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Habitat preferences and spatial overlap between three species of bunting (Emberiza hortulana, Emberiza cirlus, Militaria calandra) in farmlands of Central Italy

Morelli F., Pruscini F., Santolini R.

Polish Journal of Ecology

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2014

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Vol. 62, nr 2

361--371

EN

Buntings species are mainly associated to agricultural landscapes and constitute a high conservation concern because farmlands are ecosystems subject to rapid changes and may cause the loss of animal species in just a few years. We studied the occurrence of Ortolan Bunting, Cirl Bunting and Corn Bunting (Emberiza hortulana, Emberiza cirlus, Miliaria calandra) on farmlands of Central Italy, considering the landuse composition, crop typologies and several structural parameters of environment occupied by these species, as presence of power lines, road type and Shannon biodiversity index of landscape. Furthermore the geographical overlap among the three bunting species was studied, in order to find witch species show an habitat overlap. The study was carried out in central-eastern Italy, between the end of April and mid-July 2010, through 159 sampled sites, uniformly distributed on in the study area. Cirl Bunting is the most widespread species of Bunting in the farmlands that were studied. Ortolan Bunting and Corn Bunting are the two species with greater spatial habitat overlap, even though land-use composition in their territories was different. However, Ortolan Bunting can be found at a lower altitude range than Corn Bunting (less 550 m a.s.l.) and it is associated to territories with minor landscape heterogeneity. Preferences by crop types seem to be a possible cause of the spatial habitat overlap between Ortolan and Corn Bunting (both species had selected sugar beet, and coriander, avoiding mainly vegetables, vineyards and orchards). On the other hand, Cirl Bunting was less related to crop types.

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Changes in breeding populations of six farmland bird species in Western Poland between 1987 and 2007

Krajewska A., Mizera T.

Polish Journal of Ecology

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2010

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Vol. 58, nr 3

593-597

EN

The breeding populations of the Skylark Alauda arvensis, Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella, Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra, Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava, Whinchat Saxicola rubetra, and Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio were censused by the mapping method on 315 ha of intensive farmland in W Poland. Results obtained in 2006 and 2007 were compared with previously published data from 1987 to 1997. Changes in habitat structure, mainly the decline of margin habitats, and the intensification of agricultural production, which both occurred between the two study periods, affected breeding bird populations; M. flava showed drastic long-term decreasing trends, and M. calandra increased significantly in number. The other four species showed yearto-year variation rather than directional trends. Numbers of A. arvensis declined from 1987 to the late 1990s and subsequently increased. Generally, population trends of the studied species were similar to those in other long-term study plots in Poland but differed from trends in Western Europe.

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Effect of change in land use on breeding bird communities in a Silesian farmland (SW Poland)

Kopij G.

Polish Journal of Ecology

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2008

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Vol. 56, nr 3

511-519

EN

Two study areas, 210 ha (A) and 120 ha (B), have been selected. Arable grounds dominated (92%) in the study area A, while meadows (63% in 1989 and 47% in 2003) - in the study area B. The changes in land use in both study areas have occurred in 2003 comparatively with 1989. In the study area A, an increase of the area with maize (from 1.1 ha to 38.4 ha) and oat (from 5.6 to 28.4 ha), and decrease in area of the rape (from 41.3 to 0.3 ha) and root plants (from 16.7 to 6.4 ha) have been recorded, while the clover and broad bean have totally disappeared as cultivated plants. In the study area B, a conversion of some dry meadows into arable grounds and an abandonment of more than half of the remaining area of meadows has been carried out. The landscape in the study area A was more fragmented in 1989 than in 2003, while in the study area B the reverse was true. On average, cereal areas increased - especially wheat (from 1.5 to 2.4 ha), maize (from 0.6 to 3.8 ha) and oat (from 0.6 to 1.9 ha), while rape areas decreased (from 2.0 to 0.3 ha). The mapping method has been employed to show the effect of these changes on breeding bird community in both years (1989 vs. 2003). In the study area A, density (pairs x 100[^-1] ha) of the Skylark Alauda arvensis (28.1 vs. 17.1) and Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris (12.9 vs. 2.4) has significantly decreased; while that of Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra (1.4 vs. 8.1) and gallinaceous birds (2.9 vs. 8.1) has significantly increased over the last 14 years. The most numerous species in the group of gallinaceous birds, the Common Quail Coturnix coturnix, probably benefits from the enlargement of oat and barley cultivations. The Skylark was negatively affected by the enlargement of study areas with cultivated plants, especially with the wheat and maize. The Corn Bunting has been, probably, positively affected by the enlargement of maize and barley cultivations, as well as from the warming effect. The decline of the Marsh Warbler could have been caused by the decrease of the area with rape cultivations but it may also reflect short-term fluctuations. In the study area B, only densities of the Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs and Blackbird Turdus merula have significantly increased, and no statistically significant declines were recorded. These increases can be linked to changes in the age structure of tree and shrub stands in the existing small forests, clumps and hedgerows, but these species show probably a general increase in numbers over large areas of farmlands in Poland and possibly in some other European countries.