Feeding Ecology of the Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) Nesting at Lake Mikri Prespa (Northwestern Greece)

Hatzilacou, Dionyssia

doi:10.2307/1521963

Cited by 9 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…They rarely (if ever) forage in saline sea such as the Gulf of Suez (Elliot et al, ), and take a detour through the Middle East rather than directly crossing the Mediterranean Sea during migration. They are social, breeding in large colonies, often feed in synchronous flocks and seldom fly alone (Elliot et al, ; Hatzilacou, ). Furthermore, during migration, they fly and roost in groups of up to 30,000 individuals, gliding in line formations (‘V’ shaped) (Elliot et al, ; Shirihai, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape‐dependent time versus energy optimizations in pelicans migrating through a large ecological barrier

2019

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During migration, birds are often forced to cross ecological barriers, facing challenges due to scarcity of resources and suitable habitats. While crossing such barriers, birds are expected to adjust their behaviour to reduce time, energy expenditure and associated risks. We studied the crossing of the Sahara Desert by the Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), a large wetland‐specialist. We focused on decisions made by migrating pelicans along different parts of the southbound autumn migration, their response to local environmental conditions and the implications for time and energy optimizations. We compared the observed pelicans' migration routes with simulated ‘direct‐pass’ (shortest, mostly across the desert) and ‘corridor‐pass’ (along the Nile River) routes, and used GPS, body acceleration and atmospheric modelling to compare flight behaviour along the Nile River versus the desert. The observed route was significantly shorter and faster than the simulated corridor‐pass route and not significantly different from the simulated direct‐pass one. Daily flights over the desert were longer than along the Nile River, with flying time extending to late hours of the day despite unfavourable atmospheric conditions for soaring–gliding flight. Moreover, the pelicans' behavioural response to atmospheric conditions changed according to the landscape over which they flew. Overall, the pelicans showed stronger behavioural adjustments to atmospheric conditions over the desert than along the Nile River. Our findings suggest that migrating pelicans primarily acted as time minimizers while crossing the Sahara Desert, whereas energetic optimization was only considered when it did not substantially compromise time optimization. The pelicans took the almost shortest possible route, only following the Nile River along its south‐oriented parts, and frequently staged overnight in the desert far from water, despite being large, wet‐habitat specialists. Correspondingly, their behavioural response to atmospheric conditions changed according to the landscape over which they were flying, switching between time (over the desert) and energy (over the Nile River) optimization strategies. Our results suggest that the interaction between landscape and atmospheric conditions depict a flexible, yet primarily time‐dominated, migration optimization strategy. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape‐dependent time versus energy optimizations in pelicans migrating through a large ecological barrier

2019

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“…2 wk before fledging. From this latter number a back-calculation was made assuming a breeding success of 0.65 fledged young per pair, a value close to the average observed for the species from detailed studies during the period 1983−1996 (Hatzilacou 1992, Crivelli et al 1997). In the case of Mikri Prespa, this was shown to be the most effective and least invasive way of monitoring a breeding colony of GWP.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Current status of the Dalmatian pelican and the great white pelican populations of the Black Sea/Mediterranean flyway

Catsadorakis¹,

Onmuş²,

Bugariu³

et al. 2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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The Dalmatian pelican (DP) Pelecanus crispu s and the great white pelican (GWP) Pelecanus onocrotalus are listed as 'Vulnerable' and 'Least Concern', respectively, in the IUCN Red List. We present an updated estimation of the Black Sea / Mediterranean flyway population status of both species, based on data provided by experts working in all 7 countries of the region where pelicans breed and/or overwinter, who came together at the 1st Workshop on Pelican Research and Conservation in Prespa, Greece. The DP breeding population in the Black Sea and Mediterranean countries increased from 1730−2105 pairs in the years 2000−2010 to 2154−2437 pairs in 2011−2012. Approximately 40% of the Palaearctic breeding population of GWP occurred in Southeast Europe and Turkey. In 2011−2012 the GWP population in this region was estimated to be 4702−5175 pairs, and has remained more or less stable during the last decade. Although all the breeding sites for both species are in protected areas, disturbance at nesting places was considered to be the main threat. Direct persecution and electric power lines still cause occasional problems. In deltaic lagoons, erosion and inundation of nesting sites cause breeding failures in DPs, while in inland wetlands large water level fluctuations are a widespread problem. Decrease of fish stocks is a threat, especially in coastal areas. Many stop-over wetlands along GWP migration routes between Southeast Europe and Africa have been seriously degraded or have disappeared, resulting in serious implications for their populations. Conservation needs are listed, but further research is recommended for both species.

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“…Anderson 1989, Anderson & Ricklefs 1992. The Dalmatian Pelican also seems to be more efficient at catching prey than other species of pelicans (Anderson 1991, McMahon & Evans 1992, Hatzilacou 1996 data). It can feed in shallow or deep water (Crivelli & Vizi 1981) and in clear or turbid water, and takes a wide range of fish species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…It can feed in shallow or deep water (Crivelli & Vizi 1981) and in clear or turbid water, and takes a wide range of fish species. It is able to feed its young until satiated several times a day, which is not the case for other species (Anderson & Ricklefs 1992, Hatzilacou 1996. The low nestling mortality explains why the breeding success each year is largely explained by the hatching success of over 80%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The breeding biology of the Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus

Crivellì

Hatzilacou²,

Catsadorakis³

1998

Ibis

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The breeding biology of the Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus, a vulnerable bird species in the Palaearctic, has been studied for 7 years at Lake Mikri Prespa, a continental wetland and Tsoukalio lagoon, a coastal wetland within the Amvrakikos Gulf. The two colonies showed stability, with fluctuations in the number of breeding attempts each year varying by about 30% over a period of 7 years. The date of arrival at the breeding sites and the date of laying of the first egg varied between mid‐February and mid‐March. The egglaying period (including renesting) varied between 18 and 114 days between years. The annual average clutch size varied between 1.60 and 1.94 eggs per nest. The incubation period averaged 31.4 ± 1.4 days. The overall hatching success varied from 36% to 70%. Egg losses were mainly due to nest abandonment, infertile eggs and eggs rolled from the nests. The Dalmatian Pelican chicks took 11–12 weeks to fledge. Nestling mortality was very low in contrast to other species of pelican. Such a low nestling mortality explains why the breeding success each year is largely explained by the hatching success.

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Feeding Ecology of the Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) Nesting at Lake Mikri Prespa (Northwestern Greece)

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

Landscape‐dependent time versus energy optimizations in pelicans migrating through a large ecological barrier

Landscape‐dependent time versus energy optimizations in pelicans migrating through a large ecological barrier

Current status of the Dalmatian pelican and the great white pelican populations of the Black Sea/Mediterranean flyway

The breeding biology of the Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus

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