Temporal variation in annual survival probability of the Eurasian woodcock <i>Scolopax rusticola</i> wintering in France

Tavecchia, Giacomo; Pradel, Roger; Gössmann, F.; Bastat, Claudine; Ferrand, Yves; Lebreton, Jean‐Dominique

doi:10.2981/wlb.2002.004

Cited by 37 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The winter survival rate found in our study (0.55, n = 51) was lower than that reported for France for both adults and firstwinter birds (0.77 and 0.59, respectively; Tavecchia et al 2002), and also lower than the annual survival rate reported for adults in the UK (0.58; Hoodless and Coulson 1994). It was only higher than that reported for first-winter birds in the UK (0.47; Hoodless and Coulson 1994).…”

Section: Winter Survival Ratecontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…These studies also suggest that hunting is an additive mortality factor, because annual survival rates for woodcock wintering in areas without hunting (Duriez et al 2005b, Aradis et al 2008) was higher than annual survival rate for woodcock in areas with hunting activity (Hoodless and Coulson 1994, Tavecchia et al 2002, Bauthian et al 2006; see also Bruggink et al 2013 for American Woodcock). According to that, and given that woodcock winter survival rates in this study varied in relation to hunting opportunity, this may indicate source-sink population dynamics among areas with different hunting pressure, as described in France (Péron et al 2011b and.…”

Section: Winter Survival Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In many bird species it has thus been shown that winter conditions such as low temperatures or consecutive frosts influence survival (e.g., Deville et al 2014, Johnston et al 2016. In France, a negative relationship between winter temperature and woodcock survival was also found, as well as escape behavior below a certain temperature threshold (Tavecchia et al 2002, Péron et al 2011a, presumably because dealing with such conditions would be riskier than moving away from their usual wintering areas (Duriez 2003). The fact that we did not find a significant relationship between temperature and survival rate, may reflect that the measure of temperature used for this analyses was not sufficiently precise because of the distance between the climatic stations and the areas used by woodcock.…”

Section: Winter Survival Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We hypothesize that commuting flight distances would be influenced by temperature, as lower temperatures increase energy needs (Duriez et al 2004b), but that this relationship may be influenced by climatic region. Second, we hypothesize that survival rate would also be influenced by temperature, but that, as for commuting flight distances, the relationship between temperature and survival rate may be modulated by climatic region, and that survival rate would also depend on hunting opportunities, i.e., number of hunting days allowed per week in each area (Tavecchia et al 2002). Additionally, we describe escape flights observed, conditions eliciting this behavior, and duration of the displacements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Severe weather conditions in winter have in fact been found to influence woodcock survival rate (Hoodless and Coulson 1994, Tavecchia et al 2002, Péron et al 2011a, which decreases when earthworms become inaccessible, as happens with cold spells in winter (Péron et al 2011a). On the other hand, survival rate in game species may be strongly influenced by hunting pressure itself, if mortality associated with hunting is additive instead of compensatory (Péron 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Factors influencing mobility and survival of Eurasian Woodcock wintering in Spain

Guzmán¹,

Caro²,

Arroyo³

2017

ACE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. Survival and mobility have important implications for population management for game species. These parameters are influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We describe movements (commuting flights between diurnal refuges and nocturnal feeding places; and escape flights during cold spells) and winter survival rate of Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) wintering in Spain. We also evaluate factors influencing these variables, using 51 radio-tracked birds over three winters (2008/2009, 2009/2010, and 2010/2011). Commuting flight distances were estimated at 961.5 ± 1041.9 m, and variations were mainly explained by age and temperature (they decreased with lower temperatures and were lower for first-winter birds). Three cold spells occurred in 2009/2010; 80% of woodcocks monitored that winter showed escape flights, moving > 20 km, and went back to their previous wintering place when the effects of cold spells finished (about 8 days later). Of monitored woodcocks, 54.9% survived the winter. The most frequent cause of death was hunting, affecting mainly first-winter birds. Woodcock survival was lower in areas with more hunting days per week, and in Mediterranean than in Atlantic climate regions. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring survival and factors affecting it. Also, these results underline the importance of developing future studies to understand the importance of Mediterranean regions, the use of refuge places during cold spells, and hunting pressure there. Facteurs agissant sur la mobilité et la survie de la Bécasse des bois hivernant en EspagneRÉSUMÉ. La survie et la mobilité sont des paramètres importants dans la gestion des populations pour les oiseaux gibier. Toutes deux sont influées par des facteurs tant intrinsèques qu'extrinsèques. La présente étude nous a permis de décrire les déplacements (vols quotidiens entre les refuges diurnes et les sites d'alimentation nocturne, et vols pour s'éloigner d'épisodes de froid) et la survie hivernale de la Bécasse des bois (Scolopax rusticola) hivernant en Espagne. Nous avons aussi évalué les facteurs qui agissent sur ces variables, au moyen de 51 oiseaux équipés de radio durant trois hivers (2008-2009, 2009-2010 et 2010-2011). La distance des vols quotidiens a été estimée à 961,5 ± 1041,9 m et les variations s'expliquaient principalement par l'âge et la température (la distance diminuait quand les températures étaient plus basses et était plus courte chez les oiseaux dont c'était le premier hiver). Trois épisodes de froid sont survenus en 2009-2010; 80 % des bécasses suivies au cours de cet hiver ont effectué des vols pour s'éloigner, se déplaçant > 20 km et revenant au site occupé précédemment lorsque les effets du froid ont été terminés (environ 8 jours plus tard). Parmi les bécasses suivies, 54,9 % d'entre elles ont survécu durant l'hiver. La cause la plus fréquente de mortalité était la chasse, laquelle touchait surtout les oiseaux dont c'était le premier hiver. La survie des bécasses était plus faible dans les endroits où l...

show abstract

Section: Winter Survival Ratecontrasting

confidence: 55%

Section: Winter Survival Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Winter Survival Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Factors influencing mobility and survival of Eurasian Woodcock wintering in Spain

Guzmán¹,

Caro²,

Arroyo³

2017

ACE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The effect of soil parameters and earthworm abundance on the fine‐scale nocturnal habitat use of the Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)

Schally,

Tóth,

Márton

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Eurasian woodcock prefers habitats where its main prey, earthworms, can be found in higher densities. Although they are forest‐dwelling birds, they regularly visit pastures and natural grasslands at night, where earthworm abundance is generally higher. However, there is little information on fine‐scale habitat use in relation to variation in habitat characteristics and prey availability, particularly beyond the breeding season. In our study, we investigated if the nocturnal occurrence of woodcocks during migratory stopover periods differed between two neighbouring fields, or management units, with similar vegetation structure, and if within‐field variation in the spatial patterns of woodcock sightings were associated with fine‐scale earthworm densities and soil parameters. Specifically, we used GPS tracking data of two tagged woodcocks and direct observation data to study patterns of occurrence of birds in a mixed forest‐pasture landscape in Hungary during pre‐ and post‐breeding periods. We compared these patterns with fine‐scale soil characteristics and earthworm abundance, acquired by field sampling. We found that the field with higher earthworm abundance was visited by woodcocks more frequently, and this correlation was similarly observed at the intra‐field level. Our results demonstrate that woodcocks select foraging sites with higher earthworm densities at multiple spatial scales, both between fields (coarse scale), and within fields (fine‐scale). Considering that woodcocks tended to return to the same field to forage at night, the strong associations between occupancy and resources provide a basis for developing habitat management strategies at the field level for conservation. As earthworm densities and soil parameters are good indicators of woodcock foraging habitat, measuring those variables, at least at a coarse scale, could aid in predicting important habitats for the species across the landscape.

show abstract

Escape migration decisions in Eurasian Woodcocks: insights from survival analyses using large-scale recovery data

Péron

Ferrand

Gössmann

et al. 2011

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During unpredictable adverse conditions, endotherms can engage in emergency behaviours (movement, torpor, hyperphagia) to maintain energy balance and reduce mortality hazards. Bird 'escape migration' is one of the most visible of these behaviours. In this study we focus on a Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola population. Seasonal migrations bring this population from its breeding grounds in Eastern and Northern Europe to its wintering grounds in France. A varying number of these birds are also regularly reported from Spain, supposedly during additional escape movements that occur in winter. Using models that account for the imperfect detection rate of individuals and a large (>44,000 individuals) dataset combining information from the wintering and breeding ranges, we show that severe winters significantly reduced survival probability, but that migration to Spain increased only during the most intense cold spell that occurred over the 20 year study period. This suggests that the decision to resume migration during the winter is submitted to a threshold mechanism, which we discuss in the light of current models of migratory behaviour.

show abstract

Temporal variation in annual survival probability of the Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola wintering in France

Cited by 37 publications

References 19 publications

Factors influencing mobility and survival of Eurasian Woodcock wintering in Spain

Factors influencing mobility and survival of Eurasian Woodcock wintering in Spain

The effect of soil parameters and earthworm abundance on the fine‐scale nocturnal habitat use of the Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)

Escape migration decisions in Eurasian Woodcocks: insights from survival analyses using large-scale recovery data

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About