Seasonal and spatial variation of the Montagu’s Harrier’s <i>Circus pygargus</i> diet in Eastern Poland

Mirski, Paweł; Krupiński, Dominik; Szulak, Krzysztof; Żmihorski, Michał

doi:10.1080/00063657.2016.1143914

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Distribution of the species in Poland is not uniform, but rather linked to extensive farmland management in the eastern part of the country. Here, Montagu's Harriers reach a density of a few times higher than in western Poland (Krupiński et al 2012) and exhibit a relatively higher diversity of vertebrates and insects in the diet (Mirski et al 2016) comparing to populations of similar latitude in Western Europe (Terrabue and Arroyo 2011). Unfortunately, the changes in agricultural management have been visible here as well and a decline in habitat quality in this stronghold of the Montagu's Harrier population can be expected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Ranging behaviour and habitat use in Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus in extensive farmland of Eastern Poland

Krupiński¹,

Kotowska

Recio

et al. 2020

J Ornithol

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Agriculture intensification drives changes in bird populations but also in the space use by farmland species. Agriculture in Eastern Europe still follows an extensive farming model, but due to policy shifts aimed at rural restructuring and implementation of government subsidies for farmers, it is being rapidly intensified. Here, we aimed to document the ranging behaviour and habitat use of a declining farmland bird of prey—Montagu’s Harrier—and to compare it to findings from Western Europe. In 2011–2018, 50 individuals were followed with GPS loggers in Eastern Poland to study species spatial ecology. We found home ranges (kernel 90%) to be considerably large: 67.3 (± 42.3) km2 in case of males, but only 4.9 (± 6.1) km2 in females. Home ranges overlapped by 40%, on average, with other males in colonies and by 61%, on average, between consecutive breeding seasons of a particular male. The average daily distance travelled by males and females reached, respectively, 94.5 and 45.3 km, covering a daily home range of 32.3 and 3.1 km2. Individuals foraged up to 35 km from nests (3.5 km on average). Daily distance travelled and daily home ranges varied across the breeding season, in case of females being shortest in July, but sharply increasing in August. Also, individuals with breeding success had higher daily distance travelled but smaller daily home ranges. Average harriers’ distance to nest was generally increasing over the season, but was also changing over time of day: birds were closest to nest during night time, but at the end of the season, males roosted up to 16 km from the nest. While foraging males slightly preferred grasslands, higher elevation and smaller land-use patches, they avoided slopes and proximity of roads. We conclude that the surprisingly large home ranges of breeding harriers may suggest reduced prey availability or high fragmentation of hunting areas, both driving birds to utilise large areas and potentially contributing to population decline.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Ranging behaviour and habitat use in Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus in extensive farmland of Eastern Poland

Krupiński¹,

Kotowska

Recio

et al. 2020

J Ornithol

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“…The number of birds killed in rural areas fluctuated greatly, reaching a peak in spring (June) and a minimum in late autumn (November), while the number caught in the urban environment remained stable throughout the year. The peak in the number of birds killed by cats in rural areas, which primarily occurs in spring, probably reflects the killing of juveniles (e.g., Liberg 1984;Churcher and Lawton 1987;Barrat 1997;Baker et al 2005;van Heezik et al 2010), and several other generalist predators hunt birds most often during this season (e.g., Mirski et al 2016). In winter, bird abundances are lower in rural areas due to seasonal migration, while in cities, most of the common species are sedentary (tree sparrow Passer montanus; house sparrow Passer domesticus; domestic pigeon Columba livia domestica), while migratory species are replaced by birds that winter in the city (e.g., Żmihorski et al 2010); urbanization stabilizes winter bird communities (Suhonen et al 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual variation in prey composition of domestic cats in rural and urban environment

2016

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The threat that domestic cats pose to wildlife has gained increased recognition by researchers and conservationists, and in this study, we investigated the seasonal variability and the effects of environment type (rural vs. urban) on the prey composition of free-ranging house cats in Poland. We analysed the variability in 307 monthly prey samples of different prey items killed by cats and brought to their owners (i.e., prey brought home by cats living in one home in one month) between 2002 and 2007 at 26 rural and urban sites. The variability in prey composition over time was analysed using additive models and canonical correspondence analysis. In total, we recorded 1348 prey items. Rodents were the most common prey in both environments, but shrews and reptiles were killed by cats more often in the rural environment while birds (mainly sparrows and pigeons) were more common in the urban environment. Additionally, prey composition changed seasonally. The pooled number of vertebrates killed by cats was largest in September and lowest in January, and rodents were killed most often in September, shrews and birds in June, and reptiles in April. The seasonal variation in the prey composition of cats was relatively high in the rural environment and more stable in the urban environment. Prey composition seemed to follow temporal and spatial variations in prey availability, thus confirming a facultative feeding strategy in free-ranging house cats.

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“…Factors like efficient foraging and high energy content of the food are likely to promote fly‐and‐forage behaviour. Montagu's harriers are opportunistic foragers (Arroyo ), feeding on a range of high‐energy‐content‐prey including voles and mice, passerines, reptiles and insects (Clarke , Mirski et al ). Assuming that Montagu's harriers can capture these prey efficiently, we expect fly‐and‐forage behaviour in areas where prey are abundant.…”

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confidence: 99%

Migrating Montagu's harriers frequently interrupt daily flights in both Europe and Africa

Klaassen

Schlaich

Bouten

et al. 2017

Journal of Avian Biology

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Time budgets are a powerful but hitherto seldom used way to study how migrants organise their bi‐annual travels. We studied daily time budgets of travelling Montagu's harriers Circus pygargus, based on GPS tracking data, in which we were particularly interested in how time budgets differ between regions and seasons, and are affected by wind. We found that Montagu's harriers used a relatively broad daily time window for travelling by starting daily travels just after sunrise and ending daily travels just before sunset. Occasionally, flights were extended into the night. Montagu's harriers frequently interrupted their daily flights for on average 1.5 h d–1. These interruptions occurred in all regions and seasons. The tracking data during interruptions suggested two different behaviours: in 41% of all interruptions the birds were moving (presumed foraging,) and in 32% they were stationary (presumed resting; the remaining interruptions could not be classified). The interruptions for foraging indicate that Montagu's harriers have a fly‐and‐forage migration strategy (i.e. combine travelling and foraging on the same day), but the interruptions for resting illustrate that their travels comprise of more than fly‐and‐forage behaviour alone. The large number of interruptions for foraging in the Sahara Desert indicates that this region is less hostile for a migrating raptor than presumed previously. Importantly, harriers spent more time on interruptions for resting on days with stronger headwinds, suggesting that interruptions for resting serve a function of waiting for more favourable weather conditions. Daily variation in time budgets was largely explained by wind; harriers flew more hours per day, and interrupted their flights fewer hours per day, on days they experienced stronger tailwinds. In contrast, time budgets were similar between regions and seasons, suggesting that wind rather than landscape and season shape travel routines of Montagu's harriers.

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Seasonal and spatial variation of the Montagu’s Harrier’s Circus pygargus diet in Eastern Poland

Cited by 7 publications

References 25 publications

Ranging behaviour and habitat use in Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus in extensive farmland of Eastern Poland

Ranging behaviour and habitat use in Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus in extensive farmland of Eastern Poland

Annual variation in prey composition of domestic cats in rural and urban environment

Migrating Montagu's harriers frequently interrupt daily flights in both Europe and Africa

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