Generation of raptor diversity in Europe: linking speciation with climate changes and the ability to migrate

Abstract

The majority (58%) of raptors abandons their breeding ground and migrates to distant areas, sometimes in other continents. In the case of European breeding raptors, we can observe that in groups of species that share similar trophic niches (sometimes these species are taxonomically closely related), only some of them (one in the case of groups formed by only a pair) do a large distance migration. In this work we analyze the trophic niche of European raptors, with the objective of obtaining trophic niche groups. Once we have these niche groups, we related them with the migration behavior and taxonomy of species. Our results show that the smallest species inside these niche groups are those that migrates at long distance, suggesting that competence by resources in the less favorable seasons promote the migratory behavior in the weakest species.