Habitat Preferences of Male Corn Buntings<i>Emberiza calandra</i>in North-Eastern Germany

Altewischer, Andrea; Buschewski, Ulrike; Ehrke, Christian; Fröhlich, Johannes; Gärtner, Antje; Giese, P.; Günter, Franziska; Heitmann, Nadja; Hestermann, Maren; Hoffmann, Hannes; Kleinschmidt, Friederike; Kniepkamp, Björn Ole; Linke, Wilhelm; Mayland-Quellhorst, Tore; Pape, Jonas; Peterson, Tom; Schendel, Vanessa; Schwieger, Sarah; Wadenstorfer, Andrea; Fischer, Klaus

doi:10.3161/00016454ao2015.50.1.001

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Sparsely vegetated patches within the agricultural landscape provide enhanced foraging opportunities in terms of a higher availability of invertebrate prey and they were identified as the key foraging habitats also for other bunting species (e.g. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella – Douglas et al 2009, Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra – Altewischer et al 2015) and ground-foraging insectivorous farmland birds, such as Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops (Tagmann-Ioset et al 2012), Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla (Weisshaupt et al 2011), or Little Owl Athene noctua (Šálek and Lövy 2012). We suggest that it is the Ortolan Bunting preference for intermediately vegetated habitat patches that may explain an intriguing selection of poppy fields and set-asides in farmland, both containing sparse vegetation throughout the whole vegetation season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat selection of an endangered European farmland bird, the Ortolan BuntingEmberiza hortulana, in two contrasting landscapes: implications for management

Šálek

Zeman

Václav

2018

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryEffective conservation measures for any bird species across their distribution ranges require detailed knowledge of landscape-specific differences in habitat associations. The Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana is a farmland bird species, which experienced massive population declines during the recent decades and has become a conservation priority in many European countries. Thus, identification of the key habitat features is an important prerequisite for the conservation of the species. Here we investigate habitat associations of the Ortolan Bunting for the remaining breeding population of the species in the Czech Republic. This population is remarkable by its distribution in two markedly different environments – farmland and post-mining landscapes. The main objectives of this study were to identify habitat features associated with Ortolan Bunting occurrence within the two contrasting landscapes and at two spatial scales. Our results reveal a high degree of habitat plasticity by Ortolan Buntings in the Czech Republic which was revealed by the landscape- and scale- specific habitat associations. Habitat heterogeneity, in terms of compositional and configurational diversity, and the cover of bare ground were the most important predictors of Ortolan Bunting occurrence in both landscape types. In farmland, the species occurrence was positively associated with shrub and woody vegetation, poppy fields and set-asides, and negatively associated with grasslands, gardens/orchards, seedlings and urban habitats. In the post-mining landscape, the cover of herb vegetation and greater slope steepness and terrain ruggedness were most important habitat features. Ortolan Buntings in the post-mining landscape appear to avoid patches with a higher cover of shrub and woody vegetation, forests, seedlings and urban areas. We propose that conservation measures for Ortolan Buntings should focus on enhancing farmland habitat heterogeneity, but also on regulating the rate of succession in disturbed environments, such as post-mining landscapes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat selection of an endangered European farmland bird, the Ortolan BuntingEmberiza hortulana, in two contrasting landscapes: implications for management

Šálek

Zeman

Václav

2018

Bird Conservation International

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“…S1). A solitary tree was found to be frequently used as a song post by corn buntings Miliaria calandra L. (Mason & Macdonald, 2000; Szymkowiak et al ., 2014; Altewischer et al ., 2015), ortolan buntings Emberiza hortulana L. (Fonderflick, Thévenot & Guillaume, 2005; Elts et al ., 2015), and tree pipits Anthus trivialis L. (Schwarz, Trautner & Fartmann, 2018). Trees play an important role as perches for hunting predators, e.g.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small things are important: the value of singular point elements for birds in agricultural landscapes

et al. 2021

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Farmland birds belong to the most endangered group of vertebrates in Europe. They are an important component of farmland biodiversity considering the numerous functions they perform (e.g. seed dispersal, improving germination, increasing gene flow, nutrient recycling, and pest control). Therefore, their decline imposes substantial risks on agricultural ecosystems. In general, farmland bird conservation includes land‐use and management alterations leading to less‐intensive farming and land‐sparing for breeding habitats (e.g. agri‐environment‐climate schemes, and organic farming). However, theoretical concepts describing farmland biodiversity maintenance and applied conservation measures usually ignore the role of singular, often very small, natural or man‐made elements in an agricultural landscape. These elements play a role in the populations of certain species, their biology and in the general species richness of farmland. Furthermore, the importance of these elements has never been empirically tested, which means that conservationists and practitioners are not aware of their measurable value for birds. Herein, we define and identify singular point elements in the agricultural landscape (SPELs) which are potentially important for breeding farmland birds. We also describe each SPEL and evaluate its importance for birds in farmland based on a systematic review of the available literature. Using a horizon‐scanning technique, we then polled field ornithologists about their personal observations of birds in relation to SPELs and the evaluation of the potential roles of such structures for birds. We identified 17 SPELs that vary in naturalness and age: singular trees, singular shrubs, erratic boulders, puddles, electricity pylons, wind turbines, spiritual sites, hunting platforms, fence and border posts, wells, road signs, scarecrows, piles of manure, piles of brushwood/branches, piles of stones/debris, piles of lime, and haystacks. Analysis of the literature revealed knowledge gaps, because some SPELs are frequently mentioned in ecological studies (e.g. trees, shrubs, pylons), but others such as spiritual sites, stones, hunting platforms, wells, road signs, or piles of lime are ignored. Despite the fact that some authors incorporate the effects of some SPELs in their studies, little research to date has aimed to assess the impact of various SPELs on farmland bird species numbers and distribution. Horizon scanning revealed that ornithologists often observe birds on various SPELs and thus, attribute to SPELs many functions that are important for maintaining bird populations. Horizon scanning also highlighted the importance of SPELs for many declining bird species and suggested possible mitigation of negative changes in the agricultural landscape by retaining SPELs within fields. We suggest that a better understanding of the role of SPELs for farmland birds is required. We also recommend that SPELs are considered as a potential tool for the conservation of birds, and existing conservation programs such as agri‐...

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“…Variation in field area measured as the coefficient of variation in a 1-km radius. Different farmland species have various habitat preferences in terms of field size (e.g., Rosin et al , 2012 ; Altewischer et al , 2015 ) thus higher variation in field size may increase spatial heterogeneity and thus species richness ( Pickett & Siriwardena , 2011 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constant and seasonal drivers of bird communities in a wind farm: implications for conservation

Rosin

Skórka

Szymański

et al. 2016

PeerJ

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Background. One of the most difficult challenges for conservation biology is to reconcile growing human demands for resources with the rising need for protecting nature. Wind farms producing renewable energy have been recognised to be a threat for birds, but clear directives for environmental planning are still missing.Methods. Point counts were performed to study the relationship between eight environmental variables and bird populations in different parts of a year on the largest Polish wind farm between March 2011 and February 2013. Variables potentially related to species richness (Chao 1 estimator) and the abundance of the entire bird community as well as five selected farmland species were analysed with the use of generalized linear mixed models.Results. Some associations between the studied variables and bird populations were season/year specific, while others had a constant direction (positive or negative) across seasons and/or years. The latter were distance to the nearest turbine, field size, number of wind turbines, proximity of settlements and water bodies. Spatial autocorrelation and counting time were significantly correlated with bird population estimates but the directions of these relationships varied among seasons and years. Associations between abundance of individual species and environmental variables were species-specific.Conclusions. The results demonstrated a constant negative relationship between wind turbine proximity and bird numbers. Other environmental variables, such as field size, proximity of settlements and water bodies that also had constant associations with bird populations across seasons may be taken into account when minimizing adverse effects of wind farm development on birds or choosing optimal locations of new turbines.

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Habitat Preferences of Male Corn BuntingsEmberiza calandrain North-Eastern Germany

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Habitat selection of an endangered European farmland bird, the Ortolan BuntingEmberiza hortulana, in two contrasting landscapes: implications for management

Habitat selection of an endangered European farmland bird, the Ortolan BuntingEmberiza hortulana, in two contrasting landscapes: implications for management

Small things are important: the value of singular point elements for birds in agricultural landscapes

Constant and seasonal drivers of bird communities in a wind farm: implications for conservation

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