Grey Partridge <i>Perdix perdix</i> in the UK: recovery status, set‐aside and shooting

Aebischer, Nicholas J.; Ewald, Julie A.

doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2010.01037.x

Cited by 31 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The timing of agricultural and farmland bird population change are broadly matching but with a time lag in the response of birds. The most accurately measured agricultural variables for the period 1974-91 matched the changes in farmland birds more closely (Chamberlain et al 2000) and this period also saw the greatest decline in the wild grey partridge (Aebischer and Ewald 2010). The decline in the intercept density of pheasants shot described here also matches this temporal pattern, suggesting that the wild pheasant population may also have declined in the same way as those of many other farmland birds and the grey partridge.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Pheasant release in Great Britain: long-term and large-scale changes in the survival of a managed bird

et al. 2017

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The release of artificially reared pheasants is a widespread practice in Great Britain, used to increase the number of birds available for hunting. We examined the spatial and temporal patterns of release and shooting between 1960 and 2014 using data from a self-selected sample of 1195 sites. We examined changes in the efficiency of release, the contribution of birds that were not released that year to the numbers shot, and the form of these relationships through time. An annual estimate of the efficiency by which releasing increased the numbers shot was 50% over the period 1960-1990 declining rapidly to 35% by 2005 and reducing more slowly thereafter. There was no obvious regional pattern to this relationship. It has been hypothesised that the efficiency of releasing is lower on sites that release higher densities of pheasants; this study does not support this hypothesis. Annual variation in the density of birds shot in the absence of releasing was closely correlated with a measure of annual gamebird chick survival. After this date, the relationship was no longer significant, consistent with a decline in wild pheasant stocks and coinciding with the declines in other farmland birds. We highlight increased fox abundance, genetic and behavioural changes arising from the rearing process, and increased shooting in late winter as possible causes for the observed decline in releasing efficiency. We consider the general increase in rearing, habitat changes, increased disease or losses to protected predators as unlikely to have been important causes of the changes in releasing efficiency. Pheasant releasing results in increased numbers for shooting, but has not prevented the wide-scale decline of wild pheasant numbers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Pheasant release in Great Britain: long-term and large-scale changes in the survival of a managed bird

et al. 2017

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“…) and England (Henderson et al . ); Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella preferred set‐asides as foraging habitat over grassland and cereal crops during breeding (Lille ); and Grey Partridge Perdix perdix significantly increased their population density on rotational set‐asides (Aebischer & Ewald ). In winter, uncultivated set‐asides are important food resources for endangered farmland birds (Buckingham et al .…”

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confidence: 99%

The optimal age of sown field margins for breeding farmland birds

Zollinger¹,

Birrer

Zbinden

et al. 2013

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The Europe‐wide decline in the populations and diversity of farmland birds has not been stopped despite dedicated conservation efforts such as agri‐environment schemes (AES). The main reason for the lack of success of AES is considered to be their low ecological quality and insufficient area. Understanding the effects of different management strategies on the ecological quality of AES is therefore important. Here, we investigate the relationship between breeding bird density and species richness and the age of sown field margins, a widely used type of AES, in southwestern Switzerland. Territories of breeding birds were mapped on 67 field margins between 2004 and 2011. Territory densities (for eight species) and species richness were analysed in relation to age of the field margin. A general negative correlation between size of the field margin and territory density indicated that territory density was higher when the birds could forage in adjacent cultivated land. Territory densities and species richness increased up to an age of 4–6 years after sowing, depending on the species, and declined thereafter. The results suggest that the co‐occurrence of newly sown margins and margins over 3 years old will have a positive effect on breeding bird densities and species diversity.

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“…The results of monitoring of hunting grounds and its size now used by scientists in the aggregate with GSD index (generalized species diversity), to assess the ecological state of the environment (Fedyushko et al, 2011;Aebischer & Ewald, 2010;Вro et al, 2003;Panek, 1997a). Grey Partridge is the only representative of sedentary native species of hunting Galliformes, which commonly inhabits semi-open landscapes of Ukraine except for serried forests of Polissia, the Carpathians and the Crimea, where the altitude exceeds 900 m (Fedyushko et al, 2011;Вro et al, 2012;Buner et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat use of grey partridge in agricultural landscapes (the case of Ukrainian forest steppe)

2017

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We investigated the influence of habitat and climatic parameters on Grey partridge populations in natural and agricultural landscapes of Ukrainian forest steppe. In all the studied provinces, the general population trends of Grey partridge did not have the concerted correlation with climatic factors, though in Steppe left bank natural-agricultural province, LS-3 there was registered negative correlation between the number of birds and average rainfall in June; in Steppe Right bank naturalagricultural province, LS-2 we fixed positive correlation with average annual humidity. We also revealed the persistent negative relationship between the density of roads and partridge abundance in hunting lands of study area. We also founded that number of agriculture variables which limited the number of grey partridges, was higher, then in central and left-bank foreststeppe of Ukraine. Thus, we registered strong negative correlation between the square of sown lands and cultivated crop area (namely with corn, sunflower, and soy), dwelling space, norms of mineral fertilizers/pesticides and the number of birds. The same variables had low and medium positive correlation coefficients with bird abundance in western part of study regions. This could indirectly indicate the forced usage of arable land by birds as the reduction of mediocrity and natural mosaic of agricultural landscapes along the gradient from the west to the east of Ukrainian steppe. This should be considered in the hunting management of agricultural landscapes in study region, like identifying of the plots for the introduction of artificially reared birds, selection of reproductive areas and other ecological and economic measures for the protection and rational exploitation of grey partridge.

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Grey Partridge Perdix perdix in the UK: recovery status, set‐aside and shooting

Cited by 31 publications

References 21 publications

Pheasant release in Great Britain: long-term and large-scale changes in the survival of a managed bird

Pheasant release in Great Britain: long-term and large-scale changes in the survival of a managed bird

The optimal age of sown field margins for breeding farmland birds

Habitat use of grey partridge in agricultural landscapes (the case of Ukrainian forest steppe)

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