Eagle Owl Bubo bubo and power line interactions in the Italian Alps

Abstract

We reviewed the importance of power lines as a cause of mortality for Eagle Owl in the Italian Alps. Power lines were the most important cause of unnatural mortality for this species, accounting for over 50% of recorded casualties. The number of reported dead owls tended to be higher in September–October, suggesting an influence on juvenile dispersal. Furthermore, the significance of power lines as a cause of mortality increased over time, being lower in the 1960–1980 period than in 1981–1999. Electrocution, which usually takes place at medium-voltage (15–30 kV) electricity poles, accounted for the vast majority of casualties. We suggest some protective measures that may be put into practice in the proximity of Eagle Owl breeding territories.

Preventing Raptor Electrocutions in an Urban Environment

“…Fledgling and adult female raptors often are most susceptible to electrocution (Dawson and Mannan 1994, Harmata et al 2001, Rubinolini et al 2001, and we found similar trends. We also found that juvenile hawks tended to be electrocuted within 250 m of nests, whereas adult hawks tended to be killed beyond that radius.…”

Using risk prediction models and species sensitivity maps for large-scale identification of infrastructure-related wildlife protection areas: The case of bird electrocution

“…For three species (griffon vulture, golden and Bonelli's eagles) detailed monitoring reports on their distribution and population sizes are periodically carried out, so the available information was of high quality. For the Eurasian eagle owl, the quality of the information differed across the study area, but this species' high sensitivity to electrocution a priori made it a good candidate indicator species (Rubolini et al, 2001;Martínez et al, 2006;Pérez-García et al, 2016).…”

Selecting indicator species of infrastructure impacts using network analysis and biological traits: Bird electrocution and power lines

“…Eagle owl seems to be the best mortality indicator in our system because its biological traits (size, abundance, status) and other characteristics, such as hunting behavior, confer this species a high sensitivity to electrocution (Janss, 2000;Rubolini et al, 2001;Sergio et al, 2004;Martínez et al, 2006;Schaub et al, 2010). Moreover, other features may justify its selection as indicator species: e.g., it is easy to detect during field samplings due to its large size and reduced carcasses lost by scavenging (Bevanger, 1998;Ponce et al, 2010), and its population is undergoing large-scale recovery process throughout the Iberian Peninsula (Penteriani and Delgado, 2010).…”