Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T06:34:53.290Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A preliminary study of the breeding bird community of fallows of cereal steppes in southern Portugal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

Francisco Moreira  and
Domingos Leitão
Francisco Moreira
Affiliation:
Liga para a Protecção da Natureza, Estrada do Calhariz de Benfica, 187, P-1500 Lisboa, Portugal
Domingos Leitão
Affiliation:
Liga para a Protecção da Natureza, Estrada do Calhariz de Benfica, 187, P-1500 Lisboa, Portugal
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Counts of breeding birds in fallow land of Castro Verde region, the main steppe area of Portugal, were carried out during the spring of 1994, and the population densities of the most common species were estimated. The bird community is relatively simple, with a low species richness and diversity. Nevertheless, it includes several species with unfavourable conservation status. The most common species were Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra and Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, with a mean density of, respectively, 5.6 and 2.6 males/10 ha. Other breeding species in the studied fallows include Great Bustard Otis tarda, Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra, Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, Little Owl Athene noctua, Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, Quail Coturnix coturnix and Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis. The results suggest that there are differences in population densities in fallows of different age and grazing intensity.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , September 1996 , pp. 255 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1996

References

Burham, K. P, anderson, D. R. and Laake, J. L. (1980) Estimation of density from line transect sampling of biological populations. Wildl. Monogr. 72.Google Scholar
De Juana, E., Santos, A. T., Suarez, F. and Telleria, J.L. (1988) Status and conservation of steppe birds and their habitats in Spain. Pp 113–123 in Goriup, P. D., ed., Ecology and conservation of grassland birds. Cambridge, U.K.: International Council for Bird Preservation. (Techn. Publ. No. 7).Google Scholar
Diaz, M, Naveso, M. A. and Rebollo, E. (1993) Respuestas de las comunidades nidificantes de aves a la intensificatión agrícola en cultivos cerealistas da la Meseta Norte (Valladolid-Palencia, Espana). Aegypius 11: 1–6.Google Scholar
Eberhardt, L. L. (1978) Transect methods for population studies. J Wildl. Manag. 42:1–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker, G. M. and Heath, M. F. (1994) Birds in Europe: their conservation status. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 3).Google Scholar
Leitão, D. (1993) Aves dos terrenos agricolas do estuário do Tejo: Comunidades e padrões específicos de distribuição. Relatório de estágio, Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa, Lisboa.Google Scholar
Martinez, C. (1994) Habitat selection by the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax in cultivated areas of central Spain. Biol. Conserv. 67: 125–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, F. J. and Purroy, F. J. (1993) Avifauna reproductora en los sistemas esteparizados ibericos. Ecologia 7: 391–401.Google Scholar
Petretti, F. (1993) Notes on the lek behaviour of the Little Bustard in Italy. Avocetta, 17: 19–22.Google Scholar
Rivas-Martinez, S. (1981) Les étages bioclimatiques de la végétation de la Péninsule Ibérique. An. Jard. Bot. Madrid 37: 251–268.Google Scholar
Rufino, R. (1989) Atlas das aves que nidificam em Portugal Continental. Lisboa: Centro de Estudos de Migração e Proteccão das Aves, Serviço Nacional de Párques Reservas e Conservação da Natureza.Google Scholar
Schulz, H. (1985) Grundlagenforschungzur biologie der Zwertrappe Tetrax tetrax. Braunschweig: Staatlichen Naturhistorischen Museum.Google Scholar
Telleria, J. L., Santos, T., Alvarez, G. and Sáez Royela, C. (1988a) Avifauna de los campos de cereales del interior de España. Pp. 173–319 in Bernis, F., ed., Aves de los medios urbanos y agrícolas en las mesetas españolas. Madrid: Sociedad Española de Ornitoligia.Google Scholar
Telleria, J. L, Suárez, F. and Santos, T. (1988b) Bird communities of the Iberian shrubsteppes. Holartic Ecol. 11: 171–177.Google Scholar
Tucker, G. M. (1991) The status of lowland dry grassland birds in Europe. Pp. 15–36 in Goriup, P. D., Batten, L. A., and Norton, J. A., eds., The conservation of lowland dry grassland birds in Europe. Peterborough, U.K.: Joint Nature Conservancy Council.Google Scholar