Home range variability and philopatry in Cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) breeding in Iberia

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Title: Home range variability and philopatry in Cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) breeding in Iberia
Authors: García-Macía, Jorge | Álvarez, Ernesto | Galán, Manuel | Iglesias-Lebrija, Juan José | Gálvez, Marc | Plana, Gerard | Vallverdú, Núria | Urios, Vicente
Research Group/s: Zoología de Vertebrados
Center, Department or Service: Universidad de Alicante. Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales
Keywords: Bird of prey | Movement ecology | Philopatry | Raptor | Scavenger
Issue Date: 15-Sep-2023
Publisher: Elsevier
Citation: Avian Research. 2023, 14: 100134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100134
Abstract: Large scavengers are strongly dependent on environmental conditions and carrion distribution and abundance, so season and breeding-related factors may influence the spatial ecology of species such as the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), the largest European raptor. Iberia holds one of the biggest populations worldwide, but some aspects of the spatial ecology of the species in this region remain unknown. In this study, 17 adult Cinereous Vultures were GPS-tracked in order to study their spatial ecology during the adult phase. The average monthly home ranges (95% Kernel Density Estimation, KDE) and core areas (50% KDE) were 6543 ± 19,935 km2 and 1174 ± 4004 km2, respectively. The average monthly home range fidelity ranged between 50 and 73%. Differences in movement-related variables between the seasonal periods (incubation, chick-rearing and non-breeding) were found. During the chick-rearing period, the monthly accumulated distance was higher than during the other periods: 3316 ± 1108 (chick-rearing) vs. 1621 ± 622 (incubation) vs. 1726 ± 1159 km per month (non-breeding). Additionally, large home range sizes were more frequent during the chick-rearing period. There are two likely causes for these seasonal differences. Firstly, chick-rearing entails a higher energetic expenditure by the parental individuals in foraging activities, so larger movements and foraging areas are expected during this period. Secondly, the flight is favoured during spring and summer due to environmental conditions. Matching chick-rearing and warm months is a great evolutionary advantage for soaring-gliding raptors, as it allows them to cover larger areas with low energy expenditure. Furthermore, six individuals tagged as nestlings highlights the philopatric behaviour of the species: vultures settle their breeding areas 54 ± 51 km from their natal nest (range = 9–138 km).
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/137305
ISSN: 2053-7166
DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100134
Language: eng
Type: info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Rights: © 2023 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer Review: si
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100134
Appears in Collections:INV - ZV - Artículos Científicos

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