Density, Habitat Selection and Breeding Success of an Insular Population of Barbary Falcon Falco Peregrinus Pelegrinoides

[摘要] Westudieddensity,habitatselectionandreproductionofBarbaryFalconsFalcoperegrinuspelegrinoidesonTenerifeIslandduring2004and2005.Atotalof26breedingpairswerecounted,allofthemoccupyingnaturalcliffsaroundtheisland.Densityobservedwas1.27pairs/100km2,andwaspositivelycorrelatedwithcliffavailability.Meandistancebetweenneighbouringpairswas5869±3338m,rangingfrom1388–13610m;insomeareasthisvaluewasaslowas2062±673m.Tenerifestillshowspotentialforfurtherincreaseregardingtheobservationsofsinglefemalesandtheavailabilityofpotentiallysuitablebutunoccupiedcliffs.Falconsselectedtallercliffs,moreapartfromroadsandhouses,nearthecoast,withlowerpresenceofcultivatedandurbanareas,andassociatedwithothercliff-nestingspecies.Stepwisediscriminantanalysisofhabitatselectionselectedcliffheight,nearestneighbourdistanceanddistancetoroad,andcorrectlyclassified71.1%ofthecases.Productivityaveraged1.55fledgedyoung/pairandbreedingsuccesswas81.1%.Nocorrelationswereobservedbetweenhabitatfeaturesandproductivity.Sincemostterritoriesarelocatedinprotectedzonesandhumandisturbanceseemstobeabsent,specialmanagementmeasuresarenotnecessary.However,furtherstudyintothebiologyofthispopulationisrequiredforeffectiveandtimelyconservationofthisspeciesifneedbe.

[学科分类] 动物科学

[关键词] Canary Islands