noctule Nyctalus noctula

The magpie and the grapes: increasing ozone exposure impacts fruit consumption by a common corvid in a suburban environment

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